Hear Ye, Hear Ye: Barbara Anderson sharing April 10th Australian Newspaper Article about WT and back ground checks

by AndersonsInfo 120 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  3Mozzies

  Two comments were published in letters to the editor section of the Sunday Herald Sun April 10,2011

  http://www.heraldsun.com.au/ipad/hot-topic-children-before-religion/story-fn6bn88w-1226040226153

  Hot Topic: Children before religion

  OUR report on Jehovah's Witnesses not requiring police checks before working with children or doorknocking has readers asking why not, when other religions face up to such scrutiny.

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  HOW is it that all religions are required to undergo a police check and they all abide by it, except Jehovah's Witnesses? (Taking on Watch Tower, SHS, April 10). Are they above the law? The next time they knock on my door the first thing I'll ask them is do you have a police check? When they answer in the negative I'll close the door.

  Concerned parent, via email

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  Check is best

  "WHO'S looking after the children?" Those in authority should not ignore what alleged sexual assault victim Steven Unthank is saying about doing police checks on Jehovah's Witnesses ministers, prior to their dealing with unsupervised children, under Victoria's Working with Children act.

  On January 1, 1986, the governing body of this organisation admitted in the Watchtower magazine that in the past year 36,638 individuals had been dis-fellowshipped from the organisation -- a great number of them for practising immorality.

  This man has a big battle on his hands and needs all the help he can get.

  George William Hudson, Certificate of Christian Ministry, Werribee

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• 

  smiddy

  It is now the 20/4/2011 A.E.S.T. Does anyone know what happened at the court proceedings ?

  smiddy
• 

  steve2

  Court proceedings can drag on for an eternity. Not for nothing are they often described as being "glacial". Do not expect to hear much, if anything, for a long while.

  By all accounts, with an exception or two, the Aussie media have not taken up this story. Hardly surprising. It's like a legal beat up driven by an individual intent on making a point that governmental agencies shy away from.
• 

  js.trash

  Hi Everyone,

  First, and possibly last post. And please forgive me for any spelling errors

  A short background, I officially disassociated myself from the watchtower in 2004. I have absolutely no anamosity towards the people in the society, I do however, have a REAL hatred for child abusers, or ANY people that abuse their positions.

  Victorian schools are currently on a term break, that commenced Friday 09 April 2011. We receive the Herald Sun at the school daily, Mon to Friday. However this article unfortunately appeared in the Saturday Herald Sun on Saturday 10th April 2011 not as large a circulation.

  I missed the article heard about it here and did a search.

  So why am I posting now? Don't really know except I thought you might all be interested in seeing what a WWC card looks like. Why do I have one? I work in a Victorian school and ALL school employees MUST have a WWC card before they can be employed, this includes a police background check. I think this requirement was only introduced in Victoria around 4 years ago. As you can see by the expiry date on my card October 2012. That's when I first had to get it. It has to be renewed every five years.

  When I first read this article, TODAY, I was a little amazed, that anyone would be willing to take the society to court to try and force the government to make their members get these cards. BUT, kudos to him.

  Personally, I hope if he hasn't already done so, it may be a good idea for him to approach his local MP in his area and explain the situation to him/her so they can bring the matter up in Government. Infact, a letter campaign to the Victorian Government from all over the world, but especially from their constituants here in Australia wouldn't hurt.

  Maybe Barbara could draw up such a letter, what with her background in the society she could maybe include valid facts then post the letter on here so we could all print it out and send it to our local MP.

  I haven't read all the posts here so if someone already suggested this fantastic, and I'm not trying to steal your thunder. Ok, well keep this article active, it's VERY important.

  I don't see absolutely ANY reason why the society would fight this, and I can't understand why they would allow it to go to court. It is an EXCELLENT idea to get Elders and MS and anyone who has access to children privately in a congregation to be cleared by a background check. In fact it would really cover the society to some extent if someone is there now and found to be a registered paedophile. I would think the GB would JUMP at the idea. Ok that's my 2 cents.....take care and Christs Love to you all.

  Please be nice to each other guys, I know you all have a right to your opinions and I respect that, but if you really want to help others, be nice and don't exagerate on your websites, even if you think it is some sort of Theocratic Warfare type lies. Why be as bad as the originators of that idea?
• 

  Murray Smith

  Welcome to the forum js.trash . . .

  I know of a few (including myself) who have emailed a number of Govt Depts., Child Commissioner etc highlighting the issue. I think I'm right in saying it has been Steve Unthanks intention for a Govt agency to take up the case once tabled in Court (Ibelieve that took place on 19th).

  As yet there has been no progress report on this board.

  I enjoyed your post . . . please stick around, you seem to have plenty to offer
• 

  Terry

  The definitions of Faithful (and discreet) Slave and the Evil Slave in Matthew clearly demonstrate the ATTITUDE which identifies each one.

  Very telling indeed!

  The slave (servant) WHO ATTENDS TO THE WELL-BEING of the household is the faithful one.

  The Watchtower Society is like the lazy bum who tells his wife there is no need to repair the roof for leaks because it isn't raining.

  When it does rain, he complains you can't repair a roof while a storm is going on.

  Temporizing is the Watchtower strategy. Temporizing and dissembling.
• 

  Murray Smith

  WT seldom uses more than a verse or two at a time in their cafeteria style use of scripture to support their weird doctrines . . . so context is seldom revealed.

  Never has the true import of the definitions found in Matthew been as obvious to me as they are now . . . and you're so right Terry, it's the spirit or attitude of the contrasting slaves that they totally fail to connect with.

  Never has that attitude been more blatantly exposed than in the attitude to the wellbeing of innocent JW children.

  And that attitude is quite obviously the one demonstrated by the evil slave . . . makes my blood boil . . . exellent point though
• 

  wasblind

  On page 555 in the Kingdom Proclaimers book

  there is a large picture of a child holding a sign

  and by the title of that section clearly shows

  an under age child being worked by the WTS

  can any one scan this ???? I'm unable to
• 

  andrekish

  This seems to be a major problem internationally.

  http://www.silentlambs.org/GeorgeCockerillukmolester.htm This article talks about a guy who is the grandfather of my neighbour's kids....George Cockerill, a guy I thoguht I knew quite well.

  But this isn't unique.....

  This happened when I was ward clerk as a Mormon elder, when it was my job to minute all of the meetings and what went on behind those closed meeting doors was so shocking it caused me to realise that the Mormon church was corrupt and therefore antichristian. And when one of the granddads in our congregation did exactly the same thing there was lots of embarassed coughing among those elders at the private meeting discussing it. It was only because one of the Mormon elders was a decent man and a copper that the old guy got investigated properly and prosecuted that the young kids involved could feel any sense of justice. But that doesn't undo the hurt and embarassment for the kids involved. That I do know from personal experience.

  Doesn't look like the GB of Jehovahs Witnesses are any better than the general running of the Mormon chruch at the moment. Just as well it isn't an organisation that will enter God's Kingdom, however it arrives, or God's Kingdom will be very short lived indeed and we will all end up disfellowshipping each other until we've all got the strops.

  I went through this kinda crap as a kid, but that was done by social workers of all people. It really doesn't give me any faith in any organisational ability among tosspot humanity. There are creeps and crooks in every direction anyone looks and hiding under every rock. We humans just don't want to behave ourselves.

  Although I don't believe in the current 'child worship' that seems to be prevalent these days no kids deserve to be subjected to any of this abuse and molestation. Neither should they be subjected to religious slavery on anyone's behalf. If a kid cannot vote then that kid cannot decide to be baptised. If that kid cannot be baptised then that kid cannot be forced to work for that religion.

  Maybe we should just send all the kids back down the mines or into the cotton mills. We knew what they were up to then and you can't be evangelising on a cold street corner when you are stuck up a chimney, just ask Oliver Twist.....they knew how to treat kids in those days.
• 

  andrekish

  This seems to be a major problem internationally.

  http://www.silentlambs.org/GeorgeCockerillukmolester.htm This article talks about a guy who is the grandfather of my neighbour's kids....George Cockerill, a guy I thoguht I knew quite well.

  But this isn't unique.....

  This happened when I was ward clerk as a Mormon elder, when it was my job to minute all of the meetings and what went on behind those closed meeting doors was so shocking it caused me to realise that the Mormon church was corrupt and therefore antichristian. And when one of the granddads in our congregation did exactly the same thing there was lots of embarassed coughing among those elders at the private meeting discussing it. It was only because one of the Mormon elders was a decent man and a copper that the old guy got investigated properly and prosecuted that the young kids involved could feel any sense of justice. But that doesn't undo the hurt and embarassment for the kids involved. That I do know from personal experience.

  Doesn't look like the GB of Jehovahs Witnesses are any better than the general running of the Mormon chruch at the moment. Just as well it isn't an organisation that will enter God's Kingdom, however it arrives, or God's Kingdom will be very short lived indeed and we will all end up disfellowshipping each other until we've all got the strops.

  I went through this kinda crap as a kid, but that was done by social workers of all people. It really doesn't give me any faith in any organisational ability among tosspot humanity. There are creeps and crooks in every direction anyone looks and hiding under every rock. We humans just don't want to behave ourselves.

  Although I don't believe in the current 'child worship' that seems to be prevalent these days no kids deserve to be subjected to any of this abuse and molestation. Neither should they be subjected to religious slavery on anyone's behalf. If a kid cannot vote then that kid cannot decide to be baptised. If that kid cannot be baptised then that kid cannot be forced to work for that religion.

  Maybe we should just send all the kids back down the mines or into the cotton mills. We knew what they were up to then and you can't be evangelising on a cold street corner when you are stuck up a chimney, just ask Oliver Twist.....they knew how to treat kids in those days.