Letter read to Victorian congregations re WCC

by Mattieu 13 Replies latest jw friends

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  Mattieu

  Had an interesting chat with my ex re the current debate over working with children checks - of which she has one due to her volunteering at our children’s primary school. I remember when she had to apply that I made the comment elders & ms’s should be having background checks due to the history of abuse in the borg and covering up (these discussions normally don’t go down well as she is well and truly blinded, well meaning, but blinded).

  Anywho, she told me about the recent letter that was read to all the Victorian congregations, she couldn’t tell me verbatim what it said, though the gist was that is no real need for elders to get this check, but rather they are complying with what has been asked legally.

  Now I don’t know if what she said next was based on the letter read or the after discussions at the k/hall, but she made the comment “the elders do not need the wcc as they are not strangers, they are our brothers…” I tried reasoning that another elder who moves in from interstate is certainly a stranger, until you get to know him on a personal level. Didn’t matter how I reasoned or what incidents I bought up, the view amongst her and the other Mums that she hangs around in the cong is that the elders getting a wcc check is totally unnecessary and that the jw’s are being picked on.

  Next week, I am meeting up with a mate who is an elder here in Victoria and trying to step down, so will pick his brains and see if he can get a copy…
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  JWStruggle

  Mattieu nice observations and reasoning- it is hard to have your wife's JW Armor go up and every bit of logic to be deflected, I know...

  This letter would be extremely interesting- keep us posted.
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  Diest

  THanks for the update.
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  sizemik

  “the elders do not need the wcc as they are not strangers, they are our brothers…”

  Interesting comment . . . whether they are strangers or brothers is not relevant. The facts are that they all work with children . . . and some of them molest them. period. Hence the need for the checks for everybody.

  It's "unneccessary" for the great majority of all who get the checks . . . JW or not. The JW mindset is indeed completely screwed. They're suckered enough to still think their reputation is of far greater concern than the well-being of a few insignificant children.

  Thanks for sharing the feedback . . . a chat to an elder would be interesting.
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  Listener

  Thanks Mattieu for confirming there was a letter read out in the Victorian congregations. It would be interesting to know if they have done this in the other states of Australia.

  If the law says they must do it then it is a necessity. It is possible that they are taking the view that this law is still not applicable to them as they believe they are not caring for children but are complying just in case authorities don't see it that way.
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  jwfacts

  “the elders do not need the wcc as they are not strangers, they are our brothers…”

  I know JWs like to think their brotherhood is special, but that comment if ridiculous. The elders/older men/father/priests in other churches are not strangers either, but they still agree to the need to comply.

  Just because a person has been in a congregation for years and is an elder is no guarantee that they are not doing anything wrong behind closed doors. The WWC card is not to imply that all elders, or even a majority of elders are doing anything wrong. It is to pick up the very small minority that pose up risk.

  Your wife has a WWC card. Does she feel "picked on" by the primary school? Does she feel the teachers that had to get a WWC card even though they had been there for years were being picked on due to this requirement?
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  Roski

  Quite a bit of molestation is conducted by friends/relatives, so there goes that theory.

  All of the situations I have known of over the years within the organisation would also fit into that category.
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  ScenicViewer

  “the elders do not need the wcc as they are not strangers, they are our brothers…”

  This is typical JW spin-thinking. Molesters get to know their victims, gain their confidence, make them comfortable, then make a move. Virtually all, if not absolutely all, the JW molesters were brothers who knew their victims. That's how it works.

  The elders/older men/father/priests in other churches are not strangers either, but they still agree to the need to comply.

  Bingo!
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  Mattieu

  Paul, hi mate, dont worry, I tried every bit of reasoning and logic to show what a stupid commment it was, even using the primary school teachers as an example, to no avail. I stress though - EX wife.....

  Logic and reasoning, no matter how clear and obvious it is, will never be accepted when given by someone that like me that is classified as a "threat to your spirituality" by the borg. And yes she is my ex because I faded and wanted nothing to do with the borg, something she sadly couldnt come to grips with, still good friends though...
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  Mattieu

  And I stress that this line:

  the elders do not need the wcc as they are not strangers

  is not made up, actual words. I just want to clarify if they were in the letter that was read out or not. They way my ex kept reciting them, they werent her words, it was like they had been drummed into her for 2 hours at the kingdumb hall....