Wow. I can't believe it's on MSN. I wonder if it'll be on the news tonight. I may perhaps watch just to see...this is huge. Reading the comments there, though, it's clear that it became a war of words, JWs on one side touting their collective righteousness and saying this woman is lying, and ex-JWs responding with logic and evidence and all that ravenous, wolf-like stuff they usually go for. The general sense was that either people were horrified by it, or they didn't see the logic in suing Watchtower over the actions of this one man.
But from what I've seen on this thread, I can see why the jury got so upset about it. Because WT's lawyer basically said, according to what I've read here, that even if it happened today, they'd STILL not inform the authorities, EVEN THOUGH THE LAW NOW REQUIRES IT. Yeah, that sounds like malice to me.
I've never fully understood all the things I've read about this sort of abuse happening. It just seemed so unreal to me. I was such a loyalist, and it just seems, well, hard to understand why elders would keep this kind of information quiet, why they would watch a guy like this maybe even playing with kids after the meeting, and not say anything at all. Seems like a lot of folks on MSN, particularly JWs themselves, don't seem to get that people who do this kind of thing to kids have a sickness to the point where often it doesn't just happen once, it continues on and on unless somebody locks 'em up and keeps a very close eye on them once they've done their time. And what precisely would the JW judicial process accomplish? Oh, if he molests one kid and says he's repentant, maybe a reproof, but two kids is a DF'ing? What callous disregard for the safety of innocent children!
Anyway, I'm very happy that this verdict has happened. It may be that there'll be a significant appeal process. I'm not sure if this will shake most JWs out of apathy; the loyalists will more than likely circle the wagons and claim it's apostate propaganda and/or persecution. (I wouldn't be surprised if this was brought up in the final district convention talk this year and dressed up as 'persecution' by 'apostates'.) But wow. This is just huge!
I guess I'm both happy and yet also sickened that even on something like this, they're so out of touch with reality. The reason they're responsible is that they don't seem to feel anything at all about this kind of thing going on. Any concerned religion would write out something very specific and very heartfelt to bring these issues out into the open for their church members to talk about. The fact that they feel more comfortable just dismissing it all as satanic propaganda just underscores the fact that they are a cult, and are concerned only with self-preservation.
Well...wouldn't it be funny if that whole attack on false religion they keep predicting...actually started with them? Time to eat crow, boys. Time to eat crow.
--sd-7
