May 2013 Awake suggests screaming to thwart sexual assault

by ParadiseCircus 50 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    Screaming is actually a good thing to do because it draws attention to the individual who is attacking and thats not what they want.

    I find no problem with this article, which is a rare thing for myself concerning the WTS.

  • Giordano
    Giordano

    Sorry, I've got a big problem with the article. This would have been a good time to provide helpful and practical information on how to avoid a rape, and what to do if there is a rape attempt. Simple stuff:

    Learn to trust your gut instincts. It could save you from being raped or worse. If you feel uneasy or unsure in anyway, it is in your best interest to get away and get help. Use your instincts and be aware of your FREEZE instinct. Move quickly ... fight, flight or freeze are our natural instincts, so be aware that all 3 exist.

  • Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Parking lots and parking garages are two of the sites that are most often targeted by attempted rapists. These men are predators, so view your surroundings carefully. If you are in a parking lot and feel someone is following you, start making noise - talk to yourself loudly, talk to an imaginary person, or pretend to talk on your cell phone. The louder the potential victim, the more the predator is apt to freeze.
  • Carry defensive items only if you know how to use them. Remember, any "weapon" that could hurt a potential attacker can be used against you if you are not well trained and comfortable with it. If you are going to carry a handgun, make sure to take classes in its use, practice often at a firing range, and apply for a concealed weapons permit; if you carry a knife, take a course in the most effective way to use it. Remember that even an umbrella or purse can be used as a weapon against an attacker, and has less chance of being turned against you.

  • Yell, shout and draw attention to yourself. Attackers usually have an idea of how the attack will happen. Disrupt that idea. Fight like a psychotic cat, and yell loudly and strongly;
  • Yell "CALL 911 NOW." There is a common belief it is better to call "fire" than help - however many believe this is misguided, if not plain wrong. The 'fire idea" is based on the belief that people don't want to get involved in assisting therefore you should trick them into believing there is a fire. This could be unwise. Numerous bystander studies (e.g. Latane and Darley) show the reason bystanders do not help is a simple one; confusion. Bystanders are unsure of what is going on; do the attacker and victim know each other? etc. This would suggest it is better to "tell it like it is" and yell "POLICE!" "CALL 911 NOW," "GUN," or "HELP!" Words such as "POLICE" are more likely to scare the attacker and alert bystanders to the truth of the situation - Yelling "Fire" will get people's attention, but when there clearly isn't one, the word "POLICE" might work faster. Studies have also suggested this effective strategy: pointing at an individual bystander and saying "you sir, in the white shirt, I need your help now! - This man is attacking me..." Tell it like it is.
  • Work on being assertive. If somebody is giving you unwanted attention, tell them to back off. There is no need to be polite when somebody is making unwanted sexual advances.

  • Plan. If a rapist is in your car and is sitting in the passenger seat with a weapon to you, they will tell you to go somewhere where they are less likely to be witnessed. Whatever you do, don't follow their directions. Put on your seat belt, then drive into something stationary, like a dumpster or lamp post. The airbag and seat belt will keep you alive, and the crash will draw attention. It is better to be in a car accident than get raped and possibly killed. Stay calm and try to surprise the rapist.
  • Understand that Vans are the #1 vehicles used in rapes. Rapists will park next to the driver's side and, as you are trying to get in, they will pull you into the van. If there is a van on the driver's side of your car, go in through the passenger's door. If there are vans on both sides, go back to where you were and get someone like a security guard to walk you to your car. Don't park any place that feels unsafe.

  • Practice being careful when going into your house or car because someone could easily push you in and lock the door behind you. Be aware of your surroundings; carry your keys ready in your hand and look around you before opening the door.
  • Pistoff
    Pistoff

    AGAIN with the references to Deuteronomy!!

    Can someone reference the quote from someone at headquarters, dates to 2002 I think, where they say they agree with the idea that not fighting against rape is the same as consenting to fornication?

  • troubled mind
    troubled mind

    Oh I can just imagine how comforting the Elders are when a sister talks to them about being raped ......Because first they are going to want to know what led up to this ,how were you dressed , who were you with , why were you alone ,did you know the rapist blah,blah,blah ? Then the barage of questions on what actually occured ,how did you react ,details ......then they will have a ten minute private discussion amongst themselves on how to procede . If then in their eyes the woman is truly without blame them maybe she will recieve some comforting scriptures read to her ......but you can just about bet they won't suggest she seek rape counseling from an actual specialist . Awesome

  • Finkelstein
    Finkelstein

    Aside from what a elder would do or approach a situation like this, screaming is still a good thing to do irregardless.

  • Splash
    Splash

    @pistoff - This could be what you were thinking of. Sorry to everyone else who has already seen it.

    RAPE VICTIM IS GUILTY OF FORNICATION

    WT 64, Jan 15 p. 64 teaches if a woman doesn't scream she is guilty of fornication:
    “Thus if a Christian woman does not cry out and does not put forth every effort to flee, she would be viewed as consenting to the violation."

    WT 68, Jun 1, confirms guiltiness by adding:
    “Would it be different if the man had a weapon and threatened to kill you if you did not submit? No, the Scriptures plainly state that Christians are under obligation to ‘flee from fornication.’ (1 Cor. 6:18) It is true that you face the possibility of death in this case.”

    Aid to Bible Understanding ’ (1969) Acknowledges rape is not fornication - not guilty:
    “RAPE: Rape is defined as unlawful sexual intercourse without the woman’s consent, effected by force, duress, intimidation…” ( p. 1374 )
    “FORNICATION: Sex relations by mutual agreement between two persons not married to each other.” ( p. 601 )

    Awake! March 8, 1974, page 14. Restates earlier belief, not screaming means you are guilty:

    “If she did not scream she would be as good as dead anyhow…Also, that if she did not scream she would ruin her relationship with Jehovah God and the Christian congregation; that then she would be disfellowshipped or excommunicated from it and that this would be worse than being killed as far as she was concerned.”

    Awake! 80, July 8 p.5 - 6 New understanding that being raped renders you helpless - not guilty:
    “I never physically fought him off in anyway…I was overwhelmingly confused and defenceless against the whole suddenness.”
    “Profound terror in the face of physical threats simply renders most women helpless.”

    WT 80 Oct 15, p.7, Restates earlier belief, not screaming means you are guilty:
    “She told him that if he touched her she would scream as he had never heard anyone scream before. She explained that if she did not she would ruin her relationship with Jehovah God and the Christian congregation ."

    WT 83, Mar 15 p.30 - If raped, not guilty of fornication:

    “What do we understand here by ‘fornication’? The Greek word in this text is porneia…. A male or female who is forcibly raped would not be guilty of porneia.”

    Awake! 84, Feb 22 p. 25 - If you don't fight back you are unforgivably guilty:

    “ But if I gave in and he raped me, I would eventually die and have no hope of a resurrection .”

    Awake! 84, Jun 8 p. 28 - If raped, not guilty of fornication :
    “For the victim to be considered guilty of fornication, there would need to be proof of willing consent.”

    Awake! 86, May 22 p. 23 - If you don't fight back you are guilty:
    “Why you should resist an attacker from the first moment... Your conscience will be clear. Even if you are raped, you will not sacrifice your self-respect or cleanness before God”

    Awake! 89, Aug 22 p.24 - Restates earlier belief, not screaming means you are guilty :
    “It was then that I remembered the scripture in Deuteronomy chapter 22. It says that if a woman does not cry out when attacked, it indicates she is submitting to the man and is committing a sin against Jehovah.”

    w03 2/1 p. 31 - You may not be able to scream - Probably not guilty:

    "Therefore, a victim who was unable to scream but otherwise did all she could under the circumstances can leave matters in Jehovah’s hands."

    g13 May p.7 - Scream and fight, but you are not responsible for being assaulted - Not guilty:

    "Of course, the victim is not responsible for the sexual assault. The aggressor bears that responsibility. React Quickly. Scream. Escape or fight back using the element of surprise."

  • QueenWitch
    QueenWitch

    What happened to alerting the authorities??? True, one may talk to a friend first. That friend should point victim to police, not religious leaders.

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot
    Lady Lee - "...What few people realize is that there is a third response - play dead...It is instinctive...But few people realize it... A JW who went to the elders and explained she did nothing will be accused of fornication or adultery if she is married..."

    The notion of instinct-driven human behavior doesn't mesh well with WT ideology; it would essentially be an acknowledgement that human beings have more in common with animals than dutiful JWs - ar any Biblical literalists, FTM - are particularly comfortable with.

    Taken a step further, it could be argued (correctly, IMO) that it therefore lends a measure of support to the conclusions of evolutionary behaviorists, and by extension, evolutionary biologists.

    Most fundies would rather shoot off their left foot than acknowledge something like that.

  • Jim_TX
    Jim_TX

    Sooo... I may be dense, but this was a taxi driver? Don't they have numbers on the cabs? Don't they have names? Didn't 'Karin' pay attention to any of this? Didn't she report the cabbie to the cab company?

    As far as the cab driver not taking her where she wanted to go - didn't she notice this earlier in the drive? Couldn't she have requested - FIRMLY - for the cab driver to stop the cab and let her out?

    I realize that there are bad parts of town, so maybe she was in one of those parts of town...

    Other questions arise... she usually walked home - which indicates her home was not that far from where she started from. Okay... I guess I can accept that - although, it is borderline unbelieveable...

    She called a taxi. How? Cell phone? Why didn't she dial 911 when she saw the taxi driver wasn't going the correct direction? Or, call a friend and talk to them on the phone during the taxi ride? That would dissuade any funny stuff on the part of the driver, I would think.

    The story sounds like something from 1953. Maybe even 1963. Not 2013.

    Regards,

    Jim TX

  • Pickler
    Pickler

    Thank you lady lee I didn't know that about the third response.

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