What of a Child Molester?

by TR 6 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

  • TR
    TR

    This has probably been posted before, but oh well.

    http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1997/1/1/article_01.htm

    What of a Child Molester?

    What if a baptized adult Christian sexually molests a child? Is the sinner so wicked that Jehovah will never forgive him? Not necessarily so. Jesus said that 'blasphemy against the holy spirit' was unforgivable. And Paul said that there is no sacrifice for sins left for one who practices sin willfully despite knowing the truth. (Luke 12:10; Hebrews 10:26, 27) But nowhere does the Bible say that an adult Christian who sexually abuses a child—whether incestuously or otherwise—cannot be forgiven. Indeed, his sins can be washed clean if he repents sincerely from the heart and turns his conduct around. However, he may still have to struggle with the wrong fleshly impulses he cultivated. (Ephesians 1:7) And there may be consequences that he cannot avoid.

    Depending on the law of the land where he lives, the molester may well have to serve a prison term or face other sanctions from the State. The congregation will not protect him from this. Moreover, the man has revealed a serious weakness that henceforth will have to be taken into account. If he seems to be repentant, he will be encouraged to make spiritual progress, share in the field service, even have parts in the Theocratic Ministry School and nonteaching parts in the Service Meeting. This does not mean, though, that he will qualify to serve in a position of responsibility in the congregation. What are the Scriptural reasons for this?

    For one thing, an elder must be "self-controlled." (Titus 1:8) True, none of us have perfect self-control. (Romans 7:21-25) But a dedicated adult Christian who falls into the sin of child sexual abuse reveals an unnatural fleshly weakness. Experience has shown that such an adult may well molest other children. True, not every child molester repeats the sin, but many do. And the congregation cannot read hearts to tell who is and who is not liable to molest children again. (Jeremiah 17:9) Hence, Paul's counsel to Timothy applies with special force in the case of baptized adults who have molested children: "Never lay your hands hastily upon any man; neither be a sharer in the sins of others." (1 Timothy 5:22) For the protection of our children, a man known to have been a child molester does not qualify for a responsible position in the congregation. Moreover, he cannot be a pioneer or serve in any other special, full-time service.—Compare the principle at Exodus 21:28, 29.

    Some may ask, 'Have not some committed other types of sin and apparently repented, only to repeat their sin later?' Yes, that has happened, but there are other factors to consider. If, for example, an individual makes immoral advances to another adult, the adult should be able to resist his or her advances. Children are much easier to deceive, confuse, or terrorize. The Bible speaks of a child's lack of wisdom. (Proverbs 22:15; 1 Corinthians 13:11) Jesus used children as an example of humble innocence. (Matthew 18:4; Luke 18:16, 17) The innocence of a child includes a complete lack of experience. Most children are open, eager to please, and thus vulnerable to abuse by a scheming adult whom they know and trust. Therefore, the congregation has a responsibility before Jehovah to protect its children.

    Well-trained children learn to obey and honor their parents, the elders, and other adults. (Ephesians 6:1, 2; 1 Timothy 5:1, 2; Hebrews 13:7) It would be a shocking perversion if one of these authority figures were to misuse that child's innocent trust so as to seduce or force him or her to submit to sexual acts. Those who have been sexually molested in this way often struggle for years to overcome the resulting emotional trauma. Hence, a child molester is subject to severe congregational discipline and restrictions. It is not his status as an authority figure that should be of concern but, rather, the unblemished purity of the congregation.—1 Corinthians 5:6; 2 Peter 3:14.

    If a child molester sincerely repents, he will recognize the wisdom of applying Bible principles. If he truly learns to abhor what is wicked, he will despise what he did and struggle to avoid repeating his sin. (Proverbs 8:13; Romans 12:9) Further, he will surely thank Jehovah for the greatness of His love, as a result of which a repentant sinner, such as he is, can still worship our holy God and hope to be among "the upright" who will reside on earth forever.—Proverbs 2:21.

    Boy, this sounds watered down. The article doesn't mention how a child molester is found out, and that's the problem. Notice how eager the WT writer is eager to handle a child molester with kid gloves instead of doing everything in their power to keep the piece of shit away from everybody, and not encouraging them to go to the police? WTF?

    TR

    UADNA-WA
    Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division

  • morrisamb
    morrisamb

    Thank you for posting this TR..I haven't read a Witness magazine since '84/85 and this is the first time I've read more than a title in all that time.

    It infuriated me.

    ie. If he seems to be repentant, he will be encouraged to make spiritual progress, share in the field service, even have parts in the Theocratic Ministry School and nonteaching parts in the Service Meeting.

    My God are they still in the stone ages? How dare they allow a molester go door to door representing them when little children could answer the door. I'd say that the door to door work is the # one thing they should be banned from. But I wouldn't listen to a molester read a weather report, let alone give a "Bible" talk!

    ie. It is not his status as an authority figure that should be of concern but, rather, the unblemished purity of the congregation.—

    Say what? The molesters' status as an authority figure is what enables them to molest in the first place! As I have mentioned in other threads, my anger at the Elders who bungled our situation is tempered with the realization they were keystone cops masqerading as pseudo-therapists/enlightened leaders. This is frightening! Bill Bowen, don't give up in trying to educate these people!!!

    ie. But a dedicated adult Christian who falls into the sin of child sexual abuse reveals an unnatural fleshly weakness.

    The understatement of the century! They just don't get it. I believe they mean well, but they show a gross lack of understanding for the crime that sexual abuse is. If you reread this article's paragraphs and inserted the crime of murder/mass murder, do you think it would be written the same way. I doubt it. Molesting a child is tantamount to murdering a child's soul. Sometimes it takes a lifetime getting it back. Some never do.

  • Tinkerbell4125
    Tinkerbell4125

    Thanks for posting that T.R.!

    It's sickning.....the whole thing just makes me sick.

  • dungbeetle
    dungbeetle

    I'll revisit this again for the newbies here...

    To convict a regular JW of a 'crime', TWO different witnesses to two DIFFERENT acts is sufficient.

    To convict a child molester, TWO different witnesses to the SAME act is sufficient--sometimes.

    And to convict the victim/survivor(s), ONE witness is sufficient--their own testimony.

    A regular JW MAY get back 'in'; a Child Molester WILL assuredly get back in; and the victim/survivor(s) will likely NEVER get back in.

    <sigh>

  • plmkrzy
    plmkrzy
    Those who have been sexually molested in this way often struggle for years to overcome the resulting emotional trauma. Hence, a child molester is subject to severe congregational discipline and restrictions. It is not his status as an authority figure that should be of concern but, rather, the unblemished purity of the congregation.—1 Corinthians 5:6; 2 Peter 3:14.

    Actually out of the entire artical this particular paragraph jumped out and bothered me the most BECAUSE of the way the scripture was used to IMO sublimely over look the victim or more or less dismiss the victim as just damaged goods on there own to find help for them selves while the congergation strives to keep an open mind where the pervert is concerned.
    It makes me think of way back when how women were placed on a level lower then the rest of society after having been raped. They were dirty even though they were the victim.
    I can see that very clear in the way that artical was written.

    http://ourworld.cs.com/pwmkwzy/PicturePage.html

  • TR
    TR

    Yes indeed, folks. Nasty stuff. Not good, not good.

    TR

    UADNA-WA
    Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division

  • morrisamb
    morrisamb

    Dear Plmkrzy

    Very good observation. I noticed the emphasis on the abuser but I just thought, okay, maybe this particular article just focused on the that angle.
    This article doesn't make me angry because I used to be a Witness. Rather because of how obviously the person writing it is so not with the program. You and I would be treated worse for writing on this web site than a molester in their kingdom hall. Yikes.

    If I was sitting in a house of God in any religion and I heard that read, I'm outta there.

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