Charity Commission investigates Jehovah's Witness congregation in relation to indecent assault case

by Mickey mouse 14 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Vidiot

  Phizzy - "The Jehovah's Witnesses, acting upon directives from the GB in America, seem to imagine such basic procedures are not required of them."

  Because to the loyal rank-and-file, the notion that sexual victimization of young people has become institutionalized and endemic in "God's Chosen Organization"- specifically because of how that Organization operates and is structured - is inconceivable to them.

  Not to mention that decades of antipathy towards "Satan's World" automatically makes those same loyalists strongly inclined to dismiss any suggestion that secular "Worldy" procedures might be more effective than internal WT-mandated ones.
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  Phizzy

  " Because to the loyal rank-and-file, the notion that sexual victimization of young people has become institutionalized and endemic in "God's Chosen Organization"- specifically because of how that Organization operates and is structured - is inconceivable to them."

  I recognise that as a problem, I think I was of that mind-set when well in, despite our having a disgusting paedophile in our midst, thankfully he was caught and went to prison.

  But the point is that basic procedures and active programmes are designed to prevent even isolated incidents, whether there is a bigger problem is irrelevant to that, if they would only get things up and running they could save future potential victims from being such.

  Their refusal to do so is indefensible.
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  Londo111

  marked
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  Splash

  Even if the procedures were bulletproof, many elders are either too proud or too incompetent to follow instructions.

  Splash
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  Vidiot

  Phizzy - "...if they would only get things up and running they could save future potential victims from being such."

  If I had to guess, I'd say that they've drawn a line in the sand about the WT's child abuse policies for two main reasons (I'm sure there are others)...

  A) they're firmly convinced that - regardless of the evidence - their application of the two-witness rule should be sufficient (because if it's not, then what other WT policies are insufficient?)...

  ...and...

  B) there has been compelling anecdotal evidence that they have a hyper-charged knee-jerk aversion to making changes - or, perhaps more importantly, being seen making changes - as a direct result of pressure from "Satan's World".

  Remember, since Rutherford's day, one of the WTS's defining characteristics is its extreme conservatism, and despite what some may think, this aspect has not abated in the slightest.

  Back in the day, the Witness community was considerably more (self-) isolated from the rest of the world, and that world changed much more slowly back then (relatively speaking); because of that, policy adjustments made as a result of outside pressures could be implemented at a conservative rate and spun in such a manner that the rank-and-file could absorb them without freaking the f**k out.

  The modern age's high-speed rate of evolution today, however, simply doesn't allow for that.