by adjusted knowledge 32 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
I am just surprised that they admitted," No human organization is perfect." JWs believe the ORG is perfect.
DD
Thats right , where does jehovah fit into this " spirit directed ", " only true religion" come into play .
Furthermore , hasn`t Jesus Christ been reigning over the" true christian congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses" these past 100 years ?
Just one other failure to his record.
Have they put their foot in their mouth with this statement ?
smiddy
Have they put their foot in their mouth with this statement ?
They won't be using their handling of pedo cases as an example to prove that they are the one true chanel and they cannot claim that they have been guided by God's holy spirit in this matter.
I think a Shakespeare line says, "Methinks he doth protest too much."
The Org could have made pedophilia a total non-issue for themselves by issuing a straightford statement to Elders everywhere when the Elder arrangement was instigated;
"If you become aware of an allegation of a criminal action by a member of the congregation, you must report such to the police for them to investigate."
It's not rocket science, JW.ORG
For a start this is absurd:
When any one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is accused of an act of child abuse, the local congregation elders are expected to investigate. Two elders meet separately with the accused and the accuser to see what each says on the matter. If the accused denies the charge, the two elders may arrange for him and the victim to restate their position in each other’s presence, with elders also there. If during that meeting the accused still denies the charges and there are no others who can substantiate them, the elders cannot take action within the congregation at that time
Why are the elders expected to investigate a criminal act? Why then ask the child to tell the elders what took place in front of them and the abuser. Is this not further abuse!? A frightened child who has been overpowered by a person that may well have groomed them and possibly told them their family will suffer if the child tells of 'their secret' needs a lot of strength to do this in front of their abuser. And then as if that is not bad enough, the abuser denies it and is free to carry on as if nothing ever happened. Meantime the child is left traumatised and at no point has any police been contacted.
I would like to know what evidence do they need before reporting it to the authorities?
I would like to know what evidence do they need before reporting it to the authorities?
First of all, they need the authorities to make it mandatory that even suspected abuse of a child be reported.
This is NOT a law in many States in the US.
Doc
Child sexual abuse is a crime. I agree with what others have written about file reports with local law enforcement, who have better resources to investigate crime. Is the Watchtower a religion or the police?
Why doesn't the Watchtower just tell JWs to report all crimes to the local law enforcement? Answer: the Watchtower cares more about protecting its image than its members.
Peace be with you and everyone, who you love,
Robert
I quote the CO I heard talking this weekend," LAWS are for specific instances. Godly PRINCIPLES are what we should follow." So in all seriousness, what "Godly principle" is the WTBTS adhering to by their refusal to let the Superior Authorities investigate all allegations of child abuse??"
The " two witness" rule is a LAW. It came from the OT and Jesus repeated it. Are we to assume that Jesus wanted a LAW to supercede a principle?!
DD
It's good for the children today that your procedures have been refined over time, but you must realize that we are talking about real children who suffered real abuse in the past which was compounded by threats to these victims if they didn't remain silent in the congregation, compounded by elder bodies who would not stand by them as they went to authorities. As a matter of fact, they still won't stand by them if the law doesn't require reporting or if there are not two witnesses to the events. Accompanying, offering support to an alledged victim as they go forward could have nothing to do with "Biblical requirements" and congregation status for the accused. Even a child who makes false accusations needs some kind of professional help and the aid of the organization he or she is supposed to trust.
Why the hell can't the elders not only encourage a child to go to the authorities to report their crime, but say that they will go with them even when the law doesn't require them to do so? Why the hell does even today's refinements focus in on requirements and multiple witnesses and congregation actions instead of support and nurturing and being supportive? Why the hell do unqualified people decide that it might be best without consulting professional therapists that two elders may arrange for the victim to "restate their position" in the presence of the accused, "with elders also there" ? Could that be something the victim is not really ready to do? Could that be the very thing that has destroyed their lives in the past, yet it is still part of the refined policy?
If a child accused an adult member of murder, would the elders check with the branch before calling the police? Would two elders investigate the possibility of actual murder before calling the police- as if they are more qualified to do this than the police? If the elders didn't find evidence of murder, would they make the child accuse the member openly in front of the elders to see if the member confesses- still without having called the police? Even if the charges were known to be false, would the elders hope and maybe assist such a child to get professional help? Would congregational status be the main priority in such a case, so the child could simply be disfellowshipped if he persisted in making murder charges against a brother?
During the past few years the Watchtower Society has made some improvements to its policies related to allegations of child abuse.
Currently the single biggest flaw in Watchtower's policy related to child abuse is that it NEVER comes right out and ENCOURAGES that victims of child abuse and parents/guardians of victims of child abuse report the allegation to local law enforcement authorities.
This omission is significant and noteworthy because the Watchower organization teaches its adherents to look to it for guidance on matters of life and living it.
So...
How would I respond to this defense made on behalf of The Watchtower's Child Abuse lawsuits?
I'd respond by asking whoever presents this defense WHY the Watchtower organization has so far failed to come out and actually encourage JWs to report allegations of child abuse to law enforcement authorities?
After all, if a JW reports allegation of child abuse to his or her local elders they must give some credence to the accusation. Right? So why not encourage the SAME JW to also report the allegation to local law enforcement so that other children at risk in the same neighborhood have some chance of being protected from a potential predator? Doesn't the Bible tell us to love our neighbors AS WE LOVE OURSELVES?
I have learned many things about this organization over the years, among them, and probably the most damning..."perception is more important than substance." 'Nuff said.
There is no need for a "policy" when innocent victims are involved...plain and simple. There is only need for action, which mean directive, not policy. This is a nightmare for the ORG and no policy will be able to address the repercussions.
