How known child abusers are dealt with in other organizations.

by JWdaughter 8 Replies latest jw experiences

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  JWdaughter

  I was recently reading of the Dunblane School Massacres (Scotland) and the perpetrator was one who was 'suspected' of child abuse. He was reported to police and after the revelations that the scout organization knew of him, he was "blacklisted". Later, in another area, he tried to become a leader again-and his blacklisting held and he was not allowed.

  Anyway, the guy was a creep and eventually a murderer. My point is that no one has to accept that people can be part of an organization when they are known or even suspected abusers. JWs are not big on unconditional love and forgiveness for anyone... except apparently, those who molest children/women.

  If the Scouts can have a "blacklist" than what is to stop the WT from having the same kind of thing. This guy was NEVER convicted of anything until he went and murdered a bunch of people. That certainly did not mean he was not GUILTY of all kinds of things or known to be a creep. Less than one year after becoming involved with the Scouts, he was blacklisted. No conviction-and he was not allowed to participate anymore.

  I dont see the moral or religious ethic that requires known child abusers to be allowed to associate freely in a religious organization. If a nonprofit can blacklist, a church should be able to. This guy was reported to police at a time that they really don't seem to have done ANYTHING about it, yet the organization that served children did what they could to ensure the safety of the kids not only in that area, but within the entire organization of the Scouts-and their actions protected children later when he tried again to participate.

  Just a thought.
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  flipper

  JW DAUGHTER- I definitely agree with what you are saying. There is no excuse whatsoever for the WT Society to not have in place some kind of policy where it should be MANDATORY to inform all parents of minor children in the JW congregations of who is a child molester or pedophile. Even if it isn't announced over the platform other people in the congregation SHOULD be informed - especially all parents. Whether the predator is DFed or not - the congregation should still be informed. Otherwise the secrecy continues and the congregation continues to be a " pedophiles paradise ". It's a huge lack of accountability and responsibility on the part of the WT Society
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  JWdaughter

  I actually can see why if a person is not CONVICTED that they would not want to spread anything that could be construed as gossip around. It is interesting though that the WT gossip system knows of all kinds of 'moral' failings (may or may not lead to DFing) but they think it real important to keep the child abusers privacy rights intact.

  This was about banning people from an organization that have not been 'convicted' of anything. They KNOW they have these child abusers and have deigned to be judge and jury for all these years leaving the masses of JWs vulnerable. NOTHING has ever stopped them from saying "you are no longer welcome to step foot in a kingdom hall. You will never have any privilege, including being a publisher or in TMS. They allow anyone in there except for folks who are 'apostate' and willing to talk about it or who have exhibited some violent tendency in front of the congregation. Child abusers fit right in, they play the game, they don't threaten the organization's peace of mind.

  They should have a no tolerance stance just as that boy scout group did. There is no obligation for them to forgive or accept repentence on the behalf of God or the children.
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  JWdaughter

  The guy who abused Conti should not have even been in the cong. anymore. He should not have been in field service with anyone, much less a vulnerable child in a difficult home situation.
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  flipper

  You make an interesting statement that, " I can actually see why if a person is not CONVICTED that they would not want to spread anything that could be construed as gossip around. " Yet my wife made the observation to me that the WT Society and other JW's WILL gossip about any inactive JW's who stop attending for much less grievous offenses of just disagreeing with the WT organization or spread false rumors about an inactive Witness who has stopped attending meetings . Yet they won't breathe a word against a known pedophile or suspected child molester ? Pretty weird. Sounds like double standards to me on the part of the WT Society
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  JWdaughter

  Yeah, that the gossip mill runs rampant if you let a boy touch your breast or smoke a cigarette or play an inappropriate song at your wedding, but you touch your own daughters breast while she is sleeping and suddenly, they are silent.

  Stuff that matters, is hidden. Which is exactly the kind of thing that SHOULD NOT be hidden, while most of the nonsense that folks are hounded about and shamed about in the org are pretty minor stuff in the grand scheme of things.

  It is a twisted system.
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  Vidiot

  At one point, the WTS semi-publicly stated that sex offenders could not hold positions of authority/responsibility in JW congregations.

  Recently, however, that restriction has been loosened to allow "former" offenders to serve if their past misdeeds are on the down-low.

  x

  When I'm in a suspicious mood, I can't help but wonder if that decision was made because of a steadily decreasing pool of "qualified (or willing) brothers"; in which case, the barrel bottom is starting to get scraped more and more, which can't be good for the Org in the long-term...

  (all the more reason to pare the R&F down to just the hard-core loyalists and turn it into a streaming-sermon net-religion, BTW)
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  Vidiot

  JWdaughter - "...touch your own daughters breast while she is sleeping and suddenly, they are silent."

  Another possibility (probability?) is simply because acknowledging something that egregious in "God's Chosen Organization" would break them emotionally.
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  OneEyedJoe

  At one point, the WTS semi-publicly stated that sex offenders could not hold positions of authority/responsibility in JW congregations.

  Recently, however, that restriction has been loosened to allow "former" offenders to serve if their past misdeeds are on the down-low.

  This is another big reason they're culpable for the abuse to children by elders/MS or anyone with priveledges in the congregation that's a known pedophile. Right up until I educated myself on their real policies in the secret elder's book, I completely believed that known child molesters weren't allowed to have priveledges. I would be shocked if this wasn't the belief that most in the congregation have (as you say, it was publicly stated as such not too long ago). This means that, having secretly changed the rule, when they so much as have a pedophile carry the microphones on one sunday, it is viewed by the R/F as an endorsement for him to babysit your kids.