Here's a letter sent to Dateline from a loyal JW:
MEMO TO DATELINE NBC
May 29, 2002
I am writing in response to your segment last night on Dateline NBC re pedophiles among Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I have been one of Jehovah’s Witnesses for the past 43 years. Over the years I have certainly come to appreciate that all kinds of people (including Jehovah’s Witnesses) are capable of doing all kinds of things -- including incredibly evil, hurtful things. Jehovah’s Witnesses are certainly not immune to evil -- no one is.
But I must object to your “National Enquirer” approach to last nights subject in what I can only describe as a vicious smear against Witnesses.
From what I have read in various newspaper accounts of the incident in Washington (Erica Rodriguez Garza), if those accounts are accurate as stated, those elders in the congregation in question in Washington grossly mishandled the entire affair from start to finish and showed extreme moral cowardice and a callous disregard and lack of empathy for the victim and her family. A prime obligation of any Witness elder anywhere in the world is to protect the congregation (especially young ones) -- protect them spiritually, emotionally, mentally -- and to keep the congregation clean. James 1:27 counsels us all that the only form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of God is “to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation and to keep oneself without spot from the world.” The elders in this situation (if, again, these reports are accurate) failed miserably to do any of these things. I feel terrible for Ms. Garza and her family -- no one should ever have to go through something this horrible.
But for Mr. Bowen to make the statement that our organization is a “pedophile paradise” is an outrageous and completely unwarranted, unjustified defamation. And the allegation that perpetrators go unpunished is simply a lie. I am just ONE Witness, but over the years I have personally known of over a dozen former Witness brothers who were disfellowshipped (excommunicated) for child molestation. It cannot be overemphasized that even when a brother who has been disfellowshipped for child abuse of any sort is at some point later reinstated into the congregation, he CAN NEVER AGAIN HOLD ANY POSITION OF AUTHORITY WITHIN THE CONGREGATION. And tell me this -- what other religious organization in this country today, in our overly permissive, “anything goes” “alternative lifestyle” society -- what other organization disfellowships anyone for anything?!! All of America has been reading daily accounts since January of this year in the newspapers, relating accounts of Bishops and even Cardinals in the Catholic Church knowingly covering up for pedophile priests for 20 years and longer, not only not reporting them to the authorities, but transferring them from parish to parish and even promoting them!
This policy of ours of keeping the congregations clean is binding worldwide, crossing all cultural, economic and cultural lines in the 235 countries where over 6 million Witnesses reside.
I noticed that the Watchtower Society gave you a statement which you quoted, wherein it was noted that at times individual congregations fail to follow these established guidelines -- if and when they do, they will be held individually and collectively responsible and will be dealt with.
I find it remarkable and puzzling, that out of all the hundreds of religions in this country, your staff would have singled out Jehovah’s Witnesses for this attack. You chose us -- by any comparison with other religious organizations in America, such a small, innocuous group -- with no history of enormous political/financial clout like the Roman Catholic Church or the Mormon Church - (maybe that is precisely why you chose us)? I can’t help but feel (as I am sure many others will) that this attack was precipitated, not by any sincere desire for truth but by a deeply hostile prejudice.
NOTE: To insure privacy (Original author omitted by me)
Ron Shipley
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That's my story and I'm sticking to it! . http://www.food4jws.org/testimonies/rr144.htm
