My JW mom's response to Dateline

by buffy 9 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  buffy

  I actually decided to call my mom and ask her if she saw Dateline and what she though of it. She said she even taped it. She said, "that abuse must be a problem or Jehovah wouldn't have let it be brought out like that." I tried not to laugh. I told her that we'll be hearing of alot more cases just like Erica's. That the elders had no right to tell victims not to go to the police. She said, "But, it's not like that, they are to go to the police." I told her yeah, now, that all this has come up. I brought up a girl from the congregation who did tell the elders that an inactive witness molested her as a child, and she and her family were told to not go to the police. I said mom are you forgetting about that? She said, "no, your right." And, us kids were around the molester numerous times. We were never even told that he did this until we were older. I couldn't believe that us kids were let around this molester w/o even knowing. My mom completely agreed. She said that if something would've happened to me, she would have went to the police regardless. And she completely sympathized w/ Erica and said if the molester was allowed back into the congregation she would have been furious. But, her rebuttal was that, "if the molester repented and wanted to come back, the elders can't stop him. Just like if you wanted to come back, even though you sinned, you'd have every right too." Like having premarital sex can be compared to molesting children. She ended the conversation w/, "well, we're all imperfect. The organization needs weeded out and this is how it'll be done. If it takes a program like Dateline to wake up the gb then so be it. I'm not leaving the organ. over this." Well, what can I do. I guess she's staying no matter what happens. She hurts for me, but I hurt for her too.

  Buffy
• 

  LoneWolf

  Don't be discouraged though. This is a good start, and she is thinking for herself. Just keep it warm and relaxed and she'll continue to gain knowledge and understanding.

  LoneWolf
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  2SYN

  If God needs NBC to bring out the real "Truth", then what the hell are all those dudes in BORGlyn for?
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  LB

  She ended the conversation w/, "well, we're all imperfect.

  I used to say that sort of thing myself when I was hooked. Every time someone pointed out a fault with how things worked.

  Now of course I'm doing the pointing out and that's what I'm always told.
• 

  RedhorseWoman

  I just LOVE the "we're all imperfect" thing. I think that that phrase kept me hanging on much longer than I normally would have. Whenever I noticed things that just didn't seem right for "God's Chosen People", I would tell myself that I shouldn't be looking at the imperfections of men.

  Still, however, it bothered me that the Society would openly condemn other groups for having "imperfections of men". Such imperfections in other religious groups PROVED that they were from Satan....but not the WTBTS.
• 

  nita6368

  I was speaking with my ex about this on Saturday and it is amazing to me how he will still completely support the org. We used to attend the same cong that Bill Bowen is in so the dateline episode hit close to home. I asked him if he saw dateline, he said yes and he thought "pediophile paradise"was quite an exaggeration, I told him that there were many cases being brought to light and he said he would believe that it went on but not to the degree Bill is claiming. I asked him , don't you think its very wrong that it is going on at all and doesn't it scare you that our children were sometimes left at everyone of the elder's houses in Draffenville what if it would have happened to them. And unbelievably he said, well I don't have anything against any of them there and I don't want to know anymore about it because it doesn't concern me. Mind you...he is disfellowshipped and working towards getting reinstated,most of the time anyway.
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  kaykay_mp

  amen...

  pedophiles aren't just imperfect...they're truly fucked in the head...especially when they do it repeatedly. and would it really help if they "repented" and came back to the organization? probably not. look at all those catholic priests. and the gb and the elders are even more fucked in the head for letting them back into the organization and not calling the cops in the first place.
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  Mary

  The problem is: your mother, like we all were at one time, is totally, 110% convinced that this is "Jehovah's Organization" and that the Governing Body has a direct link with Him. When you believe that, then it is easy to try and rationalize all the wickedness that goes on within the Organization. That's the mind-set. For many older ones, like my parents for example who are both 72 years old, for them to find out now that the Organization that they belong all their lives is NOT being directed by God, nor does it have his blessing, the shock could possibly do more damage than good at this point. I was in my mid 20's when I realized that this was not the One True Religion (I found out by reading Ray Franz' book), and it did a tremendous amount of emotional and psychological harm to me. It was as though someone had just suddenly struck at the very security and foundation of my life and it was very difficult to overcome.

  If it affected me like that in my 20s, I don't want to think of what it could do to my parents at their age, so I just let them be.
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  BeautifulGarbage

  Hey, at least she acknowledged there were problems within the Organization. There is definitely hope for your Mom!

  This comment did jump off the page at me though.

  She ended the conversation w/, "well, we're all imperfect. The organization needs weeded out and this is how it'll be done. If it takes a program like Dateline to wake up the gb then so be it.

  Yep, Jehovah is going to use Satan to do the weeding too.

  Andee

  Edited by - BeautifulGarbage on 27 June 2002 18:2:7
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  Billygoat

  I do believe you're mom has hope. Most JWs just blindly follow the orders to not pay attention to Satan's media system. LOL!