This is long... maybe you'd be interested in reading it, maybe not, but it's the letter I wrote to my the brother. Since he follows Mother's leading and seldom uses his email box, I will mail it tomorrow. Maybe you can use some of these points (or add to/modify them) for the board. [My comments in blue.]
J,
There isn't only one scripture or one Watchtower article that sheds light on the right course of action that should be taken in the matter we discussed but a careful reading/understanding of certain relevant points will definitely yield a trustworthy course of action.
Several of these scriptures/articles came to my mind as we talked Sunday afternoon, but I thought of most them later that night. I couldn't get to sleep until after 3. Our conversation, specifically your saying that you would not tell me what you knew about a pedophile in the congregation so that I could better protect Jillani left my mind spinning for a long time. Anyway, here is a small part of what I found in my research which, to ME, compels elders to tell unknowing parents of threats to their children. I have bolded and italicized the significant parts.
Leviticus 5:1
Now in case a soul sins in that he has heard public cursing and he is a witness or he has seen it or has come to know of it, if he does not report it, then he must answer for his error.
Deuteronomy 17:2-7
2 In case there should be found in your midst in one of your cities that Jehovah your God is giving you a man or a woman who should practice what is bad in the eyes of Jehovah your God... 4 and it has been told you and you have heard it and have searched thoroughly, and, look! the thing is established as the truth... you must also bring that man or that woman who has done this bad thing out to your gates, yes, the man or the woman, and you must stone such one with stones, and such one must die. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one dying should be put to death. He will not be put to death at the mouth of one witness. 7 The hand of the witnesses first of all should come upon him to put him to death, and the hand of all the people afterward; and you must clear out what is bad from your midst.
This passage tells me that sins (nor men with evil intentions) should not be hidden or kept secret. There weren't kept secret in Israelite times. Why now?
They should be and were brought to the "city gates" so that the matter could make its way into the public record. No inhabitant of the city would be surprised or taken off-guard by the actions of someone they had no knowledge of. Even if not present to hear it firsthand, word-of-mouth would quickly spread the knowledge throught the city, and the person's misdeeds would become common knowledge.
Yes, it says that two mouths must testify, but in the case of an acknowledged pedophile, his/her own testimony stands as that of one of the witnesses. The child's testimony is the second.
Joshua 7:1-26
And the sons of Israel went committing an act of unfaithfulness respecting the thing devoted to destruction in that A'chan [...] took some of the thing devoted to destruction. At this Jehovahs anger grew hot against the sons of Israel.
You remember the episode: Innocent men were killed, Jehovah even saying (in verse 11) that, "Israel has sinned, and they have also overstepped my covenant that I laid as a command upon them; and they have also taken some of the thing devoted to destruction [...]"
Even though Achan was the only one who was guilty of a secret sin, Jehovah saw the entire nation as culpable since it simply folded its hands and allowed this wicked man to remain in their midst. You know the rest of the story. They took action and not only made public his heinous sin, but got rid of him. The scriptures say, "at once."
1 Timothy 5:20
20 Reprove before all onlookers persons who practice sin, that the rest also may have fear.
This scripture is self-explanatory. Pedophiles might be reproved, but NOT "before all onlookers" nor is their identity even made known.
w95 2/15 16 Saved Alive Through the Great Tribulation
11. To that end, Jehovah has provided what we need by means of his Word, his holy spirit, and his visible organization. We must take full advantage of these. Further, we must be prayerful and obedient to God if we expect to have his favor. For one thing, we must develop a strong hatred for what is bad. The psalmist said: I have not sat with men of untruth; and with those who hide what they are I do not come in. I have hated the congregation of evildoers, and with the wicked ones I do not sit. Do not take away my soul along with sinners, nor my life along with bloodguilty men. (Psalm 26:4, 5, 9)
w85 11/15 18-22 Do Not Share in the Sins of Others
8. But suppose we realize that a suggested course of action is wrong? Does our rejecting it necessarily free us of further responsibility in the matter? If we know that those suggesting wrongdoing are engaging in it, what should we do?
9 Some who have knowledge of wrongdoing by others may be inclined to say nothing about it to those having the prime responsibility to keep the congregation clean. Why? Perhaps they do not want to be viewed as informers. Or, because of a false sense of loyalty, they may keep the matter quiet or may speak only to those who promise to keep it secret. This is very serious. Why? Because it can actually result in sharing in the sins of others.
You may likely see this scripture (and the Watchtower's explanation) as applying only to elders. I don't. The article shows that those who keep hidden sins from the elders are equally guilty before Jehovah. Doesn't Caesar have similar laws that judge those that know of a crime but who don't tell what they know JUST AS GUILTY AS THE PERPETRATOR?
So, in principle, ANYONE hiding another's sins, particularly when it's hidden from those who need to hear it (whether elder or PARENT), are blameworthy.
Ezekiel 34:1-16
And the word of Jehovah continued to occur to me, saying: 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy, and you must say to them, to the shepherds, This is what the Sovereign Lord Jehovah has said: Woe to the shepherds of Israel, who have become feeders of themselves! Is it not the flock that the shepherds ought to feed? 3 The fat is what YOU eat, and with the wool YOU clothe your own selves. The plump animal is what YOU slaughter. The flock itself YOU do not feed. 4 The sickened ones YOU have not strengthened, and the ailing one YOU have not healed, and the broken one YOU have not bandaged, and the dispersed one YOU have not brought back, and the lost one YOU have not sought to find, but with harshness YOU have had them in subjection, even with tyranny. 5 And they were gradually scattered because of there being no shepherd, so that they became food for every wild beast of the field, and they continued to be scattered. 6 My sheep kept straying on all the mountains and on every high hill; and on all the surface of the earth my sheep were scattered, with no one making a search and with no one seeking to find.
The scripture speaks of how Jehovah feels about shepherds who are unfaithful and how he will eventually deal with them. The sheep are tender to Him, and elders carry a heavy guilt if they are unfaithful. As a later Watchtower counseled elders,
"Jehovah charged the governmental shepherds of ancient Israel with neglect because his sheep had become food for every wild beast of the field. (Ezekiel 34:8) However, Christian elders have a heartfelt desire to protect those in the congregation so that no one is lost through neglect or because of the influence of Satan, the world, or apostate wolves. (w96 3/15 24 How Christian Shepherds Serve You)
I know this applies to everybody, but it applies particularly to elders because of the position they hold over the flock.
Acts 20:28-29
28 Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed YOU overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own [Son]. 29 I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among YOU and will not treat the flock with tenderness,
Oppressive wolves. I consider pedophiles the worse sort of oppressive wolves. They take from vulnerable, innocent, children something that cannot be and never is replaced. If a man whose wicked tendencies as a child molester are protected isn't an oppressive wolf, then I don't know what is.
Ephesians 4:25
25 Wherefore, now that YOU have put away falsehood, speak truth each one of YOU with his neighbor, because we are members belonging to one another.
One can be guilty of speaking falsehood without saying a word. As the Watchtower has said, "Falsehood, of course, includes direct lying. But what about voluntarily withholding information from Caesar that he has a right to know? Is that any less a form of falsehood?" (w73 5/15 317 Will You Make the Effort to Be Honest?) There, the Watchtower applies this scripture to the paying of taxes, but the principle applies in many other places where the truth should be made known to those worthy of receiving it.
w65 8/1 459 Have You Told Your Relatives?
Of all persons with whom a Christian wants to share Bible truths, high on the list is the Christians own marriage mate. To withhold such truth from this person would not be showing love.
Again... this Watchtower article is speaking specifically of being honest in marriage, but the principle applies elsewhere. To withhold the truth from those that would benefit from it would not be an act of love.
w56 7/15 427 Is This Good Advice?
Its only fair. But more than that, its only Christian to do so. If I am wrong and you are right, as a Christian you should show me my error. The Bible says at Proverbs 3:27 (RS): Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. If you have the truth, please dont withhold it from me. If God has comforted you with the truth, it is so you can comfort others with it:
"Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due." Pretty straightforward counsel.
If you were about to hire someone that I knew had been dishonest in several other situations, how could I call you a friend if I didn't say a word about it? If you were single but courting a woman who I knew was seeing several other men behind your back, would you consider me a true friend if I kept silent about what I knew?
w57 1/15 55 Sharing Things with Others
6.As love is more than a wag of the tongue, so is an active expression of love: hospitality. Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Do not say to your neighbor, Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give itwhen you have it with you. If one sees his brother in such need and withholds help, when it is in his power to give it, in what way does the love of God remain in him?Prov. 3:27, 28, RS.
7 Christians are admonished to keep an eye not in personal interest upon just your own matters, but also in personal interest upon those of the others.
w99 6/1 13-14 "Gifts in Men" to Care for Jehovah's Sheep
19 Jehovahs sheep need to be protected from other dangers as well. The ancient shepherd David fearlessly protected his fathers flock from predators. (1 Samuel 17:34-36) Today, too, occasions may arise when concerned Christian shepherds have to show courage in order to protect the flock from any who might mistreat or oppress Jehovahs sheep, particularly the more vulnerable ones.
J, as far as I'm concerned, what that 1999 Watchtower says is about as clear as it can get. For me, it can't get any clearer. David protected the flock from predators of all kinds and today, if a shepherd of God's flock would follow David's example, he has no choice but show courage and do the same. Part of that is in fully cooperating with parents, not simply being loyal to a flawed policy.
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At the restaurant, you said to give you a scriptural reason why you should divulge the identity of a pedophile. I took it as a challenge, but not a big one. I could have kept this letter going for several more pages. As I told you Sunday, I was a serious student for thirty years, and like all serious students, I learned not just the word and letter of the law but the law's spirit. Have you learned the spirit of the law, J?
As far as I'm concerned, there is NO loving, logical, scriptural, or even common sense reason why a person would not tell innocent, unsuspecting people our friends, especially about hidden dangers. If we could, we'd tell even strangers about dangers they didn't know about. I think if you were thinking strictly from the standpoint of the Word, you'd have no choice but to agree with me. When you seriously asked me for a scripture like you did, to tell the truth, you stunned me.
By the way, you didn't like Brother Bowen's reference to the Organization as a "pedophile paradise," but let me ask: Are known pedophiles outed? In many communities, Caesar requires that pedophiles make known their whereabouts, for the protection of its citizens. Does Jehovah's people have a similar mechanism in place so that its little ones are safe? Are pedophiles identified to the congregation even in one on one, private situations so that unknowing parents (who also happen to be friends of yours) can faithfully discharge their responsibility before Jehovah and protect their kids from every danger? No, they aren't.
So, I'm wondering: Worldly governments supposedly under the control of Satan seem to be a lot more concerned about alerting parents to threats to their children than either the Catholic Church or the Organization. Why, is that J? Sorry, but for me that just don't make much sense. I doubt seriously, VERY seriously, that the Great God Jehovah in Heaven could EVER be behind such a policy of not telling the truth to people who have a right to know it. If He is, then the Jehovah I came to know when I was a little boy has changed.
While they might not be used in any way (something they probably don't care about, anyway), pedophiles are able to freely associate with the friends... and their children, and that's really all they want. They can spend time in service, go to social events, and in other ways get just about as close to their targets as they want without their prey (or their parents) even knowing of the very real and serious danger just a few feet away. And this... every week, several times a week, both at the meetings and at other times! All under the silent complicity of KNOWING "shepherds." I hate to say it, but what pedophiles that live among Jehovah's Witnesses must love that arrangement and laugh at its stupidity.