The problem of paedophiles in the congregations has been well debated on this board. There is general consensus that the handling of paedophiles in the congregation has been done extremely poorly. The worst cases have been handled in an outright diabolical manner and involvement by the Christian Congregation has made matters worse; so much for the so-called hiding place from the wind.
The question is why has a Christian organization been so caught of guard by this? Regardless of what you think of them, Jehovahs Witnesses claim to follow a strict moral code and I cannot believe that a conspiracy of silence is the answer the organization has everything to loose by its poor performance and nothing to gain. I cannot see that favouritism or nepotism can be blamed in all but a hand few of cases.
So what are the underlying causes of the often negligent way in which cases have been handled? In my opinion;
1. Poorly informed and poorly educated elders. Elders attend so-called elders schools but these simply are sessions in which they are told over and over again to tow the company line. Having attended many myself, I can confirm that they consist of the same old advice when handling potentially damaging situations, do as we tell you and everything will be alright. The other advice is, always make sure you read the relevant sections in the Shepherding the Flock of God book (the elders book) before handling any judicial matter. Never is there any discussion on subjects such as (1) the law and religious organizations obligations and duties to it, (2) nothing is ever taught about basic psychology and the emotional needs of abused individuals, and (3) no advice is ever given on what outside help (social services, etc.) is available and how to go about getting external help. So, with no training, little wonder elders screw up big time handling situations that even fully trained and qualified worldly professionals find hard to deal with.
2. Dogmatic, dyed in the wool elders. In a post yesterday, I mentioned that in my experience, it is always the hardliners who push themselves to the front of the queue when sensitive matters like these arise. These often are self-opinionated, power hungry individuals who make it there business to dive in at the deep end when they are obviously out of their depth. These individuals will always make matters worse rather than better.
3. Poor support from head office - Bethel NEVER accepts any responsibility for the actions of local congregations. The official line is we can only give you advice and is up to you to do what you think is right. The unspoken rule is though, do as we say or we will wash our hands of you. As a former secretary I have had to have contact the Bethel service desk on a number of occasions, including cases involving paedophiles. What really used to get me was the way the service desk needs to know all about you (name, rank, congregation, etc.) but they invariably refuse to let you know who you are talking to. I often wondered what would have happened if I had sent a letter to them unsigned, simply ending your brothers local congregation of Jehovahs Witnesses. Would they have sent it back for signature along with an unsigned covering letter; your brothers Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society?