FYI Jeff Steen sat with me on a wt appointed committee four months ago and ruled with the majority to not appoint a judicial committee or report to police a confessed child molester we were dealing with.....
Please let the reporter know how much his efforts are appreciated in getting the word out. You may write the reporter at [email protected]
silentlambs
Tuesday, March 13, 2001 Murray Ledger - News Bowen criticizes Church's policies
By EDWARD SHERIDAN
Staff Writer
After being the focus of articles published in Christianity Today, on the MSNBC Internet site and across the Associated Press wire, it might seem as if William H. Bowen, a former elder in the Jehovah’s Witness church, is everywhere.
And that is exactly where he wants to be - everywhere.
Bowen resigned from his position as presiding overseer (chief elder) at the Draffenville Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses Dec. 31 over what he called a “pedophile refuge mentality in the church.” He said his resignation was meant to stir the Jehovah’s Witness denomination to action.
“Their response to me was, ‘We accept your resignation,’” he said. “At that point, they forced my hand, which was to go public with the matter.
“I want the whole world to know what these people are doing to children.”
•••
Bowen, who moved to Draffenville from Seattle in 1994 with his wife, Sheila, and two children, Rex, 8, and Jessica, 13, is a lifetime Jehovah’s Witness. He attained the status of elder at the age of 28, a rarity since most are at least 30 before they attain the position. Since that time, he has served as presiding overseer in two different congregations, including the one in Draffenville.
During his time as an elder, Bowen said he became aware of several instances of child sexual abuse within the church, but did not question the church’s policy, which is set forth by the Brooklyn-based Watchtower Society, until becoming involved with a case in Draffenville.
Although Bowen will not divulge details of the incident he became involved with in Draffenville, he will say that began to become increasingly disturbed by the Watchtower Society’s policies on dealing with pedophiliacs.
“It’s something that’s completely protective of the pedophile,” Bowen said. “Once I discovered what the policy was, I could no longer remain silent. I could not live with myself as an elder and know that I was supporting or condoning such a stance.”
Particularly at issue with Bowen was that there had been occurrences of child molestation being reported to the elders of the church, but that the information was never passed on to law enforcement authorities.
Under the Jehovah’s Witness system, there must be two eyewitnesses to an offense before a complaint is considered valid. Even though the policy states that the two witnesses do not have to have witnessed the same event at the same time in cases of child molestation, Bowen said it places the burden of proof squarely on the shoulders of the victim.
“How can there be supporting evidence of child molestation when 90 percent of the time the crime is reported weeks or sometimes years later?” he said. “How many pedophiles will tell the truth, knowing if they do they could go to jail?”
Bowen said in many instances where the accused will not confess to church elders, crimes go unreported because of the church’s policy of not wishing to slander an innocent person.
“In many cases, accused pedophiles remain in positions of responsibility within the church, while their victims are threatened and told to suffer in silence or face church sanctions,” he said. “As it stands now, if my child were to accuse a Jehovah’s Witness of molestation, all he or she would have to do is deny it.
“If the molester repents in private to church elders, the victim or the family of the victim is not encouraged to report the molestation to the police. If not reported, then church authorities demand the victim remain silent.”
•••
Jeff Steen, an elder in the Murray denomination of Jehovah’s Witnesses, spent several years as a deputy sheriff. He still does not consider himself an expert on state laws concerning sexual crimes against children, though.
“Every state has a little nuance on how these things are handled,” Steen said. “Because this is such a rare occurrence, this is not the type of thing that I’m up on. It’s not the kind of thing we handle on a regular basis. It’s not an every day or week or year occurrence.”
As a result, Steen is thankful for the services of Watchtower Legal Services, which also operates out of the organization’s Brooklyn headquarters.
According to Jehovah’s Witness policy, any time a legitimate instance of child sexual abuse is reported to a church elder, that elder is required to consult Watchtower Legal on what the state laws are on reporting such offenders.
Kentucky, for example, requires its citizens to report suspected child abuse, but allows exceptions for clergy-penitent and attorney-client privilege. In contrast, Indiana allows no exceptions.
A recent press release from the Watchtower Society stated, “If child abuse becomes known to our church elders, they strictly comply with applicable child abuse reporting laws. Furthermore, we do not prohibit or discourage the victim or the victim’s parents from reporting child abuse to the authorities even if the alleged perpetrator is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
“Usually, we’re made aware of the situation by a guardian or parent,” Steen said. “It’s their legal responsibility to make that information known and not necessarily the church elders. We’re not law enforcement.”
Steen said those who come to church elders with an issue are given confidentiality in much the same way a Catholic priest ensures confidentiality during confession. That policy, he said, can sometimes lead to some gray areas.
“You have a boy who’s 18 and he’s dating a girl who’s 17-years-old, so now you have an adult who’s dating a minor,” he said. “Let’s say they go out and he gives her a kiss on the doorstep. If mom wants to report that to the authorities, I’m not going to stop her … but I’m not going to report that.”
•••
There are documented cases of Jehovah’s Witnesses being convicted for child molestation in instances where the behavior was not reported to the authorities by church elders. Some of those cases include:
• A teen-age boy in Maine who was molested between 1989 and 1992 by a church member after elders disciplined the offender secretly for molesting another boy. The law did not require child abuse to be reported. The second victim told a therapist, who notified authorities.
• A man in New Hampshire who was given a 56-year prison sentence for physically abusing children. Elders did not report the abuse to the authorities, even after an accusation by the man’s wife. New Hampshire law, however, required clergy to report suspicions of abuse.
Although more documented court cases exist, Bowen said there are literally hundreds of similar cases that never see the light of day in a court of law.
“I posted my letter (of resignation) to the Watchtower Society on the Internet on one forum,” he said. “In two days, I had 15 pages of victims who wrote me. Each day, I receive new calls from victims.
“My religion has become saturated with pedophiles holding positions from top to bottom. In my 40-plus years as a member, I have yet to find one church among Jehovah’s Witnesses that does not have problems with child molestation.”
While court documents are public, however, instances in which the Jehovah’s Witness’ policy of turning to an elder for help worked will never be known because of the ecclesiastic privilege, according to Steen.
“We have a million people, approximately, in the United States,” he said. “We have, literally, thousands of congregations. Because you have a million people in our organization, it would be prudent to have some policy for dealing with people if child abuse were to happen.”
In the end, Steen said, instances in which elders mishandled matters come down to the basis of relying on a religion itself - imperfection.
“I’m here to tell you we’re not perfect human beings.”
•••
To be disfellowshipped is to cast your lot with the world and die, according to Jehovah’s Witness doctrine.
Those who are disfellowshipped are not allowed to communicate with their former church members or vice versa. They are not allowed to attend meetings. The excommunicated “apostate” is told he or she will not rise from the grave on Judgment Day.
According to Bowen, it is this fear that keeps many victims of child abuse from coming forward in the church.
“Every breath we take operates under the eye of the Watchtower organization,” he said. “The function and purpose of Watchtower Legal is not to protect children. It’s to avoid lawsuits.”
Still, Bowen considers himself a Jehovah’s Witness today. His recent declarations have come with a price, however.
“I have no intention of being disfellowshipped because I am telling the truth,” he said. “I have been completely ostracized by my local congregation. Most members now shun me. They cannot excommunicate me for telling the truth.”
•••
In the end, Bowen and Steen want the same thing - the protection of the victim - and while they seem to differ on the Watchtower Society’s policies, they both place a strong emphasis on involving law enforcement authorities in all cases of alleged abuse.
“My recommendation is to first go to the police,” Bowen said. “It’s not the elders’ business to investigate. They have no training in this area.”
“We don’t block or delay in any way the investigation of legal authorities,” Steen said. “Within the congregation, we don’t protect (the accused) from the police at all. There is a confidentiality that exists, but we make sure that if a child is being abused, we make sure the authorities know about it.”
While Steen still supports Watchtower Society policies, however, Bowen remains on his mission to force the organization to revamp its position on the issue.
“The overall point is this: Not once have they acknowledged that they have made a mistake,” Bowen said. “Children are being hurt, and they should come out a do what’s right for the children.”
New Newspaper Story
by silentlambs 7 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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silentlambs
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Moridin
Hello Silentlambs...
First of all I would like to thank you so much for everything you have done with this subject. You are a brave man to stand up against all the odds. I was wondering if you could post the link to the site for this article. Thanks in advance.
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Hosanna
May God richly bless you and your family. Your courage is awesomely inspiring.
The online link to this story is here:
http://www.murrayledger.com/murrayledger/myarticles.asp?P=377672&S=548&PubID=6683&EC=0
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Moridin
Thanks Hosanna !
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Kent
Hi Silentlambs
When you post newspaper articles, would you please post a link - if the material is awailable online? If it's just in the printed edition, it would be nice to be informed of that fact. Also, for my site, there would be nice with a photocopy to add to the story when I post it on the Watchtower Observer.
This story IS posted there now, but I'd love a reference to the original article. Not for me - but for the readers:))
Yakki DA
kent
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silentlambs
just bringing this back up to top.
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Prisca
This is just to thank you silentlambs for your tireless efforts in doing what you can to protect the most defenceless in our society. It's great to see someone who was in position prepared to go wih his heart and conscience and speak up, despite the cost. I dare say you and your family have suffered emotional pain because of this, and I want you to know that you and your efforts are being appreciated!
Thank you!
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mommy
Silentlambs,
I too want to thank you for all that you have done and continue to do. Sometimes I swear I should have been born a man! It is so frustrating to see the things that have occured and to hear the stories of abuse. Especially when the accused "silently" had their hands slapped. I know you have shaked the ground the wtbts is standing on. And my wish is that they put some policies in there for the future that actually protects children.
Thank you!
wendy