Of the religious and nonreligious groups being investigated, the Jehovah’s Witnesses are exceptional, experts say.
In a converted office in downtown Sydney, the organization’s doctrines and practices are being parsed by lawyers, victims and journalists, providing rare insight into one of the Christian world’s most conservative churches.
The church, which was founded in Pennsylvania during the 1870s to promote a 1st-century interpretation of the Bible, has emerged as the least able or willing to deal with sexual abuse within its ranks, said Anne Cossins, an associate law professor at the University of New South Wales and an expert in sex crimes who is a consultant for the inquiry.“I find their approach to the issue and victims extraordinarily bizarre — almost medieval,” she said in an interview.