by Golden Girl 20 Replies latest jw friends
Please see my update in my first post! The interview was excellent!
Not like you guys are trying to make out. No little segment!..AND..it is continued tomorrow night..They are so busted! Forget about door to door in St Louis!
Snoozy....
Edited by - Golden Girl on 14 February 2003 0:2:11
Org 2B
The important issue is not whether JW want to believe there is a Pedophile Problem in thier "clean organization". They will always be in denial no matter who is the messenger of the news they don't want to hear. As any victim when they tried to talk about it with those they trusted. The important issue is that the Watchtower Society was always able to bully into silence any victim and thier families if they tried to bring the matter out. The Watchtower Society used elders to tell victims to be silent lest they face dicipline for slander, even if it had become known to the authorities. In our case, the elders did not report it to the police. When they learned that the pedophile had molested many members of the circuit and in his family they told him to get "help" for his "problem" from Social Services so he could have the hope of getting re-instated. When he called Social Services they called DYFS who got in touch with the prosecutor. Then they arrested the pedophile. The elders informed us that it was in "Ceasars hands" now and if we were questioned by Ceasar, we should not tell them what our religion was, so as not to bring reproach on Jehovah. They also told us "we were the only ones" this had happened to and the Society was learning from our case. It was after Bill Bowen got involved with us and our case when he first wrote to the Society, that we were made aware of the full magnitude of the amount of child molestation cases the WT was hiding. You can say what you want about Bill, but it is he alone that has been the voice that has helped not only victims to come out and talk about their forced silence by their religeous community but he has been extremely effective in bringing this problem into the public limelight, even internationally. Who really cares whether or not the JW's believe him or throw the attention on the looks and dress of Bill and victims. They are avoiding what is obvious. Pedophiles are going door to door, looking at the children in those congregation's territories, and free to conduct bible studies with these families. Many of these pedophiles are elders and family members of elders. It is like and infection. Bill has opened up the eyes of the public about Watchtower. I applaud all of his hard work and efforts, as unorthadox as you may think, he is getting them to take notice and that is an accomplishment many victims have yearned for. I still get calls from victims and survivors from all over the country thanking our family for speaking out on this subject. I have also been still getting phone calls from newspapers and documentary producer wanting us to tell our story. It is because of Bill Bowen. If JWs want to believe that I am an apostate that has taken up the cause of child abuse, that is because the WTS has misled them to believe that. I was once a devout JW who left because of this issue and the corruption and lies of the Society. In my mind it is the WTS and those elders who have hijacked the abuse issue and minimize it and become apostate.
ARoarer
Edited by - ARoarer on 14 February 2003 0:0:39
Aroarer,
You obviously are close to this issue. My comments came from a much narrower perspective than yours. I guess I just want others that are close to me to see things as they really are in the congregation today. It is not a lot of fun having the knowledge of what really goes on in this organization and then have to sit during the Watchtower study and hear comments about "media distortions, etc.,etc,etc.) Bill's comments about a "pedophile paradise" caused most of my family to discredit everything else he said. But that's not Bill's fault. It's the programming that we've all been subject to. "Jehovah's Clean Organization", "A spiritual Paradise". Most cannot fathom the depth of problems this organization has. My sixteen year-old daughter, after seeing Connie Chung, said concerning one of the poor abused sisters "I hate her." What a shock to my system. My daughter is a very loving and caring person. But she felt this young sister was betraying Jehovah! So sad. If this organization is used by Jehovah,and I believe that to some extent it is, It is due time for him rock it to its foundation. At this point in time, we don't even deserve the name Jehovah's Witnesses. What a shame.
Welcome Org_2B_JUDGED.
Always remember who your audience is. In dealing with the lamestream press, Bill and others are not talking to JWs. Bill and the others are talking to us regular worldy folks.
Bill's quick one liners "stick" in peoples heads well and he needs to keep using them. Yes some things works and other things don't work - I hear you. But since May, 2002 you guys have done well and hitting this large NBC station is great.
I hear you when talking about JWs being turned off. I know most JWs will turn off any media anyway because of what is in articles like the March 1, 2003 WT rag (pp 8 -13). But the idea is to keep on pushing on different angles - such as criminal investigations, civil actions, media events and of course one on one talks.
hawk
Org_2B,
I am so sorry that your daughter was affected by Connie Chung's program. Our youngest daughter is 16. Our other children are married, and in college. After hearing the elders lie at the direction of Headquarters, we and our children stopped attending meetings. My husband and I were unofficially shunned for speaking to the News Media. Our Oldest son was told unless he denounced his parents for talking to the press, they would not perform his wedding ceremony. My daughter in laws cousin from Bethel was going to perform the ceremony at her Kingdom Hall. Headquarters told her cousin not to perform the ceremony or he would have to lose his privleges at Bethel. My son and daughter-in-law said they would not shun us and that everything we told the press was the truth and they would not denounce us. So the PO of that congregation told her parents that they would not let them have the Kingdom Hall to get married in or perform the ceremony. When they asked why the elder told them I am not at liberty to say. We asked Bill Bowen if he performed our childrens marriage ceremony at the reception. He was kind enough to fly out to the wedding and give a beautiful talk and married them. At the time we were working with Dateline. Originally Dateline had planned on airing part of the wedding talk Bill Bowen had given. But hours of taping had already been cut and Dateline decided not to air the tape as part of the program. My husband and I were disfellowshipped for appearing on Dateline. After going through all of what we went through it became clear that the religion I once put such faith in was nothing more than a lawyer run corporation protecting it's interests that have nothing really to do with the rank and file members. It was very painful emotionally. I and my family have survived the WT org. intact. Through it all I have seen that spirituality and faith are not something that can be dictated through the words of an authortarian, spiritually abusive religious organization. WT is no different from other religions accept that they hide who they are and what they do. I guess looking at the worlds religions they all are used in some way by our Creator for reasons we cannont understand, and all may fall into one or more of the description in the book of Revelation when speaking of the congregations. Some were guilty of immorality, some idolatry, some apapthy etc. I no longer believe Jehovah's Witnesses are the only true Christians. They are far from it. Just as the elders are not the "glorious ones" spoken of in Jude. Watchtower is just as guilty with it's false doctrines and arrogant religious leaders.
Org2b...you said;
......."But this is not the same organization that I began associating with years ago. YES, the foolish prophecy interpretations were still there BUT , at least in my experience LOVE was evident in the rank and file brothers".
Not the same eh? No....it probably has gotten a little softer now.
1) My mother and her 7 sisters were kicked out of school for not taking a vaccination.
2) Four of her sisters had no children because they were encouraged not to .
3) Thousands were put into prisons..... over war issues. This later changed to consciensious matter.
4) Now you can have blood fractions
5) Now you can have Organ transplants
6) Now you can go to colledge
7) Now you can vote.......and no one is to judge you
Are you sure it has gotten worse?
Gumby
AROARER...It is a pleasure to know you!....Thanks for speaking up.
Snoozy....
Gumby....I'm not sure if your remark was tongue-in-cheek, but.......
I think the degree of it getting "worse" is in relation to how they are treating those that speak up about 1) the damaging policies still in place, and 2) the incongruity of the flip-flop of former "truths" of which you speak. They have become maniacally desperate and will stoop to any dishonest means in "dealing with" such "apostates". Perhaps,as pointed out before, these are the indications of last stage extinction.
Golden Girl,
my s-i-l called me last night all excited because she heard that program. We've been telling them about Silentlambs, so it caught her attention. I can't wait to see a clip of it.
Welcome to the board, O_2B_J. May I suggest that you read Crisis of Conscience. And "True Believer" by Eric Hoffer. I'm glad you have good memories of "love among the brothers". But keep your eyes open.
j2bf
The print article about this St. Louis Channel #5 newscast is posted here:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=46783&site=3
From there you can click on the news site's URL and see the video-clip of the news segment from last night. The video clip gives more info than the posted article, btw.
Thanks to Bill for sending this around via his SL Email List, which is where I got it!
Great going everyone!
