by proplog2 17 Replies latest jw friends
The point Bill makes is that the WTS, in its drive to keep its congregations clean forgot to protect its children and allowed molesters to keep on threatening the congregations.
It isn't so much a drive to keep the congregation clean as it is a drive to give the impression that their congregations are clean. That's why molesters flourish. They(WTS) don't want to expose the problem, so they cover up that there is one. And it just gets worse over time.
a better question is:
What religions excommunicate victims of child molesters? Only one comes to my mind.
Also, I would like to add that I think you make a lot of cynical comments about Bill Bowen on this forum. Yes, he may be egotistical and conflict-driven. But sometimes it takes an egotistical and conflict-driven person to GET THINGS DONE in this world. While so many elders cower in fear, tow the party line and deny the fact that there are SERIOUS problems in JW land, Bill is doing something about it.
proplog asked: But, don't JW's disfellowship unrepentant sex offenders?
Uh Nooooooooooo, that's the whole problem. They won't disfellowship them even if they go to prison for crissakes, but they will, without hesitation, disfellowship a victim of child rape if they even think about going to the police.
Proplog,
I think many people don't understand what is meant by the term "pedophile paradise". It doesn't necessarily refer to the quantity of molesters ( although the Witnesses have their share ) but more specifically to the conditions of an organization that offer opportune operations for pedophiles seeking workable surroundings. Unfortunately, the WBTS's inane policies lend themselves to such an environment. Not all of us get to live in paradise, and not all molesters make their way into Jehovah's Witnesses. But for those that do, it is a real "paradise".
The point of the matter is this. Yes the Catholics have a pedophile problem and so does the Watchtower. There is a tremendously big difference between the two. The Catholic priests have largely had scandals with molesting young boys randomly in Catholic parishes. They have been protected by thier hyrarchy but even so victims are not excommunicated, and thier families and other parishoners are not threatened into shunning them.
The most significant difference and certainly the most disturbing and dangerous difference is that within Jehovah's Witnesses, the sexual predators mostly abuse baby and pre-pubesant girls. These victims are often molested and raped by thier own family members such as fathers, uncles, cousins, brothers . This becomes an issue of incest. These incestuous molesters often go on to not only molest their own family little girls but also other little girls within the congregation. Again a sort of psuedo-incestuous situation since congregations are so much like family, it is psychologically incestous being raped by brother so and so who should be like a spiritual father in a spiritual family. These pedophiles are most often protected in the congregations by co-dependant family members wanting to protect the "family name" and use "bringing reproach on Jehovah" to keep these victims from going outside their family to even tell the elders. And if they do the elders re-victimize them by telling them not to go to the police, and not to warn other members or face slander and excommunication, or force them to disassociate themselves. All of this adds to the 2-witness issue in making the Watchtower so different and much more dangerous then any other religion who may have a molesting priest or rabbi. And since the congregations intermarry within Jehobvah's Witnesses this incestuous pedophilia is passed on intercongregationally and generationally, again making it far more of a serious problem that pales the Catholic Church in comparison. I
I just wish this would become more publisized by the media when announcements are made by the media likening Watchtower's problem to the Catholic Church. Bill may be contraversial to some but he is gutsy and has brought on public awareness through the media about Watchtower. He has given victims the courage to come forward. I admire him. I hope that he brings the incest factor more in the publics eye, however, and make the media aware of this obvious difference and the danger it imposes within Jehovah's Witnesses.
Aroarer,
The most significant difference and certainly the most disturbing and dangerous difference is that within Jehovah's Witnesses, the sexual predators mostly abuse baby and pre-pubesant girls. These victims are often molested and raped by thier own family members such as fathers, uncles, cousins, brothers . This becomes an issue of incest. These incestuous molesters often go on to not only molest their own family little girls but also other little girls within the congregation. Again a sort of psuedo-incestuous situation since congregations are so much like family, it is psychologically incestous being raped by brother so and so who should be like a spiritual father in a spiritual family. These pedophiles are most often protected in the congregations by co-dependant family members wanting to protect the "family name" and use "bringing reproach on Jehovah" to keep these victims from going outside their family to even tell the elders. And if they do the elders re-victimize them by telling them not to go to the police, and not to warn other members or face slander and excommunication, or force them to disassociate themselves. All of this adds to the 2-witness issue in making the Watchtower so different and much more dangerous then any other religion who may have a molesting priest or rabbi. And since the congregations intermarry within Jehobvah's Witnesses this incestuous pedophilia is passed on intercongregationally and generationally, again making it far more of a serious problem that pales the Catholic Church in comparison.
Excellent points. Of course it is NOT all family victims as is clearly demonstrated with the Fitzwater case and the case in Oregon and all victims are not all females as is demonstrated with Donald D'Haene and Mike Moss just to name two. But you are right - a lot of these cases seem to be family related as was in your family's case.
hawk
Hawk, Yes, I totally agree that there are male children molested within Jehovah's Witnesses, just as there are female victims within the Catholic Church. I can't speak for the Catholic religion, but i think that although female children are for the most-part the majority of victims within the congregations, there may very well be more male victims that we are not yet aware of, for whatever reason. And yes, I am aware that not all sexual molestations are of an incestuous nature, however the closed community and family aspect of generational families within the community of Jehovah's Witnesses make the situation of incest an unfortunate and tragic consequence. Since congegations intermarry congregations are often run by families of elders. As I mentioned, the molesting family members of these victims also go on to molest outside thier familes and victimize other members' daughters. As in the case of my father-in-law who not only molested his own nieces, and granddaughters, but continued his perversion within the surrounding congregations, and even outside the congregation, in his own neighborhood. He had many "wordly" victims. Pedophiles go out after "flesh" of children. They are opportunists and will sieze the opportunity to go after a vulnerable child whether a family member or outside the family. Unfortunately, as in my case in our situation our daughter's grandfather was actually protected by family elders in other congregations who, even though they knew he had molested thier own children, sisters, cousins, and nieces, and wives, still came after us to silence us, because they were unwilling to face up to the fact that he had tarnished the family name. They sought to silence even non family members who tried to speak out. I believe there are many elders in the various congregations who are fully aware of pedophile family members who also molest within the congregations. Sadly there are also many victims who have chosen not to come forward and stay under the control of thier family members. In our situation even though victims spanning 3 generations in and outside the family finally broke their painful silence, and supported us, there were other victims in and out of the family who would not. Many of these outside victims are actually now married to family elders, thus complicating this whole issue. This is why I believe the situation within Jehovah's Witnesses is so insidiously dangerous, and constanly evolving and growing, unlike within the Catholic Church. I wish the media would look at this difference and investigate the closed community aspect of Jehovah's Witnesses that perpetuates sexual abuse of thier children and especially through shunning, which in itself is an act of abuse.
To answer the original question, my church now requires anyone seeking to serve in the congregation to undergo a criminal/child abuse record check. Though they may be accepted in the congregation and, in the church's mind forgiven by God, if anything shows up on the check, they are not allowed to work with children.
The WTS is slow to change with the times. It has proved slow and inflexible in dealing with this threat to children.
