Article: Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to change two-witness rule because ‘that’s our stand’

by AndersonsInfo 9 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  AndersonsInfo

  http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/jehovahs-witnesses-refuse-to-change-twowitness-rule-because-thats-our-stand/news-story/ee1f5bdd2561d99f6d1f608f039ee200

  Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to change two-witness rule because ‘that’s our stand’
  

  Rohan Smithnews.com.au
  

  March 15, 2017

  CHILD sexual assault is a secret crime carried out by men and women who do everything they can to avoid detection.

  Which is why one passage in the Bible is a Get Out of Jail Free card for offenders, particularly when adhered to so strictly by those within religious organisations.

  Timothy 5:19: demands followers “do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses”.

  It’s a message echoed in Matthew 18:16: that reads, among other things, “ ... at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established”.

  The two passages became the focus this week of a royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witness church in Australia, of which there are 65,000 followers.

  READ MORE: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/jehovahs-witnesses-refuse-to-change-twowitness-rule-because-thats-our-stand/news-story/ee1f5bdd2561d99f6d1f608f039ee200

  
  
  
  
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  stuckinarut2

  And yet, as the ARC masterfully exposed, the Hebrew scriptures contain an account where a man could be stoned to death for raping a woman in a field WITH NO ONE ELSE present. In other words, NO 2nd witness!
  
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  smiddy

  The two witness rule is just another case of JW`s cherry picking scriptures to differentiate themselves from the rest of Christendom when in fact the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) has exceptions to the rule.
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  OUTLAW

  Article: Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse to change two-witness rule because ‘that’s our stand’

  

  
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  nonjwspouse

  Hard hitting article! I just might print that one out.
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  konceptual99

  They don't need to change the two witness rule. It's up to them how they run their own internal judicial matters. What they need to do is sort out their response to an allegation of a crime.

  It's very simple. Report an alleged crime to the authorities.
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  Landy

  They don't need to change the two witness rule. It's up to them how they run their own internal judicial matters. What they need to do is sort out their response to an allegation of a crime.

  It's very simple. Report an alleged crime to the authorities.

  That. Where it involves minors anyway.
  
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  Vidiot

  Told you guys that if held to the fire, they wouldn't budge.

  From their POV, they simply can't (for more reasons than merely theological).
  
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  Earnest

  Paragraph 28 of the Joint Statement of Terrence John O'Brien and Rodney Peter Spinks (released by the ARC as an exhibit for Case Study 54) states :

  We also note that our Scriptural rule of evidence does not impact on whether or not child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities [my emphasis]. That is subjected to a number of overlapping factors including the applicable law and, where there are no mandatory reporting requirements, to the wishes of the victim, the judgement of the parent/guardian. In circumstances where the elders and/or Branch office determine that a child is in danger, the elders will report the matter to law enforcement authorities even if there is insufficient Scriptural evidence to establish serious sin.
  
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  konceptual99

  If this was in their official policies it would be a start.