I'm having trouble dediding what this site is all about. It apparently covers a number of subjects the Watchtower and awake wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole, such as sexuality and other religious beliefs. Will do some more digging tomorrow. Bug
When I first pulled up the site I thought it was an active dub site, it isn't, so some of the subject matter makes sense now that I have a little more understanding. There is a lot here so it is worth your time to look into this site and read some of the comments by active witnesses. Funny, it really surprises me they would even log on to this "apostate" material. There is also a good discussion about 1975 with some excellent comments by redhorse woman. Bug
Here's some copies of what they are saying if you all don't mind it....
Messages: 1 - 4 (47 total)
caseyp579/15/03 1:34 PM
1 out of 47
Wed, July 23, 2003
Jehovah's Witnesses asking woman to pay legal costs in sexual abuse lawsuit
TORONTO (CP) - A woman who received $5,000 in damages after accusing the Canadian wing of the Jehovah's Witnesses of negligence over their handling of allegations of sexual abuse is being asked to pay part of the religious group's $160,000 in legal costs in the case.
Vicki Boer, 32, who says she suffered sexual assaults between ages 11 and 14, sought $700,000 from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada and three of its elders in a 1998 civil suit that claimed they were negligent and breached their duty. A judge awarded her $5,000 in June, but no criminal charges were ever laid in the assault allegations.
"It's really a slap in the face for them to think that I should be paying for costs," Boer said in an interview Wednesday from Fredericton.
"I paid for the abuse, I paid for everything happening, and now they still want me to pay again."
yeah-right9/15/03 1:47 PM
2 out of 47
can you post the link to the original article. I'd sure like to forward this to a couple of hardcore dubbies I know.
I should have said that was only an excerpt from the article, btw.
RedhorseWoman9/15/03 2:46 PM
4 out of 47
Once again, it is obvious what is important to the WTS.....money.
Messages: 5 - 8 (47 total)
mateo1079/15/03 11:04 PM
5 out of 47
A woman who received $5,000 in damages after accusing the Canadian wing of the Jehovah's Witnesses of negligence over their handling of allegations of sexual abuse is being asked to pay part of the religious group's $160,000 in legal costs in the case.
sad, truly sad, that the WT could stoop this low: expecting a victimized woman to pay their excessive legal costs that hardly compares with the petty cash she won from the suit. this raises so many questions:
does the WT still not care that she was victimized, or at least that a court of law decided so? this is just bad etiquette and poor losing. the Catholic Church graciously lost their cases, and they're supposedly pagan...
what is the WT legal department doing spending $160,000 on a single case??? this should be an eye-opener to JW's as to where their "world-wide-preaching" money really goes. doesn't this seem closer to a soulless business with expensive lawyers than to a religion?
~MATEO
RedhorseWoman9/15/03 11:30 PM
6 out of 47
It makes you wonder, also, exactly HOW they managed to "spend" $160,000 since, presumably, the Watchtower lawyers are JWs who work out of Bethel, and are "unpaid volunteers." Or are they?
If they ARE truly "unpaid volunteers" as has been repeatedly stated by JWs here....unpaid volunteers who devote their lives to the service of God by defending the legal rights of JWs to preach and teach despite all of the "persecution" they presumably endure...then exactly WHAT is making up that $160,000....if, that is, these lawyers are Bethelites, and "unpaid volunteers?"
Do these Bethelite lawyers--many of whom have received their education in law through the largesse of the WTS (worldwide preaching work money, I would think)--receive only the "small allowance" that we have been told is ALL that they get?
Or could it be that certain Bethelites are highly paid professionals who are supported by worldwide preaching work money?
Anyone know? JWs care to comment?
Fizzer9/16/03 1:07 PM
7 out of 47
Anyone know?
Nope, don't know. And neither do you. But I can see you don't let that lack of knowledge prevent you from painting the WTS in the worst light possible.
caseyp579/16/03 1:27 PM
8 out of 47
Fizzer, Red is merely asking a logical question that comes to mind, when two things that the Watchtower have said, i.e. "the court costs were $160,000" and "we don't pay our volunteers" seem to contradict themselves.
Messages: 9 - 12 (47 total)
RedhorseWoman9/16/03 1:56 PM
9 out of 47
Casey is absolutely correct, Fizzer. The two statements appear to be totally contradictory. Couldn't you, as an active JW, offer an explanation?
This situation just doesn't make sense. Does the Watchtower Society not use its own legal department to handle these cases? If they use their own legal department, are THOSE Bethelites paid fees just as worldly lawyers are? If they aren't paid fees by the Society, and are merely given an "allowance" like other Bethelites, then why is the Society claiming such huge expenses?
If they actually incurred these expenses because they had to go to an outside law firm to handle this case, then why should rank and file JWs bear the burden of supporting a legal department that the Society can't utilize to handle its legal matters?
The questions are legitimate. No one is "painting" the Society in any way. Why do you find these questions so unnerving?
yeah-right9/16/03 1:57 PM
10 out of 47
Anyone know?
Nope, don't know. And neither do you.
But at least some are courageous enough to question such a glaring inconsistancy.
This is a classic bullying and silencing of dissent tactic.
Yeah, she won, but we're gonna sue her ass anyway to discourage other members from taking any course of action embarrassing to the WT.
Fizzer9/16/03 4:35 PM
11 out of 47
The question itself doesn't "unnerve" me, in fact its a reasonable question. My point is that no one here, by their own admissions, knows any details about anything relating to this aspect of the case. But negative speculation abounds. You can make all the assumptions about motive and the financial aspects all you want, but that doesn't mean they have any basis in reality.
yeah-right9/16/03 4:57 PM
12 out of 47
Fizzer
It's highly unusual for the loser of a court case to ask that the winner pay it's legal fees. The only reasons I can fathom is with being a sore loser, vindictiveness, or to teach others a lesson on what you face when you cross who you choose to sue.
It's all too easy to jump on the JW bandwagon and brand opposers views of the WT activity in this matter as always looking for negativity with the Soceity.
With the WT assertion that all who work for them are unpaid volunteers, would you, or any other JW, care to speculate as to any positive aspect of the WT actions?
You all can't possibly be in agreement that since the WT lost this case that this girl is getting what she deserves from them.
That's just some of the postings.... just copy and paste the URL below on a new browser window....
