An honest question...

by TallTexan 35 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

• 

  Cassiline

  Considering the fact that I have personally dealt with abuse issues in the JW religion and that of Episcopalian I feel that abuse is considerable in all religious factions. But as stated before it is the way the JWs deal with the child who comes to plead for help from the elders.

  They are raped all over again because they are sent back to live with their abusers and forced by the JW elders to remain quite with threats of disfellowshipping or charges of slander if one is to repeat.

  To be fair the Episcopalian church when it found out about possible abuse did withhold telling church members that there may be a threat for several months--allowing others to have been possibly abused as well or abuse to continue in some cases.

  OTOH they did finally admit something was wrong, set up counciling services, funds, lit a candle which has been burning to this day ( 7 years later ) (in memory of the young lives these men affected) said prayers publically, set up counceling center inside the church and a support group. etc.. over time. All this because of one priest and a baby sitter in the nursery.

  I do not see or have I ever heard of a JW church doing this EVER. The JWs deny, deny, deny and force the victim to deny anything every happened.

  Cassi

  edit to add:

  I do not practice the Episcopalian faith. So my comments about them are not because I am a member there.
• 

  Uzzah

  TallTexan:
  

  I've posted this stat before but in view of your question I think it bears repeating.

  I worked in the Legal Department in the Canada Branch for 3 years. During that time we averaged about 60 unique inquiries per year from Bodies of Elders regarding specific cases of child (sexual) abuse. This number does not include corporal punishment. This was when the Publisher average in the Country hovered around the 100,000 mark.

  Mupltiply that by the three years I was there and you have an average of 180 unique cases where a child has been abused. They fully expected that number to increase. These numbers are all from pretty much the same pool of 100,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada.

  The US branch's numbers were far higher than ours.

  So can you understand why there was a need for Dateline and here in Canada "The Fifth Estate". Many Witnesses feel exactly as you do and they need to be made aware of what is happening in their "spiritual paradise" and protect their children. The elders know and protect their own families but how do the fatherless boys and spiritual orphans get protected from the pedophiles that are walking the hallways at the Assembly?

  The public also needed to be made aware that even a convicted pedophile will be made to go out in Service if s/he wants to be in good standing with the Org. Until the Society stops sending these child rapists door-to-door, it isn't safe to open the door to the Witnesses. I am not willing to take the chance just because most of them are nice people.

  Uzzah
• 

  avishai

  60 unique inquiries

  That is 60 UNIQUE inquiries. Now, if the average for a molester is fifty, That's 2,950 more kids that have or will be molested, on average. In three years. We'll be kind and say 50% of these were reported. That's still1,500 kids hung out to dry. In only three years. Nice, huh?
• 

  talesin

  :: at the Assembly

  Yes, this is one of the things I don't like to think about ... assemblies ... socializing ... volunteering. It gives them too many opportunities.
• 

  avishai

  bump
• 

  Lady Lee

  I guess what bothers me most about the policy and how it is or is not carried out is that here they have an opportunity to "keep the congregation clean" which seems to be of utmost importance to them but instead they opt to keep their reputation clean and sacrifice the kids. In my case they got rid of my aunt and he stayed to abuse me. The they got rid of me and he moved on to my little sister.

  They just don't seem to get it that these people are unable to stop themsleves and given the opportunity they will find another victim. If their victim is in the same home saying"I'm sorry and will go to more meeting/service will not cure them. In fact it enables them to continue the abuse on the child who tried to report the abuser. The child is now even more scared to say anything because the child knows no one will listen. And if the elders won't listen and help then there is no way they would think anyone outside the JWs would care enough to hep them. The child is now trapped in a home with an abuser who knows no one will listen when the child cries for help.

  What a set up for the child