Found an Awake at the rest stop today..and I knew exactly what to do....

by Dawn 36 Replies latest jw friends

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  Dawn

  Found it at a rest stop today while traveling. I thought about tossing it, but decided it had a much better purpose. It was an issue on what to teach your young child - cute picture of a little girl (about 4 years old) on the cover.

  So - I took it to my car, got out a pretty purple pen and wrote on the cover "THIS RELIGION HAS A MAJOR PROBELM WITH PEDOPHILES AND IS HURTFUL TO YOUNG CHILDREN. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE VISIT SILENTLAMBS.ORG"

  Then I took it back into the restroom and laid it exactly where I found it.

  People generally look right past stuff laying around UNLESS there's writing on it. Something about that always attracts people's attention

  I think I'll carry my pretty purple pen everywhere with me from now on!
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  Purza

  You go girl! I would have never thought to do that.

  Purza
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  jgnat

  Bravo, Dawn, bravo!
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  Frannie Banannie

  Quick and bright thinking on your part!
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  drwtsn32

  Way to go!! That's awesome!
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  gdt

  And what happened with the belief 'if you are going to err, err on the side of grace' ?? unjust and untrue and ................sorry, but not impressed. gdt
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  Happy Guy :)

  I guess you were excercising your right to free speech in a very unique way.
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  Odrade

  gdt, how did she "err" (make a mistake or violate accepted moral standards) by writing on a magazine the truth about the JW pedophile problem?

  Some might say "grace" would keep those kids from being harmed. I say, maybe "grace" was using Dawn to do it.

  Good for you Dawn!
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  Max Divergent

  Hi gdt - I understand the vast majority of JW's and elders would deal with such situations with good sense and with a sense of justice, but these problems seem to affect most sectors of the community where vulnerable people are present and the JW's are not an exception.
  
  The JW's handle most things in ways that meet the standard of their reading of the bible, not in accord with prevailing community standards. That leaves the JW's vulnerable to critisism on this point. I don't envy any honest, fairminded person having to deal with these situations in the raw through the congregational system - or under any circumstances.
  
  Some of the court cases in the US and Canada seem to be providing evidence that most elders handle it as well as ordinary people are expected to, but that there is still a streak of legalism and protectivness of the reputation of the org than seems to hamper these cases sometimes, and with disasterous effect for the individuals involved (espcially concerning inappropriate use of Matt 18, see Boer v Cairns - it's off the court site now but is still on Silentlambs, or I'll send you a copy if you prefer).
  
  All in all, writing that on an Awake! troubles me less than some of the evidence presented in courts recently.
  
  Regards, Max
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  gdt

  Dawn would well know the words I used. I object to such a blanket detesting of any JW's (of which I am such) and also hate child abuse as strongly as anyone on this board. I too have kids, grandkids etc, and mis-handling of cases is something different to supporting/promoting wrongdoing, if you please. How badly any and all JW's I know, as well as my family, do feel about this issue I would just wish you knew. My 50 years in 'the truth' saw NOT ONE example of child abuse not handly via the police and courts (and that was just one matter anyway, albeit one too many).

  On the side of 'grace' is the best way to go, and my question to those on this thread is as expressed earlier. May I wish all share this conclusion.

  Cheers, gdt.