Max, sorry not to acknowledge your excellent summary of the matter, 100% in agreeance, thank you. gdt
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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AlmostAtheist
Dawn got me to thinking, If we could work up a doctrine that's easy to destroy with a scripture or two and a nice sound-bite that would fit on a label, we could print up bunches of them and keep them handy for slapping on these mags we find lying around. Those puppies might actually do some good for a change! Like Dawn said, the hand writing is more eye-catching, but I doubt I'd take the time to write on every mag I ran across. I would slap a label on them, though.
Has somebody already done this?
My pet doctrine is birthdays since it's so easy to refute and it proves they 'go beyond what is written', but its hard to just cite a scripture and blow it away. Anything more obvious (and less trivial) leaping to mind?
Good going, Dawn.
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Scully
gdt:
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.
How "badly" JWs "feel about this issue" would be better demonstrated to the Organization if they would simply stand up for righteousness - how can their consciences permit them to preach from door-to-door and invite other FAMILIES to come and worship with them knowing that this very real problem exists in the congregations around the world? How can they claim that this is a Spiritual Paradise?, when abused children (who grow up to be damaged adults) have to face their abuser in the Kingdom Hall two or three times a week - can you imagine the torture these children endure?
The only thing the Society will understand is a boycott of (1) meeting attendance, (2) field service and especially (3) financial donations.
If you really want to send the Society a strong message about how much you "abhor" the mishandling of cases of child sexual abuse, that is what must be done. It wasn't blasphemy or rebelliousness when Jesus threw the moneychangers out of the Temple - it was righteous indignation.
Love, Scully
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Scully
Almost Atheist:
My pet doctrine is birthdays since it's so easy to refute and it proves they 'go beyond what is written', but its hard to just cite a scripture and blow it away. Anything more obvious (and less trivial) leaping to mind?
Birthdays (and ALL other holidays) is easy!!
Romans 14 is the perfect refutation on this: " 5 One [man] judges one day as above another; another [man] judges one day as all others; let each [man] be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day observes it to Jehovah.".... " 10 But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written: "'As I live,' says Jehovah, 'to me every knee will bend down, and every tongue will make open acknowledgment to God.'" 12 So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God." (NWT)
Love, Scully
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seeitallclearlynow
Glad to hear it Dawn! When waiting for work to be done on my truck, if there are Watchtower or Awake magazines in the lobby, I pick them all up, peruse them, and leave comments inside as I read some of the articles. (The comments are not positive feedback...not after some 30 years of living the JW experience! :-) )
And Max:
All in all, writing that on an Awake! troubles me less than some of the evidence presented in courts recently.
Regards, MaxYes, I agree too!
I knew of at least 3 very serious cases of pedophilia that were very troubling while I was still a Witness - I never knew till years after the abuse, but at least I was still a Witness when I learned. I only found out after leaving WHY there was such a problem, that is, how the cases were handled.
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Happy Guy :)
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
And some cases are providing evidence that elders are interrogating the youth about what happened (they are not qualified experts in this area), sometimes blaming the youth for being (unwilling) participants, and not reporting the matter to the authorities.
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).
I believe that herein lies the problem. According to the cases in the courts over the last few years, many, many instances of child sexual abuse are silenced by elders and the young impressionable youth are made to hold the secrets in for the good of Jehovah's organization which is why there are so many cases occuring with adults coming forward now that they are no longer intimidated. Many of these examples of abuse are being dealt with by the Police and the Court years after the fact and in some cases, here in North America, the statute of limitations is a legal issue. Clearly there are many cases that are not being handled via the Police and Court at a time when they could have been and it is coming out in cases that it is because of a large scale attitude of handling these cases as an internal matter for JWs. How many cases are silenced by elders where the congregation is not aware? We have an honest poster on this board who was aware of literally dozens within his one congregation.
As long as the average JW refuses to acknowledge there has been and may still be a problem with the JW methodolgy of handling these cases it will continue and more children will suffer.
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fleaman uk
As long as the average JW refuses to acknowledge there has been and may still be a problem with the JW methodolgy of handling these cases it will continue and more children will suffer.
But happy guy?.............................nah,cant be bothered ,been down this Road before.
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Happy Guy :)
Well then I'll qualify that for you Fleaman and for others as well. My observations of the JW leadership is that they would rather pretend the problem does not exist or to massively downplay it for fear of public embarrassment. Further, they are extremely litigious and, it appears, would rather litigate excessively. In my opinion (and probably others as well) they are too stubborn to change their official policies. Like so many things in history, I believe it will be from pressure by the average honest JW like yourself and gdt (and others) who can motivate a change in policy. I am sure there are ex JWs who feel that the rank and file can't affect change because the WT is to stubborn and dictatorial but in most (but not all) cases leadership succumbs to the pressure from the masses.
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fleaman uk
Happy guy. Read my posts.I am no JW or even an apologist.I just say things as i see them.
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Happy Guy :)
My apologies Fleaman. I thought I had read in one of your posts previously that you were still attending meetings. Perhaps I need my mornig coffee before I post.