There is a distance that the Royal Commission is able to attain in searching out the facts. It is a useful distance that enables them to see clearly what is legal and illegal. However, I fear I really fear, that some quick witted JW lawyer will twist this all around. I do hope sincerely that this is spotted and stopped. I have seen the Royal Commission do some very good work in the past,. Not allowing for slithering out of a question, insisting upon facts, forcing the person questioned to simply answer in the affirmative or negative. I do like that about the psyche of the Australian mentality.
umbertoecho
JoinedPosts by umbertoecho
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8
Pedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of authority in Jehovah’s Witness church royal commission told
by stuckinamovement inwow.
things are heating up in australia.
what a headline.. http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/paedophiles-repeatedly-promoted-to-positions-of-authority-in-jehovahs-witness-church-royal-commission-told/story-fnii5s3x-1227458483269.
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Media headline:Jehovah's Witnesses did not report 1006 alleged sex abusers to police, royal commission told
by fulltimestudent incheck it for yourself: .
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/jehovahs-witnesses-did-not-report-1006-alleged-sex-abusers-to-police-royal-commission-told-20150727-gil1u7.
not a good look!.
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umbertoecho
fulltimestudent.
That was very hard to listen to. She was all broken up and hurt. I felt deep empahty for her and her almost niave love of this religion. She felt and feels guilty even now as she reports what has happened to her. I feel very deeply attached to such people as this woman who loves God and has been betrayed by men. I don't know what to think of this, I suppose I feel sick to the stomach. I hope something solid comes out of this investigation. I hope that Tool makes a complete ass of himself. He is so cocky, so arrogant and so self righteous.
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Update on Royal Commission
by umbertoecho inpaedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of authority in jehovahs witness church royal commission told.
1 hour ago july 27, 2015 12:45pm.
counsel assisting the royal commission, angus stewart sc has told the royal commission that church elders could now face criminal charges.
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umbertoecho
Sorry about all the other crap I posted here. I was just too keen to make sure you had some of the latest information on the Royal Commission here. -
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Update on Royal Commission
by umbertoecho inpaedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of authority in jehovahs witness church royal commission told.
1 hour ago july 27, 2015 12:45pm.
counsel assisting the royal commission, angus stewart sc has told the royal commission that church elders could now face criminal charges.
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umbertoecho
Paedophiles repeatedly promoted to positions of authority in Jehovah’s Witness church royal commission told
- 1 HOUR AGO JULY 27, 2015 12:45PM
Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission, Angus Stewart SC has told the royal commission that church elders could now face criminal charges. Picture: Jeremy Piper/ Supplied Source: Supplied
THE Jehovah’s Witness church repeatedly promoted paedophiles to positions of authority and never reported any case of child abuse to the police, the child sex abuse royal commission has been told today.
Church elders could now face criminal charges for concealment of serious indictable offences and failure to disclose sexual offences against minors, counsel assisting the commission Angus Stewart SC said.
The church holds no insurance for child sex abuse and its corporation, Watchtower Australia, in 2008 considered forming a separate legal entity to minimise liability, Mr Stewart said.
One church Elder, who had sexually abused all four of his daughters, was “disfellowshipped” not for his crimes but for “unrelated loose conduct and lying”, the commission sitting in Sydney was told.
Justice Peter McClellan at the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse public hearing into allegations of child sexual abuse by Jehovah's Witness. Picture: Jeremy Piper/ Supplied Source: Supplied
One of his daughters will give evidence that she had to be interviewed by three church Elders together with her father and that instead of being supported, the Elders made her feel to blame.
Her father blamed her for seducing him.
In 2004, the father was convicted and jailed for unlawful and indecent assault and attempted rape.
Mr Stewart said the church’s own files reveal 1006 allegations of child sex abuse made against church members since 1950 but the Jehovah’s Witnesses dealt with them using “Biblical standards” and not the police.
They only believed victims if the alleged abuser confessed or there were two “credible” witnesses despite there rarely being witnesses to sex assaults beyond the victim and the perpetrator, Mr Stewart said.
“(There will be) evidence that the Jehovah’s Witness Church believes that loving and protective parents are the best deterrent to child abuse,” Mr Steward said.
He said the church believed the end of the world is near.
“Documents will be tendered which show that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the only way to finally end child abuse is to, as they put it, ‘embrace God’s Kingdom under Christ’ and to ‘love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself’ so as to be saved when the end comes,” Mr Stewart said.
Counsel Assisting Angus Stewart SC at the public hearing into allegations of child sexual abuse by Jehovah's Witness's.Source: Supplied
The church has 817 congregations across Australia with over 68,000 members, a growth of 29 per cent since 1990.
It deals with claims of sexual assault by having two Elders speak to the victim and the alleged offender but they can’t take any action unless it is proven to the Biblical standards.
If the Elders believe there is proof, they can form a judicial committee to determine “firstly if the individual is guilty of violating God’s laws and secondly, whether the individual is genuinely repentant,” Mr Stewart said.
Over the past 65 years, the requirement that there be two or more witnesses to child sex abuse has prevented at least 125 allegations of sex assault from proceeding to a judicial committee.
Since 1950, 401 alleged child sex abusers have been disfellowshipped, 78 of them on more than one occasion.
Another 190 were “reproved”, 11 of them more than once. This is a lesser form of discipline and allows the abuser to stay in the church.
In the same time, 28 alleged abusers were appointed to positions of authority and of 127 alleged abusers deleted as church leaders, 16 were reappointed.
The hearing is set down for two weeks.
Originally published as Church ‘ignored child abuse, promoted paedophiles’Judgement Day17:07
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The Australian Royal Commission hearings on the JWs handling of child abuse begins here in the US later today. It will be streamed.
by AndersonsInfo inthe royal commission hearing starting on monday, july 27, 2015 - australian day and date - (and it could go on until august 7th depending on how many witnesses testify) regarding jehovah's witnesses handling of child abuse is supposed to be streamed.. it could be that the hearing will only be audio not video although we were informed it will be streamed.
we'll find out in a few hours.. i live in the central time zone of the us and right now here it is sunday, 3: 45 pm.
in sydney, australia, it is 15 hours ahead of us.
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umbertoecho
I am in the West and have been listening to the live stream. Anonymity is granted to those who are testifying. The reports of these people are completely credible. Actually they are understated. One woman said that she still felt guilty for bringing reproach upon Jehovah's name. That rings so very true. I am in sympathy with these women. They feel all broken up by their perception of what is " a Christian conscience" It rings true of the indoctrination that is so much a part of WT methods. It is hard to listen to at times -
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Question and answers for fisherperson regardingy time at bethel
by _Morpheus inso fisherperson sent me a pm asking a bunch of questions re my time at beth hell.
rather than respond in a pm i will post the q/a here as i have nothing to hide.
q:what years did you serve in brooklyn bethel?
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umbertoecho
Fisherperson.
You seem to enjoy being bloody minded. I have read a few of your' posts and wonder why you are like this. You seem to take the opposite point of view on so many topics. Is this because you mistakenly believe that it is some sort of sign of "intellectualism?".
It is frustrating to the point that in reading some of your' posts, I have to scroll through a lot of garrulousness in order to find out what exactly your point really is.
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Fabulous Assembly Drama
by snugglebunny injust amazing!.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zneq2utm0nu.
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umbertoecho
I love that movie. I watch it from time to time Michael Palin is so good in the scene where the crowd yells " Weelees Woger!!".....and they fall about in hysterical laughter. -
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This generation revisited.
by Bigdummy init's 1:30 am and i'm wide awake again as usual.
i was doing a little bible reading yesterday and.
came across luke 11:29 where jesus states " when the crowds were increasing, he began to say,.
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umbertoecho
And all of this was because, in part,they wanted to fix a date on the tribulation and Armageddon. The very thing they are not supposed to know, for Christ said even he did not know, when asked by the apostles. -
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Ray Franz and You.
by John Aquila inif ray franz would have kept his mouth shut and not disfellowshipped, and remained part of the governing body how many of us ex-jw would still be trapped in the cult?.
would we have come this far?.
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umbertoecho
John Aquilla.
It certainly sound like it doesn't it? And yet I know of equally bad congregations according to some who have moved away for personal reasons. I think that it was just me "seeing" things for what they were. People who were in the Inner sanctum of the congregations would have not seen things with clarity, for they were busy being assholes to other people. That line of reasoning alone, could be a great cause for stumbling, to anyone with a critical mind and a beating heart.
I was lucky in a way, for I had not accepted baptism as yet and was treated with a degree of suspicion after the initial love bombing. You see, I just did not conform in so many little ways.
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Ray Franz and You.
by John Aquila inif ray franz would have kept his mouth shut and not disfellowshipped, and remained part of the governing body how many of us ex-jw would still be trapped in the cult?.
would we have come this far?.
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umbertoecho
EdenOne
What you have said about the "calm approach" of Ray Franz is important. Had I read the book and found a frenzy of statements and overt anger, I would have been suspicious at the time. I was so afraid the whole time I was reading his book. Afraid of being caught out, paranoid of it somehow showing on my face.........all that cultish feeling that sweeps through a person when they feel they are going against the ultimate authority on god.
I had loaned it from my local library and recall feeling scared that the librarian was a JW and I would be found. So stretched were my nerves at the time. As I read his quiet refutations of doctrine and man made rules, I began to calm down and re read passages that I had read while I was panicking ( it's hard to take it in when you are in a state of fear) I found his concise accounts, substantiated with documents and such, were a proof that I truly needed at the time.
Yes, I do agree with you, it was a well thought out biography, expose, and generally well put explanation of how things were and are.
