Posts by defender of truth

10

US Royal Commission or Something Like it

by mrmagic in

what would be the equivalent of a us version of the royal commission?

i'm not just asking about one specific governmental entity, but perhaps even a conglomerate of entities or series of events that would need to take place to cause a domino effect....a tipping point.

who do you think needs to be contacted that can turn around and contact a lot of others?looking for thoughts and ideas.

defender of truth

I think that the current issue that could trigger a nationwide inquiry (should do really), is the amount of sexual abuse that is occurring in American schools..
Then the inquiry could be extended to include other institutions, hopefully.

Any institution that has allowed children to be harmed by predators deserves to be taken to task for it. No institution should get a pass. And no profession should get a pass. Not preachers, not priests — not even teachers.

Especially not teachers. And yet …
Consider the statistics: In accordance with a requirement of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, in 2002 the Department of Education carried out a study of sexual abuse in the school system.
HofstraUniversity researcher Charol Shakeshaft looked into the problem, and the first thing that came to her mind when Education Week reported on the study were the daily headlines about the Catholic Church.

"[T]hink the Catholic Church has a problem?" she said. "The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."

So, in order to better protect children, did media outlets start hounding the worse menace of the school systems, with headlines about a "Nationwide Teacher Molestation Cover-up" and by asking "Are Ed Schools Producing Pedophiles?"
No, they didn't. That treatment was reserved for the Catholic Church, while the greater problem in the schools was ignored altogether.

As the National Catholic Register's reporter Wayne Laugesen points out, the federal report said 422,000 California public-school students would be victims before graduation — a number that dwarfs the state's entire Catholic-school enrollment of 143,000.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-media-ignored-sex-abuse-in-school/

The failure of U.S. schools to protect students from sexual abuse by school personnel is a story of district cover-ups, lack of training, incomplete teacher background checks and little guidance from the U.S. Department of Education, according to a new federal report.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office said the nation’s K-12 schools lack a systemic approach to preventing and reporting educator sexual abuse of students, despite a problem that the report said affects an estimated 9.6 percent of students – nearly one in 10 – who are subjected to sexual misconduct by teachers, coaches, principals, bus drivers and other personnel during their K-12 career. That figure is from a 2004 report made to the U.S. Department of Education and is the most recent estimate available, according to the Government Accountability Office report released last week.
“Although states and school districts are taking some positive steps,” the report said, “current efforts are clearly not enough.”
http://edsource.org/2014/schools-failing-to-protect-students-from-sexual-abuse-by-school-personnel-federal-report-says/57023

-------

How Many Kids Are Sexually Abused by Their Teachers?
Probably millions.
These statistics are uncertain, however, because no one has ever designed a nationwide study for the expressed purpose of measuring the prevalence of sexual abuse by educators. The Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services can’t agree on whose domain teacher sexual misconduct falls into, and Congress has shown little appetite to spend money on the issue.

Slate article

So, how do we give them an appetite?Shove some reports in their faces?First we need a study on nationwide sex abuse in American schools..
Then let the angry parents do the rest (not much idea of politics, just brainstorming here)..

18

Suicide Prevention Counseling

by MrCellophane in

in the 1980's when i was an elder, i don't remember the society providing any guidance to elders on suicide prevention counseling.

i realize much has changed since then.

can any current/recent elders update me on what the current position of the local elders would be if approached by someone in the congregation contemplating suicide and seeking help?.

defender of truth

The answer is found on this page on Jwsurvey:

http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/doubts-over-organizational-solidarity-as-disturbing-video-on-handling-suicide-is-leaked

Dangerously negligent instructions

But perhaps more disturbing was another video sent to me, also utilized during the Kingdom Ministry School and replete with similarly horrendous acting. This second video depicts the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ way of shepherding a woman in the congregation who has been recently widowed.
Unfortunately, though the latter depiction is supposed to be the correct approach, thinking viewers will be horrified at the negligent way the woman is handled by her elders using the “Watchtower-approved” technique.
The advice being given to elders on how to handle suicidal individuals is alarming
Two elders arrange to visit the woman named Mary after she tearfully approaches one of them at the end of the meeting. Before the visit, the elders meet together to strategize over what they will say.
The older of the two decides that the visit will be all about convincing Mary to be an “integrity keeper” (a loyal Witness), and this is exactly how the resulting discussion pans out.
At the start of the visit Mary reveals that she is so desperate following the loss of her husband, Don, that she has been contemplating suicide. She even has a plan involving asphyxiating herself in her garage using exhaust fumes.
This should set off major alarm bells for most thinking persons with one iota of common sense. If a person has sunk to such desperation that they have planned the manner of their death, surely they are urgently in need of help that only professionals can provide?
So, what advice do the elders offer?

First, the older elder lectures Mary about Job and how this bible figure set the example as an integrity keeper. The elder insists that Job had just as many reasons to be “messed up” as Mary, and gives a perplexing illustration involving a needle going “into the red” to show the difficulty of Job’s situation.
Mary is then told to repeatedly chant “I am an integrity keeper, I am an integrity keeper” next time her suicidal thoughts surface. She is also advised to “read a little from the Psalms,” and equate suicidal ideas with immoral thoughts.
Finally the other elder bizarrely gives Mary a homework assignment, as though she is some kind of errant school child. She is told to memorize a certain verse in Jeremiah as yet another form of incantation for the next time she is feeling suicidal.
Armed with this outrageous pseudo-psychiatry, Mary excuses herself from the conversation to get some cookies for the elders. The older elder seemingly takes this as a sign that they have done their jobs well and mouths “thank you Jehovah” heavenward as the other elder looks on.
I realise the above sounds too ludicrous to be true, but this is really how the video plays out. The Governing Body seriously expects its elders to handle such delicate life-or-death matters in this way.
Elders are not to give out numbers for suicide hotlines or encourage a suicidal person to seek professional help. Instead they are to give bible-based lectures, urge the uttering of incantations, and hand out homework assignments.

Here is the download link from Jwsurvey (you can find it on the page, the link that says shepherding). Over 100mb though, so make sure Wifi is on!

Shepherding a suicidal widow

10

US Royal Commission or Something Like it

by mrmagic in

what would be the equivalent of a us version of the royal commission?

i'm not just asking about one specific governmental entity, but perhaps even a conglomerate of entities or series of events that would need to take place to cause a domino effect....a tipping point.

who do you think needs to be contacted that can turn around and contact a lot of others?looking for thoughts and ideas.

defender of truth

Sorry, don't know what happened there, weird error..

So, my conclusion would be that the first step is to move investigative reporters or organisations to publish damning and shocking reports into institutional child sex abuse in the US. (State by state preferably).

Then comes public outcry, backed by hard facts and statistics..

Then government representatives have to act.

Not sure how helpful all that waffling was, but I have emailed you with suggestions of various journalists.

Can anyone help out by perhaps suggesting an investigative agency that is influential in the US? One that could publish a report that would get the nation's attention?

10

US Royal Commission or Something Like it

by mrmagic in

what would be the equivalent of a us version of the royal commission?

i'm not just asking about one specific governmental entity, but perhaps even a conglomerate of entities or series of events that would need to take place to cause a domino effect....a tipping point.

who do you think needs to be contacted that can turn around and contact a lot of others?looking for thoughts and ideas.

defender of truth

The inquiry in the UK was basically fired up by MP's that were moved by a.. public scandal. (What else motivates politicians?)

From wikipedia [link too long] :

Background Edit
In 2012, UK celebrity Jimmy Savile, who had died the year before, was identified by police as a prolific child sexual abuser, who had accessed and abused children in hospitals, schools and other institutions during the past six decades.
In the ensuing investigations, a number of prominent household names in media and politics, among others, were alleged to have been responsible for, and in some cases were convicted of, child sexual abuse.
Calls were raised from 2012 onwards, for a public inquiry into child sexual abuse, and to examine how such failings had been possible, and to what extent those responsible for these institutions had known of the abuse, or had cause to be aware.

In June 2014, a cross-party group of 7 MPs, co-ordinated by Tim Loughton and Zac Goldsmith, wrote to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, calling on her to set up an overarching investigation into a series of cases in the United Kingdom concerning allegations of historic child sex abuse within government and other institutions.[9] Goldsmith said that "The Government should establish – and properly resource – an independent inquiry so that a line can be drawn, once and for all."[10] Other MPs were quick to add their names to the call for an inquiry, and within three weeks more than 150 British MPs were backing the call for an inquiry.

It was a similar pattern in Australia:

Report of child abuse coverups >> Further investigations >> Politician moved to action by public outcry channelled through representatives.

From Wikipedia:

In Queensland, during 1999 the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions (headed by Leneen Forde, a former Governor of Queensland), investigated the treatment of children in 159 licensed government and non-government institutions from 1911 to 1999. In its report, the Inquiry found that abuse had occurred and made 42 recommendations relating to contemporary child protection practices, youth justice and redress of past abuse.[7]

In Victoria, in January 2011 the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry was launched to investigate Victoria's child protection system and make recommendations to strengthen and improve the protection and support of vulnerable young people..
A bi-partisan parliamentary inquiry was established in May 2012 in that state to seek information about the causes and effects of criminal abuse within religious and other non-government organisations..
By June 2012, there was community and academic pressure for the establishment of a Royal Commission, most especially in Victoria.

So, my conclusion would be that the first step is to move investigative reporters or organisations to publish damning and shocking reports into institutional child sex abuse iThe inquiry in the UK was basically fired up by MP's that were moved by a.. public scandal. (What else motivates politicians?)

From wikipedia [link too long] :

Background Edit

In 2012, UK celebrity Jimmy Savile, who had died the year before, was identified by police as a prolific child sexual abuser, who had accessed and abused children in hospitals, schools and other institutions during the past six decades.

In the ensuing investigations, a number of prominent household names in media and politics, among others, were alleged to have been responsible for, and in some cases were convicted of, child sexual abuse.

Calls were raised from 2012 onwards, for a public inquiry into child sexual abuse, and to examine how such failings had been possible, and to what extent those responsible for these institutions had known of the abuse, or had cause to be aware.

In June 2014, a cross-party group of 7 MPs, co-ordinated by Tim Loughton and Zac Goldsmith, wrote to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, calling on her to set up an overarching investigation into a series of cases in the United Kingdom concerning allegations of historic child sex abuse within government and other institutions.[9] Goldsmith said that "The Government should establish – and properly resource – an independent inquiry so that a line can be drawn, once and for all."[10] Other MPs were quick to add their names to the call for an inquiry, and within three weeks more than 150 British MPs were backing the call for an inquiry.

It was a similar pattern in Australia:

Report of child abuse coverups >> Further investigations >> Politician moved to action by public outcry channelled through representatives.

From Wikipedia:

In Queensland, during 1999 the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions (headed by Leneen Forde, a former Governor of Queensland), investigated the treatment of children in 159 licensed government and non-government institutions from 1911 to 1999. In its report, the Inquiry found that abuse had occurred and made 42 recommendations relating to contemporary child protection practices, youth justice and redress of past abuse.[7]

In Victoria, in January 2011 the Protecting Victoria's Vulnerable Children Inquiry was launched to investigate Victoria's child protection system and make recommendations to strengthen and improve the protection and support of vulnerable young people..

A bi-partisan parliamentary inquiry was established in May 2012 in that state to seek information about the causes and effects of criminal abuse within religious and other non-government organisations..

By June 2012, there was community and academic pressure for the establishment of a Royal Commission, most especially in Victoria.

So, my conclusion would be that the first step is to move investigative reporters or organisations to publish damning and shocking reports into institutional child sex abuse in the US.

Then comes public outcry, backed by hard facts and statistics..

Then government representatives have to act.

Not sure how helpful all that waffling was, but I have emailed you with suggestions of various journalists.

Can anyone help out by perhaps suggesting an investigative agency that is influential in the US? One that could publish a report that would get the nation's attention?

21

Just got this reply from the U.K enquiry into Child Abuse

by Phizzy in

i received an e-mail today, which says, in part :.

" thank you for your email dated 19 august to the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse.

regarding your concerns about the jehovahs witness religion and your offer to provide further.

defender of truth

SecretSlaveClass, you must have missed this thread too.. ;)

www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/397800005/could-independent-inquiry-england-wales-expose-jw-orgs-child-abuse-failures-how-can-we-help

69

Could the Independent Inquiry in England and Wales expose jw.org's child abuse failures? And how can we help?

by defender of truth in

with all the talk about the org's policies and failures regarding child sexual abuse being publically exposed in australia, i thought that it may be a good time to highlight this... i apologise if this has already been discussed, but on the 9th of july the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in england and wales was opened.

here is some information regarding it's aims.. "about the inquiry.

the inquiry offers an unprecedented opportunity to examine the extent to which institutions and organisations in england and wales have taken seriously their responsibility to protect children.. the inquiry will investigate a wide range of institutions including:.

defender of truth

Well done Paul Bonanno.

If people are not sick of me posting about this yet, here are some interesting quotes from recent news articles:

A five-year inquiry has been launched to uncover institutional paedophile activity and cover ups, and Professor Alexis Jay who is on the panel of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, has warned that the range of abuse is potentially enormous.
Now she is reassuringly dauntless in the face of an investigation which will reach into the powerhouses of Britain, from Westminster and the BBC, to health services, schools, churches, charities and local authorities.
She said: “If abuse has been carried out by anyone, anywhere, it doesn’t matter where they sit in our hierarchy, it needs to be uncovered.”
It will investigate abuses and any cover ups in England and Wales but its tentacles will inevitably touch Scotland.
Dame Lowell Goddard, the New Zealand judge running the five-year inquiry, has promised it will be transparent and lead to “meaningful change”.
www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/crime/scots-sex-inquiry-expert-vows-6308432

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is looking at whether public bodies have taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from sexual abuse in England and Wales.
Chairman Lowell Goddard said in her letter to the council: "The terms of reference for the inquiry are extremely broad. As such, it is not yet clear exactly what files, records and documents we will be requesting from your organisations.
"This will become clearer as the work of the inquiry progresses.
"In the meantime we must ensure that no line of investigation is curtailed by the premature destruction of files or records that later become required as evidence."
http://m.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Council-line-audit-child-protection-work-wake/story-27675213-detail/story.html

The head of Britain’s biggest-ever public inquiry has vowed to ‘name names’ as she roots out sick child abusers across the land.

Justice Lowell Goddard, head of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, said she will use every legal power to force witnesses to give evidence.
She has written to hundreds of British institutions including the church, the NHS and every Government department ordering them not to destroy records that could relate to child abuse.
www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/child-sex-inquiry-judge-vows-6036530

I wonder if the WTBTS of Britain has been ordered to not destroy any records, and also the records kept at various Kingdom Halls, by extension? I really hope they have been told not to shred anything...

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/jehovahs-witnesses-destroyed-documents-showing-7340603

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175840/Jehovah-s-Witnesses-destroyed-1000-cases-child-sexual-abuse-1950-protect-wives-Royal-Commission-told.html

39

BBC interview about 1975 - never heard this before..

by defender of truth in

for any lurkers who don't believe the watchtower taught that the world would end in 1975... rare jehovah's witnesses 1968 interview "armageddon and 1975" london watchtower rep speaks to bbc.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npmt-ml-m-g. --------.

but where will this system of things be by that time?

defender of truth

(Very sorry, I posted the wrong clip there. Let's try again)
They were crafty b*stards though..Listen here as Franz basically admits they wouldn't dare make an absolute and definite statement about 1975, so they don't make an ass of themselves like Rutherford did in 1925.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Hqrb4e37KDc

(Skip to 7:40 if you want to hear this part)

39

BBC interview about 1975 - never heard this before..

by defender of truth in

for any lurkers who don't believe the watchtower taught that the world would end in 1975... rare jehovah's witnesses 1968 interview "armageddon and 1975" london watchtower rep speaks to bbc.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npmt-ml-m-g. --------.

but where will this system of things be by that time?

defender of truth

They were crafty b*stards though..
Listen here as Franz basically admits they wouldn't dare make an absolute and definite statement about 1975, so they don't make an ass of themselves like Rutherford did in 1925.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mzwjaAGJsNQ
(Skip to 7:40 if you want to hear this part)
-------Also, just so they're all here on the thread:

Watchtower's Charles Sinutko's Speech on 1975http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mzwjaAGJsNQ

39

BBC interview about 1975 - never heard this before..

by defender of truth in

for any lurkers who don't believe the watchtower taught that the world would end in 1975... rare jehovah's witnesses 1968 interview "armageddon and 1975" london watchtower rep speaks to bbc.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npmt-ml-m-g. --------.

but where will this system of things be by that time?

defender of truth

I distinctly remember going to a special talk given by Fred Franz in which he gave explicit detail to the 1975 doctrine. I was recording that talk and I now wish I knew were that tape cassette is at.

Was this the one?..

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yBwKX-5qXT0

(Skip to 7:30 if you want to get to the 1975 reference)

It's worth bearing in mind that Franz was Vice-president at this time, not some lowly CO or elder.

He had previously served as Vice President of the same corporation from 1945 until 1977 and as a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses before replacing Nathan H. Knorr as president in June 1977.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Franz

--------

Great post, CrazyGuy. I'd give anything for a recording of that talk..

39

BBC interview about 1975 - never heard this before..

by defender of truth in

for any lurkers who don't believe the watchtower taught that the world would end in 1975... rare jehovah's witnesses 1968 interview "armageddon and 1975" london watchtower rep speaks to bbc.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=npmt-ml-m-g. --------.

but where will this system of things be by that time?

defender of truth

For any lurkers who don't believe the Watchtower taught that the world would end in 1975..

Rare Jehovah's Witnesses 1968 interview "Armageddon and 1975" London Watchtower rep speaks to BBC

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NPmT-ML-M-g

--------

If you claim in their defense that the Watchtower representative did not actually mention 1975 himself, why did he not correct the interviewer? All he had to do was say ''We are not saying anything will happen in 1975".

Remembering the year that this interview was held (1968), take a look at these quotes:

"Does God's rest day parallel the time man has been on earth since his creation? Apparently so. In what year, then, would the first 6,000 years of man's existence and also the first 6,000 years of Gods rest day come to an end? The year 1975. It means that within a relatively few years we will witness the fulfilment of the remaining prophecies that have to do with the "time of the end"."
Awake! 1966 Oct 8 pp.19-20

"The fact that fifty-four years of the period called the "last days" have already gone by is highly significant. It means that only a few years, at most, remain before the corrupt system of things dominating the earth is destroyed by God."
Awake! 1968 Oct 8 p.13

"If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the "last days" in 1914, Jesus foretold: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur."-Matt. 24:34.
Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in highschool and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career.
But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!"
Awake! 1969 May 22 p.15

www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/1975.php