OK, lastmanstanding, I'm all ears! ;-)
AndersonsInfo
JoinedPosts by AndersonsInfo
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Religious Discrimination; now LEGAL
by lastmanstanding innewsflash.
there are businesses that are now discriminating in their hiring practices based on the fact that you are a jw.. sure, you think i'm mad.
but it's true.. the business circles have become acutely aware of the -not even 1 year old- decision in the industrial court where a jw ratted out a fellow jw and brought disrepute to the bank where they both worked.
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Religious Discrimination; now LEGAL
by lastmanstanding innewsflash.
there are businesses that are now discriminating in their hiring practices based on the fact that you are a jw.. sure, you think i'm mad.
but it's true.. the business circles have become acutely aware of the -not even 1 year old- decision in the industrial court where a jw ratted out a fellow jw and brought disrepute to the bank where they both worked.
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AndersonsInfo
I discussed this very subject in my latest – lengthy - article, Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals which can be found on my website. http://watchtowerdocuments.org/flawed-decree-conceals-criminals/
Below is not the beginning of Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals. I pasted the part where I discussed the obligation of JWs to expose a fellow member’s sin even it was illegal in certain circumstances to do so as per a 1987 Watchtower article. My discussion centers on the distorted use by JW leaders of Leviticus 5:1 to influence JWs to violate the law; when it first began to be used (1967) and who was responsible for the misinterpretation.
That 1987 Watchtower article actually generated a commentary in the August 29, 1987, Los Angeles Times, the title which read, “Conscience outweighs confidence – Witnesses urge faithful to break ethics codes,” by John Dart.
READ ON:
Deliberately using Leviticus 5:1 to violate law
It is certainly difficult to imagine that JWs Governing Body would in the name of God attempt to persuade readers of their religious journal, The Watchtower, to do something legally prohibited. Yet, by quoting Acts 5:29, “We must obey God as ruler rather than men” in a Watchtower article relative to disclosing confidential information, that’s exactly what was attempted.That article found in the September 1, 1987 Watchtower, “A Time to Speak” – When? is noteworthy in this regard because it obligated JWs to expose a fellow member’s sin to their congregation elders even if it was illegal in certain circumstances to do so. Moreover, to buttress their argument, the key scripture used in that article to induce members to violate professional confidentiality requirements by tattling on an erring one was based on Leviticus 5:1.
The hypothetical case of “Mary,” a medical assistant, was highlighted and what her reaction was upon learning through her work that a fellow JW had an abortion, an action viewed by the Witnesses as serious wrongdoing. Should she reveal this concealed transgression to her church elders as her religion instructed all JWs to do? A four-page discussion ensued to try to convince JWs of their personal responsibility to “breach the requirements of confidentiality because of the superior demands of divine law” in connection with employment, no matter if their job was in jeopardy, or they could be sued or their actions led to their employer having legal problems.
The policy of instructing JWs to report a fellow Witness who commits serious wrongdoing to church elders wasn’t anything new, but the issue of ignoring Caesar’s law to obey JWs law was.
This amplification of an old rule, disguised as an act of love, generated a commentary in the August 29, 1987, Los Angeles Times, the title which read, “Conscience outweighs confidence – Witnesses urge faithful to break ethics codes,” by John Dart.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are being told for the first time that they should violate confidentiality requirements in medical, legal, and other professions when one of their own members is discovered to have committed a serious sin. …. Jehovah’s Witnesses are advised to confront the sinner first, but if he or she is unrepentant, the sinner’s elders should be told… http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-27/news/mn-4504_1_jehovah-s-witnesses
New directive harms both the informant and the wrongdoer
Reportedly, Sharon, a nurse in a large California hospital, obeyed the article’s directives when she learned one of her spiritual sisters was scheduled to have an abortion. Concerned, Sharon tried to persuade the woman to change her mind. She also notified the elders who tried to talk her out of terminating the pregnancy. To no avail – the procedure took place. Subsequently, the patient reported Sharon to the hospital for revealing confidential medical information; this led to Sharon losing her job with the hospital blackballing her out of the medical profession.Sharon’s life was irrevocably changed because she broke confidentiality laws. Consequently, she became a law-breaker. In addition, the JW woman whose abortion was divulged and privacy violated, was disciplined by her church, and all because of the instructions in that 1987 Watchtower article, ‘“A Time to Speak” – When?’
Obedience protects a criminal
In another situation, obedience to Leviticus 5:1 directly protected a criminal when a JW obeyed his religion’s directive to go to the elders to report wrongdoing instead of the authorities.A concerned JW knew he could prove that an elder working as a financial planner was dishonest. After reading the Watchtower article, “A Time to Speak” – When?” he informed the elders in his congregation of the financial planner’s crimes. To make a long story short, the local elders protected the dishonest elder because they were investors, even though there was evidence of his corruption. Eventually, the whistle-blower was disfellowshipped and shunned by his family and friends for being a “reviler” in that he would not give up his quest for justice by continuing to berate and disparage the elders for their cover-up of criminal activity. After moving to another area, the dishonest elder continued to commit fraud on other unsuspecting JW widows. Obedience to Leviticus 5:1 eventually concealed a criminal. How different the outcome would have been if the authorities had been involved instead of the elders.
Repetition for emphasis
Ten years later, this directive was repeated in the August 15, 1997 Watchtower, “Why Report What is Bad?” In part the article comments:“The Mosaic Law stated that if a person was a witness to apostate acts, sedition, murder, or certain other serious crimes, it was his responsibility to report it and to testify to what he knew.” [True, but to the authorities, not to the priests.]
Leviticus 5:1 was then quoted and the article continued:
“Though not under the Mosaic Law, Christians today can be guided by the principles behind it. So if you learn about the serious wrongdoing of a fellow Christian, what should you do?”
Paraphrasing the article, the answer of “what should you do?” is as follows: the JW should talk to the wrongdoer to encourage him or her to approach the elders for help. If the accused did not report to the elders the JW should. In the event there were not two witnesses to serious wrongdoing, and wrongdoing was denied, the matter was to be left in Jehovah’s hands.
By being obedient to an obscure Bible text did illegally divulging confidential information or reveal serious criminal wrongdoing to elders bring good results? Whether wrongdoers were helped to change their ways is unknown. However, what has come to light over the years is how the lives of many sincere informants were negatively impacted and criminals protected. What follows is an examination of whether the leaders of JWs interpretation of Leviticus 5:1 was a good fit to accomplish their aim of members reporting crime to elders instead of the police?
Leviticus 5:1 explained
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READ Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals from beginning to end at http://watchtowerdocuments.org/flawed-decree-conceals-criminals/
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Help me spread the word. Local TV station looking for abuse survivors willing to share story. Deep South Texas area
by StarTrekAngel inyou all may recall a recent news article i posted.
it was about a bus driver who abused several school children.
while the news never really dived into his personal life, i did mention here that he is a well known elder to the hall i used to attend.. two new charges have been brought against him and now the bail is up to $420,000.
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AndersonsInfo
Please post a link here to the article about the JW bus driver and I'll help get the news moving. Sorry I missed the story when you posted it the first time.
Thanks,
Barbara
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Two May 19th articles about Lauren Stuart who killed her husband & two children-left a video & suicide note blaming sexual abuse & exclusion
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5748191/woman-blamed-sexual-abuse-ostracism-jehovahs-witness-reasons-killing-suicide.html.
revealed: ex-jehovah's witness turned model, 45, left a video and suicide note blaming childhood sex abuse and exclusion from her religion for killing her husband and children.
lauren stuart of keego harbor, michigan had been researching suicide methods on youtube and videos on how to use a glock for weeks .
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AndersonsInfo
REVEALED: Ex-Jehovah's witness turned model, 45, left a video and suicide note blaming childhood sex abuse and exclusion from her religion for killing her husband and children
Lauren Stuart of Keego Harbor, Michigan had been researching suicide methods on YouTube and videos on how to use a Glock for weeks
Harbor, 45, shared a video calling herself 'broken' and adding that she didn't want to burden her family any more before killing them on February 15
She left a note on her dinner table and tidied up the home before texting loved ones and her husband's boss
Her last act before the killings was to turn over all the family photos on a secretary desk
Police say Lauren Stuart, 45, shot and killed her husband Daniel, 47, and their children Steven, 27, and Bethany, 24, before turning the gun on herself
Lauren made a video describing her 'path of destruction' and dealings with sexual abuse at the expense of a family member that pushed her toward suicide.
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MICHIGAN
How shunned Jehovah's Witness mom killed her entire familyShe made a video of herself saying that she was "broken" and that she didn't want to burden her family. -
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All of Chile's 34 bishops RESIGN over a sex abuse and cover-up scandal after crisis meeting with the Pope
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5744503/chilean-bishops-offer-resignation-pope-abuse-scandal-statement.html.
all of chile's 34 bishops resign over a sex abuse and cover-up scandal after crisis meeting with the pope.
may 18, 2018. pope francis has accused chile's bishops of destroying evidence of sex crimes .
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AndersonsInfo
All of Chile's 34 bishops RESIGN over a sex abuse and cover-up scandal after crisis meeting with the Pope
May 18, 2018
- Pope Francis has accused Chile's bishops of destroying evidence of sex crimes
- Francis said the entire Chilean church hierarchy was collectively responsible
- In a leaked 2,300-page report, the pope blasted the entire Chilean church hierarchy for their 'grave defects' in handling abuse cases
- All 34 Chilean bishops have now offered to resign following the crisis meeting
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Governing Body Just got Spanked
by Bill Covert inyesterday in watchtower documents there was published "flawed decrees conceal criminals.
barbara anderson examined the rnwt revision of lev.5:1 and revealed the wtb&ts to be deceptive as to applying it to congregation members being required to "tattle" on their brothers to expose sin.
she shows that is just not so as lev.5:1 has nothing to do with tattling.
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AndersonsInfo
Yes, you are right, AbusedandPissed, no HIPAA laws at that time that's why I never mentioned HIPAA. However, I checked and there were confidentiality laws in place. If there weren't why would the Watchtower article talk about breaking those laws? I actually have two or maybe three articles from law journals discussing the Watchtower article and the ramifications. Perhaps, I should post those articles on my website. The article I wrote was so long that I thought readers would lose interest if I posted everything I found and know on the subject, but maybe I should reevaluate my position.
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Article: Jehovah's Witnesses and sexual abuse: The Philadelphia Inquirer lays it out
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2018/5/6/jehovahs-witnesses-and-sexual-abuse-the-reckoning-is-here.
jehovah's witnesses and sexual abuse: the philadelphia inquirer lays it out.
may 7, 2018. julia duin.
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AndersonsInfo
Jehovah's Witnesses and sexual abuse: The Philadelphia Inquirer lays it out
May 7, 2018
Julia Duin
Late last month, a crime and justice reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer came out with the kind of religion-and-sex-abuse story that’s sadly become all too familiar these days. What’s unusual about this story is that it’s about Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The Witnesses are one of the toughest religious groups to cover. In the years I spent in religion reporting, I can only remember one time that the Witnesses cooperated with me as I reported a news story. That was when, as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle, I went door-belling with the Witnesses sometime in the late ‘80s.
READ MORE: https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2018/5/6/jehovahs-witnesses-and-sexual-abuse-the-reckoning-is-here -
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New York's Attorney General, Schneiderman Statement On Assembly Passage Of The Child Victims Act
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-statement-assembly-passage-child-victims-act.
a.g. schneiderman statement on assembly passage of the child victims act .
news from attorney general eric t. schneiderman.
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AndersonsInfo
A supporter of the Child Victim's Act wrote me on May 3rd:
It looks like the Senate leadership won't change this year, which would be necessary for us to get the bill onto the floor. The good news is that the Democrats in the Senate now have a majority. If they maintain it after November and start the session as a majority in January, it should be a slam dunk for us to get the CVA passed next year.
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New York's Attorney General, Schneiderman Statement On Assembly Passage Of The Child Victims Act
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-statement-assembly-passage-child-victims-act.
a.g. schneiderman statement on assembly passage of the child victims act .
news from attorney general eric t. schneiderman.
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AndersonsInfo
The New York bill is available, but thus far it's not available by itself; it's in with over a thousand pages of other bills and the actual budget itself, and it references other NYS statutes, so it's not the easiest thing to read.
On Feb. 7, 2018, a supporter of the Child Victim Act wrote me: The only part advocates are unhappy with is that, as it's currently written, is there would be no vicarious liability on new abuse claims. Meaning, you could sue a priest, but not a church, in new claims, but there would be full vicarious liability on old claims revived during the window period. That makes no sense, that's not what organizations fight for. Organizations always say "we've changed our ways, there will be no new claims, don't hold us accountable for our past". What we've heard from Cuomo's office is that this was actually a mistake and will get fixed. It may be fixed now.
FY 2019 NY State Executive Budget Public Protection and General Government Article VII Legislation
Page 127,
PART P
CHILD VICTIM ACT
6 Section 1. Paragraph (f) of subdivision 3 of section 30.10 of the
7 criminal procedure law, as separately amended by chapters 3 and 320 of
8 the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
9 (f) [For purposes of a] (i) A prosecution involving a [sexual] sexual_____ _______
10 ly related felony offense [as defined in article one hundred thirty of _________________
11 the penal law, other than a sexual offense delineated in paragraph (a)
12 of subdivision two of this section,] committed against a child less than
13 eighteen years of age, [incest in the first, second or third degree as
14 defined in sections 255.27, 255.26 and 255.25 of the penal law committed
15 against a child less than eighteen years of age, or use of a child in a
16 sexual performance as defined in section 263.05 of the penal law,] may ___
17 be commenced at any time. For all other sexually related offenses the ____________________________________________________________________
18 period of limitation shall not begin to run until the child has reached
19 the age of eighteen or the offense is reported to a law enforcement
20 agency or statewide central register of child abuse and maltreatment,
21 whichever occurs earlier.
22 (ii) For purposes of this paragraph, a sexually related offense shall _____________________________________________________________________
23 mean any offense listed in article one hundred thirty, two hundred thir________________________________________________________________________
24 ty, two hundred thirty-five, two hundred forty-five, or two hundred ________________________________________________________________________
25 sixty-three of the penal law, or sections 120.70 (luring a child), ________________________________________________________________________
26 135.05 (unlawful imprisonment in the second degree), 135.10 (unlawful ________________________________________________________________________
01/16/18 128 12670-01-8
1 imprisonment in the first degree), 240.37 (loitering for the purposes of ________________________________________________________________________
2 engaging in a prostitution offense), 250.45 (unlawful surveillance in ________________________________________________________________________
3 the second degree), 250.50 (unlawful surveillance in the first degree), ________________________________________________________________________
4 255.15 (bigamy), 255.25 (incest in the third degree), 255.26 (incest in ________________________________________________________________________
5 the second degree), 255.27 (incest in the first degree), 260.20 (unlaw________________________________________________________________________
6 fully dealing with a child in the first degree), 260.21 (unlawfully ________________________________________________________________________
7 dealing with a child in the second degree), 260.32 (endangering the ________________________________________________________________________
8 welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically ________________________________________________________________________
9 disabled person in the second degree), or 260.34 (endangering the ________________________________________________________________________
10 welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, or an incompetent or physically ________________________________________________________________________
11 disabled person in the first degree) of the penal law. ______________________________________________________
12 § 2. Subdivision 8 of section 50-e of the general municipal law, as
13 amended by chapter 24 of the laws of 1988, is amended to read as
14 follows:
15 8. Inapplicability of section. (a) This section shall not apply to ___
16 claims arising under the provisions of the workers' compensation law,
17 the volunteer firefighters' benefit law, or the volunteer ambulance
18 workers' benefit law or to claims against public corporations by their
19 own infant wards.
20 (b) This section shall not apply to any claim made for physical, ______________________________________________________________________
21 psychological, or other injury or condition suffered as a result of ________________________________________________________________________
22 conduct of a defendant that would constitute a sexually related offense ________________________________________________________________________
23 as stated in subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of ________________________________________________________________________
24 section 30.10 of the criminal procedure law committed against a child ________________________________________________________________________
25 less than eighteen years of age. ________________________________
26 § 3. Section 50-i of the general municipal law is amended by adding a
27 new subdivision 5 to read as follows:
01/16/18 129 12670-01-8
1 5. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, this section ______________________________________________________________________
2 shall not apply to any claim made against a city, county, town, village, ________________________________________________________________________
3 fire district or school district for physical, psychological, or other ________________________________________________________________________
4 injury or condition suffered as a result of conduct of a defendant that ________________________________________________________________________
5 would constitute a sexually related offense as stated in subparagraph ________________________________________________________________________
6 (ii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of section 30.10 of the crim________________________________________________________________________
7 inal procedure law committed against a child less than eighteen years of ________________________________________________________________________
8 age. ____
9 § 4. Section 10 of the court of claims act is amended by adding a new
10 subdivision 10 to read as follows:
11 10. Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, this section ______________________________________________________________________
12 shall not apply to any claim made against the state for physical, ________________________________________________________________________
13 psychological, or other injury or condition suffered as a result of ________________________________________________________________________
14 conduct of a defendant that would constitute a sexually related offense ________________________________________________________________________
15 as stated in subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of ________________________________________________________________________
16 section 30.10 of the criminal procedure law committed against a child ________________________________________________________________________
17 less than eighteen years of age. ________________________________
18 § 5. Subdivision 2 of section 3813 of the education law, as amended by
19 chapter 346 of the laws of 1978, is amended to read as follows:
20 2. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary hereinbefore contained in
21 this section, no action or special proceeding founded upon tort shall be
22 prosecuted or maintained against any of the parties named in this
23 section or against any teacher or member of the supervisory or adminis
24 trative staff or employee where the alleged tort was committed by such
25 teacher or member or employee acting in the discharge of his duties
26 within the scope of his employment and/or under the direction of the
27 board of education, trustee or trustees, or governing body of the school
28 unless a notice of claim shall have been made and served in compliance
01/16/18 130 12670-01-8
1 with section fifty-e of the general municipal law. Every such action
2 shall be commenced pursuant to the provisions of section fifty-i of the
3 general municipal law, provided, however, that this section shall not _________________________________________________
4 apply to any claim made against a school district for physical, psycho________________________________________________________________________
5 logical, or other injury or condition suffered as a result of conduct of ________________________________________________________________________
6 a defendant that would constitute a sexually related offense as stated ________________________________________________________________________
7 in subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of section ________________________________________________________________________
8 30.10 of the criminal procedure law committed against a child less than ________________________________________________________________________
9 eighteen years of age. _____________________
10 § 6. Section 213-c of the civil practice law and rules, as added by
11 chapter 3 of the laws of 2006, is amended to read as follows:
12 § 213-c. Action by victim of conduct constituting certain [sexual]
13 sexually related offenses. 1. Notwithstanding any other limitation set _________________ __
14 forth in this article, a civil claim or cause of action to recover from
15 a defendant as hereinafter defined, for physical, psychological or other
16 injury or condition suffered by a person as a result of [acts] any act _______
17 by such defendant [of rape in the first degree as defined in section
18 130.35 of the penal law, or criminal sexual act in the first degree as
19 defined in section 130.50 of the penal law, or aggravated sexual abuse
20 in the first degree as defined in section 130.70 of the penal law, or
21 course of sexual conduct against a child in the first degree as defined
22 in section 130.75 of the penal law] that would constitute a sexually ________________________________
23 related offense as stated in subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (f) of ________________________________________________________________________
24 subdivision three of section 30.10 of the criminal procedure law may be _________________________________________________________________
25 [brought within five years] commenced within fifty years of the commis____________________________________________
26 sion of the act. As used in this section, the term "defendant" shall _________________
27 mean only a person who commits any of the acts described in this section ______
28 or who, in a criminal proceeding, could be charged with criminal liabil
01/16/18 131 12670-01-8
1 ity for the commission of such acts pursuant to section 20.00 of the
2 penal law and shall not apply to any related civil claim or cause of
3 action arising from such acts. Nothing in this section shall be
4 construed to require that a criminal charge be brought or a criminal
5 conviction be obtained as a condition of bringing a civil cause of
6 action or receiving a civil judgment pursuant to this section or be
7 construed to require that any of the rules governing a criminal proceed
8 ing be applicable to any such civil action.
9 2. In an action brought pursuant to this section, the burden shall be ______________________________________________________________________
10 on the plaintiff to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the ________________________________________________________________________
11 acts constituting the sexually related offense were committed by the ________________________________________________________________________
12 defendant. __________
13 § 7. The civil practice law and rules is amended by adding a new
14 section 214-g to read as follows:
15 § 214-g. Certain child sexual abuse cases. Notwithstanding any ______________________________________________________________________
16 provision of law that imposes a period of limitation to the contrary, ________________________________________________________________________
17 every civil claim or cause of action brought by a person for physical, ________________________________________________________________________
18 psychological, or other injury or condition suffered as a result of ________________________________________________________________________
19 conduct that would constitute a sexually related offense as stated in ________________________________________________________________________
20 subparagraph (ii) of paragraph (f) of subdivision three of section 30.10 ________________________________________________________________________
21 of the criminal procedure law committed against a child less than eigh________________________________________________________________________
22 teen years of age, that is barred as of the effective date of this ________________________________________________________________________
23 section because the applicable period of limitation has expired is here________________________________________________________________________
24 by revived, and action thereon may be commenced on or before one year ________________________________________________________________________
25 after the effective date of this section. _________________________________________
26 § 8. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
27 the amendments to section 213-c of the civil practice law and rules made
01/16/18 132 12670-01-8
1 by section six of this act shall apply to any cause of action, regard
2 less of the date on which such cause of action accrued.
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New York's Attorney General, Schneiderman Statement On Assembly Passage Of The Child Victims Act
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-statement-assembly-passage-child-victims-act.
a.g. schneiderman statement on assembly passage of the child victims act .
news from attorney general eric t. schneiderman.
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AndersonsInfo
https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-statement-assembly-passage-child-victims-act
A.G. Schneiderman Statement On Assembly Passage Of The Child Victims Act
News from Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2018Attorney General’s Press Office / 212-416-8060
[email protected]
Twitter: @AGSchneidermanA.G. SCHNEIDERMAN STATEMENT ON ASSEMBLY PASSAGE OF THE CHILD VICTIMS ACT
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released the following statement, upon the Assembly passage of the Child Victims Act:
Today’s Assembly passage of the Child Victims Act marks an important step forward in the fight to protect the survivors of child sex abuse. I thank Speaker Heastie and Assemblymember Rosenthal for their leadership.
The fact that the bill passed the Assembly with such an overwhelming bipartisan margin should send a clear message to the Senate: it’s long past time to enact real, meaningful reform that will deliver justice to child sex abuse victims across New York.
I urge the Senate to seize this moment and finally make the Child Victims Act a reality in New York. Survivors deserve no less.