Posts by Richard Oliver

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

Orphan crow:

I am not going to get into an argument over this. My assertion in saying that they were familial cases of abuse was that, they did not gain access to their victims by their association with a congregation. I did state that the Elders should have reported the matter to the police and done a better job of supporting the victim. I made that statement to indicate that unfortunently, those victims would likely have been abused no matter what religious or secular association that the perpetrator was associated with.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

It should be noted, and you can be as skeptical as you want with what Watchtower says but they do indicate (Dates indicated were as of July 20, 2015):

In the last six months in South Australia, elders have been directed to report three separate instances of alleged child sexual abuse (two of which concerned sexting) to the secular authorities using the Child Abuse Report line.

In Victoria, the elders were directed to report a matter to the police involving a sexual offence committed against a 15 year old. Additionally, last year in Victoria, the elders were directed to report a matter involving child sexual abuse unless they could satisfy themselves that the matter had already been reported to the police.

Of course the timing of those reporting cases could be indicated by the fact that they were going to be investigated by ARC but at the very least the ARC is forcing Watchtower Australia to report it which is a benefit and not a determinant to law enforcement.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

Zappa-Esque:

I wonder that too why it was not reported if they were not JW members. That is why I don't agree with the feeling that the allegations are not reported "to protect Jehovah's name" as some have made the assertion of. Here clearly there would be no detriment to the organization name or reputation by just having a victim of child abuse amongst its membership and not a perpetrator. I think that they honestly feel that keeping a members confidential communication confidential is important. I may disagree with that think, because I feel that they should report it still, as long as the law doesn't bar them from reporting it. Could it be that they encouraged at least these victims to report the matter to the police I am not sure, and really no one here was in the room at the time that this was discussed with the victims in question so we don't know one way or another. But certainly they should have at a minimum strongly encouraged the victims to report it and if not report it themselves.

49

Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

by Spoletta in

my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

anyone else pick up on this?

Richard Oliver

Just like elders, older women don't have to be old. And not all old women care older women in the bible sense. Do they have the qualities to assist others and to be an example to others in a positive way.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

I do believe that in some jurisdictions where it requires elders to report the matter, the must and should. In jurisdictions where it gives the option to report or not, they should encourage the family to report and if they choose not to report, then the elders should report. There are some circumstances and jurisdictions that bar them from reporting, so those laws should be obeyed as well.

I do believe that some elders have discouraged the reporting, but I don't agree it is the policy to prevent or that will punish people who report it. Again, I agree that there are cases where that is what happened, but it is not the policy or global issue.

49

Sisters as Ministerial Servants?

by Spoletta in

my wife has been trying to convince me that the organization is hinting at the possibility of making some older sisters ministerial servants.

she is awake to a lot of the false doctrines, but is still clinging to the hope that the org may become more progressive in the future.

anyone else pick up on this?

Richard Oliver

You would also have to make the same claim and criticism about many other religions. That would include Catholics, Islam, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Judaism, Some Denomination of Baptists, Mormons and Seventh Day Adventists. Of course there are certain churches that may allow women to be ordained ministers but as a whole many of these churches and certainly their mainstream churches do not.

I believe that this started because of the video that was presented last week of Ken Flodin where he talked about women's role in the congregation. He stated that even though women won't be able to be appointed as a servant or elder they can still develop the qualities that are referenced in Timothy and Titus. He also pointed out that in Titus it talks about the qualifications of being an older woman, and how sisters can develop those qualities and assist other women in the congregation when it is appropriate.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

Freddo, that number of 0 is certainly a very important number. Certainly, that is something that must be improved upon to get to 100%. Either that improvement is caused by internal changes or by adjustment of laws in countries or a combination of the two is up for debate. But certainly what is not up for debate is that number must increase massively and it should be increased within a short period of time.

Giordano. That is absolutely true, not just in child abuse but even in the sexual abuse of adults it is under reported. There are a number of reasons that mental health experts and sociologist point to as that cause, but I personally feel that part of it is a stigma against reporting this type of crime to authorities. Unfortunately, stigma of the victims maybe the hardest cause to overcome from a societal point of view.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

Have I said that any person on this thread is wrong? I have not. I just been looking for people's honest opinions on the numbers behind that 1006 number.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

I consider them as official because the ARC staff published them, not as evidence submitted by Watchtower but by their analysis. I believe that if the ARC staff felt that Watchtower was hiding numbers that they would have indicated that somewhere in their findings or in their discussions. I am not saying that there were no hidden numbers, but it can be said that the staff were skeptical when it came to what Watchtower said, and if they felt that there were still numbers in hiding that they would have said something, questioned it in their testimony questions or in their report or would have dug even further to find the correct number.

161

ARC Analysis Summary of Case Files

by Richard Oliver in

i have been doing research on the arc as some people on here have suggested.

i find it interesting on the case file analysis some of the findings.

it looks like queensland and new south wales had the biggest problems with this.

Richard Oliver

I bring up the numbers because of a number of issues. First, there are plenty of instances where not just on this site but other "ex-jw" sites they highlight the number of1006 that the ARC reported. So obviously some people feel that the number is a key factor in all of this. I am not saying everyone who has a problem with Watchtower policy on this is highlighting the number, but there are certainly many people who do. Second, there have been a number of people who use the number of 1006 to extrapolate how many witnesses they believe are pedophiles and how many elders and servants are pedophiles, so clearly some people view the number of 1006 as very important. I was just looking for how people view the numbers that are behind the 1006 number. I didn't highlight the contention that Watchtower feels that they didn't have a duty to report or anything like that. I just was looking at the official numbers that the ARC posted as part of their analysis.