https://pennrecord.com/stories/654791353-pa-courts-weigh-whether-jehovah-s-witnesses-elders-must-report-confessed-child-abuse.
harrisburg – after the commonwealth court of pennsylvania dismissed a petition from a group of jehovah’s witnesses nearly two years ago, which argued the confidentiality of their confessions shielded them from being mandatory reporters of child abuse, the supreme court of pennsylvania overruled their colleagues and decided the commonwealth court must re-examine the action.. in a 24-page memorandum opinion authored by state supreme court chief justice debra todd and handed down feb. 13, the court found that their commonwealth court contemporaries violated the coordinate jurisdiction rule – which states “judges of coordinate jurisdiction sitting in the same case should not overrule each other’s decisions” – by its initial pair of separate findings that ivy hill congregation of jehovah’s witnesses did not have proper standing against the commonwealth’s department of human services, and that a grant of declaratory relief would not terminate the legal controversy.. todd was joined in the opinion by supreme court of pennsylvania justices christine donohue, kevin m. dougherty, david n. wecht and sallie updyke mundy.
justices p. kevin brobson and daniel mccaffery did not participate in the consideration or decision of this matter.. “appellant is a congregation of approximately 140 individuals in philadelphia, pennsylvania, who follow the tenets of the jehovah’s witnesses religion.
I was just reviewing this in my mind today.
I tried to picture someone asking themselves, "should I help a child, should I prevent other children from being hurt and ask the police to investigate?"
"No, I should call the ever righteous, God loving, WatchTowers legal counsel and find out if I am REQUIRED to report it to the police."
It really is crazy when you think of it that way.
i'm actually not a jw, but i've always been curious about the religion since it always had an esoteric vibe to it.
i was raised catholic, but more than half my life i've struggled with my faith, and therefore, i've defaulted to the agnostic position.. i'm sorry, let me get to my question.
i've struggled with mental illness for most of my life.
From my 50+ years inside this organization, I have seen the viewpoint change with time. A long time ago, the 1960's and 70's, people in general (from what I could tell) did not want to be known as someone who was sent to a *Psych ward.," as we called it.
JWs were wary of "counseling" or therapy... That would mean that you valued what a worldly doctor/therapist could do for you, versus wisdom from God's word.... Especially regarding marriage counseling.
Over time, 60 years, slowly the need for drugs and therapy has become more accepted, as people have allowed themselves to be more educated.
Sometimes, it can vary with where you live.
Hope this helps.
In his last talk, he was not connecting the dots, I was wondering if he was wavering.
from the houston chronicle.
isn't it wonderful how jws don't judge anyone and love everyone?.
jehovah’s witnesses have restarted their door-to-door ministry after more than two and a half years on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, reviving a religious practice that the faith considers crucial and cherished.. from coast to coast, members of the christian denomination fanned out in cities and towns thursday to share literature and converse about god for the first time since march 2020.. in the jamaica plain neighborhood on the south side of boston, dan and carrie sideris spent a balmy morning walking around knocking on doors and ringing bells.
What a "balmy little report" on the very merry work of Jehovah's Witnesses. 🤪
i can see it that watchtower will become an online/tv based group with just con-vention hall$.. field service would be letter writing and phone preaching, door to door is done.. watchtower will have pay to view programs and still ask for donations after all that.. zoom meetings are here to stay.
kingdumb halls will be sold off except for con-vention venues, or need for new ones$.. df'ing will continue.
the craziness will continue.
I have been on exjw Reddit. So many young people see thru/ behind the curtain, no problemo.
After "this" generation turns 18, I believe there will be a big surprise.
in the 80s there was an bethel elder in the mexico branch, he was graduated along with his wife ruth becerril from gilead school.
he was in charge of meps and the whole computer department... he then started had sex with a 14 year girl in his congregation in the city of texcoco mexico.... he was then df and kicked of bethel but his wife stayed.
he then moved to usa took the girl with him and married her and a couple of years later was re appointed an elder again.. i saw a news article that an elder ex bethelite computer consultant from concord ca with the same name was charged on 1999 by the fbi for having sex with a minor in texas.. both from the same city elders jw and computer consultants.... i wonder what happened with his case..
I knew of him and his family... This FBI matter just "disappeared"
in the 80s there was an bethel elder in the mexico branch, he was graduated along with his wife ruth becerril from gilead school.
he was in charge of meps and the whole computer department... he then started had sex with a 14 year girl in his congregation in the city of texcoco mexico.... he was then df and kicked of bethel but his wife stayed.
he then moved to usa took the girl with him and married her and a couple of years later was re appointed an elder again.. i saw a news article that an elder ex bethelite computer consultant from concord ca with the same name was charged on 1999 by the fbi for having sex with a minor in texas.. both from the same city elders jw and computer consultants.... i wonder what happened with his case..
i’m seeing my hard core believing relatives slowly losing faith that the watchtower is the organization that “god” is using to represent him on earth.. just about all the churches in their area have opened up.. but not the watchtower.. this is having an affect on the faith of even the old timers.
now the only ones who are still holding the faith are the female jws and only those past 70 years of age.
even my old male jw relative past 70 are starting to say that it can’t be jehovah’s organization because the other churches are all open and god supposed organization who is supposed to preach the warning message is still closed with no open in sight.
Personally, I think of the WTBS as a corporation. A business, interested in making money. I believe they have "seen the writing on the wall," young people exiting, more waking up, and KNOW that they must restructure, pure and simple, and have hired PR people, business savy people to help them slow the exiteers.
Videos, kids, less costs. Those Caleb & Sophia videos had my non-JW nieces afraid of their "My Litttle Pony" toys eager to toss them in the garbage in one showing of "Sparlock." Convinced that they were demonized, afraid out of their skins.
The other niece came back from a visit with PIMI grandma and grandpa afraid mom & dad would die at Armageddon if they didn't become JWs.. she was 4.
When WT had the "bright idea" that individual congregations "sign over" their Kingdom Halls to WT, "for liability sake, so 'in the future (the long term, well planned business decision future) they can sell them.
I think they will do something like:
sell off K Halls, make a video studio, move to Brazil, (the GB have been "taken to heaven, so obey their helpers") and either totally 'disappear with the cash, or merge (secretly) with another corporation and become a different business with whatever deception it takes.
We'll see.
my jw mom just died last week, about 6 1/2 months after my non jw dad died (dehydration, starvation, imo) i was the executor of that will.
before a month had passed of his death, my dad & mom's will was changed.
i didn't know until she died.
Thank you, Sigfrid, it was devastating...
new cases:.
diaz case, filed on 10/21/2020 by zalkin law firm - two plaintiffs abused (here and hereinafter - allegedly) by two ministerial servants in 1970s.. iglesias case, filed on 10/19/2020 by eisenberg & baum, llp against various nyc and wt entities - abused by an "elder john doe" and "[travelling] overseer john" in 1970s and 1980s.. aldridge case, filed 10/06/2020 by zalkin law firm - abused by a congregation elder in 1970s.. older cases:.
tarry case (no 1 and no 2), filed on 09/17/2019 and 07/23/2020 by parker waichman llp - abused by a publisher in 1984. very weak case.
So glad that there are lawyers out there that have the ability to win against WT.
