by wozadummy 15 Replies latest jw friends
Is there a point to simply listing towns in the USA where there's been "allegations"?
I can't see the value of such a list for parents - why would it make them any more diligent in protecting their children than they should be anyway?
And as for them being "a;llegations"? What's the point of a list?
I could allege that every male in the state of Wyoming is a paedophile - should I be taken seriously and have every male's name included?
Have you noticed that the government systems that list sex offenders, list CONVICTED offenders?
If you want someone to be on that list and you have knowledge of a crime, report them to the police and child services so they can pursue it legally, get a conviction, and post it on that list.
The best defense for your child/ren against child molesters/rapists is to educate your child on how to be cautious and to come to their parents about anything like this. A caution, 60% of these offenders are family members and close family friends, many times in the immediate family. To protect against only "known" offenders is to make your child vulnerable to the larger percentage that are not identified or known.
I agree with ozziepost in that there is no protection is saying that in congregation A there is an alleged molester, a congregation that has 80 "publishers" and unbaptized teenage children and bible students that could all be considered possible.
Who can be a molester?
Father, mother, brother, sister, grandfather, grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin, "Uncle" John next door, "Aunt" Mary down the block, "Grampa" Joe across the street who loves to babysit when you go shopping, your sister's new boyfriend, etc., etc.
Blondie
The Watchtower Organization breeds paedophiles like the Amazon breeds piranha.
While hiding behind it themselves the WBTS™ has always encouraged™ JW's to keep clear of the corrupt worldly™ legal system.
Quote:
“If the wronged Christian conscientiously felt that God's name would not be reproached and legal action was definitely needed, he would not necessarily be acting contrary to the spirit of Paul's counsel if he were to take to cour t one who was no longer a part of the Christian congregation."
Jehovah God has permitted secular authority to serve as his instrument in bringing lawbreakers to justice, and in this case the one wronged would be availing himself of legal help after exhausting the intracongregational means to have the wrong corrected. -Rom. 13:3,4." Snipped from : Watchtower Questions from Readers Nov 15 th 1973 p703
So basically the society™ ruling is that “You must not take action against a fellow Jehovah's Witness, no exemptions.”
A JW must not involve judicial authorities against a fellow JW. If the matter is serious enough, and the JW is unrepentant, he/she will be disfellowshiped and then one will not be taking a "Christian" to court if one proceeds. But a JW must not act until the disfellowshiping happens, as the above article makes clear.
If Brother Mo Lestation shows “true repentance™” and is not disfellowshiped the victim must take no legal action at all because it could then be deemed legal action against a "fellow believer".
So with full Watchtower Society approval many Kingdom Halls™ have their resident child molester/rapist lurking, fantasizing, waiting.
unclebruce, hang 'em high class
PS: Convicted pedophile lists are sad but necesary in this disconnected world we live in. In days gone by when everyone knew who the pedophiles were in their community it was less necessary.
IMO its value is in raising awareness. That page has gotten a lot of hits and raised a lot of eyebrows. I agree people should not limit their caution to towns on the list, but I do think the list gets people's attention, makes them stop and think.
It also chips away at people's belief that the problem isn't real. It may be comparable to any societal problem; without a "face", it isn't as meaningful and is easier to dismiss. Once we see an individual talking about it, or a story that xxx happened in xxx town, it's harder to ignore. It's not terribly logical, but it is human nature.
If there was no value in the list, then I think the page wouldn't be getting any hits.
It definitely helps to list the congregations where elders have been sheltering so-called "repentent" child molesters.
JWs for example do (despite denials about it) also go to the silentlambs.org site and check the list when considering moving so as to see if they're going to a known Pedophile Congregation.
So it can and does help those JWs and their children. And why shouldn't Australian children be safeguarded more too.
I doubt the first poster here even had in mind posting the actual name of such persons unless they have been convicted, as some have.
That said, let's save our children (and grandkids) - planetwide!
Thank you Wanda
My first post may have appeared that I meant to name people but no ,by using the word "alledged" I was only using a term that is used legally .
In these sorts of cases there are many people accused ,some admit but most don't and until a case is proven beyond a doubt legally it is proper to use the term "alledged" which I have done. But that does not mean an accused perpetrator is innocent because we see on the news stories of people who have committed crimes ,been seen by many witnesses, and yet is still veiwed as "alledged" until a courts decision.
The thing is to a victim or victims who have directly been molested there is no Alledged just a PERPETRATOR and this is where we and my wife are coming from - WE HAVE the right and authority by virtue of being victims to speak out even if not naming the perps but put their location forward to Silent Lambs .In the Org a committee of say three is set up and NO_ONE else is told not even the other Elders. In a congregation where trust and brotherly love is to be displayed it is far from the average publishers mind that Perpetrators exist in their congo.
I can see it damaging to innocents to be maligned if they are innocent and in no way would I like to see an unjust thing happen to any JW BUT this sort of thing is rare whereas molestation is'nt. We have experienced many stories of molestation but have not spoken out because we are not involved personally but have advised them disceetly when asked.
Two Elders used this excuse why the Org takes no action against alledged molesters -"What iff we accused someone who was innocent?" My reply was as stated above that it is rare and if they were any sort of Elders they should know the appearence of the flock and if an accuser seemed vindictive and had personnal vendettas etc in the past that should alert them to have doubts.
So what do they really mean then! Here we have 99 victims (Genuine) and one fake so we just ignore the lot!!!?
It is sad that his world is so complex especially in the secretiveness of moletation ,but where people know for sure like us what has transpired we have to speak out, and this we have done and we will be cut off from the JW"s soon for sure like so many others .
Those who have been effected I ask to speak here in Oz to alert others of a growing problem and protect by knowlege not protect the guilty like the governing body-check out the letter to the body of elder in England and see what I mean (BOE June1 2001) They there state as long as Bethel says it's OK a Elder or MS who is a molester from years previous can ,if apparently not doing any bad acts currently, continue on and if they move the new congo is not to be informed of his crime.!
