NewsColumnist: Putting the Stop to RSM (Religiously Sanctioned Molestation)

AndersonsInfo

Putting the Stop to RSM
(Religiously Sanctioned Molestation):
How Churches, Police, Grand Juries, and Judges can work together.

The mistake they (Jehovah’s Witnesses) made was when they began to handle child abuse as an ordinary infraction in the congregation rather than [calling the police]--Barbara Anderson; a former top Watchtower publications researcher and writer.
Early last September, a Hunterdon County (NJ) Grand Jury did their job. They indicted a former Pastor of what the Express-Times called “a close-knit congregation of about 630 families.” The sub-human’s name is “the Reverend.” John Banko. He is already in the middle of a 15-year sentence for plugging an Alter boy in ’93. According to the Express: “About a year before the new accusations claim, he sexually assaulted a 2nd child,” whom attended his church. This charge is for the sexual assault of an 11-year-old who was a member of the lopsided named St. Edward the Confessor Roman Catholic Church. How about renaming it St. Edward the Molester Roman Catholic Church? Oh, never mind. Some faiths urge their followers to be silent, so they can handle this internally. Here are 3 simple rules to go by if your church is confronted with such a problem:

1-Don’t let anyone tell you that this is only a “church matter,” a “congregational matter,” a “clergy matter,” an "elder matter,” or a "doctrinal matter": Your church heads are as qualified to handle criminal offenses as your cable-guy is qualified to run a nuclear power plant. I hate to sound crude, but it is what it is. Simply contact your local law enforcement agency; police dept. sheriff’s dept. FBI, etc. This is not rocket science. Yes, God is merciful, but God isn’t stupid; he does not want scum representing him. Police forensic experts can determine the validity of any accusation. If confirmed as true, he is to be promptly removed from his position (that’s right, leave him hanging) and left to the judgment of the only organization he now belongs to, the state or federal judicial system, and the tattooed muscle-bound Aryan Nations brotherhood in San Quentin, Attica, or hopefully Ft. Leavenworth, who await him with open arms.

2-Don’t be afraid of suggestions or threats of ouster or banishment: Who wants fellowship with a bunch of people who feign to not understand a crime worse than terrorism itself? There’s a whole wonderful world of support and friends waiting for you to look after you if you or a family member are victimized in such a way. Your ministers, pastors etc., do have an important job, and that is to teach the scriptures and protect the congregation and not run the congregation like a lodge, Elks, or big-boys club. If a fellow minister or member is accused of molestation, then in this case the Bible passage that urges subjection to the “superior authorities” (i.e. law enforcement) supercedes any supplemental doctrine made up exclusively through any respective church. Any scripture urging a need of two or more witnesses only applies to that particular time period (ancient times), and even then it wasn’t to be used for the purpose of protecting the rights of those accused of sexual abuse, especially involving children. Developing a mindset of protecting the rights and identity of the victim should be the main priority of clergy, as this protects the name of the church.

3-When it comes to the media all bets are off: It would seem to me that church leaders should contact the authorities even before the victim’s family, in exposing a clergy or laity member as having been arrested for pedophilia or rape of an adult female; in fact, it’s their job to urge the family to do so. After handing him over to the authorities, he is to be relieved of his duties until proven innocent. If there is physical proof before a trial, feel free to implement your church’s ex-communication rules (on the suspect dummy). If proven guilty then you don’t want your members to be associated with that person until he serves out his sentence. While he has the right to return to a congregation, he should be barred from church leadership permanently. Churches would make it easier on themselves if they acknowledge that they attract all sorts of people and some are subject to criminal activity just as the general population is. There can be no hint that the one in question is being enabled. Enabling leads to what I coin RSM; religiously sanctioned molestation.

Any Pastor, Reverend, Elder, Bishop, etc., who needs a how-to on handling child molesters within their congregations should know that this is not a time to remind your member to “wait on the Lord” to take care of it. This is a callous and unbiblical cop-out that has been conveniently used to discourage exposure of “dirty laundry.” Pedophilia is not dirty laundry; embezzlement or adultery is dirty laundry. Pedophilia is an outright abomination, and on this the Lord is waiting on you.

Stevenson is a columnist for the Buffalo, NY Criterion, Contact him at [email protected]. This article was submitted to hundreds of African-American newspapers across the nation.

fullofdoubtnow

Excellent article Barb, thanks for posting it.

Perhaps they should send a copy to each member of the governing body.

sf

What a wonderful gift to share Mrs. Anderson. Thank you.

And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours.

sKally

J-ex-W

Perhaps every wife who has experienced sex abuse by her husband and received patent non-support from the JW elders and other higher-ups should email the author's address (at the bottom of the article) and request a secondary article be written addressing the same crime on behalf of sexually abused wives. He makes passing reference to the rape of adult women here, but it's a subject that, like pedophilia, deserves to be presented front and center for all to contemplate and see. Email the author your stories, people--any adult wife or girlfriend who HAS been abused in this way or KNOWS SOMEONE who has been (or is being) abused in this way.

moshe

Thanks for this- one more item to put into my media packet to be sent to the newspapers, with JW molestation trials popping up everywhere, it's gonna get ugly for JW's trying to explain away all these pedophile reports to Mr. & Mrs. Informed Householder out in service.

stillajwexelder

thanks Barbara

anakolouthos

Thanks for posting this great article... saving this one for my files. Keep fighting the good fight.

sf

Triumph - Fight The Good Fight Lyrics

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
Words and music by RIK EMMETT

The days grow shorter and the nights are getting long
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seems much harder tellin' right from wrong
You got to read between the lines

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Make it through another day
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I do my best to do my part
Nothin' in my pockets I got nothin' up my sleeve
I keep my magic in my heart

Keep up your spirit, keep up your faith, baby
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CHORUS:
Fight the good fight every moment
Every minute every day
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All your life you've been waiting for your chance
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You think a little more money will buy your soul some rest
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You'd better take a look inside your head

Nothing is easy, nothing good is free
But I can tell you where to start
Take a look inside your heart
There's an answer in your heart

CHORUS

avishai

great article!

NewsColumnist: Putting the Stop to RSM (Religiously Sanctioned Molestation)

Triumph - Fight The Good Fight Lyrics

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