Re: The successful lawsuit for the 16 victims and how JWs will view this

by juni 29 Replies latest watchtower scandals

  • blondie
    blondie

    The WTS will demonize those involved in the JW sex abuse cases. The rank and file believe it is all lies.

    SNAP, the organization fighting clergy abuse, have been blackened as well. Can you imagine that those fighting in this group are allowed to take communion or given the last rites, serious things in the Catholic world. Thomas Doyle was a canon lawyer (RC law) until he took his stand with the abuse victims. Barbara Blaine, a lawyer in Chicago, stood on the steps of the Vatican and handed out leaflets educating people about the lies of the Catholic Church.

    Has the Catholic Church reformed?

    SNAP Press Statement

    Four Recent Cases Show Church Officials
    Have Not Reformed

    1) In January, the Grand Rapids bishop claimed he just 'found' a 1993 admission of child sexual abuse by Fr. David LeBlanc in the diocesan files. He suspended LeBlanc, but took no action to determine who else in the diocese knew of the admission and kept silent, enabling a known predator to stay in active parish ministry for 14 years (and five years after the bishops' much-touted 'Dallas charter' was passed.)

    http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/01_02/2007_01_19_Honey_BishopKnocked.htm

    2) In Fresno, CA, a civil trial was held in November 2006. Fr. Swearingen was accused of molested Juan Rocha as a boy. The jury found Swearingen guilty. (They deadlocked on whether church officials knew about the abuse.) But the Fresno bishop is keeping Swearingen in active parish ministry even now.

    http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/11_12/2006_12_21_FresnoBee_SwearingenDecision.htm

    http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/11_12/2006_12_06_Lopez_FresnoPriest.htm

    3) In Los Angeles, church and school officials were questioned by police about current child sex abuse allegations against John Malburg. Malburg was a Catholic hi school principal from a politically prominent family. The archdiocese didn't suspend him. They told no one about the investigation. Six months later, Malburg was arrested and criminally charged. Parents asked church officials "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you suspend him?" Cardinal Mahony's guy told the LA Times "Law enforcement told us to keep quiet." The next day, in the LA Times, prosecutors said they never made any such request.

    http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2006/11_12/2006_11_19_NBC4_ArchdioceseChurch.htm

    4) In Yakima, the local newspaper reported that Fr. Darell Mitchell, who'd been caught with naked photos of young boys on his computer, was quietly working in a St. Louis parish with a parochial school. It turned out to be true. And it was the second time in a year that a sexually troubled priest from another state was transferred to this one inner city St. Louis parish. In neither case was anyone warned.

    http://www.snapmidwest.org/htm/ImportingPredators.htm

    Yakima Herald-Republic 12.21.06;

    Seattle Post-Intelligencer (AP) 12.21.06;

    Yakima Herald-Republic 12.23.06;

    KNDO/KNDU 12.24.06 ;

    Yakima Herald-Republic 1.07.07;

    Yakima Herald-Republic 1.07.07 (2nd);

    Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1.11.07;

    Yakima Herald-Republic 1.12.07;

    St. Louis Post Dispatch 1.12.07

    If the purpose is to bring down the WTS, then I feel this is the wrong goal. Rather it is to give the victims support, and to make it too expensive for the WTS to hide their abuse cases. Helping those who have been abused should be our goal.

    One way is to check what the reporting laws are in your state and strengthen them, what at the statutes of limitations and increase them. Other than voting for a president every 4 years, this is an excellent way to get more involved in the legislative process in your area.

    http://www.snapnetwork.org/legislation/write_your_rep.htm

    Blondie

  • dedpoet
    dedpoet
    If the purpose is to bring down the WTS, then I feel this is the wrong goal. Rather it is to give the victims support, and to make it too expensive for the WTS to hide their abuse cases. Helping those who have been abused should be our goal

    I agree with you there blondie. The r&f wouldn't believe the extent of abuse
    taking place in the watchtower anyway, no matter how many newspapers
    publish news of the lawsuits, or even if it is featured on national tv. It would
    be like when the Dateline and other reports came out a few years ago - the
    congs would be told it was apostates spreading lies about the org, and most
    of them would believe it.

    Supporting the victims would hopefully encourage more to come forward and
    report what has happened to them, as well as how the watchtower dealt with
    it. The more lawsuits filed against the org, the more pressure is exerted on
    them to come clean about what the true situation regarding child abuse in
    the watchtower is, and hopefully the more likely they are to make changes
    or risk being ruined financially.

  • daniel-p
    daniel-p

    I don't think the settlements will automatically be dismised by the R&F. Just using the term "R&F" is a little inacurrate, since there are all sorts of JWs with their own personal interpretation of doctrine - and we know how many people silently doubt, while maintaining a facade of faith in the WTS. Even if the WTS continues to settle out of court - as long as those settlements are publicized in the media, it will raise questions, since settling is either an admission of guilt or at least liability. Thinking JWs will catch on. I think we also forget that these cases are inherently emotional - appealing to the common person's sense of right and wrong. I remember when the Dateline documentary came out and many JWs were upset and even angry that stuff like this was being mishandled. There are some outspoken ones who demonize naysayers, but i actually think those are the minority. THe majority are the those on the verge of doubting but not courageus enough to speak out.

  • choosing life
    choosing life

    Does anyone know of a JW who actually even knows of this settlement? I have close family still in and they are blissfully ignorant. I was hoping they would hear about it on the news somewhere. If I tell them their defenses go up immediately.

    So how about it, anyone know of a JW that has heard of this without being told by an "apostate". If so, how did they react?

  • juni
    juni

    Thanks Blondie and dedpoet for your comments - I completely agree. Thanks also Blondie for the SNAP link.

    Thanks daniel-p. God I wish it were the majority that would think outside of the box for once. We'll have to see how it shakes down.

    Choosing life, hi.

    My friend had informed an active JW about this and it went in one ear and out the other --- had to find its way through all those JW religion's cobwebs too. This JW wanted to see newspaper articles about it, but as I had mentioned before - the news is associated w/SilentLambs which JWs view as apostate - hence their ears go shut and they dismiss it right away w/o looking any further. Being that the news went through the AP (Associated Press) it got good coverage here and abroad, but again for the reason cited above it lost its credibility among Witnesses.

    Juni

  • Tatiana
    Tatiana

    I don't know of any JWS that have heard about this through the news. But, on another board I belong to, not an ex-jw board, but a Prince fan board, there are LOTS of witnesses. I posted info about this and all the news links, (thanks, Dogpatch, Danny Haszard, others)

    I wanted the news to come from outside sources. It didn't make any difference. This one particular sister reminds me of my mother. All she does is make excuses. But, the good thing is, most of the other posters, even one who was studying to become a witness, and was going to the Kingdom Hall, were outraged at her lack of concern and apologistic attitude. The one who was studying says she will not attend the meetings anymore.

    Several posters who are not JWS are even going to contribute to Silent Lambs and are writing letters to the WTS. So, sometimes people DO think!!

    It's the same thing all the time. Once you show evidence, direct quotes from the WT, etc., the witnesses disappear. I have to say, though, that the "religion" forum at Prince's site is awesome. Debating with actual witnesses is just exhilarating!!!! For every lie they try to tell, I post actual quotes from their own literature.

    Thank you, Simon.... for this site and all the info. I have been able to open a lot of eyes.

    May 20, 2007

  • flipper
    flipper

    My husband told his 20 yr old very active JW daughter and gave her a copy of the AP article. She hadn't heard anything about it. She said don't worry, Dad, the elders and GB will take care of it , it's probably just those isolated incidents, maybe it's Jehovah's way of cleaning out his organization in the end times.

  • juni
    juni

    Wooo Hoooooo a fellow Wisconsinite!! And I love your avatar!

    That is excellent info Tat! Can u give us the link to Prince's forum? Sorry hon I don't "dig" Prince, but I sure would go there to spread the news.... Thanks!

    Juni

    Hi flipper!

    Isn't that the true to form standard JW response?? Perhaps as this goes along she'll see the "light".

    Juni

  • Tatiana
    Tatiana

    Wooo Hoooooo a fellow Wisconsinite!! And I love your avatar!

    That is excellent info Tat! Can u give us the link to Prince's forum? Sorry hon I don't "dig" Prince, but I sure would go there to spread the news.... Thanks!

    HI!!! I live in Madison. And here's the link.....you can't post unless you've been a member for about 5 days. But, you can read. I guess they think because Prince is now a JW, they can associate with all the "worldly" people on his site. Typical hypcrisy at work. BTW, I am noimageatall (from a Prince song) there. My 8 page thread is the longest one I have ever had on ANY board I've been on. woohoo UHope is the diehard JW.

    http://www.prince.org/msg/105/226886

    And another thread about the upcoming PBS documentary "Knocking."

    http://www.prince.org/msg/105/227908

  • outoftheorg?
    outoftheorg?

    I don't think this will go, not noticed. Always in the past, the jw's were not large enough to catch anyones attention.

    I do see a little change here. The largest paper in the state of Idaho "the Idaho statesman" did post a rather small account about this court action against the wbts. Too small to my liking. But it is a first.

    But this was a first for me since I had never seen anything about the jws in this paper.

    In the small town I live in it is rather comon to know some one in law enforcement. When ever the subject of pedophiles comes up, often a name of a known jw comes up. I use that as an excuse to tell them about this site and leave some written articles from Silent Lambs and from this site.

    I have "should I say educated" or maybe I just pestered them, into talking to their friends and family by printing copies of articles from other papers and again from this site and give them to other friends and neighbors.

    It is really little baby steps, but it has to start somewhere and sometime.

    Outoftheorg

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