Oct 2007 Awake "Keep your children safe"

by still_in74 23 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  WTWizard

  Notice Watchtower Society: I believe Jesus had something to say about taking the rafter out of your own eye before extracting the straw from your brother's eye. And here you are, trying to point out the straw in the brother's eye, and leaving the rafter in your own.

  Also, Jesus condemned this blatant hypocrisy! Woe to you Pharisees and Scribes, Hypocrites! For you whitewash the outside of the grave, but inside it is full of uncleanness. And you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside it is filthy.
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  jgnat

  I bet they failed to mention that the abuser is most likely to be a close family member, or that pedophiles seek out positions of authority and trust, to better access children.
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  brinjen

  Two words come to mind: Damage Control.

  Precisely what I was thinking keyser soze. They're still talking of child abuse the same as fornication, it's not. Fornication is between consenting adults. But of course, fornication doesn't cost them big in the courts now does it?
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  VM44

  Parents, "Keep your children safe"!.....Because The Watchtower doesn't want to pay out Millions of dollars in future out-of-court settlements!
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  unique1

  WOW just psychotic. How much are they dumbing that article down?
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  LearningToFly

  Thank you for the article! I agree as previously posted.. it is damage control!

  My old congregation was a pedophile haven, with unbaptized attendees to a ministerial servant! It's a easy place to hide out for anyone inclined in these behaviors.. hard to have 2 witnesses! And when bible teachings teach that anything out of the marriage arrangement is fornication, not many young people/children are going to feel safe speaking out. As their conscience tells them from what they have been told that they are "bad". Sadly it takes maturity in most cases to bring this about. And so.. the cycle continues!

  Bitter topic for me

  LTF
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  looking_glass

  I wonder if a JW came to your door w/ this mag and you were to engage them in convo and then ask them about the Napa Valley cases what their reactions would be. I think this mag would have been better suited for the ones that they are just giving to fellow JWs, that way they could kill two birds w/ one stone .... they could have an article about don't read or research outside of the WTBTS and this article ... now that would be total damage control!
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  loosie

  Parents, "Keep your children safe"!.....Because The Watchtower doesn't want to pay out Millions of dollars in future out-of-court settlements!

  You hit the nail on the head VM.

  Let's rewrite the article to what it should say. Keep your children safe and away from elders and MS and all JW's in general.
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  OnTheWayOut

  The article is definitely for the rank&file, not for the public's information. It is
  merely printed in the public information to make them think the organization
  is concerned and wants to inform people. The average jw will have difficulty
  placing this with any informed people. I would like to run into the street
  witness who offers me this.

  "This article discusses sexual abuse of children. Are you aware of what's
  going on within your own WT organization concerning sexual abuse of
  children?"

  "We are informing people about it, and telling them how God hates it."

  "Are you also aware that the WT organization offered settlements for as much
  as 100 million dollars, perhaps more, in 16 lawsuits settled in 2007 for it's own
  mishandling of cases of it's members sexually abusing children?"

  "No, I don't believe it." or "The organization didn't abuse the children, individuals
  did so. The lawsuits reflect greed from weak members."

  (Regardless of response) "The WT organization is more concerned with protecting
  their own reputation than it is with the welfare of children. These cases were going
  to show that repeatedly, the organization instructed elders to hush up these
  cases, and sometimes to disfellowship victims or their families if they didn't hush
  up, also. When Jim Baker mishandled funds, it was just money. When WT
  mishandled spiritual advice, they destroyed the lives of already-abused children and
  their families."

  I doubt the JW would willingly still continue the conversation.
  Can you all tell that I still have "bitterness" issues? And I don't even have a
  personal issue with child abuse.
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  JWdaughter

  Legalistically trying to define different kinds of child abuse as porneia or loose conduct is just repulsive to me. This is NOT about how one will be disciplined by the elders, protecting ones children-it isn't a religious issue. How can they just reduce this to how a person will be punished by the society? SICK SICK SICK. Go to the police immediately. The elders can wait to mete out their peculiar brand of justice.