"They (WT) took me out of context", Gail Bethea-Jackson video (page 12)

Fatfreek

anything new on this?

Just this:

Len Miller

VoidEater

DP:

help people learn about safety in general

To do this would be really simple - announce from the platform that several lawsuits have come to light that paint a negative picture of the organization. Then say: PARENTS ALWAYS NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHO IS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, WHETHER WITH A MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION OR NOT. Why bury such "general safety" info on a Website, when most Witnesses will only get their spiritual food at a meeting? Why not have an article devoted to past abuses by Elders and others in Awake?

Pretending that their kids are safe with someone just because they are an Elder or because they attend meetings is no help at all. They wouldn't even have to acknowledge that there have been cases of Witnesses or Elders guilty of such crimes (though of course we know there have been cases), or that the WTS has been guilty of covering things up (though certainly the huge payoffs in the court cases seem damning, even if you choose to ignore those that have spoken out).

As has been said before, this "general safety" info did not occur in a vacuum - the timing and the actual context is sufficient to show that this video is in the nature of a rebuttal, and the content itself show that it is being used in an apologist way ("years ago we didn't even know it was a problem").

yesidid

VoidEater said,

Then say: PARENTS ALWAYS NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHO IS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, WHETHER WITH A MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION OR NOT. Why bury such "general safety" info on a Website, when most Witnesses will only get their spiritual food at a meeting? Why not have an article devoted to past abuses by Elders and others in Awake?
Pretending that their kids are safe with someone just because they are an Elder or because they attend meetings is no help at all.

Normally that would be the case, but the WBTS cannot warn against possible elder abusers because one of their central teachings is that elders are appointed by Holy Spirit.

That teaching is required to legitimize their demand that the rank and file OBEY their appointed enforcers, the "spirit appointed" elders.

freetosee

Thanks for sharing Len!

I fully agree with your reply to the WT. Doing that really shows what kind of people are in charge and what others are willing to do in order to please ~~Jehovah~~ men.

Has her attorney reacted or achieved anything as yet?

VoidEater

yesidid: oops! My mistake, they couldn't say that, could they...or maybe they could just throw in the old "inspired by spirit but whoops still imperfect" waffle...

Pioneer Spit...oh, i mean Spirit

Fabulous!! I copied your whole post and emailed it to my dad.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

Sorry I didn't take the time to read every post here. I just spotted a few things that caught my attention. I was in Bethel, blah, blah, blah, (credentials in previous posts). But it's been a few years, I may have forgot some things, or things have changed.

On the "Dr." addition: Office of Public Information, OPI, is not under the Writing Committee. It originally was under Writing, but as I recall it was moved to under Chairman's Committee. Consequently, it is independant of the proofreading and fact checking procedures of Writing. If Writing Department was involved in the "Dr." addition, I'm very ashamed of them. OPI are self-inflated goofballs. I wouldn't be surprised if they just threw "Dr." in thinking it wouldn't make any difference and nobody would notice.

About editing of the video: I believe that would have been done also by OPI themselves. I believe they got their own equipment years ago. Previously, they had to go through Video Services which is under Teaching Committee and close kin to Writing Committee. Can't say for sure, but I would guess that OPI is their own spin factory separate from the spin of the rest of Bethel. About video, you can make all kinds of edits to put a different slant on the original message. After all, take a copy of the New York Times, cut out phrases, paste them together, and you can rewrite any of the news. Most producers, writers, directors, and editors know better than make those kinds of changes. They may not get sued, but they'll sure never get another interviewee ever again from anybody of intelligence. Along with the frequent edits, one simple thing that is missing is a question from an interviewer. She's making statements, but we don't really know what she is responding to. Simply, the webpage title "Knowledge of Child Abuse--Progressive Understanding for Society in General" are not her words. The video is editted to support the title.

She states in her letter that she was addressing some specialized aspect of abuse victim trauma. I buy her explanation that 20 years ago, the emotional damage to a 7 year-old when molested by a 12 year-old wasn't understood, and it wasn't statutory rape. Also, it wasn't understood 20 years ago that a 12 year-old who molested a 7 year-old could grow up to be a serial pedophile. I don't know the exact contents of the original to know how it was hacked up.

It's very clear from my observation that she DOES NOT say, "18 or 20 years ago, we didn't realize that church leaders sexually molesting children was a crime that would cause long-term emotional damage to the child." Nope, I still don't see her saying that.

I look at it and I don't know why they put something like that on the website... Um, wait, I already said that most of OPI is self-inflated goofballs, didn't I. {Robert and Bryce, if you're still there, I didn't mean you two.}

Fatfreek

Has her attorney reacted or achieved anything as yet?

I don't know, FreeToSee. We're out of that loop. It would be interesting to know, wouldn't it?

I was in Bethel, blah, blah, blah, (credentials in previous posts). But it's been a few years, I may have forgot some things, or things have changed.

What you remember, Billy, would fill volumes, I'm sure.

On the "Dr." addition: Office of Public Information, OPI, is not under the Writing Committee. It originally was under Writing, but as I recall it was moved to under Chairman's Committee. Consequently, it is independant of the proofreading and fact checking procedures of Writing. If Writing Department was involved in the "Dr." addition, I'm very ashamed of them.

I doubt that the GB is scratching their heads right now debating which department and which specific person was responsible for this particular web page. They know, and their team of some 60 (I saw that number somewhere but can't remember where) attorneys know, that the web page is there (alive and well as of moments ago) and it has their authorization plainly at the top of it.

Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses

It's kind of like the Catholic Church and its imprimatur.

When you click on Copyright , that hyperlink reveals yet another stock page which, I'm confident, they're very proud of as well.

Unless otherwise indicated, all documents, images, and other information contained in this Web site are the intellectual property of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

This Web site is published and maintained by Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc.
Trademarks

Watchtower and the Watchtower logo are registered trademarks of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

To sum it up, Watchtower continues to authenticate the entire contents, yes -- the intellectual property -- of the page we've all come to be astounded over, some drawing from its contents immense entertainment. It belongs entirely to them.

While I can't peek within their walls, the GB all sitting at their respective chairs which surround some huge conference room table -- I somehow see them squirming.

Len

AudeSapere

VoidEater said,
Then say: PARENTS ALWAYS NEED TO BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHO IS WITH THEIR CHILDREN, WHETHER WITH A MEMBER OF THE CONGREGATION OR NOT. Why bury such "general safety" info on a Website, when most Witnesses will only get their spiritual food at a meeting? Why not have an article devoted to past abuses by Elders and others in Awake?
Pretending that their kids are safe with someone just because they are an Elder or because they attend meetings is no help at all.
Normally that would be the case, but the WBTS cannot warn against possible elder abusers because one of their central teachings is that elders are appointed by Holy Spirit.
That teaching is required to legitimize their demand that the rank and file OBEY their appointed enforcers, the "spirit appointed" elders.

To counsel parents - especially from the platform - would be encouraging them to use personal discernment and disgression. This is counter to WT interests as it's strongest hold is the un-questioning obedience to ever-changing guidance of the elders, GB and Traveling Overseers.

What they 'should' do to protect the flock and especially the children, has no bearing on what they 'will' do to protect their own interests, first and foremost.

-Aude.

AudeSapere

(Duplicate)

"They (WT) took me out of context", Gail Bethea-Jackson video

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