iThank you for being appropriately forceful yet respectful of the position. I'd start screeching at them. As a lawyer, I have a lot of questions about their legal advice. So much seems against my gut and I did defense work. Their legal stance vs. acknowledged best practices of defense lawyers would make an interesting scholarly article.
I must admit that I am not well informed about these cases. It tugs at my heart so much I find it hard to cope so I skim the articles. I've been out for decades. The reverence for arbitrary authority, like that in the Roman Catholic Church, must lead to astoninishing pedophile rates. I was raised that children were vermin. The Society and its agents are always right. My saving grace was that my mom's family was very well placed so, unlike the vast majority of JWs, i Knew all the Bethel scandals. Whenever we were taught some Witness doctrine, my mother would qualify it. I wanted us to be in or out. Today I am grateful for her action. My personal crisis occurred when I felt I was blaspheming against the Holy Spirit when I realized functionally illiterate brothers could not read on a 5th grade level. I was certain Jehovah would strike me dead.
Can someone tell me if these were class action suits? I don't understand why the victim's lawyers did not insist on a Watchtower public apology and letter in the Watchtower admitting their lack of action, actively harboring pedophiles, and actions to prevent future abuse. It is not the pedophilic act itself that is so odious. Misfits will always exist. It is "responsible" authority not protecting children and actively moving to protect abusers. Such a statement is a key component of the Roman Catholic settlements. Last night I watched a PBS Frontline that revealed shocking conditions in Alaska. The bishop was not overly sappy but as part of the settlement, he travelled to the remote villages and made individual apologies. The victims, now much older, were in tears. The Watchtower present policy shows they are not serious. Your conversation shows how dense they are.
How can anyone not support pedophile victims? The Society needs new lawyers. I understand their not admitting a crime. As lawyers, they should worry about the larger picture with their client. In many ways, the past is the past. What are they doing to protect the Society from future allegations? Not much.
I confess to being agitated now. My father was extremely abusive. The former Bethelite ruled us with a very violent and emotionally scarring iron fist and kicked me all over the place. The entire congregation witnessed his abuse. No one said anything. Shortly before he died, he trapped in the bathroom and said I was so bad I was killing him. Therefore, I would watch him die as my due punishment. He had heart disease. His body was lodged against the door. I never screeched so hard in my entire life. My female body could not move his bodyguard frame. Finally, a solitary neighbor called 911. When he heard the ambulance, he popped a nitro pill and ran down the stairs at break neck speed. The siren sounded so magnificent. Imagine if he died. When the social welfare agency heard this latest tale, a rape monitoring system was put in place. Indeed, if I were raped, he would have killed me.
My memories are full of utter terror. My father could have a disturbed criminal without the JWs in his life. They helped him so much in countless ways. Maybe it is not their intent. But is the result of their practices. Authority can be respectfully confronted and questioned. No one is condoning anarchy. I truly respect the ability to stay calm when dealing with them. My recourse was to order a gun at school. I went from totally deferential to place your hand on me one more time and you will never breathe again. My life and the lives of those victims here should have been full of loving parents, planning picnics, enjoying great music, dancing to music, reading literary classic and trashy romance novels. Life can be wonderful in the midst of pain.My memories are exquisitely painful. The difference now is the members here are a community. Many times I think I must be flawed with the bad memories. When i come here, my experiences are validated.
