by AndersonsInfo 120 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
" but this would be terrible for public relations. It would just advertise the fact that they are sending pedophiles to people's doors
It would be hard for them to spin this as defending human rights. "
Now that's what I'm talkin' bout, flush 'em out
Like Nickolas pointed out in a thread topic of his
"BELIEF DOES NOT DEFINE CHARACTER "
http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/216837/sex-offender-cant-worship-with-minors
Sex offender can't worship with minors | Concord Monitor
Sep 18, 2010 ...... Jehovah's Witnesses are right behind the Catholic Church in its ...
This is important. An elder shouldn't be questioning minors alone under any circumstances. A parent or guardian should always be present. This isn't just for the child's protection but for the adult's too.
When my son was 14 he was questioned alone by an elder in the Newport/Wootton Congregation on the Isle of Wight. As his parents we had no knowledge of this questioning session until after the event when my son burst into tears and told us. Whilst I don't suspect for a second any impropriety took place, the questions were of a sensitive nature and deeply upsetting to him.
I was livid with this elder for not informing us of his intentions so we could be present or even refuse him permission. (which I certainly would have done) I phoned this elder up and gave him both barrels! (You know him personally Hotspur)
If all elders and ministers of JW's required CRB checks it would make them much more sensitive to the handling of issues with children and young adults. And that can only be a good thing.
I think a big problem for the WTS is that they don't know what to do with those who fail the background checks. They believe every member of their religion has to participate in the preaching work. Think of what it will do for morale if they tell some of their members that they shouldn't go door to door.
I don't think it would automatically lead to those who fail background checks from not being able to go door-to-door - they'd just have to ensure they were accompanied by another JW adult (to establish that, if minors answered the door, there was supervised access).
Rearding the (unrelated) photo of the four children standing almost in a four square style and holding Watchtower literature, it doesn't appear to be the way I've seen JWs publicise their magazines. Has any one been able to identify the photo's source? It doesn't look like it was sourced from Watchtower publications. Has it been photo-shopped?
I can't track down the thread atm, but this photo was posted on this board ages ago. If I remember correctly, it originally came from some JW's blog or personal website and was taken around the time of a Convention.
Does anybody have any comment on this?
I just had a friend at work mention he read the article on the weekend. The person sitting next to him piped up that people have known for years that Witnesses harbour pedophiles.
People recall the issues the Watchtower has created regarding blood transfusions and pedophiles, both which directly affect children, but virtually no one I meet knows they believe in an earthly paradise. It shows how effective the Witness preaching efforts really are.
Steve,
The Watch Tower does have a defense in that it could pair the sex offender with another JW. But, I don't think it's a great defense. Here is why.
So much information is learned when the pair of JWs ring a doorbell. Does a dog, a big dog, bark? How long does it take to answer the door? Did the householder have to push buttons (alarms beep when they are turned on and off)? Are the doors locked? How many locks are on the door? Who answered the door? If a child, is the child alone? Is the child a latch key child, as so many children, tweens, and teenagers are? This is a wealth of information that a sex offender can gather, and then use at a separate time. Hence, the Night Stalker case that recently came out.
Let's say that a grown up accepts the literature and starts a Bible study. The grown up has children, which may be included in the study or may play in other rooms. Are the JWs going to stop a brother/sister from conducting the Bible study because they have a record, say an old one at that? Surely, they will permit it. After all, even elders can be reappointed as elders if they are "clean" for 3 years. We learned this from court paperwork filed in the California sexual abuse case. The householder is going to get very trustful of his/her study conductor. What if something happens to the kids? Is it truly a private matter between the householder and the study conductor - or was the whole thing, from the initial door-to-door call, to the at-home bible study arrangement, to the books they studied, to the elders allowing the sex offender to conduct the bible study (which is tracked in the monthly service reports)...all connected with the Watch Tower Society? I think the latter. There is trust on behalf of the Bible student and her family, and a law on the books that makes her believe that all ministers are checked.
Skeeter
| Mythbuster | Sex Offender Sues For Right To Go Door to Door - Betrayed by WT for Lying posted ~ a year ago (3/13/2010) |
|---|---|
 Post 232 of 1019 Since 11/26/2009 | What he claimed was "required": http://www.courthousenews.com/2010/03/10/25418.htm Lawrence Bullard says he should be allowed to proselytize door-to-door twice a week with other Witnesses, as their religion requires. The Latest: A Cincinnati Jehovah's Witness, who is also a registered sex offender, is suing the State of Ohio for the right to go door to door as part of his faith. Bullard's sex conviction was in New York State. In 2001, Bullard broke up with a fellow church member, whom he was dating. Bullard's attorney says his client was upset and confused, and let himself into the woman's home. The lawsuit says he hid in her closet and, "At some point, he forcibly kissed her and fell to the floor on top of her. He then put his hands down her pants, touching her pubic area." The attorney says Bullard called police himself, and admitted to the crime. In his lawsuit, Bullard is asking for a retraining order against the Adult Parole Authority, who will put out a warrant for Bullard's arrest if he goes door to door more than once a month. The State Department of Corrections says they cannot comment on a pending lawsuit. |
I received the following message from Steven Unthank who thanked me for putting the information on this forum about his efforts to make the Watch Tower comply with the Working With Children Act:
He said he received a telephone call yesterday from a JW who read the newspaper article. The JW said:
"What makes you think that Bethel and the Society and the Governing Body and the faithful and discreet slave and all the elders and all the brothers and all of the Society's lawyers have got this wrong and that you, only you are right? There are over seven million of us that all say these laws don't apply. What do you say to that?"
Steven Unthank replied:
"Actually there is only one person in the entire worldwide congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses who says that these laws don't apply. That is Vincent Toole. Because he said it you all believe it. Only one man. That's not at the mouth of two or more witnesses. What if he got it wrong? What if this one man got it really wrong? He says it doesn't apply. I say it does apply. The existence of the Watch Tower Society and maybe even the entire religion now sits on who is right. This man Vincent or the other man Me. Vincent says you don't work with children. I say you do. Who is right? Why don't you answer that? Have you recently taken someone else's child out witnessing or to the Kingdom Hall to help with cleaning and maintenance on the weekend? Vincent says you never have and therefore don't need a Working with Children license. I say you have. Who is right? Vincent and Bethel and these seven million other Jehovah's Witnesses and the Society and the Governing Body and the faithful and discreet slave whom you refer to earlier or Me? Who is telling the truth?"
He hung up. He works with children.
