JW Child Custody.

by Celestial 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

Celestial

Upon first glimpse, I thought this was a specialized service of a legitimate law firm, but as it turns out, it's simply a selective presentation of exploitable religious issues enacted by a former elder (William Bowen).
http://jwchildcustody.com/

Don’t Allow Your Children To Be Turned Against You!

Statistics show that over 1,000 custody cases are fought each year involving Jehovah’s Witness children. Of those cases over 90% will be lost due to Watchtower Lawyer manipulation of the legal system.
It's not necessarily a legal tactic that's well received by all persons exposed to Jehovah's Witnesses for the same reason I use the term “exploitable.”
In 39 years of being associated with Jehovah's organization, I've never been exposed to any child custody case where a "Watchtower lawyer" represented either parent. This is a claim made by William Bowen. He seems to use scare tactic to attract potential clients while charging them for his “services.”

http://jwchildcustody.com/Problem.html

Tens of thousands of non-JW parents have discovered too late they do not know what they are up against when Watchtower Attorneys get involved in custody cases. Typical law firms are unfamiliar with the complicated structure of the Jehovah’s Witness religion as well as the strategies and ploys used by Watchtower Lawyers to drive up court costs and make a mockery of the court process.
Upfront, he charges $19.95 simply for an electronic e-book to be sent via email.

http://jwchildcustody.com/childcustodypacket.html

To order an electronic e-book to be sent to your email click here: Cost - $19.95
After a few minutes of online research, I turned up W. Glen How & Associates in Georgetown, Ont., as a firm that represents the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal organization in use by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

David M. Gnam, a lawyer for W. Glen How & Associates, replied to a claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are a part of a relgious belief known as "faith healing."

Jehovah's Witnesses not "faith healing" parents

As for alleged "Watchtower attorneys" in a child custody case, I've never been aware of any legal representation appointed by the Watchtower society to individual congregation members for the purposes of family law. It could be that I've been misinformed. I have three elders in my family. I could ask them if the Watchtower society appoints family lawyers in child custody disputes.

I feel another organization that utilizes identical tactics has answered the question.

http://www.jehovahswitnessesexperts.com/Articles/Refutation/refutation.html

The following quote appeared in the Watchtower publication called Our Kingdom Ministry in Aug. 1992 vol 35.

“A packet of legal materials is available when publishers are involved in lawsuits over child custody and visitation. The packet contains court decisions and other materials designed to assist an attorney who is representing a publisher whose parental fitness is being challenged because of his or her religious beliefs or practices. The Society's Legal Department should be contacted by the body of elders if (a) court papers or legal documents indicate that the publisher's religion is going to be attacked; (b) apostate literature, a religious expert, or a former Witness will be used to testify against the publisher; (c) a pretrial deposition of the publisher will be taken; or (d) a psychological examination or home study is scheduled. The packet offers no assistance in cases involving secular issues such as support and property.” Our Kingdom Ministry in Aug. 1992 vol 35.
If the Watchtower society appointed family lawyers in child custody disputes upon contacting the Society's Legal Department, there would be no need for information to assist an attorney who is representing a publisher whose parental fitness is being challenged because of his or her religious beliefs or practices.

http://www.jehovahswitnessesexperts.com/Articles/Refutation/refutation.html

The booklet, “Preparing for Child Custody Cases” advises Witnesses to give testimony to the court which is knowingly false, It is this strategy that the Watchtower Society deems appropriate even calling it “Theocratic war strategy” in the Watchtower magazine.
How does the booklet, “Preparing for Child Custody Cases” advise Witnesses to give testimony to the court which is knowingly false?
arwen

Glen Howe represented my ex husband in a custody issue in Toronto in 1979. Long story but my children were returned to me after being abducted by their father for six months and taken to another province. He had lied to the court.
Celestial

Glen Howe represented my ex husband in a custody issue in Toronto in 1979. Long story but my children were returned to me after being abducted by their father for six months and taken to another province. He had lied to the court.
An attorney represents a client's plea, advises them on legal ramifications applicable to their case and cross-examines witnesses. An attorney's legal presentation based on a client's plea and corroborating testimony and evidence is a general proceeding in a court of law.
However, an attorney is protected by a legal separation from his or her representation and a client's testimony to protect a lawyer from perjury in the case that a client may be lying to him. Assuming this lawyer represented your ex-husband, how did he knowingly lie to the court outside of this arrangement? “Manipulation of the legal system” means finding loopholes in the legal system that are legal by statute, but are unethical using common sense.

I'm not accusing you of lying, I'm just attempting to establish the facts.
talesin

Lawsuit filed against associates in Glen Howe's firm.
http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=536
Court okays lawsuit against lawyers for alleged ‘deceit’
By Cristin Schmitz
Ottawa
September 14 2007 issue
Alberta’s top court has permitted the father of a Jehovah’s Witness teenager who died of leukemia to sue, on behalf of his daughter’s estate, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada lawyers who he alleges advised her to reject the blood transfusions prescribed by doctors.
The estate’s claims for alleged “misrepresentation and deceit”– which are vigorously denied by the two defendant lawyers – venture into terra incognita at the crossroads of lawyers’ religious beliefs and duties and their professional obligations.
“The boundaries of freedom of religion are too unclear to warrant striking out” the plaintiff’s claims, the Alberta Court of Appeal wrote in reversing, in part, a decision below in favour of the defendant lawyers and the Watch Tower Society which struck some of the claims.
Celestial

Lawsuit filed against associates in Glen Howe's firm.
http://www.lawyersweekly.ca/index.php?section=article&articleid=536
Alberta’s top court has permitted the father of a Jehovah’s Witness teenager who died of leukemia to sue, on behalf of his daughter’s estate, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada lawyers who he alleges advised her to reject the blood transfusions prescribed by doctors.
The estate’s claims for alleged “misrepresentation and deceit”– which are vigorously denied by the two defendant lawyers – venture into terra incognita at the crossroads of lawyers’ religious beliefs and duties and their professional obligations.
“The boundaries of freedom of religion are too unclear to warrant striking out” the plaintiff’s claims, the Alberta Court of Appeal wrote in reversing, in part, a decision below in favour of the defendant lawyers and the Watch Tower Society which struck some of the claims.
Early transfusions used whole blood, but modern medical practice commonly uses only components of the blood, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, plasma, clotting factors, and platelets. While Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood for religious reasons, more patients and their doctors now choose to go bloodless by using precise surgical techniques and safe preventive measures.

Jehovah's Witnesses don't identify a legitimate medical condition as baseless, they simply avoid a specific treatment for religious reasons unlike some religious movements.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology_and_psychiatry

Scientology and psychiatry have come into conflict since the foundation of Scientology in 1952. Scientology is publicly, and often vehemently, opposed to both psychiatry and psychology. Scientologists view psychiatry as a barbaric and corrupt profession and encourage alternative care based on spiritual healing. According to the Church of Scientology, psychiatry has a long history of improper and abusive care. The group's views have been strongly disputed, criticized and condemned by experts in the medical and scientific community and been a source of public controversy.
This position is actually quite serious according to the executive summary of a report by the United States surgeon general:

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/summary.html

The United States leads the world in understanding the importance of overall health and well-being to the strength of a Nation and its people. What we are coming to realize is that mental health is absolutely essential to achieving prosperity. According to the landmark “Global Burden of Disease” study, commissioned by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability for persons age 5 and older are mental disorders. Among developed nations, including the United States, major depression is the leading cause of disability. Mental disorders are tragic contributors to mortality, with suicide perennially representing one of the leading preventable causes of death in the United States and worldwide.

This was stated by the National of Institute of Mental Health in 2001:

http://www.wvdhhr.org/bhhf/scienceonourminds/nimh%20pdfs/11%20invisible.pdf

Depression can be devastating to family relationships, friendships, and the ability to work or go to school. Many people still believe that the emotional symptoms caused by depression are “not real,” and that a person should be able to shake off the symptoms. Because of these inaccurate beliefs, people with depression either may not recognize that they have a treatable disorder or may be discouraged from seeking or staying on treatment due to feelings of shame and stigma. Too often, untreated or inadequately treated depression is associated with suicide.
I was never a scientologist, but reading the position of scientologists regarding mental health and my own experiences don't particularly inspire any appreciation for the Church of Scientology. I'll relay what I think about an adult's standing on the blood issue a bit later.
jamiebowers

My cousin's wife had a child from her first marriage. After she married my cousin, there was a health issue with the child that required a blood tranfusion. When the father pressed the issue in court, the WT paid for a lawyer for my cousin's jw wife.
GLTirebiter

To learn more about this publication, see the critique at freeminds. Here are some quotes showing the tone of the pamphlet:
Be careful that they don't get the impression that they are in a demonstration at the circuit assembly, when they would show that the first things in life are service and going to the Kingdom Hall.
Be careful they don't all say that they are going to be pioneers
How do you feel about your ex-wife/husband who is not one of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Is he/she under the control of Satan?
Will you teach your child that his father's/mother's religious beliefs are wrong?
Will you teach your child that his father/mother will be destroyed by God if he/she does not become one of Jehovah's Witnesses?
Will you teach your child that there is a risk that his father/mother will be destroyed by God?
diamondiiz

Preparing for child custody packet info is found here
It appears the info provided in the booklet is for non-jw lawyers to help jws when going through divorce to a non-jw or more likely exjw (apostate). JW lawyers obviously don't need the info themselves. While wts may not provide lawyers for jws I'm sure JWs can request or hire JW lawyers if they wish to, and obviously some choose to do so.
Blood issue is directly caused by wts and because of HLC, it's more likely that wts will provide their lawyer to fight for no blood when the issue comes up.
Seems that wts apologists seem to point out that some xjw charge money for their services and are out there to make money. Some xjws put a lot of their time into their work and there really is nothing wrong with them choosing to charge others for their services. While here, we share freely the info with others, we are under no obligation to provide anyone with the documents we have nor share our past experiences. If someone does it for a fee it shouldn't be automatically looked on as if they're making a business out of it. After all, any non-jw or xjw who is going through a divorce or is fighting to save the life of their kid may benefit from paying a small fee to obtain any beneficial info they can instead of searching the web for free copies and free advise from ex members.
Somehow apologists forget to mention how much wts lawyers get paid for these cases and where does the money come from to pay these lawyers? I doubt the lawyers work for free but rather charge wts, who gets money from general jws through their www contribution.
berrygerry

As for alleged "Watchtower attorneys" in a child custody case, I've never been aware of any legal representation appointed by the Watchtower society to individual congregation members for the purposes of family law. It could be that I've been misinformed.

Yes, you have been misinformed.

Court okays lawsuit against lawyers for alleged ‘deceit’

	By Cristin Schmitz Ottawa September 14 2007 issue

JW Child Custody.

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