The following letter was emailed to me from a person who sent it to an Arizona newspaper.
silentlambs
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To the Editor:
Survivors of sexual abuse need support and validation to heal. The cover-up in the Catholic Church of abuse of children by priests has no doubt further scarred the innocent victims.
Another religious group is soon to have their cover blown, the fallout from which will be the same as that experienced within the Catholic Church–shame, disbelief, denial, and disgust. The public has an absolute and undisputed right to know that a pedophile may be knocking at their door under the guise of religion.
Jehovah’s Witnesses long standing policy, implemented by the governing body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, of requiring two witnesses to a sin, combined with keeping essentially all problems within the congregation to protect their public image, has provided a haven for molesters of all types. Victims can even be disfellowshipped if they warn others in the congregation when the preposterous requirement of two witnesses has not been met.
Dateline will be offering an expose` of this scandal, possibly in March. A civil sexual abuse lawsuit was filed in Washington against the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society by Erica Rodriguez, whose victimizer is now in prison. The suit cites official Watchtower policy as contributing to the harm Erica endured. Other suits are pending. The Rodriguez story will be the main focus of the Dateline probe.
Public relations appointees of the Society continue to confound questioners of policy with double-talk while offering no apology or words of comfort to the victims.
Just as those who have been molested in the Catholic Church have formed support groups among themselves, victims and supporters among Jehovah’s Witnesses have formed a national alliance and can be reached at www.silentlambs.org.