by BlindersOff1 68 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
“We respectfully disagree with the jury’s decision. This is the first time that an organization was found responsible for the alleged misdeeds of a member who held no position of leadership or authority,” states James McCabe, an attorney representing Watchtower in the case.
This is the 1st time these allegations of institutional secrecy have made it in front of a jury. Up until now they have been able to buy silence pre-trial.
Like 00DAD and Quendi, I too am ashamed ever to have been involved with this cult in any way, shape or form.I'm really ashamed to have been so energetic and industrious going door to door in field circus, which truly is a far better name for "the ministry" than anything else.
00DAD says he has lost his faith in God. I have very definitely and completely lost my faith in the God of the Watchtower, though I'm not at all sure I ever quite believed in the whole of their presentation of a divine spirit. But my own deep inner faith, which I've always had in God almost since infancy, has undergone a very significant change. The re-assessment and readjustment is ongoing.
A wry thought to end with: In the OP, Blinders Off ends with
If you don't want to be tracked as coming from this site to JW-MEDIA just cut and paste the link above into your browser directly.
Too late! By the time I'd got to the end of the post I'd already clicked on the link and come back!
So, do I care?....really? Do I? Naaaah!
Like Quendi, and I vowed this way back in February to myself when those elders left my house, I will never, ever, EVER, go back into a Kingdom Hall. Not ever, Not once.
I just found some more hyprosiy in one of their magazines, the May 1st 2012 Watchtower on page 16 under the subheading Is All Religion Good? Towards the end of the first paragraph-
"Today, according to news reports, some religious leaders have encouraged terrosim or supported war, or they have been involved in child abuse."
One good thing about the statement being made is: some that did not know about the Conti case will now look it up to see why the statement was made!
And hopefully many will realise how heartless the WT is, their attitude totally stinks.
“The fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses abhor child abuse and strive to protect children from such acts is well-known
Well known by whom? Assholes
Love how he's just a rank and file member...not an ORDAINED MINISTER in a religion with no clergy class.
oz
That`s a good point Aussie , it`s amazing how they toggle from no clergy/laity class, to every jehovahs witness is a minister of religion,to their just a rank and file member ,to they do not represent the Watchtower Bible And Tract Society , they are not volunteers of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society , to they are just individuals doing jehovah`s will. HUH ?
smiddy
Aussie Oz: Love how he's just a rank and file member...not an ORDAINED MINISTER in a religion with no clergy class.
The WTS does consider all 7+ million baptised JW's to be ordained ministers [w55 12/15 p.742 - Over twenty-nine million hours of preaching spent in 1955 by 236,124 ordained ministers] just like the ordained ministers of other religions. Only, JW ministers are more highly qualified and have the backing of holy spirit. How is it that a single Jehovah's Witness could be reffered to as a "rank and file member" by any other fellow brother within the organization? Are we not all of equal rank under the Christ within the true Christian congregation?
Would any Christian religion think that the apostle Paul was anything other than a leader in the first century congregation?
w00 11/15 p.20 par.22 Yes, the almost six million ministers of Jehovah today can say with the apostle Paul: “In every way we recommend ourselves as God’s ministers, by the endurance of much.”
Wether or not 7 million Jehovah's Witnesses are in fact ordained ministers is not the point. The point is, the WTS has come out stating that they are. They have already made a public declaration of Jonathan Kendrick's status within the organization.
I've updated my article with the following info:
The Society's Belated Response
News of the Candace Conti verdict first broke online on 14th June 2012, with the first newspapers and media websites covering the story within the first 24 hours. Despite the dramatic ramifications of the verdict, the swiftness with which the story spread, and the reproach that has been brought on Jehovah's name by this case, the story was initially met with silence on the Society's official websites.
Finally, six days later on 20th June the Society released the following brief statement:
Jehovah’s Witnesses to appeal jury verdict in California case
NEW YORK—Jehovah’s Witnesses will appeal the decision of a California jury in a court case involving alleged acts of child abuse.
The jury rendered a multimillion-dollar damage award to a woman who claimed that she was molested as a child by a member of a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. At trial, the plaintiff claimed that the policies of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society contributed to the alleged abuse. “We respectfully disagree with the jury’s decision. This is the first time that an organization was found responsible for the alleged misdeeds of a member who held no position of leadership or authority,” states James McCabe, an attorney representing Watchtower in the case. “We are very sorry for whatever harm this young lady may have suffered. However, the organization is not responsible. We now look to the Court of Appeals for a thorough review of this case.”
J. R. Brown, a spokesman at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses, commented: “The fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses abhor child abuse and strive to protect children from such acts is well-known. The individual members of any organization must ultimately bear the responsibility for their own actions, particularly when the acts are so flagrantly against the morals and principles of the organization and society.”
A number of things are noteworthy regarding the above statement...
The statements made by J.R. Brown are equally evasive and misleading.
“The fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses abhor child abuse and strive to protect children from such acts is well-known."
No, it is not "well-known"! However damning Watchtower publications may be about child abuse itself, over many years now the Society has developed a reputation for failing to protect children from pedophiles due to an obsession with implementing the "two witness rule" in all cases. In this sense, they do not "strive to protect children from such acts" if the acts are denied and have not been confirmed by someone other than the victim.
"The individual members of any organization must ultimately bear the responsibility for their own actions, particularly when the acts are so flagrantly against the morals and principles of the organization and society.”
In other words, the Society does not want to accept responsibility for the consequences of the terrible guidance and direction it gives to elders, and the Governing Body refuses to dignify itself with an apology to Candace despite being aware of all the details. The organization feels that the perpetrator alone should be held responsible for the abuse, even though (in this case) the elders knew of Kendrick's tendencies and failed to take reasonable steps to warn parents in the congregation. Again, the statement shows shocking disregard for the details of the case, and how the events unfolded. It would appear the Society is in denial over both the verdict and their own culpability.
A 2009 video featuring J.R. Brown can be viewed by clicking here. You are invited to watch it before considering the rest of this article, if you have the time and inclination.
Cedars
