I was thrilled to hear of the rulings handed down at Penn State. Although they did not receive the official "Death Sentence" it was pretty impressive. Now comes the question. Will this have any affect on the many pedophile cases within the WTBTS. Thoughts??? A pal here on JWN and I have discussed this and sadly I have to agree that maybe the WTBTS is just too "small potatoes". What do you all think?? HB
Penn State Decision and Will It Impact Anything Within WTBTS
by harleybear 6 Replies latest jw experiences
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sir82
It seems to be a bit of "apples and oranges".
Penn State is a member of the NCAA, recognizes its authority. The NCAA has authority to impose sanctions.
To what organization does the WTS belong? Who has authority to impose penalties?
However, the Penn State case does indicate that the public has far less tolerance for organizations that ostensibly operate for the good of young people, yet whose policies and practices harm them. The NCAA felt obligated to hammer PSU with an enormous penalty.
As publicity related to WTS lawsuits and settlements grows, it will be increasingly harder and harder for JWs to find success in their ministry (not that they have much now).
In addition, even loyal JWs may feel disgusted and curtail or even stop contributing. I suspect that that is what has the WTS really worried.
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yourmomma
i hope so. my thought is, look at what has happened to penn state after 4 or so people engaged in child abuse cover up. so now look at watchtower, how many people inside that organization have engaged in child abuse cover up? it has to be at least in the hundreds if not way more.
now, it still remains to be seen what law enforcement does, those of the 4 who are alive will most certainly go to prision, so that will i think set the table for future members of organizations who are caught.
and thats the key, watchtower needs to be investigated. hopefully as more and more lawsuits make the news, the FBI, or even a news organization will try to find out what is going on.
i think there is a much better chance of that happening given all that has gone down in the past 8 weeks or so.
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Band on the Run
My sincere hope is that the lawyers will wake up and demand abolition of the two witness rule. On the other hand, I can see from their viewpoint that they want to maintain a safety zone for First Amendment issues that affect them. Certainly, the negative publicity and even now a nongovernmental group demanding better protection for children.
The closing remarks by the WT lawyer during the punitive damage phase of the trial is not encouraging. He noted that the relevant world was Bethel, not a court of law. HOw dare they, a neutral jury, punish the Wt when the brothers at Bethel were shocked to lose? The way I assess the long-term situation is that Penn State is a cautionary tale for normal groups. The WT has a history of opposing general social morals and religion, in particular.
Any other group I know would have hired outside consultants for the Conti litigation to get neutral feedback. The worse thing in the world is for a lawyer to overemphasize with her/his client. They did not hire a barracuda or well-respected firm in Ca to represent them. Their lawyers may be a fine lawyer but I saw no evidence that the lawyer was used to this magnitude of case.
Penn State is facing sanctions. I've read that the actual sanctions will cripple the program and the university for decades. It is worse than the "death option." No one can sanction the Witnesses.
They prob. feel Penn State or even the Roman Catholic Church has no impact on them b/c only they are "Jehovah's organization." A broad persepctive in the best interests of the WT would be to modify its policies. We know how doctrine comes and doctrine goes. I view this is a basic cultural issue. They are a cult in the nonperjorative sense. The WT's control is staggering to regular people. Their overreaching would bother a normal person. Of course, some people will line for control b/c it provides a false sense of security. Frankly, part of me misses that certainty.
They pride themselves on being "outlaws." My gut feeling is that regular members if allowed to exercise an opinon would want the policy modified, if it were presented in neutral terms. Birds of a feather flock together. This strain of don't tell me anything in the leadership is so pervasive. The Roman Catholic Church is also authoritarian. Most cardinals, bishops, and many priests are quite sophisticated in the ways of the world.
Unless we can provide sustained media coverage of the problem within Jehovah's Witnesses, we can't expect too much. If everyone of us wrote a letter to the editor every time Penn State or the RC Church were discussed, in calm n tones, noting that the same problem also exists i new religions, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, it would go far.
Perhaps some free-lance articles, highlight its impact on particular individuals, could be published. There are several members here who could do a fine job.
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cobaltcupcake
Trying again on Chrome.
The Penn State situation certainly sets a precedent for broader responsibility for coverups of child sexual abuse. I hope it impacts the Society!
http://scottleblog.wordpress.com
The Odd Life of Jehovah's Witnesses
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cog_survivor
The NCAA decision is not from a legal/federal entity but from an association/membership relationship. So they will not influence anything from a legal stance for the WTBS.
But to echo Cobaltcupcake, the cultural implications will be interesting to watch. I applaud the NCAA message that states that protection of children is everyone's responsibility. That corporate's are less important that kids. And institutions and individuals do not deserve a pedestal if they fail to act responsibily.
If the message is internalized culturally and the WTBS own shameful behavior becomes more known then public opinion may further shift against them. It will certainly challenge their ability to recruit. Especially, if the ex-jws keep getting the word out.