PRESS RELEASE (page 5)

searcher41

From the elder's manual:

Victims of sexual abuse need to be treated with
extreme thoughtfulness and kindness. Elders should
always do what they reasonably can to protect
children from further abuse;
follow the Society's directives on such matters. (g85 1/22 p. 8)
UNIT 5 (1 )
.........

Those with sincere doubts should be helped, dealt with
mercifully. (Jude 22, 23; w82 9/1 pp. 20-1;w80 8/1
pp. 21-2)
.........

Apostasy includes action taken against true worship of
Jehovah or his established order among his dedicated
people. (Jer. 17:13; 23:15; 28:15, 16; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10)
.........

The Bible condemns the following:
Causing divisions and promoting sects.
This would be deliberate action disrupting the unity
of the congregation or undermining the confidence
of the brothers in Jehovah's arrangement.
It may involve or lead to apostasy. (Rom. 16:
17, 18; Titus 3:10, 11 )
......

Your Aim Should Be to Help the Person

We want to help individuals to stay within Jehovah's
spiritual paradise.
........

If a person has definite knowledge of wrongdoing that
could contaminate the congregation, he is obligated to
report the matter in order to keep the congregation
clean. (Lev. 5:1; Num. 15:32-34; Prov. 29:24)
.........

There are certain cases that the body of elders is respon-
sible to investigate and, when necessary, appoint a judi-
cial committee to handle:
Gross sins‹either those that have brought the congrega-
tion into public disrepute or those of a more private
nature. (Rom. 2:21-24; I Cor. 5:1; 2 Cor. 7:11 )
........

When an elder or a ministerial servant commits a gross
wrong, he is morally obligated to inform the body of
elders of his being reprehensible.
........

[as if he would!]

UNIT 5 (b)
Sharing
on a Judicial Committee
"When having a hearing between your brothers, you must
judge with righteousness. " ( Deut. 1:16 ) It is a serious respon-
sibility to judge matters that affect people's lives and relation-
ships with others. Elders must have a reasonably complete
picture when judging a matter so that their decisions will not
be based on partial knowledge or on personal feelings. They
also need heavenly wisdom in order to make proper applica-
tion of God's Word and to determine how far their showing
mercy should extend. (Prov. 28:13; Jas. 2:13) They must
treat every person with impartiality at all times and desire that
the spiritually ill become well again, since a failure in this
regard is unjust and violates the law of love.‹I Tim. 5:21;
Jas. 2:1-9; 5:14, 15; w77 3/1 pp. 146-52.
........

There must be either two witnesses or a confession of
wrongdoing.
.......

[when is there ever two witnesses to rape or child sexual abuse??]

*******If the accused wishes to bring witnesses who can speak
in his defense regarding the matter, he may do so.
*********

[Please note the above - I am going to repeat it:

****IF THE ACCUSED WISHES TO BRING WITNESSES WHO CAN SPEAK IN HIS DEFENSE REGARDING THE MATTER, HE MAY DO SO"****

There you have it guys - from the Elder's Manual itself - you can take witnesses!]

However, observers are not permitted.
No tape-recording devices are allowed.

[if someone is a witness to the person being brought before the committee for "division" I see no reason why that person/those persons cannot be witnesses at the judicial meeting.]
.........

Failure to appear before the committee is not in itself
proof of guilt.
......

What kind of evidence is acceptable?

There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not just persons
repeating what they have heard; no action can be taken if
there is only one witness. (Deut. 19:15;Jol1ll 8:17)

[seems to me if they can produce two or three eyewitnesses to "division" then the accused can bring two or three eyewitnesses to "false accusation" of division.]

Searcher

plmkrzy

this thing about witnesses at the hearing... is there anything in the Bible about who is allowed to be witnesses? Surely there must be something about the accused having witnesses also? At least two!

Someone feel free to correct me If im wrong but I do believe that the entire way that the JC is handled(well maybe not the entire way) But certinly the BIG picture goes against what the Bible teaches.
For one thing the accused HAS the right "BIBLICLY" to have the JC held in front of the ENTIRE congergation if he so wishes.

http://ourworld.cs.com/pwmkwzy/PicturePage.html

dyan4help

I have sent your press release to all newspapers and television stations in my area. And I sent it to CNN News and Fox News.

Dyan

dungbeetle

As someone pointed out to me a long time ago, can you not SEE the SIMILARITY between

the Watchtower judicial committees and the

'secret back room trial' that Jesus Christ was given?

Sheesh...27 years and I didn't see this for myself. <sigh>

Pepper

It is so stupid, the WT has their attorneys who follow and utilize the law of the land for their own protection and self interest, but if someone else attempts to do the same in conection with the organizeation then they are worshiping Satan and operating like him.
This tells me that there is something fishy in Denmark with the Witness's. Pepper

Pepper

If it is so bad to point of makeing rules agaist haveing observers and Tape recordings or someone on the defendent side makeing notes as the elders are also doing, then why do they utilize such privalges in a real court of law.
It seems to me they should stay to their own rules that they usurp on the lowly sinner the apply on them selfs too.
Pepper

searcher41

Hi Pepper

It seems to me that if they were speaking the truth at all times, they would have nothing at all to fear from observers. Sooner or later, they are going to have more observers than they care to think about, and then the real truth will come out.

In addition, it is ludicrous that the ones who have been hurt by these predators should be the ones who are being judged and cast out. What of the elders who have been accused? I see nothing happening here to discipline these men, only a desperate attempt to silence the victims.

As Bill so rightly quotes: Jeremiah 23:1-3

“Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasturage,” is the utterance of Jehovah.”

“Here I am turning my attention upon you for the badness of your dealings.”

Searcher

silentlambs

. http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/47522.htm

FOUR FACING JEHOVAH OUSTER

By DAN MANGAN

May 9, 2002 -- Jehovah's Witnesses leaders are moving to excommunicate four people who have spoken to a television show about child molestation within the church, the four say.
If that happens, they claim, other Jehovah's Witnesses will be barred - also under the threat of excommunication - from watching the upcoming NBC "Dateline" episode detailing alleged abuse in the church and criticism of how the church handles such cases.
A spokesman for the Brooklyn-based religion called that claim "absurd."
Both sides agree that all Witnesses - including relatives of the four - would risk excommunication by having contact with any excommunicated person, except under certain circumstances.
While the four believe the show's impending broadcast has spurred the church's actions, church spokesman J.R. Brown said that before Tuesday, church headquarters had no idea that these people would be on the show.
He also said local congregations decided to charge them with various spiritual violations.

bchapp

Hey peeps, I found another article from my area. Yay!

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0217/news-anderson.shtml

If the truth hurts most of us so badly that we don't want it told, it hurts even more grievously those who dare to tell it. (Judge Ben Lindsey, 1869-1943)

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