Here is a response from a dub whom I emailed the press link from the Courier Journal yesterday (I will be meeting with him in a couple weeks, so any comments/rebuttals from you would be greatly appreciated):
"Wasn't Dateline successfully sued by GM for their doctored report on the (As
Dateline called it the exploding GM pick-up truck controversy) fuel tank
debacle? How much did a jury award GM? Didn't Dateline come on the air and
apologize as part of their settlement about their "poor and inaccurate
journalism"? Just talking out loud.............Remember, scandals sell
advertisement.
Let's say that an allegation surfaced about one of your pastors 6 months
ago, that he fondled a girl. It's the girls words against his. And let's say
that nothing could be prooved yet a couple of your priests settled with this
child's parents out of court to keep this hushed up. Then the courts in a
future date somehow can proove that the priest did fondle and sexually
assult this girl and that the other priests were part of it also by DNA
testing. Would the actions of these priests change the fact that the
doctrines you believed and were taught earlier to reflect the "True word of
God" be cheapened/weakened any? If you were a Catholic, would this whole
scandal change your faith in your religion? Hopefully not since man is
imperfect. A classic example is the Apostle Judas that betrayed Jesus. Judas
betrayal would not change your faith that Jesus was the son of man yet a
clergy man stumbling is forcing ones to question their religion?
Interesting......
Think about God's choosen servants in the time of the Israelites and what
they did. Kings and the High Priests were documented as killing people,
adulterers, sex parties with temple prostitues, worshipping false Gods like
Baal and Molech and sacrificing their first born children in fire to false
God's. Some kings even killed God's prophets. Did the actions of these
unfaithful men that were God's covenant people and the ones that God even
appointed earlier in their lives change the fact that the Jewish faith was
still not the "true' religion. If you think that the actions of imperfect
men could change the status of Israels covenant with God, then I have no
idea what to tell you. Remember, the bible holds the truth in it, to judge
God's holy word by the actions of imperfect man is silly. If we were to
judge by the clergy's actions, christianity on the whole is wrong for what happened during the crusades and we should all worship something else.
However, please read Romans 5:13 which mentions that EVERYONE is a sinner.
Now back to the JW issue. I will FULLY AGREE with you that there is nothing
more dispicable then a child molester let alone a homosexual molester. If I
had my druthers, they would be locked away in the prison section where bad
things happen to bad people. However, back to the issue. If a couple elders
are looking to protect a "friend" and fellow Elder, things like this can
happen. Yet does the actions of say 7-8 men or say 50 million men change
the fact that the doctrines you once were taught and believed are now false?
I cannot control the actions of people that did what is clearly wrong.
Sometimes it takes time for things to be investigated and the "truth" to
surface. The bottom line is was the "truth" found out eventually and were
these men removed whether they were the molester or the cover-up person? if
someone was to accuse you of molestation, believe it or not I would defend
you knowing that you are a family person that appears to be disgusted by
this issue. Think about the accussed in this situation (whether they are in
the wrong or right) and think about how the justice system is supposed to
work. If you say that you didn't do it, and I said you did. It's going to
take some time to proove who is right.
Which then leads to the next thought that we hear all the time that is wrong
with the JW religion which is we "Disfellowship/Excommuniate" people. People
can't believe that we would 'Disfellowship" someone yet in this case, people
are now wondering why we didn't disfellowship someone immediately before
they were proven guilty. Go figure......By the way, Hitler died a faithful
Catholic.
Anyhow, there is NO warning from anyone not to watch Dateline. In fact, I
will be glued to the TV set to hear all the things that dateline reports on
the JW religion that are wrong. Also, I watched a 20/20 special that aired
many years ago about the JW's. 20/20 did such a bad job that was so
blantantly wrong that we had clipped out editorials from people writting to
newspapers throughout the country that were non JW's that watched that
segment that knew that 20/20 had gotten their segment wrong. In fact, I am
going out extra in service the week after the episode airs and would love to
clarify to any that will listen about our side of the story. Also I hope
that dateline mentions which congreagation this happend in because when I
find out which congregation this happened in, I will call the brothers there
to get their take on the story.
The GB will get involved if the appropriate people in charge do not do what
the bible commands. As you know, things are always done first by the local
elders. If this does not work, then Circuit Overseers gets involved. If that
does not work, then a District overseer will get involved. If that does not
work, then the brothers at Bethel get involved. By the way, all
Disfellowshippings go to the GB to be filled on record. How much involvement
the GB literally had in this matter was probably minimal yet, if things were
not getting done, the GB will then step in, investigate, and remove any at
fault. Hence why for the last three years background checks and pointed
questions are asked of you for any that are to be appointed an elder to see
if there are skeletons in their past. If by chance that you molested a child
9 years ago, then studied with the JW's, you still would not be allowed to
become an elder if this is found out. I wonder why the "apostates" failed to
post the Awake journal written almost two years ago that discussed
molestation accusations and what can happen if one is accussed and the
actions that will be taken. I just love the bias of apostates.
Yet my strongest proof of society trying to do the right thing is what I
know locally. All I can say is that locally I know of ones that were
'whistle blowers' and their accusations were taken very seriously. These
whistleblowers were not disfellowshipped but the ones accussed sometimes in
anger may try to make life difficult for the one accusing by discrediting
them saying that they asked to be "touched" or whatever was done. In some
cases it took a couple years to get the evidence together to proove the
wrong doing. However, were these ones that were accussed disfellowshipped
when the facts came out? Will they do jailtime if the family decides to take
this matter to the local authorities? Make no mistake that for years, many
have been removed and many have been subjest to trial for their actions. A
scripture that comes to mind is: Pay back Caesars things to Caesars. (mark
12:17) Elders can be removed if they do not obey the laws of the country
they live in and also are subject to jailtime if prosecuted. There are
countless JW's that learn the religion in prison and the JW's locally will
not appeal a sentence to get them out of jail if they are truly guilty for a
crime committed in their past.
Don't get me wrong, molestation is very serious and sad. I hope that any
that are affected by molesters/idiots don't turn their back on God
completely because of the action of these vile people. Yet what does the
bible say will be the outcome for ones that are hiding sins and don't get
disfellowshipped because there is not enough proof that it happened? "All
things are known by God." Whether one is not punished now, isn't it nice to
know that God will take care of everything in the future?
It seems like there are other issues to this story Lou. Remember, apostasy
is grounds for disfellowshipping and by reading some of these peoples
comments, it appears that they are apostates. If they were apostates before
these issues came out would be interesting to see. But of course who knows
the answer to that question since the article focuses on the JW organization
and not the actual people and their history. Just because one complains of
sexual abuse does not mean that if they become apostate that they won't get
excommunicated. Once again, the actions of man does not validate nor void
the truth from the bible. If they believed they had the "truth" they would
not leave the organization since they know man is not perfect. Don't get me
wrong, this situation would be tough to be in, but mans stupidity does not
change God's word and truth.
The ironic part is that unlike the Catholic chruch that knowingly moved
pedaphiles around, the letter mentions that JW's will Excommunicate when
wrong doing is found and that the JW's told the one elder to turn himself in
to the police when evidence was found to be true.
Couple the above comments with the fact that people are grave-diggers that
will state there husbands died in the 9/11 attack and that some of the
Catholic allegations you know will come back false, it's sad to say what the
truth is in most cases.
Once again, "All things are seen by God." For those that get away now with
crimes, things will be taken care of later by the perfect judge God."