To amac:
So what if someone has an agenda? The point is whether their criticisms are valid.
: There's two sides to everything, and if someone is disposed to one side of the argument every single time, it makes others wonder, even more so, what the other side of the story is.
True enough. But no one I'm aware of is saying that anyone should blindly accept the claims of critics. Indeed, good critics put out all of the reasons for their criticisms precisely so that others can examine them. And they often go to great lengths to allow, and often encourage, the other side to refute the criticisms.
But what do you see with regard to criticisms on this forum and in the media about the mishandling of child molestation by the JW organization? Do you see false accusations being made by critics? Or do you see a great deal of personal stories put up on this board, and on the silentlambs board? What have you personally done to see if the criticisms are valid? And what do you see the Society doing to refute criticisms? Rather than going into a detailed refutation, they simply ignore all details and make a blanket denial that anything is wrong. Then they begin to beat up on whistleblowers. Who do you think is more credible? Those who put a lot on the line and set forth details of their criticisms in public? Or those who circle the wagons, attack critics and refuse to answer questions?
AlanF