Is sex abuse in the Wt that big of a problem

by joe134cd 20 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  joe134cd

  Before I start, I'm not a Wt apologist and I am certainly not trying to minimise sex abuse. I was looking at the amount of sex abuse cases in light of witness population. Just say Wt ended up on paying out on 30,000 individual abuse cases. Doing simple maths 30000 / 8000000 publishers x 100 = 0.375%.

  Interestingly the Pope came out today and admitted that 2% of Catholic Priests were pedophiles amounting to 8000 priests. This is accounting for those who were under direct oversight of the RCC. God only knows how many more there would be amongst the members. I think the abuse cases with the RCC & WT differ in many ways. The Priests were employees of the catholic church and there for the churh had over sight over their employees actions. The Catholic Church should of known better. With the watchtower case, some of the offenders were not employees of Wt making it harder to make Wt accountable. Here's an example. Just say I join a running club of which one of the members is a known thief, and he then steals off me. Hey it would of been nice if someone told me, but the club can't be held responsible for not telling me.

  Ok just say I DA myself over the abuse issue. So where else do I go. I certainly wouldn't go to the Catholic Church because I believe they have got an even bigger problem.

  I realise that the Catholic Church is far bigger, but when you consider the circumstances surrounding many of the Wt cases and the volume of them. Is it really just a bunch of angry ex members trying to make a big deal out of something that is no more prevalent in other religious groups.
• 

  stillin

  I have wondered the same thing. I think one of the things that might contribute to a higher incidence of abuse is the "one big family" thing that used to be more widespread among the witnesses. Sleepovers and gatherings created opportunities for predators. But nowadays people are just sticking with themselves or a small select group of friends and awareness is on high alert. That's good and it's bad because the innocence lost really was a nice thing.
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  alanv

  It may well be the same percentage wise, but the problem is the Watchtower just do not admit there is even a slight problem. The pope came right out and admitted it, the governing body would never do that.
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  Raton

  I think you miss the point. I don't think it is how many times it happens although that is a problem too, but rather how they handle it. Report it to the legal department isn't the right way to do it. Also, since they work very hard at covering it all up and have people living in fear, you can't really know the statistics. I don't defend the Catholics but at least the guys admitting some things and hopefully changing things for the better.
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  designs

  I wasn't in that many congregations during my 40 years as a JW but in each congregation there were sexual improprieties from cases that went to the police department to others that were handled only within the Elders committees.

  Are sexual deviants worse in the congregations than in other religions, hard to say.

  When you sweep a Felony under the rug, no matter what religion you are, you should and will be outted in the Press and in the Courts.
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  TableForOne

  If an organization claims to be the ONLY ONE with the support of the Creator of the universe...

  if the same organization claims that it's active leader is the resurrected Jesus...

  then yes, it's a very big deal.

  If satan controls all of the other 'false' religions then it shouldn't come as a surprise to find these organizations having child abuse problems.

  The only true religion should be noticeably different and better than satan's.

  Let's say that Joe Publisher wants to pioneer. He takes the matter to Jehovah in prayer.

  In time he's pioneering, confidant that it only occurred as a result of Jehovah's blessing.

  Joe Pioneer is commended publicly, is interviewed at Assembly's, etc.

  Now, let's say that a young child is being abused.

  He/she also goes to Jehovah because He can make it stop, if He only wants to.

  Jehovah effectively says "Do you have a second witness? A confession? No? Sorry, I'd love to help you, but the abuser has got me on a technicality."

  Learning about child abuse within the 'only true religion' led me out of the door of the Kingdom Hall and I'll never return.
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  disposable hero of hypocrisy

  I hate to weigh in on subjects that I don't know enough about, BUT, I can only offer my own experience..

  I know of a case where something like this came to light, as per instructions the elders rang the branch, who promptly told them to immediately ring the police. When the guy came out of prison we as a body were given strict guidelines to keep an eye on him, never letting him go to to he KH toilet alone incase a kid went in after, never assigning him to work with youngsters on the ministry, all kinds of safeguards...

  I understand that not everyone had the same experience, but that's mine. I'd be interested to know how many times the branch do tell the elders to go straight to the police, and if this is normal, compared to cover ups.

  I DO think that going overboard and accusing the society of being paedophile harbourers doesn't necessarily help bring awareness to the problems, it'll just be ignored as rhetoric, as opposed to pointing out very specific policy/legal/individual cases....
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  cultBgone

  Joe, the worst possible outcome for a sex abuse victim is to be re-victimized. The elders re-victimize the victim by forcing (usually) her to recount every horrible detail to them. Then they tell her and her family to "not talk" about it to anyone, which is also shaming behavior. Then in some cases she is forced to be-re-re-victimized and confront her rapist/abuser because that's the "only" way he will be df'd. Statistics have nothing to do with judging which religion to pick, if you should want one. The point about wt abuse is that it protects the abusers. Period.

  A religion that boasts of being god's only true channel can only prove that by being BETTER THAN ALL THE OTHERS. Yet in dealing with this heinous criminal activity, they are much worse than many.

  The only thing jws/wts/the gb are better at than all the others is running a pseudo-religious con game.
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  Make Lemonade

  marked
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  zeb

  Joe134cd. But what if you joined a club that claimed on man many occasions that it was the one chanel from God..

  The fact that the wts appeals against decisions made against it means they are defending paedophiles against their victims.

  "But as ye do this unto these little ones you do it to me"..