I worked for a Minister in town, a Baptist and former Navy chaplain, and they had hired a teacher who was a pedophile but somehow his criminal record was not discovered in the vetting process. After the teacher molested a young child the congregation nearly dissolved, so much pain.
Is sex abuse in the Wt that big of a problem
by joe134cd 20 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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geevee
The watchtower should have been on the front foot and not the back foot, after all they claim to be the only true religion, directed by the one and only true god..... he must have been having a nap when the press got hold of this!
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nugget
Issues around sex abuse are huge. as a charity they have a responsibility to safeguard the vulnerable, their policies around reporting of sin and the JC process do not do this. Whether an abuser is reported to the authorities or not is one of the more serious issues but there is also the mental anguish caused when victims go through the congregations judicial process.
Elders are untrained in safeguarding, counselling or how to deal with victims of abuse this can cause real harm since they are managing a very serious trauma they are totally ill equiped to face. There is no provision for a female to hear the case, the focus is on proof of repentance so a victim can struggle with the idea that they are partially reposible for what happened. The abuser can make false claims such as they were seduced by the other party, that they were willing participants without any checks or balances that the courts would provide. Elders can ask totally inappropriate questions with no one to call a halt to it.
The Candace Conti case highlighted that the organisation feels they have no duty of care for unbaptised minors and that the parents are totally responsible for them. At the same time families that have no spiritual head are encouraged to use the elders to study with their children, children are encouraged to be unbaptised publishers and minors are often paired with other adults in the congregation. The society insists it never happens but in every congregation I have ever been in it does happen.
Whilst the problem may not be as huge as the one faced by the Catholic Church it is still significant. The world has moved on in it's understanding of how organisations have a need to care for those associated with them. The Watchtower organisation is trying to apply the same rules as it did 40 years ago. This makes them vulnerable to prosecution and harmful to those within.
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HeyThere
Marked
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braincleaned
Bottom line:
Even just ONE case handled like the WTS handles it is scandelously too much — considering that from their perspective, THEY have God's blessing.
Sorry joe134cd, but you are looking at this from a very skewed perspective. -
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truthseekeriam
Exactely what cultBgone said!!
What makes it worse within the WT is that they have absolutely no training in dealing with a crime as serious as child molestation. I know for a fact the way they question is very damaging to the victims and their families, it truly is revictimizing them. I have therapy bills to prove it!!
The other thing is JWs can't support other JWs who are going through such a heartbreak...why? Because we are told not to talk about it, it's still a tabu subject, one they don't want talked about. This leads to the shame, they make you feel as if you have done something wrong.
The way it's set up and handled is to shut you up or lead you out the door. They would rather you weren't around to remind them of the bad that goes on.
I don't know about you but I've seen Catholics supporting victims even protesting for the victims. Do you ever see that happening for JWs by fellow JWs??
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Shanagirl
joe134
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.
You are underestimating the problem within the Pedotower. From what I know, the Catholic Church does not come close to the problem of sex abuse in the WT. The reason being is that it's a closed society of interrealted family members within each district. There are elders that are committed to hiding the problems within their families in their congregations and other congregations. The Catholic Church does not have the combined problem of incest that the WT does. There are also family members within the Pedo Society that are keeping the secret for whatever reason, either because they've been threatened by elders, and co-dependant family members, or they are keeping the secret because they are ashamed to come forward, or are brainwashed into thinking "Jehovah will handle it in his own time". There is not only the incestuous issue within the WT, there is also the perverts who come into the congregations and prey on members and their families and eventurally their own families which again is the incest factor. JW's suffer from severe boundary issues and don't have issues with other members intruding on their families, which also makes this environement a "pedophile paradise"
Shana
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defender of truth
" My mother married an elder when I was 1 1/2 years old. He came from a family of pedophiles (also JW's) and I was a pet project. My mother allowed him to physically, mentally & sexually abuse me and my siblings because she was trying to be a "good Christian wife". Whatever that means? The creepo was not disfellowshipped when it came to light what he was doing. Mom and I were informed that he could not possibly be guilty since he cried. It was such a traumatic experience to be 10 years old and forced to tell three men (without your mother in the room) what had been done to me in detail. The question they kept repeating--"Are you sure it was not just affection?" I don't know too many sane people who mistake rape for affection. "
http://jwfacts.com/watchtower/experiences/freegirl2006.php -
TableForOne
Just read the above link.
A tragic story. Typical of the congregation elders to neglect those on the fringe. Clearly, you are unworthy.
If they're the only true Christians, there's no hope for any of us.
"Life has been happier since I got kicked out" I bet it has. You're free of the mental anguish and guilt thrust upon you for not doing all you can.
"I may die at Armageddon" No you won't. There is no Armageddon.
Enjoy the rest of your life.
Look forwards, not back.