Haunting Images

by joelbear 10 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  joelbear

  1. The pictures from Watchtower publications showing wicked mankind being destroyed while Jehovah's Witnesses are delivered to paradise. I don't think the general public completely understands that JW's think they are an exclusive group.

  2. The video of two of the molesters going from door to door. Think about what that says. It was a tremendously powerful image.

  3. The words of the Watchtower legal department saying that Jehovah will fix the problem.

  4. The view of a witness assembly. Gave me chills.

  The only downside I saw to the program was when Bill used the phrase "pedophile paradise". It was trite and cutesy and made him appear to be attempting to create a sound bite. Other than that, I thought he did a good job explaining the situation.

  I wish there had been a more developed conversation with Barbara Anderson and some more details about what she had discovered. To me, this would have been more interesting than the prolonged interview with Erica where, no fault of hers, she basically repeated the same information 3 times. It was dramatic but not that informative. Although, it did put a face on the situation.

  I thought the most damning thing in the program was when they caught the Watchtower in a lie by asking for proof of cases which were reported and prosecuted. Not one? Very damaging.

  Watchtower made an error by not showing up to defend their side of the argument, even if managed by a lawyear or trained PR person. The slick video of JR came across as manufactured.

  Joel
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  Pathofthorns

  This is the best summary I've seen so far and I agree completely. Those two damn words, "Pedophile Paradise" was the weakest part and I am glad Dateline did not dwell on numbers but more on how the WT handles these sorts of things and the people that bring it to their attention.

  More details on what Barb Anderson found out would have been interesting. I think they did rather well for only 30 minutes.

  Path
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  Perry

  Joelbear,

  I agree. I thought that the fact that the GB could not produce one instance where a JW child molester was turned into the police and prosecuted was the Achilles heal to their argument. It made their claim to have a "very agressive policy towards child molesters" ring hollow in the minds millions of viewers. Like so many things, it's the stuff that's left out that tells the real story. Their failure to back up their claim was checkmate for Dateline.

  The video of two of the molesters going from door to door. Think about what that says. It was a tremendously powerful image.

  It's very clear what that says: We value our repeated child molesting perverts more than you our neighbors. That's what it says.

  I bet the hours take a plunge this month!
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  Silverleaf

  Hi everybody,

  While I agree that "pedophile paradise" was a sound bite and one that surprised me when I heard it, in all honesty it will be a phrase that will catch the attention of 'wordly' people and it will be one they don't forget easily. One of a parent's greatest fears is that someone will molest their children. If that fear can make people look objectively at the Watchtower and ask hard questions when publishers come to the door, a lot of families will be saved from the tragedies that have happened to so many people on this list.

  Just my 2 cents,

  Silverleaf
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  morrisamb

  Joel, totally in sync with your observations: I too cringed at those two words (Reminded me of the rapper's phrase: Gangster's paradise) and it could have, but didn't upstage the overall effect of the program.
  I have listened to people who used to be JW's interviewed before (In fact this past summer, a book reviewer in Canada (very sympathetic) interviewed a former JW father who had written a book about his experience..His two children were murdered years earlier. When asked what he expected to receive from the publication of his book, he actually said something like, "There has to be some gravy, doesn't there?" Talk about cringing. It's true: a couple of ill-chosen words can colour an entire segment.)
  But with Dateline, the visual impact of the piece was astounding!
  I've never seen a more dignified representation of people who used to be Witnesses talking to the press. Usually bitterness, hatred and anger jump out of the screen. In this case, the victims, former Witnesses looked, forgive me, normal, and the Witnesses, like disturbed people. I mean even Brown's calm release-taped reply was eery in that it could have been a corporate video. There was no sense of the importance of the subject.
  But the topper was the twice disfellowshipped man touching his children and later a Bible on a doorstep. My sister called and was quite upset about the images. Deja vu, you know.
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  Mister Biggs

  It made my stomach churn when the Society provided a statement that, "out of the 77,600 elders worldwide, perhaps a few were disciplined for pedophilia" (not an exact quote...but close enough!).

  I felt that this statement made the WTS look as if they feel as though the problem is such a tiny one.

  The way they word things certainly are meant to deceive their listeners.
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  TR

  Wow. Great comments!

  Joel,

  I don't think the general public completely understands that JW's think they are an exclusive group.

  I agree, although there was some great info. Only a half hour segment. There needs to be a series of these shows.

  Silverleaf,

  While I agree that "pedophile paradise" was a sound bite and one that surprised me when I heard it, in all honesty it will be a phrase that will catch the attention of 'wordly' people and it will be one they don't forget easily. One of a parent's greatest fears is that someone will molest their children. If that fear can make people look objectively at the Watchtower and ask hard questions when publishers come to the door, a lot of families will be saved from the tragedies that have happened to so many people on this list.

  At first I didn't like the way it sounded,(pedophile paradise) but the more I thought about it, the more it stuck in my mind as a phrase that colorfully describes what this whole frickin' mess is all about.

  TR

  UADNA-WA
  Unseen Apostate Directorate of North America- Washington Division
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  Reborn2002

  The general public has a short attention span today.

  Limiting the piece to 30 powerful minutes was a wise decision IMHO. People who so frequently change the channel today had a more likely chance of viewing the piece in its entirety considering it aired in PRIME TIME (thank you NBA basketball for the preempt) and it was long enough to expose the problem, powerful enough to evoke images, yet short enough to not turn viewers away.

  Regarding "pedophile's paradise".. it may be a sound bite, but to the general public, a phrase like that is something short and rhythmic enough that it will easily be remembered.

  Considering the damning evidence of the show, the public may now equate the term "Jehovah's Witness" with "pedophile's paradise".

  Is that not the reason we should all be joyful that Dateline came through with this show?

  Remember, while exposing the WTS for the corrupt liars and hypocritical fanaticals they are, this mission was, is, and should continue to be... for the children WHO ARE SEXUALLY MOLESTED BY MONSTERS MASQUERADING AS MINISTERS.

  Lest we not forget that.
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  LDH

  The other haunting image....

  That Bobble Head Doll JR Brown reciting their "policy" for the camera with NO EMOTION whatsoever....

  Lisa
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  lisaBObeesa

  I also didn't like the words, "pedophile paradise." However, the next day at work, three people (non-JW) mentioned the program to me and mentioned THOSE WORDS. It made an impression on them. I think it came off bad to active JWs, though.

  --Lisa