by The Searcher 24 Replies latest watchtower scandals
I hope and hope that this finding by the courts in England will stick. I can see that with the society continually trying to squirm out of accountability, they will seem as heartless and unrepentant as they really are.
I hope this one sticks. There has to be a time when the bragging and arrogance have to turn back on this religion. For so long they have lorded it over others, when ever they won some case. Now watch the it all come tumbling down.
I guess an appeal was inevitable. If they think they have a decent chance of winning then it's a no-brainer and, even if their chances are slim, they have to try to stop the flood gates from opening.
I so hope they will lose and get stung for another massive legal costs bill. A key problem that I see for the WT is that they hold up the office of ministerial servant as one to be aspired to and so by implication that the holders of the office are trustworthy christians. In fact, didn't one of the GB (Tony Morris?) recently say that women should not consider marrying someone who was not a ministerial servant? If the organization has concerns about an MS but say nothing, it's very hard to see how they are not at fault.
As pointed out by Cofty in another thread, the judge found that there is a clear hierarchy in place with a essentially a career path that is analogous to other churches. There is clear submission to authority.
As much as the WTS would like to argue that it's not a top down organisation it's impossible to argue otherwise. Only last week there was a WT study talking about training ones to take positions of responsibility, "reach out" and so on. It's 100% clear not just anyone can become a MS or Elder. There are qualifications. They are recommended by their superiors.
It's unreasonable to suggest that the Elders can prevent all acts of child abuse however when a KNOWN abuser is active in the congregation to imply the elders do not have any duty of care or that confidentiality trumps child safety is pure negligence.
I am sick and tired of seeing JWs jump to the defence of the organisation everytime something like this comes up. I am sick and tired of them suggesting it's the fault of the parents or questioning why the victim or their family did not call the police when the cultural pressure to keep Jehovah's name out of these situations was (and is) still so strong. I am sick and tired of being called disloyal and boarding on being an apostate when I try and present a balanced view of the situation.
I really hope the victim get's her compensation but I hope even more that this empowers more victims to come forward and force the WTS to make some simple but fundamental changes that would minimise the future risk as far as possible.
I wonder what form the Appeal will take ? Probably just try and get the damages reduced, as in the Candace Conti case.
If they try to fight the judgement that they are vicariously liable I think they will have a problem.
The issue of who the "Trustees" are is interesting too, they are all presumably personally penniless Bethel Elders, but as Trustees of huge funds they will have to pay out.
Appeals are expensive and time consuming. Looks like the Legal Department at Bethel is going to be getting bigger and bigger with more and more complications I smell lots of kingdom halls being sold and congregation bank accounts being forwarded to WT coffers to pay for all this with perhaps massive revolts as more and more people wake up and see that they are being had by a bunch of greedy criminal con artist.
It's a house of cards built on lies and lawsuits are the wind that will make it all come tumbling down.
Unfortunately these laws suits or too few and sporadic and the WTS is too big and rich to make this Kingdom of Corruption crumble down.
