Well Freud was an atheist and psychoanalysis adopts an atheistic position towards religion. It is also implicated in a lot of confusion and cover up concerning child sexual abuse. It originated about the same time as Jehovahs witnesses too and indeed tended to suggest that women who talked about being sexually abused in childhood were fantasizing. (I'm saying this because the sexual abuse of children happens in all walks of like - it is a human problem - atheism doesn't in itself endow protection against child sexual abuse). But in psychoanalysis their experiences were not dismissed because talking about "fantasy" was considered a therapeutic way to treat hysteria and neurosis. So here is a big difference from how jehovahs witnesses treat victims.
How many Atheist organizations or irreligious organizations have been accused of the covering up child abuse?
by jwleaks 40 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse
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Ruby456
jwleaks, I was thinking about the two witness rule and how the GB say that they adhere to bible standards always despite the fact that we are living in different times and our way of life is hugely different from what it was in the past. The GB argue that Jehovahs standards don't change even if lifestyles change. Well here is my problem.
In bible times families were much larger - 5 or 6 children I think. The entire family slept together in one room (common people anyway). If a child was being abused there would be great likelihood that there would be two witnesses. Fast forward to our time. Families are smaller and children sleep separately from parents often each child has his or her own room. Doesn't this show that the two witness rule needs to be modified to take account of modern living? (I'm not suggesting that the two witness rule was adhered to by early christianity, I'm just using the GB's reasoning to show how ludicrous it is to apply it to our day)
Most other religions, when they come up against obstacles and problems like the one above, modify the rules and standards to make them relevant to changing times. Islam has done this, so has Christianity, Judaism too, Hindhuism and Buddhism too
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Giordano
On the point of the two witness rule: It is ludicrous to apply the two witness rule to children. Jesus reference that rule to be applied to adults.
He also said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Applying the two witness rule to children hinders them at the very least by leaving them vulnerable for additional abuse.
Re: Atheist organizations: I am sure that there is the same percentage of pedophiles in the general population at large whatever the organization. However it also would seem that pedophiles would be more attracted to organizations that served the needs of family's and their children especially if those children could be approached and groomed in secret by an authority figure.
The Boy Scouts had an issue not because of Gay's, very few Gay's are attracted to children just as pedophiles are usually not attracted to Gay adults.
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Phizzy
Tomo 3 just shows himself to be an ignorant prat, where is the guidance of the Holy Spirit in his spoutings ? -
OrphanCrow
Schools are notorious for covering up child abuse.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/has-media-ignored-sex-abuse-in-school/
Consider the statistics: In accordance with a requirement of President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, in 2002 the Department of Education carried out a study of sexual abuse in the school system.
Hofstra University researcher Charol Shakeshaft looked into the problem, and the first thing that came to her mind when Education Week reported on the study were the daily headlines about the Catholic Church.
"[T]hink the Catholic Church has a problem?" she said. "The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."In 1992, the National Victim Center estimated that 29 percent of all forcible rapes in America were against children under age 11. More than a decade later, an estimated 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 7 boys are victims of unwanted sexual acts.
The 2002 Department of Education report estimated that from 6 percent to 10 percent of all students in public schools would be victims of abuse before graduation — a staggering statistic.http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/05/09/3436066/west-virginia-rape-school-coverup/
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/05/pa_high_school_searched_in_sex.html
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Ruby456
jwleaks
the information is being collected, including any feedback they can get, for someone who plans to present it to the Australian Child Abuse Royal Commission. The subject of the thread title is "atheist organizations" and "irreligious organizations". The key points in the title is "have been accused of the covering up" of child abuse.
But why collect info about other organisations? it would fill pages and pages. And anyway wouldn't the commission already be aware of how child sexual abuse has been covered up in the past in other institutions?
The two witness rule is bizarre enough on its own and can be emphasized from as many angles as possible. It can be argued that the reason this rule is implemented is to cover it up especially as pressure is put on vicitms and on parents to keep the matter quiet as much as possible. okay nowadays the elders/magazines may say you can report to the authorities (i may not uptodate on this aspect) but at the same time they will discourage parents and victims from doing so and this can be proven.
edit: okay I do have a vague memory that the royal Australian commission is trying to investigate the extent of institutional child sexual abuse in Australia. is this the reason you are making this enquiry here?
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Ruby456
JWleaks, I'm taking the podium again and contd from aboveYou have to remember that Australia is coming to this subject of systemising the extent of sexual abuse in Australia a little later than some other countries in the West and that they will be aware of the hows and whats of tackling this issue in those countries. so there is no need to burden yourself with details about how atheistic and irreligious organisations have tackled the issue of child sexual abuse because, as you can see from info provided here, coverups of child sexual abuse happens in all organisations.
Imo the link that holds them all together is that culture in most areas of the world have developed along patriarchal lines and this includes society and religion. Psychoanalysis is a huge example of of a coverup in society apart from religion and in this particular case, psychoanalysis that is, it was the feminists who uncovered the cover up (okay some may argue that the cover up was more from neglect than deliberate)
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Ruby456
it must be so therapeutic for Australian victims of sexual abuse to be heard by such a compassionate inquiry into child abuse. -
Ruby456
giordano
On the point of the two witness rule: It is ludicrous to apply the two witness rule to children. Jesus reference that rule to be applied to adults.
He also said "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Applying the two witness rule to children hinders them at the very least by leaving them vulnerable for additional abuse.
I totally agree But the GB have an argument that the R/F find convincing, which as you are aware, is that Jehovah's rules are unchanging. In most other religions, to preserve the timelessness of divine rules and laws, religious leaders focus on the timeless qualities of the rules to apply them to changing lifestyles amongst mankind and they usually find that the divine injunctions are timelessly malleable enough to adapt them to existing life and still remain convincing to followers even if the new interpretation contradicts what they interpreted it to say previously. The GB are forced by local events to do so often enough when it is something they actually care about.
Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't the royal commission request that the institution they are focusing on replies to questions raised by victims if they have to do with governmental safeguarding policies?
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Pubsinger
What like the BBC with Jimmy Saville and the Liberal Party with Cyril Smith?