This is just a blurb that I heard in one of my classes:
It takes twenty years to introduce an idea.
It takes twenty years for it to infiltrate a culture.
It takes twenty years for it to become accepted and law.
Although I think the Silentlambs' march is going to do a lot of good with getting the word out, more so than it already has, it is going to take a lot more for it to become a REAL ISSUE as opposed to Bush wanting to fight Iraq, or the Palestinian cause in Israel. These headlines are always going to be number one. Not that there isn't hope. These issues, brought up repeatedly, will cause a social change. People aren't just going to stand around anymore while young children are abused. I am just saying it is going to take TIME. It is up to us to KEEP this in the media spotlight in order for change to be affected.
I believe that *all* people should be afforded the right of political, social, religious, etc. choice, but with that comes responsibilities, to protect our children. I think religious freedom is a glorious freedom and we should all be afforded that.. UNLESS it affects the lives of children, who are *also* guaranteed the right of freedom and its adjunct pursuit of happiness. No molested child is happy. If they were, we wouldn't be here. It is up to us to keep this in the light of truth.. and to pursue it with vigor. In that way, it will become the law of the land. Did anyone ever notice that the US didn't adopt the Internation Children's Rights Bill of the UN? Hmmm.. I wonder why. I know, as a country, that we don't want religion to cross with government. But aren't they two avenues to the same lane? We want people to be moral. We want people to obey the law. If you are moral, you obey the law. We have to MAKE a law that will make people be moral. Isn't that sad? We, as a country, have to take this religion by the horns and say: YOUR law is in conflict with moral ethics. You don't BELIEVE that you should have to report a child molester. WE, as a country, believe that you SHOULD because WE as a people believe that this is moral and correct. Isn't it a sorry statement on JW's that they don't report unless they HAVE TO? It's sad that we have to regulate morals.
It occurs to me that ANYONE in their right minds would call the law when faced with a dilemma of a young child reporting abuse. Wouldn't YOU do that? I would. Why don't they? Because they seem to be more concerned with the shame that it will bring on them as a congregation. I have one question to ask: WHAT SHAME? Why is it a SHAME that you are reporting to the law enforcement? Isn't it a BETTER statement to make that you are reporting it than shaming it into silence? WHY would it seem to them that it was a bad thing for them to report it to the cops? You know why.. because they want to be known as "the happiest people on Earth" and they don't want any tarnish to that image.
This will just pass as another march to them. They're used to it. They'll brand it as an annoyance for one day, and just shuck it off as persecution. But remember.. with every little press conference we do.. we'll be changing the way Society thinks of them.. so keep that in mind. It's not a big block coming off... just a chip. But every chip counts.
Country Girl
