Governing Body, painted in a corner, now what?

by Wasanelder Once 45 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  LoveUniHateExams

  Now what?

  Having been painted into a corner, I think we all recognise that the GB are perfectly capable of walking out of that 'corner', treading that paint all over the pristine carpet with their size 9s as they go. They'll then smile at the householder and say "it's not our fault - it's an attack from Satan's System!"

  Most JWs will unfortunately believe this.

  (I'm only just catching up with this - paedophilia makes me really angry and I haven't the stomach to go through all the threads on this. I will read some of the hearing streamed to us from B. Anderson, though.)

  Edited to add: when you're the true god's only channel to humankind, and everybody else is against you, any problems are everybody else's fault, not yours.
• 

  JW_Rogue

  They will make subtle changes to the policies this will not be announced to the brothers and sisters only to the Elders. Announcing a change would be an admission that they were wrong, which they will not do. Since mandatory reporting only applies to some countries they will probably make changes through the branch for those countries.
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  Stealth

  When the children can donate more money than the abusers, then a policy change will be made to protect the children.
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  truthseekeriam

  What Stealth said.

  As long as they need money and free slaves to run this religion they sadly will keep protecting the men over the children.
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  LeeElder: I think its a bombshell. There is going to be immediate carnage in terms of people leaving, withdrawing financial support and possibly criminal charges for destroying evidence related to a felony - possibly multiple counts. There is also going to be fallout - making it more difficult to recruit new members.

  I can see that perhaps in Australia, where this is headline news, but I can't see any affect here (USA). Most Americans can't see beyond their own borders. The refused the metric system even though it's the standard in the rest of the World -- "Let them adopt our measures!"

  Now when the attorneys line up to file new lawsuits against the WTS, then they will take notice.

  Doc
  
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  Vidiot

  sir82 - "If they are really the ones in charge, they will circle the wagons and become even more insular. If they are puppets, I would expect one or several to be hung out as the scapegoat, and more competent-looking figureheads to be hired in their places."

  Hmm.

  Interesting scenario.
• 

  johnamos

  I have been unable to understand why it is that many all say that the WTS/GB are responsible for the child abuse among JW’s…I guess it is just because you are angry with them (or really angry with yourselves) because you once believed the things that they taught were true.

  In all the years that they have had their current policies in regards to child abuse in place they have had many claims in regards to and have paid out much money and have been criticized relentlessly over their policies…so there has been nothing but headaches and financially costly as a whole. So of what benefit has it been to them to keep their current policies in place all this time??? Do those that commit the abuse pay the WTS/GB huge amounts of $$$ that as a whole covers all the financial cost and them so???

  This is the bottom line…for every abuse case that gets reported to the elders/WTS/GB but goes unreported to authorities, the ones responsible for it not being reported to the authorities are the very ones that reported it to the elders/WTS/GB in the first place!!!

  The Jehovah’s Witnesses (WTS/GB) are a religion, a false one, but still a religion so it is no surprise that they make the claim that they are following:

  Deuteronomy 19:15 “No single witness should rise up against a man respecting any error or any sin, in the case of any sin that he may commit. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good.

  2 Corinthians 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to YOU. “At the mouth of two witnesses or of three every matter must be established.”
  

  John 8:17 Also, in YOUR own Law it is written, ‘The witness of two men is true.’

  The elders/WTS/GB are not the police they are religious leaders, again false, but still so. If child abuse is a crime then the victims or parents (or other ones that are knowledgeable of such) of the victims should go to the ones (POLICE) that view it that way and who are in authority to deal with it…PERIOD!

  Why is it that JW’s can get their car stolen or house broken into, etc… and have sense enough to go to the police but if they get sexual assaulted they go to the elders???

  Being that that is what they do instead of going straight to the police, then when the religious leaders handle it like they do instead of how the police would, why is there such a fuss and blame on them for them not reporting it to the proper authorities???

  We could argue all day long on rather the two-witness rule is valid and if the WTS/GB policies are right…wrong…need to be changed, that does not matter…it is THOSE that are being abused or the parents (or other ones that are knowledgeable of such) of the victims that need to change their policy!!!!!!!!!!

  Why are there lawsuits against the WTS/GB but not lawsuits against the parents of the victims??? What is the difference between the WTS/GB claiming that they handle things the way they do based on their understanding of the bible and parents claiming that they are doing things the way they are by not going to the police on behalf of their own child whom they are responsible for because they believe that they should follow the WTS/GB based on their understanding of the bible???
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  stuckinamovement

  There will be a new flood of suits as more victims come forward. The Royal commission has basically done all the homework for a halfway competent attorney (and opportunistic) to use to take the society to the cleaners.
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  never a jw

  john amos

  Few pages after your quote of Deuteronomy, in the divine, superior law of Moses given by Jehovah himself, you find this: (Deuteronomy 22:28-29)
  

  If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, he shall pay her father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the young woman, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.
  

  
  

  Would you like to make suggestions to the Royal Commission to solve child sexual abuse using the DIVINE LAW in Deut 22:28-29. Pretty straightforward and easy solution. Just beautiful!!! Why those worldly people can't see Jehovah's wisdom?

  I think the Governing Body would love this solution. I feel that 50 shekels is a lot less than the worldly courts would like to set as just compensation for victims. Also, you finally get another woman into submission to the headship appointed by Jehovah, for a lifetime. Just wonderful!
  

  
  
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  OneEyedJoe

  Why are there lawsuits against the WTS/GB but not lawsuits against the parents of the victims???
  

  Reporting that you have (or your child has) been abused to the police is a very difficult action to take. It requires a huge amount of courage and humility and the whole thing is awash with complex emotions. In some cases it is difficult for these ones to see that reporting the abuse not only serves justice in their case, but also prevents the abuse of others. This should not be difficult for the elders to see, however.

  Furthermore, in many cases the elder's negligence goes far beyond failure to report. They have assigned molesters to work directly with children. They have written letters of reccomendation for molesters that specifically indicate that they are good with children and fail to mention anything about the molestation.

  Third, there are many accounts of the elders discouraging parents/victims from reporting the abuse. Because of the power that they hold (being that it's a cult that employs powerful mind control techniques) they hold undue influence over these people to prevent the reporting of abuse. Their discouragement of abuse reporting is not without teeth, either, as there have been numerous accounts of victims and their families being DFed for attempting to report the abuse or warn others that are at risk.

  Yes, in many cases the parents are negligent as well, but lets not pretend that this cult has had nothing to do with the continued abuse of tens (or hundreds) of thousands of children.