JW Policy Being Challenged in Court

DevonMcBride

http://www.kvbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=1078253&nav=15MUCBSd

Jehovah's Witness Policy Being Challenged In Court

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A church policy followed by thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses is being challenged in court. It's a policy some say protects child molesters and forces victims to suffer in silence. News 3's Anqunette Moon reports according to the lawsuit, the church is accused of covering up allegations of sexual abuse by church elders.

The people who rallied this morning say victims of child abuse in the Jehovah's Witness church are routinely told to say nothing and just put their trust in God. Well, members of the support group Silent Lambs say they've put their trust in God, but if the church refuses to stop the child molesters in their midst, they will now also put their trust in the courts.

A symbol of innocence, used to show how the most innocent have been silenced. But now, the voices of these so-called Silent Lambs will be heard. "Over 5000 Jehovah's Witness abuse survivors have come forward to say they were molested and they were silenced by the JW policy on child abuse." And now four of those surviors are taking the church to court, suing among others the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which is the church's governing body, the church's Nevada Circuit, and a convicted child molester, Daniel Fitzwater.

The lawsuit claims while Fitzwater was an elder at a church in Yerington, Nevada, the church knew about allegations of abuse against him and did nothing. William Bowen, the founder of the Silent Lamb support group says the church's policy on abuse is the problem. "With the molester's denial, two eyewitnesses are required before the child is believed, otherwise, he remains an innocent man."

Willam Bowen says the problem extends far beyond the doors of these Kingdom halls. In many cases, when convicted child abusers are released from prison, they are still members in good standing, so they are obligated to go into the community and spread the word door to door. "And we have had several cases where molesters have called in people's homes, started bible studies and molested their children. This has got to stop."

And it starts by letting the public know what's happening and forcing the church to change, even if they must go to court to do it. "One reason why the Catholic Church is addressing their policy is because people finally had to go to court. If they had a waited on the church, we'd still be sitting here to this day with the same problem."

And so the church remembers the problem, a small toy lamb was left at the door...a symbol to show sometimes nothing speaks louder than silence. The group Silent Lambs also left a flyer. They want the churches to post it on their bulletin boards. The flyers encourage victims of abuse and their families to speak out to police and to seek professional help.

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Jehovah's Witness Policy Being Challenged In Court

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auntiem

Thank you Devon for posting this. I have emailed it to every active witness in my address book.

hawkaw

Outstanding ....

Great optics - the flyer and lamb

This is the NBC affilate for Las Vegas.

Well done people.

hawk

Dogpatch

also Check out the 3 minute video also by clicking on "more" at the bottom of the page!

Go Bill!

Randy Watters

Net Soup

http://www.freeminds.org

hawkaw

That video was awesome -2:40 seconds.

And the part at the end ... the JW leadership refused to talk to the news media ..... hahahahaha

I love the camera zooms in on the lamb/flyer

hawk

hawkaw

Keep this on Page 1 of "active"

BTTT!!!!!!!

hawk

hawkaw

Finally another member of the press reports a "key" to get the public outraged ....

Willam Bowen says the problem extends far beyond the doors of these Kingdom halls. In many cases, when convicted child abusers are released from prison, they are still members in good standing, so they are obligated to go into the community and spread the word door to door. "And we have had several cases where molesters have called in people's homes, started bible studies and molested their children. This has got to stop."

That's the optic's ticket!!!

Hawk

Edited by - hawkaw on 9 January 2003 21:31:57

hawkaw

Here is a copy of an AP story on the Fitzwater case back in 1998

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/archives/1998/mar/16/506962477.html?jehovah

March 16, 1998

Former church elder convicted of lewdness with minor

YERINGTON, Nev. (AP) - A former Jehovah's Witnesses church elder was convicted of lewdness with a minor for a 1992 incident with an 8-year-old girl at his home.

A Lyon District Court jury returned the verdict Thursday against Daniel Steven Fitzwater, who faces up to 20 years in prison when he returns to court for sentencing April 20.

During the trial, Chief Deputy District Attorney John Schlegelmilch said Fitzwater used his position as a church elder to gain the trust of the victim's family before the incident.

The girl, now 13, was left in the care of Fitzwater's wife when her parents went on a deer hunting trip, and the sexual molestation occurred when Mrs. Fitzwater made a trip to town, the prosecutor said.

"He was supposed to be looking over the flock," but he committed a "crime against nature and Jehovah," Schlegelmilch said.

The girl went on to develop behavioral problems, experience nightmares and attempt suicide at the age of 10, he added.

But court-appointed defense attorney Jeffrey Morrison questioned the girl's credibility, saying she has accused others of the same crime.

"It will be your task to determine what is fact and what is fantasy in the mind of a troubled young girl," he told jurors.

Fitzwater took the stand during the trial to deny the charges, but two women supported the prosecution's case by testifying he inappropriately touched them when they were young.

One was his stepdaughter.

Fitzwater lived in Weed Heights, a mining community near Yerington, when the crime occurred. He has since moved out of Lyon County.

Yerington is 80 miles southwest of Reno.

abbagail

Congrats on the News Coverage and the SL Las Vegas Event itself!

Well Done Everyone!

It looked like a gorgeous sunny day out there, too!

Looking forward to the "insider reports" from those who attended. Any JWs show up while you guys were there?

Also, isn't Fitzwater supposed to be released from prison soon?

BTW, everyone can write and thank the reporter, Anqunette Moon, at her email addy here: [email protected]

justhuman

Nice post, we hope that the victims of child abuse will get money from the lawsuit. The only to hurt WT it is to get money from them

JW Policy Being Challenged in Court

Former church elder convicted of lewdness with minor

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