CBS NEWS IS GOING TO SHOW THE JWs

by teenyuck 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  teenyuck

  The main thing they did not cover is that a molestor could be coming to your door, preaching.

  Jane Clayson did the story and seemed kinda detached. I wish they would have covered that. That would make people think twice about signing up for a *free, in home book study*.
• 

  fjtoth

  The following now appears at the CBS web page: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/eveningnews/main3420.shtml.

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  Another Church Sex Scandal
  
  SOUTHERN MINNESOTA, April 29, 2003
  (CBS) Like any mom, Heidi Meyer fixes boo-boos, serves up breakfast and even reviews some math homework.
  
  But every day is a fight for this mom to overcome her past.
  
  "Basically any way that he could put his hands on me, he did," she told CBS News Correspondent Jane Clayson.
  
  From the time she was 10, until she turned 13, Heidi, a Jehovah's Witness, says she was molested by a member of her congregation. Finally, she turned to the leaders of her faith.
  
  And what did they say?
  
  "They asked me, do you think this could be a misunderstanding? And I said, no. No, I'm very sure of how his hands were on my body and there's no way to misunderstand that," Meyer said.
  
  But the elders dismissed her plea for help and sent her away with a warning: "You need to keep quiet about this. You don't want to drag his name through the mud. You don't want to drag the name of Jehovah's organization through the mud."
  
  Bill Bowen, an elder for more than 20 years explained, "Anything that an elder says is viewed as the direct word of God."
  
  Bowen, a former Jehovah's Witness went on, "You could even be excommunicated for questioning what an elder tells you to do. There's no negotiation here. You must obey what the elders direct."
  
  But what silences most victims is that Jehovah's Witnesses require either a confession or two eyewitnesses to any accusation -- making sexual abuse almost impossible to prove.
  
  For Leanna Morley, in Oregon, the abuse started when she was five.
  
  "It's time that the people knew about the secrets that happen in that religion," she said. "It was a living hell."
  
  Sue was seven years old and living in Washington. Her molester later made a chilling confession. He said there were 24 to 42 little girls that he had molested -- he couldn't remember how many exactly.
  
  Bill Bowen says by the end of the year he expects at least 100 lawsuits to be filed against the faith.
  
  The problem is huge, he said. "It's of global proportions. You're talking about tens of thousands of children who've been molested in the last ten years. Tens of thousands, easily."
  
  The Jehovah's Witnesses Headquarters disputes these numbers but says they're aware of the problem -- and cites a letter it published last May. It says "we have long instructed elders to report allegations of child abuse to the authorities where required by law to do so, even where there is only one witness."
  
  There is another letter. It denies Heidi Meyer's charges, saying "... no child abuse involved."
  
  For Heidi, it's another betrayal by a faith she trusted and turned to for help.
  
  "These are your spiritual leaders, these are men appointed by God in the eyes of Jehovah's Witnesses, and who was I? You know, I was just some kid."
  
  As a mom she's still fighting to overcome her past -- even choosing to home school her son because she's afraid to leave him with others.

  ©MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  ---

  Also:

  Jehovah's Witness William Bowen, Attorney Jeff Anderson and plaintiff Heidi Meyer announce a civil lawsuit filed against the Jehovah's Witness headquarters on Tuesday, July 2, 2002. (AP)
• 

  garybuss

  
  To me it was huge. The Watch Tower Publishing Corporation was just on CBS Evening News and admitted they are aware they have a problem with the abuse of children under their care, even providing a letter to show they do not deny the abuse is occurring. Their other admission was that they have long been aware of this abuse occurring and are only willing to take the MINIMUM action required by law as a remedy.
  
  This was a HUGE event. My appreciation to Heidi and Leanna and Sue and my thanks to Bill and CBS News. My best to you all.
  
  To all you studying with the Witnesses, are you sure this is the group you want to bring your children into contact with?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 

  be wise

  I thought the CBS news dealt with this in a very balanced way.

  I hate any sort of extreme bashing whoever it's against because that only gets those that agree with it to agree even more and those that don't agree to have an excuse to agree even less. [does that make sense, I think so?].

  Anyway, it was a big thing that the WTBTS admitted it had a problem. This should bring a lot of the JW's who actually saw it down to earth regarding their fairy tale, story telling organisation. JW's act like children and believe anything coming from the GB men, maybe this will wake them up a bit. I'm sure they've already come up with some sort of excuse - they always do, but this time it won't go away.

  I just hope the problem can be aired at a more suitable time, so people are aware of what's going on and can be protective of their children knowing the situation with paedophiles that exists amongst Jehovah's Witnesses.
• 

  seawolf

  Considering how short the piece was, I think it was very good for the amount of time they had to work with.