News Flash: New Reveal Article

by Sugar Shane 116 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

  • Mephis
    Mephis

    In British law there is no such privilege guaranteed by law Fisherman. For any religion. So I'm sure you can appreciate that when you ask for my personal views they will be shaped by that common law. There'll naturally be a huge gulf in personal opinions between us just from that. Personally, I think JWs should have equal or equivalent rights to any other religion as best a court can make any relevant laws fit.

    I think how you describe a scenario would fit within most exemptions to mandated reporting, however the investigative nature of a judicial committee would need to be stopped too. That's a real barrier for JWs in how they try to run a quasi-legal system, and it is always going to rub against secular law in some way when it comes to crime. They recognise it themselves with their instructions to elders to hide from secular authorities the fact that they're doing an investigation. Even outside child abuse, having someone playing private investigator whilst a criminal investigation is in process could prove very harmful to justice.

    In any case, as indicated by the Anglican church's suggested revisions to the code of conduct for their own priests, there are troubling moral aspects even to that priest/penitent/God aspect. How religions solve that seem like something which they need to figure out lest secular society ultimately decide a solution should be imposed. Which is the solution which the WBTS seemed to be begging ARC to recommend, which was very confusing given how they fight so hard not to report on 'religious freedom' grounds.

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    Fisherman,

    You weren't asking me, but I will answer. NO, I would not respect the clergy/penitent communications between Jehovist Elders and Jehovist congregants, if such an arrangement comes about by nu-light. Why? I don't respect that arrangement for any religious sect when crime is involved, espescially sexual crimes against children.

    Priests can go visit their criminal congregants in prison and tell them that God forgives them of their sins.

    DD

  • Simon
    Simon

    fisherman: you should know you are in a cult when you find yourself trying to defend the indefensible and unable to condemn the most sick behaviour imaginable ... all to protect the "good name" of your trashy cult.

    You know it's members are the only ones who think it has a good reputation don't you? So why bother ...

  • James Mixon
    James Mixon

    Violation of the seal of confession results in immediate excommunication of a priest.

    Is this still the law in the Catholic church today, and has anyone heard of a elder

    DF for revealing a serious crime???

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman

    Simon, the issue in my argument is not about WT integrity compared to a standard. My only point is that in the US, as any other church does (good or bad), the WT is entitled to church/ penitent privilege based on present SC interpretation of the 1st Amendment.

    Seems to me from the posts and the answers to my questions that posters on this thread ((except Data Dog) do not care about child abuse not being reported to statutory authorities by the church as long as conditions are met and that WT does not qualify for the provisions because they do not meet a standard of required condition.

    So, I conclude that, in terms of reporting child abuse to Caesar, people (posters) do not care about children in general (except Data dog, you, because you have expressed hate of all churches and vidiot , and maybe some others but that is what I have read) but that conditions are met to qualify, and that means that the church does not have to report child abuse if they meet church penitent conditions

    That is what I was getting at.

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman

    Priests can go visit their criminal congregants in prison and tell them that God forgives them of their sins.

    How about Catholic priests?

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman
    and has anyone heard of a elder

    DF for revealing a serious crime???

    They can be sued

  • Mephis
    Mephis
    So, I conclude that people (posters) do not care about children in general (except Data dog, you, because you hate all churches and vidiot, and maybe some others but that is what I have read) but that conditions are met to qualify, and that means that the church does not have to report child abuse if they meet church penitent conditions
    Whether exemptions should exist is a totally different question to whether JWs meet existing ones. Perhaps ask the question which you want the answer to? But then I provided clear answers to both but you still only focused on the 'do JWs meet existing exemption requirements' so it's a little confusing to read that you were intending to ask whether exemptions should exist.
  • Fisherman
    Fisherman

    Mephis no matter how you try to defend what you stated, DD did not try to beat around the bush. DD answer is what I needed to hear form someone who clearly wants ALL child abuse reported not just some child abuse reported from people who do not qualify.

    Please read my article on BA post Trey Bundy 1 year of reporting.

  • Mephis
    Mephis
    Mephis no matter how you try to defend what you stated, DD did not beat around the bush. DD answer is what I needed to hear form someone who clearly wants ALL child abuse reported not just some child abuse reported from people who do not qualify.
    I've nothing to defend. I'm just confused as to whether you failed to read or failed to understand. We currently have exemptions to mandated reporting. Whether or not those exemptions should exist is a different question to you asking whether the seal of confession should be respected and being told that it's not even recognised as binding in the common law of my country.

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