I was impressed by part of today's symposium entitled ' Safeguard your children from what is evil'

by UnshackleTheChains 51 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  darkspilver

  The big play that the WT take with their meetings is that they are 'family' services - they do not hold any children/youth services, which most other churches probably do.

  Therefore another interesting section in the Baptist's Safe To Grow document is:
  

  Chapter 14: Safe practice and safe premises (page 73 to 76)
  

  14.9 Welcoming children into an all-age community

  Family or all-age services

  The particular challenge of family or all-age services is that no one may understand themselves to be responsible for the formal care of the children and young people who attend.

  It is imperative that the parents or carers of children and young people understand the basis on which their children are attending the service.

  Any parents/carers who are present should know that they are not entrusting their children into the care of others but remain responsible themselves for the welfare of their children.
  

  http://www.baptist.org.uk/Articles/499204/Safe_to_Grow.aspx
  

  Of course the WT is also very clear in terms of the above - don't they say it is always the parent's responsibility?
  

  Picking up on what UnshackleTheChains said above - the Baptist document (page 74) highlights the concept of the Safeguarding Policy being known about, being read, and being understood by ALL church members, as part of the actual safeguarding process.
  
  

  These situations highlight the importance of the Safeguarding Children Policy being adopted, owned and understood by the whole church membership. The annual review of the policy should address areas of church life where adults, children and young people come together but where no formal children’s or youth activities are being organised. The report of the review should also give an occasion for educating the church meeting and helping all church members and members of the congregation to understand their responsibilities with regard to safeguarding
  
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  ToesUp

  WT HAS to address these issues, they are loosing members in droves. Too little too late WT! How is this going to help the victims that are now adults? Typical JW....your kids need to watch how they dress? Really? A 5-8 year old needs to be careful how they dress? That's as bad as the one, if you don't scream, it's really not rape. This is one f'd up organization. No apology from WT....never. Remember.....1975 was all the rank and files fault too, even though there are recorded talks and printed literature that stated WT promoted theses thoughts! True 100 percent NARCISSISTIC BEHAVIOR! A narcissist will NEVER admit fault, it's ALWAYS the other person!
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  Finkelstein

  The reason the JWS soft talk the issue(s) is because they are more deeply brainwashed to uphold the image of Jehovah's earthly organization.

  Because of that JWS talk is usually surface talk without depth or critical evaluation.

  The sanctity of the organization is always on the upmost presence and conscience endeavor.

  Which pertains to why there has been so much cover up over the years about this problem.
  
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  LisaRose

  This would mean something if they actually admitted how much child abuse takes place within the organization. Are they going to publish statistics? Admit how many have been accused or admitted to this? Admitted how many are elders? Admitted the secret existence of a database of the accused that they maintain? Admitted that for years they swept things under the rug and went easy on abusers? Admitted that they have settled many lawsuits? Have they even acknowledged the findings of the Australian Royal Commission?

  Unless they are going to be completely honest, these warnings means nothing. Most Jehovah's Witnesses are naive and think that things are different in their little "spiritual paradise" and the danger is from worldly people, as the Watchtower continues to maintain the fiction that this is rare within the organization.
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  Giordano

  Don't know if this was covered in darkspilver's remarkable find re Baptist's Safe To Grow document.

  The Society need's to encourage every parent or guardian to go to the Authorities immediately as soon as they realize that abuse has been attempted or taken place.
  

  The JW's especially need to understand that their children are vulnerable to people within their own family as well as within the JW world.
  

  Here's a look at who is involved with sexual child abuse according to the ARC . It shows me why the two witness rule and the congregational rule of silence makes a bad situation worse.
  

  Here is the reality:

  • The child sexual abuse cases span 77 years, beginning in 1938 right up to 2015.

  • There was at least 1732 children who were sexually abused.

  • Over 650 of those children were abused by family members.

  • At least 170 of the children sexually abused were under the age of five.

  • There was 1006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse within the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Of that number, 15 were women.
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  • 65 of the alleged child abusers were ministerial servants; 42 were elders; 8 were pioneers; and 1 was a circuit overseer.

  • At least 56 ministerial servants and 27 elders were deleted from their roles. 6 elders and 2 ministerial servants were re-appointed to their roles.

  • Over 33 ministerial servants, 13 elders and 1 pioneer were disfellowshipped.

  • 14 ministerial servants, 4 elders and 1 pioneer were convicted for Child Sexual Abuse by the Australian authorities, yet 3 of those elders and 3 of those ministerial servants were never disfellowshipped for their crimes.

  • Not a single instance of Child Sexual Abuse was ever reported to the authorities by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
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  Vidiot

  "Not a single instance of Child Sexual Abuse was ever reported to the authorities by Jehovah’s Witnesses."

  Know what the best (worst) part is?

  When asked "why the hell not???", not a single answer they're able to come up with is even remotely adequate, from a social, theological, or even common fucking sense perspective.

  And they know it.
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  konceptual99

  I sometimes wonder if some people might be happier if the WTS never changed so they could continue to hate them for being evil ...
  We should applaud any improvement and any movement toward doing things better. Whatever is more likely to protect than risk children is good, yes - even if it's the WTS that is doing it.

  I agree with the principle of what you say and no one can say the talk at the convention or even minor progress with their child protection policies are bad things.

  What is crying shame however is how slow they are to make meaningful change. It does not take much lateral thinking to come up with a strategy that pulls the rug from under the vast majority of criticisms, leaves in place the need to follow their interpretation of biblical requires over two witnesses for congregation action, infuses an air of transparency and openness whilst still minimising the risk of opening up the legal flood gates.

  Don't say they are a organisation slow to change. This is the organisation that pulled the rug on millions, if not billions of $ worth of construction overnight. This is the organisation that changed it's brand and it's communication methods in a matter of months.

  The BBC radio interview, posted elsewhere, with the head of the Charity Commission was telling. Whilst they are getting improved cooperation from the WTS in the UK they made the point that they have never had to face the amount of obstructive litigation from an organisation until they engaged the WTBTS of Britain and the trustees of the New Moston congregation. The organisation only stopped when they no longer had recourse to the courts and when it was going to hurt them more and more when taken in context with the ARC and other negative publicity worldwide.

  Regardless, they cannot seem to get out of this mentality of everything actually being OK. Any change for the positive is good but it remains simply incomprehensible as to why the organisation is incapable of a far more proactive approach to progressing the child protection policies.

  The question of their real willingness to take on board advice and make appropriate change has to be raised.
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  sparrowdown

  Thanks John Davis for posting that.

  What struck me about that letter is the language. WT's creative preface language designed to make sure it never happens "in some cases" do I need to say more.

  Sneaky weasely bastards can never just give unqualified instructions re child abuse you gotta ask yourself: why the hell not? Sorry no medals for most improved religion awarded based on that letter.
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  Vidiot

  konceptual99 - "This is the organisation that changed it's brand and it's communication methods in a matter of months."

  It was in the works for years, though.
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  Giordano

  When asked "why the hell not???", not a single answer they're able to come up with is even remotely adequate, from a social, theological, or even common fucking sense perspective.

  No doubt about it Viodot there never has been any common sense associated with being a JW. In fact educationally, medically, organizationally they are one of the world's most reckless religions. You have to really suck to get to that level.