Court denies summary judgement for Laurel Jehovah's Witnesses congregation

by OrphanCrow 161 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  blondie

  *** g 1/11 p. 9 Will Religion Ever Be a Force for Peace? ***

  [Box on page 9]

  How Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Different?

  Many people are amazed when they learn how different Jehovah’s Witnesses are from all the other religions that claim to follow Christ. The following are some of the things that make Jehovah’s Witnesses unique:

  STRUCTURE

  ● They have no clergy class.

  *** g 8/10 What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? ***

  10. The clergy-laity distinction “All you are brothers,” said Jesus to his followers. (Matthew 23:8) The early Christians, including the Bible writers, had no clergy class. This Biblical pattern is the one that Jehovah’s Witnesses follow.

  
  

  
  
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  Doubting Bro

  So they just denied summary judgment? Ok, that just means the trial moves forward. The SJ would have thrown the case out. Should be an interesting case.
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  OrphanCrow

  talesin: It would be great if a 'win' like this happened in Canada - we could all write and push for criminal prosecution. It is federal law for any adult to fail to report, but especially those are charged with the care of children; eg, teachers, coaches, health care professionals, clergy ...

  Yeah...just wait until that case in Newfoundland moves ahead. Then the elders will be saying "but we aren't clergy!...we are lowly servants of the flawk".

  
  
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  Makemeanunbeliever

  Many probably know (and I'm sure resent it) that I still believe JW's carry a large measure of truth. I feel I've defended it eloquently here. However one of the reasons I stopped going a couple years ago is because I felt we lack in the "abuse" area.
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  DATA-DOG

  Once again, Fisherman is wrong.

  Elders for the WTBTS are not acting within the law by using the Clergy/penitent privilege. IT DOES NOT APPLY TO THEM.

  It's very simple and you don't have to be a Lawyer to reason it out.

  1) By their own admission, the official doctrine of the WTBTS states that they have no Clergy/Laity distinctions.

  2) With the exception of the GB and other high-ranking members, no member of the Jehovah's Witness sect has any expectation of privacy in regards to "confessions." Elders freely discuss the "sins" of members, especially the "rank&file", among themselves and often with Elders of other congregations.

  Rather than acting within the law, the WTBTS Lawyers are attempting to decieve the Courts by claiming the Clergy/Penitent privilege. They are simply using dishonest practices to avoid responsibility for their deplorable behavior. They obviously assumed the Judge was an ignorant "worldly" unbeliever, deserving of theocratic warfare tactics.

  Thank whatever forces of good exist that the Judge saw through their subterfuge. The hubris of the WTBTS is coming back to haunt them.

  DD
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  DATA-DOG

  Makemeanunbeliever, I don't resent you. You are just wrong.

  No matter what problems "false religions" have, the WTBTS has no "large measure of truth" when compare to other Xian sects.

  DD
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  Sugar Shane

  Here's the media report on this. The comments at the end of the article are slowly popping up, with the last few defending, or trying to defend, the WTs position. Perhaps these are coming from the WT TROLLS someone mentioned in another thread, after all, the grammar, punctuation, and overall coherence is satisfactory (with a couple exceptions). It's only at 8 comments right now, but perhaps that will change now that I've posted this link:

  http://delawarestatenews.net/news/judge-refuses-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-jehovahs-witnesses/
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  Fisherman

  Elders for the WTBTS are not acting within the law by using the Clergy/penitent privilege. IT DOES NOT APPLY TO THEM. -DD

  You mean the Court is wrong because that is what they decided in their "Opinion". They get to decide, and they determined that IT DOES APPLY TO THEM.

  My post correctly represents the Court's decision.
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  Doubting Bro

  The court believes there is a material fact that needs a trial so they didn't dismiss the case.
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  DATA-DOG

  So the Court is wrong because they say the WTBTS has the right to use the Clergy/Penitent privilege, and the WTBTS right because they are saying, "Judge, that doesn't apply to us. We really want to report these things, but the law won't let us! Please let us report child sexually abuse allegations!!"????

  DD