Circuit Overseer's Idiotic Comment

by FedUpJW 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Richard Oliver

  Londo it was on the ARC Website. It was the document on the website Called WAT.0024.001.0001. Watchtower Document is called Protecting Minors from Abuse Dated August 1, 2016. The applicable parts is:

  5. Legal Considerations: In some jurisdictions, individuals who learn of an allegation of child abuse may be obligated by law to report the allegation to the secular authorities. In all cases, the victim and her parents have the absolute right to report an allegation to the authorities.—Gal. 6:5; ks10 chap. 12 par. 19.

  6. To ensure that elders comply with child-abuse reporting laws, two elders should immedi-ately call the Legal Department for legal advice when the elders learn of an accusation of child abuse. (Rom. 13:1-4) A call should be made even when both persons involved are minors. The elders should not ask an alleged victim, the accused person, or anyone else to call the Legal Department on the el-ders’ behalf. The elders should call the Legal Department even in the following situations:

  • The alleged abuse occurred many years ago.

  • The alleged abuse is based on the testimony of only one witness.

  • The alleged abuse is believed to be a repressed memory.

  • The alleged abuse involved perpetrators or victims who are deceased.

  • The alleged abuse is believed to have already been reported to the secular authorities.

  • The alleged perpetrator or victim is not a member of your congregation.

  • The alleged perpetrator is a non-Witness associating with the congregation.

  • The alleged abuse occurred before the alleged perpetrator or victim was baptized.

  • The alleged victim is now an adult.

  • The alleged abuse occurred in the past, and it is unclear whether your congregation elders ever called the Legal Department for direction.

  7. The Legal Department will provide legal advice based on the facts and the applicable law. If the individual who is accused of the child abuse is associated with your congregation, the two elders calling should provide the Legal Department with the individual’s date of birth and, if applicable, his date of baptism. After speaking with the Legal Department, the call will be trans-ferred to the Service Department so that the elders can receive further assistance.
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  LongHairGal

  FEDUP:

  It does sound as if they are trying to stifle questioning!...I'm sure child molestation is not done with an audience. I love how the person you mention trots out the overused excuse of "Jehovah addressing the wrong"....How many decades of years before that supposedly happens? Does that mean Jehovah wants all those kids to be molested in the meantime? They've got to be kidding.

  I doubt any two-witness rule was referring to things done in private. If they keep this up they deserve the lawsuits and to banned in even more places.

  I don't know how any intelligent person can remain part of this charade. I know that I could never again sit there and listen to this garbage!
• 

  Giordano

  In some jurisdictions, individuals who learn of an allegation of child abuse may be obligated by law to report the allegation to the secular authorities. In all cases, the victim and her parents have the absolute right to report an allegation to the authorities. Gal 6:5

  Interesting that they mention the victim and HER parents. Don't they understand that a significant number of male children are also sexually abused?

  They also reference a scripture that doesn't apply to what they said in that paragraph. Gal 6:5 reads..... " for each one should carry their own load". And that is supposed to be meaningful to that paragraph?

  The problem remains....... "may be obligated by law to report the allegation to the secular authorities".

  If one thinks a crime has been committed one is obligated to report the crime. Especially if one of the parents is involved with the abuse.To provide as much information as one can. Not......... may be obligated.

  
  

  
  
  
  
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  Richard Oliver

  And getting legal advice on Child abuse is just smart. Just take the State of Illionis for instance. The child abuse statute defines child abuse as:

  "Abused child" means a child whose parent or immediate family member, or any person responsible for the child's welfare, or any individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child's parent:

  (c) commits or allows to be committed any sex offense

  against such child, as such sex offenses are defined in the Criminal Code of 2012 or in the Wrongs to Children Act, and extending those definitions of sex offenses to include children under 18 years of age; Please note that the definition of child abuse requires that the perpetrator is the parent, someone who lives in the home or is responsible for the welfare fo the child. In Doe1 v North Central Behavioral Health Systems the Appeals court ruled that because the perpetrator did not fall under one of those categories the children were not victims of child abuse but were victims of sexual assault. So the therapists were not required to report the matter because it was not child abuse.
• 

  ToesUp

  "But we (the elders) are imperfect"

  Yes...they are imperfect. So why are the judging others? Why don't they "leave it in Jehovahs hands?"

  When the congregation members are "imperfect" they "keep the congregation clean" by DF'ing or marking these ones. So when the Elders are imperfect, should not we keep the congregation clean and remove them as well. It's funny how it only goes one way. Kind of like the $, it only flows one way. It's hard to believe others can't see this.
  
  
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  Finkelstein

  So he concluded that we must support the Two Witness Rule and know that, "eventually Jehovah will address any wrong in his perfect manner

  I wonder how many egregious crimes were committed by JWS under this preconceived guise of the two witness rule, I'm sure there were a lot of acts of pedophilia that were.
  
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  ScenicViewer

  In the latest policy letter. There is no longer the need for two witnesses in order for the abuse to be reported to secular authorities.

  And why did it take many decades for the Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses to get to the point of even thinking about contacting authorities? Two reasons - public humiliation and loss of money as a result court cases - the only two things that JWs really respond to. (The Bible itself is simply a prop to JWs)

  And even now there is reason to believe that reporting probably won't happen if the legal dept thinks it can skirt the law and get away with it.
  
  
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  OUTLAW

  And getting legal advice on Child abuse is just smart.....RO

  Why would anyone ask WBT$ for legal advice, about crimes the WBT$ will try to cover up?

  
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  _Morpheus

  How interesting.... why did they conduct that letter writing campain in regards to russia...? Wont the desert take care of any injustice in due time...?
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  kpop

  I'm sorry but there is NO excuse for child abuse! The Catholic Church, which the JW cult loved to attack for years for their own child abuse situation, has OWNED their wrongs and has made radical changes to improve the quality of their religion. The JW cult? They just blame everyone else. Yeah, Jehovah's hand is guiding this organization! LOL