Parallels between Catholic and JW sex abuse scandals?

by Check_Your_Premises 14 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Check_Your_Premises

  Is anyone well versed in the parallels between the policies in the respective groups that have led directly to this problem, how they have dealt with the problem, how they have/haven't reformed?

  How has Catholic church had the same problems as JW?

  How has Catholic church been worse in their policies than JW?

  How has Catholic church been better in their policies than JW?

  As anyone knows, you can't directly criticize the JW to a JW. But you can criticize the Catholic church all day to a JW.

  If you can establish the rights and wrongs of this issue with respect the the Catholic church, you can then bring up questions about the JW that will show how they have caused this problem and dealt with it inadequately.
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  Check_Your_Premises

  I will just thank Blondie now in advance.
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  Check_Your_Premises

  Bumpety-bump
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  blondie

  How has Catholic church had the same problems as JW?

  The only slight difference in the problems is that the Catholic church pedophiles tend to be religious leaders (includes nuns) and people employed by the church in a trusted position, teachers. More women tend to be molesters because of the authority nuns have as teachers in Catholic schools.

  My perception is that the pedophiles in the WTS tend to be across the board, not just elders, MS, etc.

  The Catholic Church is so similar in its response to the vicitms, the pedophiles, concealing the problem that if you had been at the SNAP conference in Chicago last week, you could have believed the speakers were talking about the WTS.

  How has Catholic church been worse in their policies than JW?

  I don't see that they are worse. They grind the victims and their families into the ground and protect the perpetrator.

  How has Catholic church been better in their policies than JW?

  Due to some injudicious public statements as to their willingness to help, the Catholic administration in the US has put themselves in a position to have vicitms get documents from the arcdiocese. That is not true of the WTS. The Catholic Church does provide monies for counseling; but not out of the goodness of their heart but because of legal pressure.

  If you want to take the time to read what SNAP has been doing and what they have been fighting, read this website.

  http://www.snapnetwork.org/
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  Check_Your_Premises

  
  Alright I will take a stab at some of the policies that cause the problem

  Catholic Church policies that make molestation more likely:

  In some cases when the Church found out a Preist was molesting children, they would simply re-assign the Preist to another parish.

  Questions:

  1. How did the Church determine abuse had occurred? Did the child or parent simply have to come forward with a complaint (vs. a 2 witness rule required by dubs)?

  2. Did the Church contact law enforcement if not required by law?

  3. Did the Church take any action or threat against a parent for pressing charges against the priest?

  4. Did the Church become involved at all if there were molestation allegations between lay members of the parish? Did the Church take any action against or threats against members who pressed legal charges against other members?

  5. Does the Church forbid members from informing others of pedophiles in the parish, for the purpose of protecting them?

  JW Policies that make molestation more likely:

  1. If a child is molested, and it is brought to the elders, they contact law enforcment ONLY if required by law.

  2. If a child is molested, and there are not two witnesses to the act, the accused molestor is free from any organizational sanction.

  3. If a child is molested, the JW will disfellowship anyone who presses charges against the alleged molester. (Is this correct?)

  4. If a person is accused, and even found to be guilty by judicial committeeof molesting children, no person is allowed to inform other members of the congregation for the purposes of protecting them.

  5. JW require that their members prostletyze. Therefore they send known pedophiles to the homes of an unknowing public.

  Question:

  1. I hear a great deal how whenever someone is disfellowshipped, "everyone knows why". Doesn't that same rumor mill, basically cause word to get around if there is a pedophile in the congregation?

  2. When a child molester is accused, but not found guilty by J.C., do the elders try to "keep an eye on" the person to make sure he does not come in contact with children in the congregation?

  3. When a child molester is found guilty by J.C., how do the elders prevent the person from coming in contact with the children of the congregation, without telling everyone of the persons proclivities?

  4. How can they possibly know the extent to which a suspected or known pedophile has access to the children of the cong or out in field service, unless they follow him around constantly?
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  blondie

  CYP, you should contact SNAP if want to get the true picture. You seem to think the Catholic Church is handling this better. Don't believe the newspaper articles or public statements of the Catholic administration. Talk to SNAP or LINKUP and you will find that behind the scenes the Church operates just like the WTS.

  Blondie
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  hawkaw

  CYP, you should contact SNAP if want to get the true picture. You seem to think the Catholic Church is handling this better. Don't believe the newspaper articles or public statements of the Catholic administration. Talk to SNAP or LINKUP and you will find that behind the scenes the Church operates just like the WTS.

  
  

  
  I don't think the Catholic church kicks out the advocates and starts telling these advocates that they are basically going to die with no hope, they have lost their God and all their families and friends are prescribed to shun them .... but I could be wrong ...
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  Check_Your_Premises

  Blondie,

  I have contacted SNAP. Thanks for the idea. Basically I sent my previous post, and asked them to comment on the Catholic part.

  Is there anything I am missing in regards to the Catholic church? The witnesses? Is anything I mentioned incorrect?

  Please don't misunderstand me as wanting to show how the Catholic church is better. I am simply trying to understand how the problem has come up in both churches.

  CYP
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  blondie

  I don't think the Catholic church kicks out the advocates and starts telling these advocates that they are basically going to die with no hope, they have lost their God and all their families and friends are prescribed to shun them .... but I could be wrong ...

  You could be wrong, hawkaw.

  I have met many Catholics and ex-Catholics who have been cast out of their church, their families won't talk to them, their friends avoid them. That is why they have formed regional groups all over to support these people. Every time I think the WTS is worse, someone would say, "that happened to me."

  Do not kid yourself, the Catholic Church is fighting this tooth and nail. They lie and misrepresent, they stonewall and make the victims know that they are fighting against God.

  Sure Bernard Law is removed but then sent to Italy in a nice plush position.

  Yes, these Catholic people have been told they are going to hell or worse and there is no hope for them. They tell their friends who won't believe them and tell them they are doing it to get attention in the media.

  Unless you have talked with people in SNAP or other individual Catholics fighting abuse, you can't know; reading the papers, watching TV, does not give a accurate picture of the scope of the problem.

  These people leaflet churches where pedophile priests work.

  They have highly placed people in the administration that have left; I have heard them speak many times; if you substituted WTS for Catholic Church, it would be the same story.

  I invite you to contact SNAP and LINKUP to get the real picture; do not surmise based on your experiences with Catholics and the Church, or what you have read in the secular media. These people were fighting child abuse in the religious setting when Bill Bowen was still a faithful elder.

  Any success they have regarding the laws regarding reporting and statutes of limitations will benefit those fighting the WTS.

  Blondie
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  Check_Your_Premises

  Ok Blondie, fair enough. What about my description of the WT? Is that accurate? Would I be able to support it with their literature? Would I be able to get an elder, for instance, to admit to my above description?