by loveis 57 Replies latest jw friends
Very sad, but 'Bravo!' to them for having the guts to take it as far as they did.
Even though this isn't the victory that they hoped for they can be confident that one day a case will come along that will achieve the goal of exposing the Watchtower for what it is. When that happens, it will be clear that the efforts of the Berry girls and many other were never in vain.
This is just appalling.
I guess from now on, when the WTS tries to claim that they do not have "clergy" like the churches of Christendom that they so despise, there is a court precedent to show that they are lying about that too. That's the only positive outcome I can see from this.
kinda begs the question as to where and to what length does some one have to go to get justice
to be fair to the 'worldly' judicial system they do not have any idea as to the nature of the relationship between congregation members and the elders so can only rule the way they did
the wt organization has plenty of knowledge of this relationship..it demands obedience to congregation elders and yet continues to provide no training to help even well meaning elders to carry out this task adequately
they are the more reprehensible for it
shame on them
Damn. I know I've already posted to this thread but the more I think about what has just happened the angrier I get. I hope those Berry girls are aware that by the end of today thousands of people they have never met will have thought of them, prayed for them and respected them for what they have achieved.
Love Nic'
a virtual slam-dunk victory for the WTS
Natural justice is a symbol or expression of usefulness, to prevent one person from harming or being harmed by another. -- Epicurus
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness. So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. -- Matt. 23:23-28
Couldn't have said it better myself Big Tex
I'm disappointed but I'm not surprised. Without going into the entire "are they a cult" argument, the courts are not going to understand what JWs and JW children go through. Since freedom of religion is such a core belief of the US, the courts will not dig too deep into the inner workings of a religion. And if they don't get to the issue of control and manipulation by the religion and its spokesmen(elders) they will never understand.
I've discussed these kind of situations with people who have no real religious affliation or background, and they always question why the innoncent parent didn't seek help from the proper authorities. When I tried to explain the relationship of elder to publisher, they didn't get it. They have never been indoctrinated into a cult-like religion therefore had no concept of being under the control of someone else enough to not be able to think or act for yourself. I think the courts are the same way.
As far as I can tell the judgment says that when a mother tells the Clergy *ahem* Elders about how her child is being molested, the elders can give the mother all sorts of crappy advice, including advice to cover-up the abuse -- and the elders cannot be held liable for this awful advice.
This truly is disgusting. Bastards.
"Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord."
That's my only consolation. That some day retribution from God will be stronger than anything a high court could ever pronounce.
Sorry. I know it's vindictive. But that makes me ill.
Sadly, I'm not surprised. I'm glad these ladies don't need vindication from the courts to feel better about themselves. Watchtower Legal usually wins.
