Posts by Mephis

84

Wednesday Hearings LIVE LINK NOW

by Mad Sweeney in

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/636f01a5-50db-4b59-a35e-a24ae07fb0ad/case-study-29,-july-2015,-sydney.

Mephis

They turn off the sound when they're discussing people by name who should not be named openly because it may help directly identify the victim.

84

Wednesday Hearings LIVE LINK NOW

by Mad Sweeney in

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/636f01a5-50db-4b59-a35e-a24ae07fb0ad/case-study-29,-july-2015,-sydney.

He can't think away from what the governing body has told him is the right way to do things. It really is that simple, and that dangerous. Horley yesterday could, and it rocked him. Ali's absolutely blind to it.

84

Wednesday Hearings LIVE LINK NOW

by Mad Sweeney in

http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/case-study/636f01a5-50db-4b59-a35e-a24ae07fb0ad/case-study-29,-july-2015,-sydney.

Mephis

Just in all the craycray Ali stuff, the idea that the pressure of being interrogated by three elders is sufficient to pull out a false confession from a Ministerial Servant but still isn't inappropriate to put children and young women through...?!

There are times when an exdub would be handy for them sitting on their shoulders. So many instances of Ali (and others) vanishing into WT doublespeak to imply one thing when reality is different. eg Elders/MS not a position of honour in congos? So why are they called 'privileges' then?

8

Australian child abuse enquiry.

by notoneoftheboys in

lies and more lies.

a question was asked by the court on having someone in the room for moral support with a minor child or frightened girl when being questioned by the elders over allegations of child abuse.

the elders book makes it clear no one else is allowed.

Mephis

The CO who claimed that was making it up as he went along. To be charitable, he's elderly and he's locked into the idea that the WT is on top of child protection issues because their god's institution. To be less charitable, he was full of bluster and bs, and his claims were debunked by counsel and commissioner.

@Aude - I found Ali a perfect example of how men can do terrible things while genuinely believing they were doing the right ones. And all because he turns off his brain and his own conscience when the WT tells him to. The commissioner's questioning and attempts to lead them to a reasonable way of thinking about things is a constant feature so far. Dark humour moment was Ali attempting to gain a shared background with the commissioner by likening himself to a 'judge'. And I sat there and thought which of those two men would I want to be judging me if I was an abuser, and which would I want to be judging the case if I was the one who had been abused. The one who can believe a child but do absolutely nothing about it, or the one who thinks it outrageous to have a young woman sat alone in such a meeting.

43

Extrapolation of the Australia child abuse numbers

by sir82 in

(let me know if anyone thinks my assumptions are way out of line, or if i've forgotten anything).

basic facts:.

the australian royal commission has 1000+ documented cases of child abuse over 65 years.

Mephis

The numbers include 125 accused who didn't have any JW punishment dealt out, as they didn't meet the two witness required.

What Bill Bowen says would be true prior to the change when those numbers were collected. After sir82 mentioned this, I think it was 1989ish when that happened. But it's certainly an understatement of numbers of those alleged serious sex offenders.

8

Australian child abuse enquiry.

by notoneoftheboys in

lies and more lies.

a question was asked by the court on having someone in the room for moral support with a minor child or frightened girl when being questioned by the elders over allegations of child abuse.

the elders book makes it clear no one else is allowed.

Mephis

Ali's belief was that 'support' was allowing a young woman's fiancee to be sat outside the room and allowing her to take a break from telling 3 men in their 30s intimate details of how she was abused. Counsel made it clear that they weren't buying the CO's fantasies on changes, and the commissioner directly asked him to give an example of a change which had happened. Of course, he couldn't. He was just sure things must have changed because letters have been sent and his religion is always right and wise and...

Think this commission is cutting past the nonsense and WT reasoning.

7

It's not persecution, it's accountability

by Splash in

well i was loathe to start a new thread on the australian royal commission, but i've been reading in thread after thread how jw's are trying to dismiss what's happening with "it's persecution".. if anyone says this to you, just respond "it's not persecution, it's accountability.

they are being called to explain their procedures, and nothing more.".

persecution is hostility against someones religion.this is not against the jw religion, it's against procedures that jw's champion as being 'the best in the world' when in reality, and with a little analysis are proving to be among the most harmful.

Mephis

For the Lord’s sake subject yourselves to every human creation, whether to a king as being superior or to governors as sent by him to punish wrongdoers but to praise those who do good. For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorant talk of unreasonable men.

The governors are wanting to punish wrongdoers. This isn't persecution, allowing them to do that is part of being in subjection to superior authorities. If you're not being praised for doing good and silencing ignoring talk, you're doing it wrong.

43

Extrapolation of the Australia child abuse numbers

by sir82 in

(let me know if anyone thinks my assumptions are way out of line, or if i've forgotten anything).

basic facts:.

the australian royal commission has 1000+ documented cases of child abuse over 65 years.

Mephis

To me, it seems that It is pointing towards numbers which would have almost every congregation having knowledge of at least one person being accused of serious sexual crimes against children within the past 25 years. For such small communities, that's horrific.

30

Speculation ( not theory ) on child abuse inquiries.

by DATA-DOG in

most of you, like me, keep yourself informed as to what's happening in jw-land.

like me, you make it your business to know what's going on.

so i'm wondering why the wtbts is allowing eldubs to appear in these inquiries in australia??

Mephis

I am impressed by the commissioner and the counsel's ability to cut straight through the BS and get to the heart of the matter. It's fantastic watching Watchtower logic being turned on itself like this in public. Horrified too. And ashamed for them because two of the men so far seem to have been absolutely devoid of any compassion as human beings in what bills itself as 'god's loving organisation'. Well, unless one counts compassion towards a pedophile over an abused young woman.

Agree with others that this is no win for them. They've shown in Britain already that they aren't willing to send elders to prison over pedophiles to try to defend non-existant principles here. Australia's commission forces them to make the exact same choice.

58

Royal Commission convened for now, but Jackson is an asshole

by umbertoecho in

i have just finished listening to this man jackson.

i remember him well.

he is twisting things around as much as he is allowed.

Mephis

The commissioner's comments to him were pretty unambiguous. "The process [ie the judicial committee] inflicted further trauma." And then the question of whether compensation would be appropriate to help pay for medical treatment which Jackson would rather have left in the realms of having scriptures read to people.

Pretty disgraceful really that he couldn't summon up any empathy for someone whose been through so much, or acknowledge that there wasn't a single thought given to her. To see it so openly exposed like that is still shocking even after so long out.