it's great that the following is officially mentioned in the royal commission's report:.
when asked if the governing body members saw themselves as ‘jehovah god’s spokespeople on earth’, mr geoffrey jackson answered that it ‘would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that god is using’.
mr jackson’s response seems to be inconsistent with the documentary evidence before the royal commission, which shows that jehovah’s witnesses believe that the governing body is the ‘channel’ by which jehovah’s ‘will’ is communicated to them..
Wonder: It will be studied in the congregations and everbody will think. "Aah how wise that we get this councel at the proper time when the whole world is against us".
That made me laugh. You nailed it so well..."aaahhh how wise". That is exactly what they will say.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/28/australian-jehovahs-witnesses-protected-over-a-thousand-members-accused-of-child-abuse-report-says/.
over the course of about six decades, more than 1,000 members of the jehovah’s witnesses were accused of sexually abusing australian children, according to a new report.
victims were ordered to keep quiet.
Our local rag, the Regina Leader Post, has also ran the Washington Post story:
Australian Jehovah’s Witnesses protected members accused of child abuse, report says
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/11/28/australian-jehovahs-witnesses-protected-over-a-thousand-members-accused-of-child-abuse-report-says/.
over the course of about six decades, more than 1,000 members of the jehovah’s witnesses were accused of sexually abusing australian children, according to a new report.
victims were ordered to keep quiet.
smiddy: Are their articles syndicated through other newspapers throughout the country ?
The same article also ran in Canada's National Post.
The National Post is a respected mainstream news outlet in Canada.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/australian-jehovahs-witnesses-protected-members-accused-of-child-abuse-report-says-wp-1055-words-i
I am surprised that CBC Canada hasn't run a story yet. It appears like our French news outlets are carrying it - but that is understandable considering the high profile that the JWs have in Quebec news right now. This story double whammys the WT in Quebec - this is bad news for them right on the heels of more bad news. Quebec will be all over this one - first they have two mothers who die because of blood refusal and leave children behind and now that same religion is exposed as not providing safety and care for those children.
If anyone in Canada bothers to do the math, the possible number of abusers within the Canadian JWs is almost 1500. There is no reason to believe that the stats are lower in Canada than there are in Australia.
there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.
but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.
yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..
Toyc: OrphanCrow, I have an answer to your question. But if you are serious, pray about it and ask Jehovah for yourself.
I did that. He told me to ask you.
Again..."How do you know that?"
How do you know what you say you know?
there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.
but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.
yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..
Toyc: I think I put a burr under your seats.
That says it all.
What is your problem? That burr getting a little uncomfortable after the report came out from Australia revealing that your god, Jehovah, f***ed up Big Time?
Are you on here under orders or is this just your way of getting rid of your frustration over your god Jehovah's failings?
there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.
but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.
yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..
Toyc: This is very interesting.
What is interesting is that you cannot (will not) answer "How do you know that?"
That is interesting.
there are many on this site that do not believe that jehovah truly exists; that he is not a real being.
but, he is as real as next breath you draw into your nostrils.. some of you say that there is no evidence that he exists.
yet, none of you can prove that he does not exits.. cofty, (you come to mind), i appreciate that you have stated, without reservation, that you do not believe that god exists.. yet, you cannot prove it.. hope in jehovah..
takeooffthecrown: Jehovah has done many things out of the ordinary.
How do you know that?
10 response of the jehovah’s witness organisation to the sexual abuse of children.
having regard to the various matters we have discussed in this report, we have reached a number of general conclusions on the jehovah’s witness organisation’s response to the sexual abuse of children.
we do not consider the jehovah’s witness organisation to be an organisation which responds adequately to child sexual abuse.
stuckinarut: And when will the society learn that they could earn so much public goodwill by simply saying " we made some serious mistakes. We did not conduct ourselves properly."
Of course we all know, that will never happen. They will never admit to being wrong like this
But...isn't this what the latest gem from the GB is gearing up for? The statement in the WT that the GB are "not infallible"? "Not perfect" and they can make mistakes?
They have already started preparing the way for a response to this report. They know they have f***ed up. They know that the only way out of this is that they will have to offer some kind of a public apology for their past mistakes.
I don't see how they can get away with not admitting their wrong. This isn't like the '75 fiasco where they can blame the adherents for their "mistake". This is public. Very public. It is, and will be, all over public media. And it is just starting.
Next will be the March 2017 hearing. That should give them lots of time to figure out how to word their apology and admit to their mistakes. If they don't apologize...I think it will get really ugly really quickly. More ugly that it even is now.
link to pdf:.
http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/c2d1f1f5-a1f2-4241-82fb-978d072734bd/report-of-case-study-no-29.
reading it now...no comment yet.
The number of times that the ARC told the WT that they were wrong:
The Royal Commission is of the view that application of the two-witness rule in cases involving child sexual abuse is wrong.
...it was wrong of the elders to require BCG to make her allegations of child sexual abuse against BCH while BCH was present.
We are also of the view that the decision of Mr Ali, Mr Bowditch and Mr De Rooy to disfellowship BCH on grounds that related only to his infidelity was wrong because it took no account of the evidence presented to the judicial committee of BCH having abused his daughters BCG and BCK.
...it was wrong of the elders on the appeal committee to require BCG to give details of her abuse by BCH in front of a group of men, including BCH.
We consider it unreasonable and wrong that the Jehovah’s Witness organisation failed to take precautionary steps to protect other children in the congregation from the risk of sexual abuse by BCH on the basis that he was disfellowshipped for having only sexually abused a child of his own.
...it was wrong of the elders to require BCB to make her allegations of child sexual abuse against Bill Neill when Bill Neill was present.
The rigidity of reliance upon biblical text in the face of obvious danger to children was wrong.
The process by which her allegations were received and investigated and the response of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation were wrong.
In the case of a complainant who is still a minor, the organisation’s justification that it is a survivor’s ‘absolute right’ to make the report themselves is wrong and does nothing to protect that child and other children from sexual abuse.
Regardless of the biblical origins of the two-witness rule, the Jehovah’s Witness organisation’s retention of and continued application of the rule to a complaint of child sexual abuse is wrong.
A complainant of child sexual abuse whose allegation has not been corroborated by confession by their abuser or a second ‘credible’ eyewitness is necessarily disempowered and subjected to ongoing traumatisation. To place a victim of child sexual abuse in such a position is today, and was 30 years ago, unacceptable and wrong.
Eleven wrongs do not make truth.
And the things that the ARC will "not accept"...the things that are unacceptable:
In any event, as set out above, we do not accept that Mr Ali, Mr Bowditch and Mr De Rooy did not have enough evidence before them that BCH had sexually abused BCG and BCK.
In the light of Mr Spinks’ acknowledgement above, we do not accept that the reference to ‘members’ in relation to the 1,006 figure is incorrect. The debate has no merit.
We do not accept that an elder of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation will never be obliged to report his knowledge or belief that child sexual abuse has been committed.
In these circumstances, we do not accept the opinions that Dr Applewhite expressed in paragraphs 36, 45 and 46 of her report.
We do not accept that the child sexual abuse revealed in this case study has no connection with the activities of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation.
The wrongs and the unacceptable
The "Truth" is wrong
link to pdf:.
http://www.childabuseroyalcommission.gov.au/getattachment/c2d1f1f5-a1f2-4241-82fb-978d072734bd/report-of-case-study-no-29.
reading it now...no comment yet.
Thumbnail comments
Two phrases that appear repeatedly throughout the document:
"We do not accept...." - in reference to the Royal Commission not accepting whatever excuse the WT offered
And "The Royal Commission is of the view that ..... is wrong" - in reference to numerous things such as organizational behavior of the elders, etc
My favorite comment, though, comes right after the excuses that the WT had submitted about the historical data:
" We do not find it necessary to comment on these submissions. The numbers tell their own story."
