Zowie! Another JW apologist.
Scotsman, I'll cut to the quick here. The Society claims that elders, and especially Governing Body members, are appointed by holy spirit. Not only are they appointed by holy spirit, but the decisions they render in God's name are not a product of their own thinking, but merely reflect "what has already been decided in heaven". If you want citations from The Watchtower, I'll post them. But I think you already know these things.
Now, the Society has published condemnations of the Catholic Church for covering up for pedophile priests, and for moving them from one parish to another when they were discovered. Clearly, any claimed Christian who would do such things -- either molesting children or covering up for molesters -- cannot have God's backing, and in fact is a gross hypocrite.
One Governing Body member, a Scotsman named Leo Greenlees, was booted off the Governing Body in late 1984 for molesting a 10 year old boy. Greenlees was found by the rest of the GB to be "repentant", and was not disfellowshipped. Greenlees was then sent out "to the field" as a special pioneer. He died around 1989, a member of a congregation in New Orleans.
Is this not exactly the same thing that the Society rightly condemns the Catholic Church for doing? How can you defend the Governing Body's actions in sending this molestor out to other "parishes" so as to put children at risk?
The implications of the Governing Body's actions are clear. Greenlees was in his 70s when convicted of molesting; therefore he was a molestor for a long time before that age, since men don't begin lusting after young boys when in their 70s, but they do continue such lusting. Greenlees was a pedophile and a homosexual, therefore, when he was appointed to the Governing Body in 1971. He was the same when he was invited to Brooklyn Bethel in 1964 to become a Director. Since we agree that God would not appoint a child molestor to any position of responsibility in a True Christian Congregation, God did not appoint Greenlees as an elder or as a Governing Body member -- but this contradicts the Governing Body's teaching. Therefore, the Governing Body's teaching is false and in opposition to God.
I know exactly how, if you attempt at all, you'll try to defend the Society against the above facts (you already know that if you deny the basic fact that Greenlees was a child molestor, all you need do is call Brooklyn Bethel and discuss the situation with a man in some responsible position; he will not deny it). You'll attempt to excuse the "appointed by holy spirit" doctrine, claiming that it doesn't mean what the Society teaches (more correctly, pretends to teach). But all you'll have done is further damage your own faith in Watchtower leaders, since you know very well you're defending the indefensible.
AlanF
