Video of Attorney General Shapiro's announcement of the release of the Grand Jury Report:
AndersonsInfo
JoinedPosts by AndersonsInfo
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HUFFPOST: Pennsylvania Releases Damning Report On Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-report-catholic-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal_us_5b2d4062e4b00295f15c56db.
pennsylvania releases damning report on catholic clergy sex abuse scandal.
the report identified over 300 catholic priests in pennsylvania who have been accused of sexual abuse.. .
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HUFFPOST: Pennsylvania Releases Damning Report On Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-report-catholic-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal_us_5b2d4062e4b00295f15c56db.
pennsylvania releases damning report on catholic clergy sex abuse scandal.
the report identified over 300 catholic priests in pennsylvania who have been accused of sexual abuse.. .
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AndersonsInfo
Pennsylvania Releases Damning Report On Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
The report identified over 300 Catholic priests in Pennsylvania who have been accused of sexual abuse.Pennsylvania’s attorney general released on Tuesday the long-awaited results of a damning grand jury investigation into how six Roman Catholic dioceses in the state covered up sexual abuse by 301 “predator priests” over the past 70 years.
The 884-page report is the largest, most comprehensive investigation on the church’s sex abuse scandal by a U.S. state, according to Attorney General Josh Shapiro. The grand jury identified over 1,000 victims in the six dioceses examined in the report: Allentown, Erie, Greensburg, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Scranton. But the jurors suspected the true number of victims could be much higher.
Shapiro said the report, which was delayed for months while individuals named in it raised legal challenges over what portions should be redacted, showed that church leaders in these dioceses knew abuse was occurring but systematically covered it up.
“The pattern was abuse, deny, and coverup,” Shapiro said during a news conference Tuesday.
READ MORE: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/pennsylvania-report-catholic-clergy-sex-abuse-scandal_us_5b2d4062e4b00295f15c56db -
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IRISH TIMES: What is it like to be a Jehovah’s Witness family living in Ireland?
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-jehovah-s-witness-family-living-in-ireland-1.3573827.
what is it like to be a jehovah’s witness family living in ireland?.
adherence to biblical strictures provides a solid base in an increasingly secular society.
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AndersonsInfo
- Presently 14 Comments in the Irish Times regarding the article
- Kevin
Religious belief has got to be one of the most fascinating and diverse by-products of human evolution. Thank you, fascinating insight into a fringe cult.
- 18 hours ago
- mediaocrity
@Kevin Fascinating, perhaps, a good thing, decidedly no.
- 5 hours ago
- JamesAlan
The article is somewhat 'soft.', but maybe that's what was asked for. In particular, the Jehovah's Witness practice of shunning family members who leave the church needs to be discussed in any thorough piece on this religion.
- 13 hours ago
- frankwhelan
@JamesAlan Or even people who they have been visiting,if those people then decide they don't agree with them,they are shunned if met in public.
- 11 hours ago
- mediaocrity
@JamesAlan Just another puff piece for a religion in the IT. A religion, like all of them, with a very nasty side.
By the way, minority faiths in Ireland should welcome secularism, i.e. that the State is less inclined to treat a particular religion more favourably, and work towards a separation of churches and state.
Increasing irreligion is not secularism, disbelief is not secularism, however it is the RCC's preferred term to slag off non-believers now that atheist is no longer regarded as an... » more- 5 hours ago
- FlorianMozart
such a terrible article. completely one-sided. what about: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/jehovahs-witnesses-religion-christianity-religious-group-what-is-it-like-a7214966.html
? JW is a dangerous sect. Much like scientology. There is no romanticizing.- 11 hours ago
- ClaudiaK
@FlorianMozart Thank you for the link, just read the article and it confirms what I think of them. It is rather a cult than a religion.
- 10 hours ago
- mediaocrity
@ClaudiaK Difference between a cult and a religion? Scale and time.
Or as someone once said, if the guy who made it all up is still alive it's a cult, if he's dead then it's a religion...- 5 hours ago
- ClaudiaK
That article had a whiff of the author being brainwashed by the Jehovas. If they are happy to live as they live, cudos to them. But I don't want them at my door, telling me that I am doomed if I don't convert! The bible tells us lots of things, for them it was written by God. For me, it is a compendium of very very old stories, written by humans. To not celebrate your children's birthday because of two incidents which happened over 2000 years ago I find simply ridiculous. Another aspect which I... » more
- 10 hours ago
- Eddie
After a Catholic brainwashing many Irish will be fodder for other religious cults such as the Jehova's Witnesses. It all seems harmless but again a religion dominated by men with ways to divide families through shunning. Homophobia is also rife in this cult despite the claims. All these cults are based on man's quest for meaning and superiority over others. Leave religion alone and respect others.
- 7 hours ago
- mediaocrity
@Eddie There's also money of course. That hall in Citywest didn't hire itself. Wonder how much JWs are expected / forced to tithe?
- 5 hours ago
- AnChiarogEile
@Eddie "After a Catholic brainwashing many Irish will be fodder for other religious cults such as the Jehova's Witnesses."
Indeed so: their recruits have always tended to come from other Christian denominations rather than being scooped up from off the street. The usual pattern in my experience is people who grow discontented with their present church congregation because it isn't extreme or demanding enough, so are on the look-out for something which straps their lives into a far more rigid... » more- 52 minutes ago
- mediaocrity
You'd have to be a right gobdaw to change your double glazing on the say-so of a door-to-door salesman, never mind change your entire outlook on the world.
- 5 hours ago
- AnChiarogEile
Let's face it, there are some people in this world - a good many in fact - who hanker instinctively for a totalitarian organisation which manages every aspect of their lives, explains everything for them, lays all manner of onerous obligations upon them and occupies their every waking moment, often treating them abominably for no reason at all and robbing them of their time, energies and money in trying to extend the organisation's domination to the entire human race in a kind of vast... » more
- 2 hours ago
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IRISH TIMES: What is it like to be a Jehovah’s Witness family living in Ireland?
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-jehovah-s-witness-family-living-in-ireland-1.3573827.
what is it like to be a jehovah’s witness family living in ireland?.
adherence to biblical strictures provides a solid base in an increasingly secular society.
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AndersonsInfo
What is it like to be a Jehovah’s Witness family living in Ireland?
Adherence to biblical strictures provides a solid base in an increasingly secular society
Sheila Wayman Katy Mullins (Carrick-on-Suir) and Becky Mullins (Dungarvan) attending the annual Jehovah’s Witnesses convention in the Citywest Hotel, Dublin. Photo: Nick Bradshaw
A childhood without celebrating birthdays – your own or anybody else’s – is hard to imagine in 21st century Ireland. When your child is at primary school, there are times when it seems there is a party nearly every weekend.
But not for those growing up with Jehovah’s Witnesses as parents.
They don’t “do” birthdays.“I don’t mind,” says 10-year-old Ethan Wall from Co Cork. Does he tell his classmates why he can’t accept their invitations? “I use the Bible to explain that God doesn’t like false celebrations,” he replies solemnly.
That is not to say they don’t enjoy celebrations per se. And Ethan’s parents, Reece and Kelly, stress that they have other events to look forward to.
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There is Important Dutch News: majority in Dutch Parliament require an investigation into child abuse within JWs
by AndersonsInfo inthere is important dutch news: majority in dutch parliament require an investigation into child abuse within jwshttp://translate.google.com/translate?u=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nederland/politiek/tweede-kamer-eist-onafhankelijk-onderzoek-naar-misbruik-jehovahs-getuigen&hl=en&langpair=auto%7cen&tbb=1&ie=utf-8.
the lower house requires independent investigation into abuse of jehovah's witnesses .
june 28, 2018 18:56 .
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AndersonsInfo
There is Important Dutch News: majority in Dutch parliament require an investigation into child abuse within JWs
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nederland/politiek/tweede-kamer-eist-onafhankelijk-onderzoek-naar-misbruik-jehovahs-getuigen&hl=en&langpair=auto%7Cen&tbb=1&ie=UTF-8The Lower House requires independent investigation into abuse of Jehovah's Witnesses
Nevertheless, an independent investigation must be conducted into the sexual abuse of Jehovah's witnesses. This requires a majority in the House of Representatives. At a special hotline, almost 300 victims have reported themselves. Earlier Minister Dekker of Legal Protection decided that such a research did not come about because the Jehovah's self did not want to cooperate.He called that disappointing, but he left it at that. Now a majority of the SP, PvdA, CDA, GroenLinks and the VVD wants to have an independent investigation done. READ MORE:
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Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Victims' advocates: Abuse not just a 'Catholic problem' [Advocates ask for an investigation like ARC]
by AndersonsInfo inhttp://www.philly.com/philly/news/victims-advocates-abuse-not-just-a-catholic-problem-20180625.html.
victims' advocates: abuse not just a 'catholic problem' .
by peter smith, pittsburgh post-gazette .
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AndersonsInfo
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/victims-advocates-abuse-not-just-a-catholic-problem-20180625.html
Victims' advocates: Abuse not just a 'Catholic problem'
by Peter Smith, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
June 25, 2018 — 5:00 AM EDT
Christa Brown of Tennessee has for years called on Baptist churches to set up an independent panel to evaluate allegations of sexual abuse by clergy — such as the youth minister who sexually assaulted her as a teenager — and to keep predators from striking again at another church.
Pastor Jimmy Hinton — a Somerset Church of Christ pastor who confronted his own pastor-father about the sexual abuse that landed the latter in prison — has worked to educate churches on the ways child molesters manipulate fellow believers into trusting them with their children.
Melanie Jula Sakoda has made it her own mission to hold Orthodox Christian churches accountable for sexual abuse by their priests and others.
All of them agree on this: A future Pennsylvania grand jury could find as much evidence of sexual abuse and cover-up among other religious groups and youth-serving organizations as a current statewide grand jury is expected to find among Roman Catholic dioceses. That grand jury is expected to release a mammoth report if it clears ongoing legal challenges by individuals identified in its report.
“Some people assume this is a Catholic problem,” Hinton said. “It’s not, not at all. There are plenty of Protestant and nondenominational churches that cover up abuse and knowingly pass abusers from church to church, or quietly dismiss a known abuser and don’t bother to check up on the abuser and don’t know where they settled.”
Too many Protestant leaders deny the seriousness of the crisis, are too quick to forgive and restore a predator who speaks the lingo of repentance, and try to contain scandal, he said. And so they allow pastors or other offenders to reinvent themselves in a new church somewhere else.
A grand jury investigation would find plenty of evidence that it’s every religion’s problem, he said.
“One of the things I see is, through investigations, eventually you’ll get people who are honest — whether that’s accidentally or whether somebody is just fed up with the way leadership handled cases of abuse,” said Hinton.
And youth-serving organizations, beyond religious ones, are also implicated. In April, the director of the Allentown-based Cadets drum and bugle corps resigned after nine women accused him of sexual harassment and assault over decades, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“The practice of covering up for predators is not limited to the Catholic Church, or even to religious groups,” said Sakoda, of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. The cases of Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, both serial pedophiles convicted on numerous charges of sexual abuse of children, “are examples of institutional cover-ups outside of faith communities.”
Evangelical Protestants have been swept up in the #MeToo movement. A Memphis megachurch pastor resigned over sexually assaulting a teen girl years ago when he was her youth minister.
Two of the most venerated leaders in the nation’s largest body, the Southern Baptist Convention, have been felled by scandal. Paige Patterson was fired in May from his Texas seminary presidency for callous treatment of victims of domestic and sexual assault. His longtime ally, lay leader Paul Pressler, also of Texas, faces allegations of sexually molesting teen boys in his youth group.
A sprawling investigation into all kinds of religious and secular youth-serving organizations would be a challenge to conduct.Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s office declined to comment when asked whether a broader investigation were merited.
The attorney general would need to spare investigators on a long research project that, like the Catholic investigations, may yield lots of history but not many prosecutions due to the criminal statute of limitations
Further, few religions are as centralized or as fastidious about record keeping as the Catholic Church. Each diocese has archives of personnel files and other records, including candid internal documents that bishops and other administrators never assumed were going to be made public. That’s a potential target-rich environment for investigators.
While some religions have similar hierarchies, many of their records are kept at headquarters in other states, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York and the Mormons in Utah. Others, such as Baptists and the network of independent congregations known as the Churches of Christ, are decentralized and have no uniform protocols for saving records.
That said, victims’ advocates say there is a gold standard for such a sweeping investigation: The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Australia. The multiyear investigation by this organization, which employed hundreds of staffers, revealed a “national tragedy” of astonishing scope.
READ MORE: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/victims-advocates-abuse-not-just-a-catholic-problem-20180625.html
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YouTube-Cults & Extreme Beliefs Season 1 Episode 2 Review & Reaction | AfterBuzz TV Jehovah's Witnesses
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mij9n2xubr0&feature=share.
afterbuzz tv — cults and extreme belief edition, is a weekly "after show" for fans of a&e's cults and extreme belief.
in this episode hosts juliet vibert, mina wahab, and taylor gates discuss episode 2 about jehovah's witnesses.
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AndersonsInfo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIJ9n2XubR0&feature=share
AFTERBUZZ TV — Cults and Extreme Belief edition, is a weekly "after show" for fans of A&E's Cults and Extreme Belief. In this episode hosts Juliet Vibert, Mina Wahab, and Taylor Gates discuss episode 2 about Jehovah's Witnesses
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Religious Discrimination; now LEGAL
by lastmanstanding innewsflash.
there are businesses that are now discriminating in their hiring practices based on the fact that you are a jw.. sure, you think i'm mad.
but it's true.. the business circles have become acutely aware of the -not even 1 year old- decision in the industrial court where a jw ratted out a fellow jw and brought disrepute to the bank where they both worked.
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AndersonsInfo
OK, lastmanstanding, I'm all ears! ;-)
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Religious Discrimination; now LEGAL
by lastmanstanding innewsflash.
there are businesses that are now discriminating in their hiring practices based on the fact that you are a jw.. sure, you think i'm mad.
but it's true.. the business circles have become acutely aware of the -not even 1 year old- decision in the industrial court where a jw ratted out a fellow jw and brought disrepute to the bank where they both worked.
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AndersonsInfo
I discussed this very subject in my latest – lengthy - article, Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals which can be found on my website. http://watchtowerdocuments.org/flawed-decree-conceals-criminals/
Below is not the beginning of Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals. I pasted the part where I discussed the obligation of JWs to expose a fellow member’s sin even it was illegal in certain circumstances to do so as per a 1987 Watchtower article. My discussion centers on the distorted use by JW leaders of Leviticus 5:1 to influence JWs to violate the law; when it first began to be used (1967) and who was responsible for the misinterpretation.
That 1987 Watchtower article actually generated a commentary in the August 29, 1987, Los Angeles Times, the title which read, “Conscience outweighs confidence – Witnesses urge faithful to break ethics codes,” by John Dart.
READ ON:
Deliberately using Leviticus 5:1 to violate law
It is certainly difficult to imagine that JWs Governing Body would in the name of God attempt to persuade readers of their religious journal, The Watchtower, to do something legally prohibited. Yet, by quoting Acts 5:29, “We must obey God as ruler rather than men” in a Watchtower article relative to disclosing confidential information, that’s exactly what was attempted.That article found in the September 1, 1987 Watchtower, “A Time to Speak” – When? is noteworthy in this regard because it obligated JWs to expose a fellow member’s sin to their congregation elders even if it was illegal in certain circumstances to do so. Moreover, to buttress their argument, the key scripture used in that article to induce members to violate professional confidentiality requirements by tattling on an erring one was based on Leviticus 5:1.
The hypothetical case of “Mary,” a medical assistant, was highlighted and what her reaction was upon learning through her work that a fellow JW had an abortion, an action viewed by the Witnesses as serious wrongdoing. Should she reveal this concealed transgression to her church elders as her religion instructed all JWs to do? A four-page discussion ensued to try to convince JWs of their personal responsibility to “breach the requirements of confidentiality because of the superior demands of divine law” in connection with employment, no matter if their job was in jeopardy, or they could be sued or their actions led to their employer having legal problems.
The policy of instructing JWs to report a fellow Witness who commits serious wrongdoing to church elders wasn’t anything new, but the issue of ignoring Caesar’s law to obey JWs law was.
This amplification of an old rule, disguised as an act of love, generated a commentary in the August 29, 1987, Los Angeles Times, the title which read, “Conscience outweighs confidence – Witnesses urge faithful to break ethics codes,” by John Dart.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are being told for the first time that they should violate confidentiality requirements in medical, legal, and other professions when one of their own members is discovered to have committed a serious sin. …. Jehovah’s Witnesses are advised to confront the sinner first, but if he or she is unrepentant, the sinner’s elders should be told… http://articles.latimes.com/1987-08-27/news/mn-4504_1_jehovah-s-witnesses
New directive harms both the informant and the wrongdoer
Reportedly, Sharon, a nurse in a large California hospital, obeyed the article’s directives when she learned one of her spiritual sisters was scheduled to have an abortion. Concerned, Sharon tried to persuade the woman to change her mind. She also notified the elders who tried to talk her out of terminating the pregnancy. To no avail – the procedure took place. Subsequently, the patient reported Sharon to the hospital for revealing confidential medical information; this led to Sharon losing her job with the hospital blackballing her out of the medical profession.Sharon’s life was irrevocably changed because she broke confidentiality laws. Consequently, she became a law-breaker. In addition, the JW woman whose abortion was divulged and privacy violated, was disciplined by her church, and all because of the instructions in that 1987 Watchtower article, ‘“A Time to Speak” – When?’
Obedience protects a criminal
In another situation, obedience to Leviticus 5:1 directly protected a criminal when a JW obeyed his religion’s directive to go to the elders to report wrongdoing instead of the authorities.A concerned JW knew he could prove that an elder working as a financial planner was dishonest. After reading the Watchtower article, “A Time to Speak” – When?” he informed the elders in his congregation of the financial planner’s crimes. To make a long story short, the local elders protected the dishonest elder because they were investors, even though there was evidence of his corruption. Eventually, the whistle-blower was disfellowshipped and shunned by his family and friends for being a “reviler” in that he would not give up his quest for justice by continuing to berate and disparage the elders for their cover-up of criminal activity. After moving to another area, the dishonest elder continued to commit fraud on other unsuspecting JW widows. Obedience to Leviticus 5:1 eventually concealed a criminal. How different the outcome would have been if the authorities had been involved instead of the elders.
Repetition for emphasis
Ten years later, this directive was repeated in the August 15, 1997 Watchtower, “Why Report What is Bad?” In part the article comments:“The Mosaic Law stated that if a person was a witness to apostate acts, sedition, murder, or certain other serious crimes, it was his responsibility to report it and to testify to what he knew.” [True, but to the authorities, not to the priests.]
Leviticus 5:1 was then quoted and the article continued:
“Though not under the Mosaic Law, Christians today can be guided by the principles behind it. So if you learn about the serious wrongdoing of a fellow Christian, what should you do?”
Paraphrasing the article, the answer of “what should you do?” is as follows: the JW should talk to the wrongdoer to encourage him or her to approach the elders for help. If the accused did not report to the elders the JW should. In the event there were not two witnesses to serious wrongdoing, and wrongdoing was denied, the matter was to be left in Jehovah’s hands.
By being obedient to an obscure Bible text did illegally divulging confidential information or reveal serious criminal wrongdoing to elders bring good results? Whether wrongdoers were helped to change their ways is unknown. However, what has come to light over the years is how the lives of many sincere informants were negatively impacted and criminals protected. What follows is an examination of whether the leaders of JWs interpretation of Leviticus 5:1 was a good fit to accomplish their aim of members reporting crime to elders instead of the police?
Leviticus 5:1 explained
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READ Flawed Decree Conceals Criminals from beginning to end at http://watchtowerdocuments.org/flawed-decree-conceals-criminals/
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Help me spread the word. Local TV station looking for abuse survivors willing to share story. Deep South Texas area
by StarTrekAngel inyou all may recall a recent news article i posted.
it was about a bus driver who abused several school children.
while the news never really dived into his personal life, i did mention here that he is a well known elder to the hall i used to attend.. two new charges have been brought against him and now the bail is up to $420,000.
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AndersonsInfo
Please post a link here to the article about the JW bus driver and I'll help get the news moving. Sorry I missed the story when you posted it the first time.
Thanks,
Barbara
