http://www.revealnews.org/article/california-court-guts-child-abuse-ruling-against-jehovahs-witnesses/.
california court guts child abuse ruling against jehovahs witnesses.
topics: religion / religion and government .
Yep. I stand corrected on this. This is not a good verdict by almost any means, (for now). The appellate court fell into line with currently accepted law, and once again chose not to impose so called "unnecessary" restrictions on a religious group. Typical abuse of first amendment "rights" in America. Maybe a more progressive country could help a bit here???
Longer term, social evolution will have its way.
d4g
i saw this coming since my mother-in-law's funeral .... the congregation's "love-bombing" over my wife had its impact.
i watched her drawing closer and closer to her friends in the congregation.
then she decided she would attend the memorial.
Tough one.
Humans are social creatures, and likely the congregation is her social outlet. That would explain the "doesn't care and wants to be back", attitude.
The fact is, most people do not approach either their beliefs or how they choose or choose not to practice them logically, as a first instinct. JWs are really no different in this approach. Her first instinct is to have social surroundings, and she feels the congregation gives her that.
Feeling type personalities are almost doomed to choose how they feel with respect to the social aspect, over logical argument. Thinking types fair a little better. I would still estimate maybe only 20% of those that actually quit attending actually perform the proper analytical steps to allow then to overcome whatever existential fears they are experiencing by no longer attending, be it social or otherwise.
Sadly, many are potential targets to go back because of this, even if they are out for years, or even decades, (I have seen this firsthand).
d4g
i read here regularly and although i haven't joined in, i really appreciate all the wonderful contributions from those who are willing to share their experiences.... .
i was a convert.
i won't go into the whole history ( perhaps another day) - my story could easily be recognised in the small town where i live, with my husband.. so, we stopped going to the meetings around a period of time when we were going through severe emotional difficulties - at that point, we needed unconditional family love - the hectic, forced jw dinner parties and social occasions gave no real comfort.
Welcome!
Your story is not unusual in the least. Many, many folks find the "love" of the "friends" is neither lovely nor friendly. Not that they are bad people in any sense, just simply because no one can be truly worthwhile to call a "friend", when they cannot even be their real selves. It is quite painful to learn, especially later in life. Keep in mind, we were not our real selves either while we were "in".
Find your real self first, and real friends will follow.
d4g
.
a woman has been shot dead by a 2-year-old in a wal-mart store in idaho.. .
the 29-year-old was shopping with four children in the store in hayden, when the two-year-old reached into her handbag and fired the weapon, shooting her dead.. initial reports suggested the woman was the boy's mother, but the police have said that this is as yet unclear how they are related.. source; http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/toddler-accidentally-shoots-woman-in-idaho-walmart-9950847.html.
i've nothing to add to my past comments on americas psychotic relationship with guns.
Don't expect a country founded by Puritans, and that has a first and second constitutional amendment based on 18th century context, to understand the importance of statistical logic.
d4g
bodies of elders around the world will soon (tm) receive a nicely worded letter from the christian congregation of jehovah's witnesses, telling them that local elders are now responsible for ensuring that no perverts are allowed to be alone with any children on any kind of witness business, otherwise, the boe will be accountable to the courts - not the org!.
however, if the elders are aware that bro.
& sister oblivious sometimes ask bro.
This will change policy, even if not immediately.
The legal precedent has at least been set for other cases like it, to come forward.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Social evolution takes time.
d4g
will the outcome of this case translate into any major changes for the way congregations are run?.
what do you think?.
Yes. See my reply to your post on the other Conti case thread.
The short term will bring mostly elder policy changes in handling of these cases. Longer term will see a change in the way the entire judicial process works within the congs. (Read, it will weaken it).
d4g
i'm not an expert but that is my understanding of this: .
opinion filed.. (signed published) the judgment against defendants on the negligence count is affirmed.
the judgment against watchtower on the cause of action for punitive damages is reversed with directions to enter judgment for watchtower on punitive damages.
For some reason the paste function is acting up again...Firefox works only marginally well on this site now.
Sparrowdown-
In terms of negligence/punitives...Punitive damages can only be awarded if negligence is found first, however they are not automatic, and often reversed by the appeals process.
The WT was being tried for negligence. They LOST. This will set a precedent that will reverberate big time at HQ, no different than Swaggart losing the State of California v. Swaggart over sales tax did in 1989/90. The WT watched that case closely, for good reason. They could not put themselves in a position where they would have had to pay taxes, it would have bankrupted them. Their business model could not support it.
Believe me, they are scared shitless now.
d4g
i'm not an expert but that is my understanding of this: .
opinion filed.. (signed published) the judgment against defendants on the negligence count is affirmed.
the judgment against watchtower on the cause of action for punitive damages is reversed with directions to enter judgment for watchtower on punitive damages.
This will force the WT to change their policy or face very severe consequences for not doing so.
I personally think it will also weaken the entire framework that the WT's judicial process, (and all that comes with it), is built upon, since it will force them to almost immediately deal with child abuse cases differently than other cases at the congregation level, but that is for another thread of discussion.
One big win for Candice!
d4g
do you help or is this a woman job?
have you change your ways since.
leaving the borg.
We are fortunate to have cleaners every other week...
I am a clean freak, so even though my wife is quite capable and responsible in this area, (for example I know better than to have anything to do with the laundry, because I am never doing it right, according to her), when it comes to most other things, I find myself often re-doing or being just downright anal about either something she or the cleaning folks did.
Overall, when it come to domestic chores, we are pretty good at divide and conquer.
d4g
stemming from the 'absentheism' thread, an old question came to my mind.
what exactly is "belief"?.
is it the same to ask: "do you believe in god?
Not sure all of what has been said over 45 pages, (could Cofty possibly be here? :-)
In the epistemological sense, belief is to accept something as true. It infers that no empirical evidence is used to support stated "truth".
d4g
