OK, first off, please don't shoot the messenger here.
The Dateline show on JWs hiding pedophiles was one of several "defining moments" in my process of questioning "the truth". It disgusted me.
Now, thanks in great part to this site and others, I'm mentally free but still an active dub, fighting from the inside, trying to slowly, painfully, carefully get my family (spouse & kids) to see the light as well.
Question: How can I use the dubs CURRENT POLICY on child molestation against them? I've been to silentlambs, freeminds, and others. Plenty of horror stories.
But here's the rose-colored glasses justifications that I hear R&F dubs tossing around now and I know my wife would too if I confronted her with it.
In a nutshell: It's all good now. Yes, you'll find individual cases of incompetence, coverups, etc, but the Society's POLICY is fine now. Here the specifics as I see them.
1. Even if there used to be a policy of covering it up, that's all history now. Now the policy is to report it to the authorities where that's the law and to make sure the parents know that there will be NO REPERCUSSIONS towards them for going to the police. Also, I've heard individual elders from states that don't have mandatory reporting requirements say they would "drop a dime in a heartbeat" on a child molestor even though the law and the Borg don't require it in those states. See the F&D slave is humble and responsive to criticisms. Yes we've had bad apples and bad local BOEs, but that's what you get with a human organization. Everything's fine. Go back to sleep.
2. I asked an elder about the: Can a known molestor become an elder after 20 yrs if he's "lived it down"? He told me that would only happen in a rare situation like this: An 18 yr/old male has consensual sex with a 15 yr/old female. He gets prosecuted for statutory rape at the insistence of her parents. Three years later (the girl's 18 now) they get married and start raising a family. 20 yrs go by and he gets appointed an elder. I personally know of a situation like this. The only difference locally was the guy was never prosecuted, but the circumstances were very well known in our area. So that's the answer to the "molestors can become elders" accusation. Any other horror stories of "my molestor is still a JW elder" will be met with: Prove it. It's not substantiated. He said, she said.
3. The two-witness rule. Well, they've humbly responded on this one as well. (Hmmm, I'm sure the Dateline show and Silentlambs had nothing to do with it.) Since everybody knows most molestors will never have more than one witness at a time, now if a molestor is accused by two kids for two separate events, that passes the two-witness rule and he can be given a ride on the disfellowSHIP as well as turned in to the cops if that's required by law. It's an improvement, see. Yes, one more child was molested than needed to be (did I just write that?) but it's a tough situation when the elders are facing someone who's proclaiming their innocence.
4. Going door-to-door. It's a scriptural requirement to preach and "known molestors" aren't allowed (officially) to go with kids or call on kids. And they have to be accompanied by an adult. ( And yes, I read all about "Brother" Verse's latest escapades going in service with a 14 yr old. )
As I see it, they haven't gone far enough.
1.They ought to forward ALL accusations of molestation on to the police whether required by law or not.
2. The congregation should get some sort of notification.
3. They should be limited (even more) in their ministry. Perhaps, letter writing or phone witnessing.
But that's just my opinion. It seems like they've made enough concessions to keep most of the R&F complacent. Any recent anecdotal horror stories will just be written off to local Bozos not following official BORG POLICY.
Am I missing anything here?
What I've outlined above probably won't be enough to make any sort of dent in my wife's JW worldview. I really wish they hadn't made any concession on the two-witness rule. That might have been enough to get through to my wife.
Open (to suggestions) Mind