It was born out during proceedings surrounding the Gilbert Simental trial in Murietta, Ca. that it is not considered a confessional when the confession is made to more than one person. In other words, three elders on a judicial committee who then contact the branch with said confession doesn't equal a priest or pastor. While laws may vary from state to state, this just seems to me to be common sense.
jamiebowers
JoinedPosts by jamiebowers
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Attorney General: JW congregation didn't report child abuse
by betterdaze indelaware attorney general: sussex co. jehovah's witnesses congregation didn't report child abuse.
by associated press 1:47pm, august 5, 2015. the delaware attorney general's office is suing a jehovah's witnesses congregation in sussex county, claiming that elders failed to report an unlawful sexual relationship between a woman and a 14-year-old boy, both of whom were congregation members.. oral arguments in the civil action are set for november.. authorities say elders learned in january 2013 that katheryn harris carmean white was having sex with the boy and failed to immediately call a child abuse hotline.. the congregation's attorney argues that the elders are protected by clergy privilege from the reporting requirements, similar to the confidentiality of a church confessional.. carmean white, who worked as a teacher's aide at seaford middle school, was later convicted of rape and child endangerment and sentenced to six years in prison..
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Disfellowshipped at 18
by asensier inyou can probably guess how this story goes.. i began dating a non-witness boy.
he knew i was a baptised witness and understood the consequences i faced for dating him.
we agreed to keep our relationship secret, which was easy considering our 200 mile distance.
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jamiebowers
As difficult as it is for you now, you're worlds ahead by leaving at such a young age. At least you're not saddled with a jw husband and kids that would be in the middle of you leaving a cult. And a cult is what the Watch Tower is. Google Lifton's criteria of thought reform and the BITE model.
As loving as your boyfriend sounds, he can't be your whole life. It's not healthy for either of you. So live your life. Get a job, go to school, make friends, explore the world! If you're careful about who you choose, you can build a family of very good friends. And if you have non-jw relatives, reach out to them. I'm certain that most of them will be glad to hear that you're out of the cult and will want to get to now you.
There will always be a listening ear on this site. So use it when you need to.
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Guess I said more than I should have about "the truth"
by paradisebeauty ina sister came by my house today.
not to see how i was or why i have not been to meetings for the past months - she needed to borrow some money for the upcoming convention.
we chatted a little, and i cound not keep my mouth shut about some questions i have and some discoveries i made about the doctrine.
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jamiebowers
A second witness to your "apostasy" is needed for action to be taken against you. Don't speak to any other jw about your thoughts, because the Watch Tower uses elders as thought police. -
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How are the JW's reacting to the new USA gay marriage laws?
by purrpurr inpersonally i think this is wonderful.
i have nothing against gay people and wish them only the best.. but of course i'm in a minority of one, the jw's around me are posting away on fb the most homophobic vitriol imaginable.
a lot of them are even saying that it's the start to armageddon!!.
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jamiebowers
A lot of them are even saying that it's the start to Armageddon!!!
Yet gay marriage has long been approved in many parts of the world, and Armageddon hasn't come yet. (Sorry, don't know how to turn off the quote box).
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Child Safeguarding Policy
by Newly Enlightened ini don't know if y'all have this yet or not.
i'm still having issues with this new site and i am unable to post photos & files, so here is the link to the pdf file.
2011 child safeguarding policy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hpac00sfjoqyg8l/2011%20child%20safeguarding%20policy.pdf?dl=0.
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jamiebowers
I couldn't get past the first page without wanting to puke. It says parents have the primary responsibility to protect their children, yet the Watch Tower threatens congregants with disfellowshipping if they spread the word about a child molester in their midst.
It also says that the Watch Tower doesn't sponsor child related activities, yet children are expected to go door to door, which could potentially expose them to the unknown pedophiles in the congregation.
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A sensible fix for the Jehovah's Witness "two witness rule" when dealing with child sex abuse
by Watchtower-Free injehovah's witnesses could retain their two witness rule for internal judicial.
congregation matters .
but in the case of a child abuse allegation they should .
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jamiebowers
@wannabefree: What they do is what the law of the land requires. The lawsuits brought against the Organization are from decades ago for the most part.
Not so, sir! Please see the thread below. Gilbert Simental confessed to the elders regarding his molestation crimes committed in 2005 and 2006. Police were alerted by one of the victim's teachers at school. And the elders had to be threatened with charges in order for them to testify in 2008.
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Does anyone know ExGileadMissionary?
by God_Delusion inhi guys,.
i'd love to have the youtuber exgileadmissionary on jw podcast.
i've messaged him via his youtube channel, but i was also hoping some of you here know him and can maybe get him to contact me.. i think he would be a fantastic guest as he would provide us with what it was like in gilead.. anyway, hope you can help.. merry christmas & a happy new year,jaymes.
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jamiebowers
I think he's a Facebook friend. I'll send him a link to this thread.
Edited to add: Facebook message sent.
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Want to hear something funny ?
by troubled mind inmy husband just won the city wide holiday light display for christmas i am so proud .
just a few short years ago i was the one that put a strand of white lights around the porch railing ,and a couple of lighted deer in the yard ....that brought the elders around real quick (after three years of silence ) at that time my husband was still holding onto the notion his faith was not bond to a cult .
it didn't take long after the 'loving sheparding call' for him to see things in another light.
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jamiebowers
That's a gorgeous display! Congrats to your husband!
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Has Anyone See The Giver, and If so, Do you Relate It to the Watch Tower?
by jamiebowers ini just watched it on dvd, and holy cow, i can see so many similarities to the watch tower!
i don't want to give anythng away for those who would like to see it, but i really wish the way it ended was a possibility in watch tower world..
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jamiebowers
What struck me the most was Father played by Alexander Skarsgard. What he did as a job was so horrifying, yet he had no idea what he was doing. It reminded me of jws who stay loyal to the blood ban, shunning, the two witness rule, and the various assortment of other Watch Tower insanities.
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Has Anyone See The Giver, and If so, Do you Relate It to the Watch Tower?
by jamiebowers ini just watched it on dvd, and holy cow, i can see so many similarities to the watch tower!
i don't want to give anythng away for those who would like to see it, but i really wish the way it ended was a possibility in watch tower world..
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jamiebowers
I just watched it on DVD, and Holy Cow, I can see so many similarities to the Watch Tower! I don't want to give anythng away for those who would like to see it, but I really wish the way it ended was a possibility in Watch Tower world.