Posts by cedars

172

Britain | Jehovah's Witnesses hushed up child sex scandal | July 16, 2013

by jwleaks in

church officials hushed up a child sex scandal in their ranks and refused to co-operate with police.. .

jehovah witness ministerial servant gordon leighton admitted sexually abusing a child when he was confronted by his church elders, a court heard.. but during the official police investigation, the 53-year-old who made headlines in the 1990s when wife yvonne, 28, died after refusing a blood transfusion after childbirth on religious grounds denied any illegal wrongdoing.. and when detectives asked elders simon preyser, harry logan and david scott to make statements about the confession, all three refused and said what they had heard was confidential.. for three years, the elders refused to co-operate with the criminal investigation and kept up that stance when the case was brought before newcastle crown court after the victim made a complaint to police.. each was issued with a witness summons which they fought to overturn before being ordered to testify by judge penny moreland citing public interest.. their barrister richard daniels said the men had a duty to god not to breach confidence.. he added: privileged communication between members of the congregation and ministers is an absolute right and duty and there is no power in law to breach such a confidence.. judge moreland said: it is apparent that the three elders who were present when this conversation took place are in possession of relevant evidence as to a point which is of real significance in this case.. they claim the right of confidentiality, they claim that what they heard said by the defendant during the course of that meeting ought to be subject to privilege, as ministers of religion.. judge moreland refused to withdraw the summonses and said: public interest is clearly in favour of this evidence being given.. what was said by the defendant on that occasion is of great significance in the trial.. despite the judges ruling, the men still refused to make statements to police until just hours before they were called before the jury.. leighton, who has since been expelled from the church at lambton kingdom hall in washington, denied two charges of indecency with a child and seven of indecent assault.. he was yesterday found guilty of two charges of indecency with a child and six of indecent assault.

he was found not guilty of one indecent assault charge, on the direction of the judge.. he was remanded in custody until he is sentenced next month but warned he is facing a lengthy spell behind bars.. prosecutor katherine dunn told the court the victim, who is now an adult, broke her silence in 2009.. the court heard how at a special church meeting, leighton admitted sexual abuse and made excuses for his behaviour.. miss dunn said: the elders conducted their own investigation.

cedars

St George / falseprophet

Simon Preyser is also still listed as a trustee but at Sunderland Roker, just a few miles up the road. Charity number 1067526 if you want to look it up.

There could be any one of three reasons for this. (1) Preyser moved congs after the incident, (2) the charity records are not up to date, or (3) the incident involved two different congregations, and Preyser was drafted in to sit on the judicial committee in representation of the congregation from which the accusations eminated.

Cedars

172

Britain | Jehovah's Witnesses hushed up child sex scandal | July 16, 2013

by jwleaks in

church officials hushed up a child sex scandal in their ranks and refused to co-operate with police.. .

jehovah witness ministerial servant gordon leighton admitted sexually abusing a child when he was confronted by his church elders, a court heard.. but during the official police investigation, the 53-year-old who made headlines in the 1990s when wife yvonne, 28, died after refusing a blood transfusion after childbirth on religious grounds denied any illegal wrongdoing.. and when detectives asked elders simon preyser, harry logan and david scott to make statements about the confession, all three refused and said what they had heard was confidential.. for three years, the elders refused to co-operate with the criminal investigation and kept up that stance when the case was brought before newcastle crown court after the victim made a complaint to police.. each was issued with a witness summons which they fought to overturn before being ordered to testify by judge penny moreland citing public interest.. their barrister richard daniels said the men had a duty to god not to breach confidence.. he added: privileged communication between members of the congregation and ministers is an absolute right and duty and there is no power in law to breach such a confidence.. judge moreland said: it is apparent that the three elders who were present when this conversation took place are in possession of relevant evidence as to a point which is of real significance in this case.. they claim the right of confidentiality, they claim that what they heard said by the defendant during the course of that meeting ought to be subject to privilege, as ministers of religion.. judge moreland refused to withdraw the summonses and said: public interest is clearly in favour of this evidence being given.. what was said by the defendant on that occasion is of great significance in the trial.. despite the judges ruling, the men still refused to make statements to police until just hours before they were called before the jury.. leighton, who has since been expelled from the church at lambton kingdom hall in washington, denied two charges of indecency with a child and seven of indecent assault.. he was yesterday found guilty of two charges of indecency with a child and six of indecent assault.

he was found not guilty of one indecent assault charge, on the direction of the judge.. he was remanded in custody until he is sentenced next month but warned he is facing a lengthy spell behind bars.. prosecutor katherine dunn told the court the victim, who is now an adult, broke her silence in 2009.. the court heard how at a special church meeting, leighton admitted sexual abuse and made excuses for his behaviour.. miss dunn said: the elders conducted their own investigation.

cedars

Here is my article on the case for anyone interested...

http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/elders-frustrate-uk-authorities-in-child-abuse-cover-up

I'd love to know whether Cofty knows anyone who was involved in this. It happened more-or-less in his backyard.

Cedars

18

New JW.org video on "helping" prisoners

by cedars in

jw
friends

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-vjlssg3xi.

you can't help but feel sympathy for these guys.

some of the things they did will have been horrendous, but they are paying their dues to society through their incarceration.. what they don't deserve is to become mentally imprisoned to a damaging cult.. .

cedars

Is this what you call a "captive audience?"

Cedars

73

DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi folks.

i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

cedars

factfinder

Also, you call me "stupid" and a "watchtower apologist' on FB and unfriend me because I do not agree 100% with you on your views . Thus you resort to name calling. You feel I am an active witness and because I do not see everything according to your view I am "stupid" and a wt apologist? Sounds like you are trying to pull me away from the jws and to follow you instead.

I don't go airing dirty laundry in public, that's not my style. I've expressed myself to you in private, and I have nothing further to add to what I told you. I made it clear in my final few words to you that I don't believe you to be stupid, that I believe you are in fact a WT apologist. Already, only a few minutes later, you are misrepresenting what I said.

This is not about whether you agree or disagree with me. This is about me not wasting my time with people who approach me on FB with sob stories under the pretense that they need help, and then mount a robust defense of the organization on another website putting up smokescreens to distract from important information.

That's all I have to say.

Cedars

73

DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi folks.

i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

cedars

factfinder

Thanks for the lecture on how I do my research and write articles, but you clearly need to learn a thing or two yourself about relevant information.

The Yearbook quote you mention (thanks for forcing me to look it up rather than quoting it yourself, by the way) is vague and unspecific.

"Jehovah’s Witnesses are already translating Bible literature into some 600 languages. Translating an entire songbook of 135 songs is a particularly daunting task. Yet, within three years the entire new songbook, Sing to Jehovah, was translated into 116 languages. An additional 55 languages have a 55-song version of the songbook, and dozens of other language editions are on the way."

The translation of "bible literature" into 600 languages is very different from the availability of bible literature in 600 languages. The above quote alone shows that even the song book is only fully available in 116 languages, which isn't far off the figures I quoted for Watchtowers and Awakes.

In making my quotes, I quoted relevant information based on the discussion at hand, which focuses on magazines.

It seems you want to switch the focus away from magazine printing even though it represents a significant portion of the Society's print commitments.

Cedars

1

Rap video featuring Russell, Whacky Freddy and Don Adams...

by Calebs Airplane in

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o1d7zduxqs.

cedars

I do love those JibJab videos. Shame not to see AM3 in them more often. I'm a big fan of his work!

Cedars

6

Hilarious Jehovah's Witness rap video

by cedars in

jw
friends

just incase there are those like me who hadn't seen this before.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qepcakqoljg.

.

cedars.

cedars

Just incase there are those like me who hadn't seen this before...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qepCaKQOLjg

Cedars

73

DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi folks.

i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

cedars

Even though I find the maker of this video irritating and juvenile, the video does demonstrate why magazine circulation figures should not be given too much credence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URzozEjxgT4

Cedars

73

DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi folks.

i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

cedars

factfinder

The increase of languages the society prints literature in since 2005 is over 200!

I'm starting to wonder how you got your name...

*** w05 2/1 p. 32 “Keep on the Watch” ***
With a worldwide circulation of more than 26,000,000 copies in 150 languages, The Watchtower is the most widely distributed religious magazine in the world.

*** w12 8/15 p. 7 par. 14 “I Am With You” ***
The Watchtower is now published in 195 languages. It is the most widely circulated magazine on earth, with a circulation of 42,182,000 copies each issue.

Cedars

73

DID YOU KNOW the latest Brooklyn sell-offs will take total Watchtower earnings to $804 MILLION since 2004?

by cedars in

jw
friends

hi folks.

i apologize if this is old news to some, but it's news to me.. i stumbled on a comprehensive list of all the sold properties on wikipedia on this link... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/watch_tower_bible_and_tract_society_of_pennsylvania#brooklyn_property_sales.

it's just a mind-boggling amount of money, and useful information to have handy when talking to witness relatives.

cedars

factfinder, so you're insinuating that the printing presses will be busier than ever because they need to "be shut down and set up again" for more new languages, and this will make up for the 39% reduction in printed magazine pages? I just don't see it. Watchtower is printed in 45 more languages than it was in 2005. I don't see how that will make a huge difference operationally. Besides, it's not like the Society are paying for downtime on the press in terms of wages with a volunteer workforce.

There was nothing unusual about the releases at this year's convention in terms of print volume. They just chose to count in tracts as "new releases" whereas in yesteryear these would have been announced at the meetings. A print run of new Kingdom News tracts is also nothing the Society hasn't handled in years gone by. I fail to see anything in the Society's print demands that goes anywhere near to filling the gap left by a 39% reduction in magazine printing.

Cedars