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"50 Years a Watchtower Slave" Chapter 9
by new boy inchapter 9.
“let’s us move to were the need is greater”.
i remember a “kingdom ministry” heading saying “only x number of months left.” left to what?
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Vatican launches website for preventing clerical sex abuse
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/12/06/vatican-launches-website-preventing-clerical-sex-abuse/.
inés san martín .
december 6, 2016 vatican_correspondent.
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Italian priest who was reported to Pope Francis years ago by deaf survivors in Verona is arrested for recent abuse of children in Argentina
December 1, 2016 – -
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The Evils of Aluminum
by NeonMadman inaluminum was an issue that became a real “tempest in a teapot” for the watchtower.
it influenced their teaching for almost 50 years and, frankly, created an impression among observers that their members were off-the-wall fanatics.
for all those years, the golden age and other watchtower publications took the position that aluminum cookware and utensils were one of the great health hazards of the 20th century.
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Aluminum, Fluoride, and Glyphosate—A Toxic Trifecta Implicated in Autism and Alzheimer's Disease
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Vatican launches website for preventing clerical sex abuse
by AndersonsInfo inhttps://cruxnow.com/vatican/2016/12/06/vatican-launches-website-preventing-clerical-sex-abuse/.
inés san martín .
december 6, 2016 vatican_correspondent.
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Is it all Public Relations?Vatican still wants no accountability.Pope Francis has never banned his bishops from fighting against statue of limitation reform.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------‘Spin control’?“These cases are never really about money,” Garabedian said. “They’re about validation.”Garabedian, one of the nation’s leading legal representatives for victims of child sexual abuse, who played a major role in exposing a cover-up within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, describes the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese’s willingness to not fight release of the McCaa documents as “spin control.”“The diocese is concerned about its public image,” Garabedian said.http://www.tribdem.com/news/three-decades-later-altoona-johnstown-diocese-doesn-t-object-to/article_8235d4ac-bf60-11e6-8e49-cbcb63acf250.html -
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THE BIG A: RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
by Mary inwhere did all the witnesses over the decades get the idea that armageddon was right around the corner?
the society certainly never put anything like that down in print:
*** w56 10/15 p. 614 when will gods kingdom come?
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Will Armageddon start in Siberia first ? And has it started?In the book God’s Kingdom Rules!CHAPTER 21
Events Leading Up to Armageddon8, 9. To what phenomena may Jesus have referred, and how will people react to what they observe?8 Jesus’ prophecy about the last days indicates that several significant developments will take place during the time leading up to Armageddon. The first two events that we will consider are both mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke.—ReadMatthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:23-27; Luke 21:25-28.9 Celestial phenomena. Jesus foretells: “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven.” Certainly the religious leaders will not be looked to for light—they will no longer be identified as such. Was Jesus also referring to a supernatural manifestation in the heavens? Perhaps he was. (Isa. 13:9-11; Joel 2:1, 30, 31) How will people react to what they observe? They will be in “anguish” because of “not knowing the way out.” (Luke 21:25; Zeph. 1:17) Yes, enemies of God’s Kingdom—from ‘kings to slaves’—will grow “faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming” and will run for cover. Yet, they will find no hiding place secure enough for them to escape the wrath of our King.—Luke 21:26; 23:30;Rev. 6:15-17.WHY DOES SIBERIA GET ALL THE COOL METEORS?
People in video's seem more in awe than faint out of fear, so far. -
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Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - from the state of New York - and non Jehovah Witness victims, along with all supporters
by Sol Reform injehovah witness victims of childhood sex abuse - from the state of new york - and non jehovah witness victims, along with all supporters - you're all invited to a press conference and movie screening in support of statute of limitation reform.. .
press conference and movie screening in support of statute of limitation reform .
advocates for reform of ny's too-weak childhood .
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http://www.businessinsider.com/catholic-church-sexual-abuse-victims-compensation-fund-2016-11
The Catholic Church has a plan to compensate sexual-abuse victims, but many will get nothing
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York. APNeal Gumpel, a 59-year-old screenwriter, said he was elated when he heard in October that Cardinal Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York, announced that the church was setting up a fund to compensate sexual-abuse victims. Gumpel said that when he was 16 the Rev. Roy Drake, a Jesuit priest, sexually assaulted him.The program, called the Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program (IRCP), is intended to "bring a measure of peace and healing to those who have suffered abuse," Dolan said.The IRCP has many phases. The first, which spans from October to January, covers only those who had previously filed claims of sexual abuse against the church. The second phase, for which an implementation date has not been announced, will cover new claims filed against clergy members."I thought, finally, they're acknowledging the victims," Gumpel told Business Insider. "Finally, they're admitting the pain they've caused us, not just by abusing us, but by turning their backs on us when we tried to come forward."But then he heard the bad news. Gumpel's claims would not be covered and he would not receive a public acknowledgement from the church.The IRCP only covers people abused by diocesan priests and deacons, leaving out victims of religious order members, such as Jesuits, Franciscans, Benedictines, and others, and church employees, like choirmasters and coaches, claiming that religious order members do not fall under the archdiocese's purview.The reason why comes down to a technicality, according to the church.Although clerics from religious orders, like Drake, have to secure the permission of the archbishop of New York to function as a priest at any Catholic parish, school, or institution in the diocese, canon law stipulates that the bishop isn't liable for what clerics do outside of "sacramental duties," such as hearing confession and marrying couples, Edward Mechmann, a civil attorney and head of the New York Archdiocese's Child Protection Office, told Business Insider.That's why Dolan's fund doesn't cover victims abused by religious order members.As of 2013, 79% of officials in the New York Archdiocese — which includes diocesan priests, deacons, religious priests, brothers, and sisters — are from religious orders.'Never seen anything like it'
Neal Gumpel, right, and his wife, Helen, regularly demonstrate against the church and Society of Jesus outside the gates of Fordham University, a Jesuit school in the Bronx, New York. Neal GumpelGumpel has tried many avenues for recourse with the church. In many ways the IRCP was his final hope.In 2013, Gumpel went public with his allegations after decades of keeping them secret.He contacted Mitchell Garabedian, a Boston lawyer who has represented hundreds of victims of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church and who was depicted in the movie "Spotlight" in 2015.Before contacting Garabedian, Gumpel told only the people closest to him. The abuse destroyed his life and family, he said. He is estranged from his siblings, he suffered with substance abuse for years, and his trauma contributed to the failure of his first marriage.Garabedian already knew about Drake when Gumpel called because he had worked with Richard Cerick, who said Drake had raped him when he was 13 years old in New York in 1969.Cerick succeeded in getting a six-figure settlement, according to Garabedian, from the Society of Jesus, the religious order in the church that Drake was part of, as well as a public apologyfrom Fordham University, the Jesuit university that housed Drake for 24 years and that continues to house a large number of New York Jesuits to this day.Garabedian and Gumpel were both hopeful that the church would agree to compensate him and issue a public apology, just as they did for Cerick.When Gumpel met with representatives for the Society of Jesus, they apologized for what had happened, before questioning "almost everyone" in Gumpel's life, said Gumpel and Garabedian. They eventually deemed his story credible and apologized again privately but declined to compensate him or issue a public apology.The Society of Jesus then said it would not compensate Gumpel because Drake had abused him while he was on a leave of absence.That reasoning doesn't make sense, Robert Hoatson, a former priest and the founder of Road to Recovery, an organization that advocates for victims of clergy sex abuse, told Business Insider. Jesuit priests have to go through a formal process to be "laicized," or removed from the priesthood, he said. Drake never did."I'd never seen anything like it before. They said [Gumpel's] story was credible, they acknowledged that it happened, they acknowledged the problem, and then they said they wouldn't fix it," Garabedian said.Hillary Clinton, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, and Donald Trump at the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner in New York in 2016.Thomson ReutersInconsistencies in the church
The church's distinction between diocesan priests and deacons and religious order clerics and church officials doesn't make complete sense, according to many experts on canon law.Canon law stipulates that the bishop in any diocese holds ultimate authority over religious order clerics, Patrick J. Wall, a canon lawyer and former Roman Catholic priest who has written extensively about sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, told Business Insider.A book on canon law by three canon lawyers — John Beal, James Coriden, and Thomas Green — concluded the same."There is no statute of canon law which says the bishop is only responsible in certain cases," Wall said. "The bishop is responsible, according to canon law, for the people of God. That includes any priest, religious [order member], layperson, or volunteer who works or functions in the diocese in collaboration with the bishop."Even in practice, the church has not always been consistent in differentiating between diocesan members and religious order members when it comes to sexual abuse.At the beginning of the abuse crisis, the church frequently settled and gave payments to victims of religious order members, Anne Barrett-Doyle told Business Insider. She is the codirector of BishopAccountability.org, an information resource that tracks sexual abuse by members of the Roman Catholic Church.For example, the New York Archdiocese took partial responsibility for sexual abuse committed by the Rev. Bruce Ritter, a Franciscan priest, in the 1990s. Ritter was never "defrocked" from the priesthood.In 2007, the Los Angeles Archdiocese, in conjunction with religious orders, paid out $660 million to settle claims that 508 victims brought against 221 priests, brothers, teachers, and employees in the largest church-abuse case nationwide. That same year, the San Diego Diocese agreed to pay $200 million to 144 victims who said they were abused by diocesan and religious-order clerics. In 2004, the Orange County Diocese paid $100 million to settle claims by 91 victims against 44 priests and religious-order members.Neal Gumpel, right, and Robert Hoatson demonstrate against the church and the Society of Jesus a couple of times a month. Neal GumpelThe 'look-back window'
Outside of excluding victims of religious clerics, Dolan's program has been criticized as being instituted to circumvent legal action against the church.New York's current sexual-abuse laws, particularly those regarding child sexual abuse, are among the most stringent in the country, because they give victims a very small window of time within which to take legal action than do laws in other states.The statute of limitations for child sexual abuse in New York gives victims only until age 23 to prosecute their abusers and until age 21 to prosecute negligent employers. By comparison, Connecticut, Florida, Delaware, and other states have no civil or criminal statute of limitations for child sex abuse.The IRCP comes at a time when victims advocates are gaining ground pushing for statute-of-limitations reform in New York. The Child Victims Act, which has received support in the New York Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, aims to eliminate the statute of limitations for child-sexual-abuse cases. It includes a "look-back window," which would give victims of child sexual abuse one year to retroactively file civil suits against their abusers.Cecilia Springer, age 85, would benefit from the Child Victims Act. Springer said she was abused in 1945 at the age of 14 by Sister Mary Andrew, who was the principal of Notre Dame High School in Manhattan, which she attended. A religious sister for 30 years and a Garabedian client, Springer cannot sue the church because the statute of limitations has ended.The Child Victims Act is her last hope. She cannot participate in the IRCP because, like Gumpel, she was abused by a religious-order member, not a diocesan priest or deacon."If it doesn't pass, then I have no way of seeking justice for the crime committed against me," she said. "The church is turning a blind eye to me and anyone like me who was abused by a [religious-order member]. What other option do I have?"Springer, Gumpel, and others like them would likely be the church's biggest liability if the bill passes, said Barrett-Doyle, who added that the IRCP is intended to signal to New York legislators that the church is taking care of victims themselves, while limiting how much it has to pay."A 'look-back window' like the one in the Child Victims Act would be catastrophic for the Church. Can you imagine how many people would sue them?" she said.The IRCP stipulates that if claimants choose to participate in the program, they forever waive the right to sue the church, thereby releasing the institution of any liability in the future, and they must sign an agreement to adhere to "all requirements pertaining to privacy and confidentiality.""If the Child Victims Act ever passes in New York — and Gov. Andrew Cuomo promises it will be a priority in 2017 — Dolan will have already flushed out and shackled many of the victims who might have filed suit," Barrett-Doyle wrote in an op-ed for the National Catholic Reporter in October."The church is doing what it always does," said Garabedian. "It's taking care of the problem quietly and paying as little money as possible, all while sweeping the abuse under the rug." -
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Latest from Australian Royal Commission
by gerry injust received this update.
http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=8e90fa1e64ebb08847cc04916&id=fcec86ae2b&e=0670c7af59.
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14 November 2016
Final hearings into various institutions
The Royal Commission will hold a series of public hearings in Sydney to inquire into the current policies and procedures of the following institutions in relation to child protection and child-safe standards, including responding to allegations of child sexual abuse:- Case Study 47 YMCA New South Wales
- Case Study 48 Scouts New South Wales
- Case Study 49 The Salvation Army
- Case Study 50 Catholic Church authorities in Australia
- Case Study 51 Commonwealth and the State and Territory governments
- Case Study 52 Anglican Church authorities in Australia
- Case Study 53 Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi
- Case Study 54 Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd
- Case Study 55 Australian Christian Churches and affiliated Pentecostal churches
- Case Study 56 Uniting Church in Australia.
The public hearing into YMCA New South Wales, Scouts New South Wales and The Salvation Army will commence on 5 December 2016 and is expected to end on 9 December 2016.Scope and Purpose
The public hearing into Catholic Church authorities in Australia will commence on 6 February 2017 and is expected to end on 24 February 2017.
The public hearing into Commonwealth, State and Territory governments will commence on 6 March 2017 and is expected to end on 10 March 2017.
The public hearing into Anglican Church authorities in Australia, Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd, Australian Christian Churches and affiliated Pentecostal churches, and the Uniting Church in Australia will commence on 20 March 2017 and is expected to end on 24 March 2017.
The scope and purpose of the public hearings is to consider:- The current policies and procedures of each named institution in relation to child protection and child-safe standards, including responding to allegations of child sexual abuse.
- Factors that may have contributed to the occurrence of child sexual abuse in each named institution.
- Factors that may have affected the institutional response of each named institution to child sexual abuse.
- The responses of each named institution to relevant case study report(s) and other Royal Commission reports.
- Data relating to the extent of claims of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in Australia.
- Data relating to the extent of claims of child sexual abuse in the Anglican Church in Australia.
- Any related matters.
Leave to appear
The Royal Commission may invite selected individuals or organisations to speak to, or give evidence about, the submissions they have previously provided, however it is not proposed that leave to appear will be granted to these individuals or organisations, on the basis that they are speaking or giving evidence in this capacity.
It is not essential for others who give evidence in a hearing to apply for leave to appear – witnesses may give evidence without applying for leave.
Any person or institution wishing to seek leave to appear is invited to lodge a written application for leave to appear at the public hearings by:- 21 November 2016 YMCA New South Wales, Scouts New South Wales and The Salvation Army
- 7 December 2016 Catholic Church authorities in Australia, Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, Anglican Church authorities in Australia, Yeshivah Melbourne and Yeshiva Bondi, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia Ltd, Australian Christian Churches and affiliated Pentecostal churches, and the Uniting Church in Australia.
Applications for leave to appear should be made using the form available here -
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Jehovah Witness victims of Childhood Sex Abuse - from the state of New York - and non Jehovah Witness victims, along with all supporters
by Sol Reform injehovah witness victims of childhood sex abuse - from the state of new york - and non jehovah witness victims, along with all supporters - you're all invited to a press conference and movie screening in support of statute of limitation reform.. .
press conference and movie screening in support of statute of limitation reform .
advocates for reform of ny's too-weak childhood .
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http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/cardinal-dolan-establishes-fund-for-abuse-victims
Critics claim it's the archdiocese's attempt to circumvent Child Victims Act
NEW YORK (ChurchMilitant.com) - The New York archdiocese is implementing a program to compensate victims of sexual abuse, as long as they promise never to sue the archdiocese. The program is receiving backlash from all quarters.The Independent Reconciliation and Compensation Program will allow victims with credible allegations of abuse to apply for compensation, with payment handed out within 60 days of the claim. Victims must also sign a confidentiality agreement as well as a release freeing the archdiocese of any litigation over related claims in the future."I wish I would have done this quite a while ago," said Cdl. Timothy Dolan in early October. "I just finally thought: ‘Darn it, let's do it. I’m tired of putting it off." Dolan claimed it was Pope Francis' announcement of the Year of Mercy that inspired him to launch the compensation fund.Critics are claiming the program isn't as simple or as benevolent as it seems, however. In fact, some believe there's a clear strategy by the archdiocese to sweep sexual abuse claims under the rug and obfuscate the truth, while also circumventing the Child Victims Act, which would abolish the statute of limitations for sex abuse lawsuits.New York state senator Brad Hoylman is expressing skepticism about the program. "It should also be acknowledged that this is a canny legal strategy devised to reduce the archdiocese's liability for decades of crimes and cover-ups," said Hoylman, chief sponsor of the Child Victims Act.Currently, New York law places a cap on filing lawsuits once the victim reaches his 23rd birthday, after which he may not bring a claim. Often victims are not ready, however, to bring a claim at that age, only working up the courage to do so later in life. The statute of limitations prevents them from doing so. The bill would also open up a one-year window for victims to sue their abusers.The bill was introduced in April 16 and has 22 co-sponsors in the state senate. But the New York archdiocese has doggedly fought the bill, spending $2 million in lobbying efforts against it, arguing that the one-year window to re-open old cases would bankrupt parishes. The bill failed to pass this year, but will be back on the table in 2017."Cardinal Dolan sees the writing on the wall," said Gary Greenberg, an abuse victim who supports the bill. "He knows the Child Victims Act will pass next year.""This is an obvious attempt to circumvent justice by creating a committee of members that he selects who will offer priest abuse survivors the opportunity of a settlement outside the legal system, and only in return for sacrificing (victims') rights," he added. "It's disgusting. Cardinal Dolan should be ashamed of himself."If a claimant chooses to accept a final payment pursuant to this Protocol, the claimant will be required to sign a full Release [which] will waive any rights the claimant or his/her heirs, descendants, legatees and beneficiaries may have against the Archdiocese of New York or any potentially responsible party to assert any claims relating to such allegations of sexual abuse, to file an individual legal action relating to such allegations, or to participate in any legal action associated with such allegations.In other words, once the victim accepts compensation, he must promise never to sue the archdiocese on related claims. The program would also keep victims in the dark about their perpetrators, as all information concerning those who abused them would be held from them.Mary Caplan, former director of the New York chapter of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, a group that lobbies on behalf of victims, stated she would "encourage victims to think long and hard before approaching Church officials or their representatives."The program is reminiscent of some of the agreements of sex abuse cases in Boston, which ended up benefiting the archdiocese and the victims' attorneys while keeping the public in the dark about sex abusers, many of whom went on to molest more victims.In the case of John J. Geoghan, a notorious abuser of hundreds of children, as many as 30 abuse cases were settled in private that required confidentiality agreements. Mitchell Garabedian, who filed numerous lawsuits against Geoghan, commented that settling cases in secrecy leads to victims feeling "more unnecessary guilt about the sexual molestation, even if it's years later."Jeffrey R. Anderson, a Minnesota lawyer who has represented more than 1,000 sex abuse victims, has also criticized confidentiality agreements. "I am greatly offended by the frequency and number of confidentially settled agreements. The Church overwhelms lawyers and survivors into silence and secrecy ... and I don't like it." -
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ACTION ALERT: PA Survivors of child sex abuse, we need you to call PA Attorney General’s Office 1-888-538-8541
by awareness inlast april, the pa attorney general’s office established a toll-free phone number for survivors of child sex abuse (who were pa residents, or were abused by someone in pa) to call if they wanted to file a report of being sexually abused or molested as a child under 18 no matter how long ago the abuse happened or no matter who committed the abuse.. .
the ag’s office is asking victims from all the places/institutions and all the alleged criminals that have literally gotten away with soul murder.
hopefully, the ag’s office will be able to take further steps to expose the criminals and the criminal institutions that aided and abetted the perps.. .
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ACTION ALERT: PA Survivors of child sex abuse, we need you to call PA Attorney General’s Office 1-888-538-8541
by awareness inlast april, the pa attorney general’s office established a toll-free phone number for survivors of child sex abuse (who were pa residents, or were abused by someone in pa) to call if they wanted to file a report of being sexually abused or molested as a child under 18 no matter how long ago the abuse happened or no matter who committed the abuse.. .
the ag’s office is asking victims from all the places/institutions and all the alleged criminals that have literally gotten away with soul murder.
hopefully, the ag’s office will be able to take further steps to expose the criminals and the criminal institutions that aided and abetted the perps.. .
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Search warrant served on Catholic Diocese of Erie
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Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General agents descend on offices of Erie-based diocese
By Dana Massing Erie Times-News
Special agents from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General descended Monday on the offices of the Catholic Diocese of Erie, serving a search warrant related to a state probe of clergy sex abuse. A diocese spokeswoman read the statement, which was handwritten because employees at the center weren't being allowed access to computers at the time.
An Attorney General police truck and an SUV were parked in front of St. Mark Catholic Center, 429 E. Grandview Blvd., as men in shirts proclaiming them to be a "special agent" or "police" went in and out of the building Monday shortly before noon. None was available for comment.
The diocesan building remained open Monday, with employees and visitors coming and going. Officials said they weren't requested by the Office of Attorney General to cancel any events there.It wasn't known how long the Attorney General agents would be on site or if they would return another day.The search warrant came a little more than two months after a subpoena.
Former Attorney General Kathleen Kane launched the statewide probe after the release of a grand jury report in March on Catholic Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. That report said two former bishops there had helped cover up the sexual abuse of hundreds of children by priests and other religious leaders over four decades.Dana Massing can be reached at 870-1729 or by email. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmassing.
