@Finkelstein
So lets get this down on record Nitty Gritty, your in supportive
agreement to the way the WTS has been handling acts of pedophilia within their
organization ?
No, I cannot say that. Mistakes have been made. And that not always being
the fault of the WT as pedophiles can be very insidious. I used to think that a
known pedophile (one who without a shadow of a doubt has been convicted and is
considered a predator) should be announced from the platform for all to know.
However, even such a vile person can change and publicly announcing him in this
way would make anyone accepting a change in him very difficult. Basically this
person would become an outcast with no hope. This is not Christian. Plus, if he
did change, and moved to another congregation, would it be expected to announce
him as a former pedophile? Would that be reasonable and a Christian thing to
do?
A pedophile who is convicted and a recognized predator is disfellowshipped,
so announcing him as a pedophile is not needed as all in the congregation will
stop associating with him. However, he does have hope, he can change if he
wants and be accepted back. But can WT be blamed if he reverts back to his
perversities and molests again? Hardly fair to say that.
However, if there is a known predator in the congregation the parents of all
minor children are discreetly informed of who he/she is. That’s better than
announcing it from the platform.
As for the 2 witness rule, obviously and in most cases a molester has no
witnesses. But if he denies it, what can the WT do? The parents can go to the
police, the police can investigate, but most of the time they come to the same
conclusion as the WT, that in this case they can’t really do anything either!