Posts by silentlambs

7

New Newspaper Story

by silentlambs in

fyi jeff steen sat with me on a wt appointed committee four months ago and ruled with the majority to not appoint a judicial committee or report to police a confessed child molester we were dealing with...... please let the reporter know how much his efforts are appreciated in getting the word out.

you may write the reporter at [email protected].

silentlambs.

silentlambs

just bringing this back up to top.

7

New Newspaper Story

by silentlambs in

fyi jeff steen sat with me on a wt appointed committee four months ago and ruled with the majority to not appoint a judicial committee or report to police a confessed child molester we were dealing with...... please let the reporter know how much his efforts are appreciated in getting the word out.

you may write the reporter at [email protected].

silentlambs.

silentlambs

FYI Jeff Steen sat with me on a wt appointed committee four months ago and ruled with the majority to not appoint a judicial committee or report to police a confessed child molester we were dealing with.....
Please let the reporter know how much his efforts are appreciated in getting the word out. You may write the reporter at [email protected]
silentlambs
Tuesday, March 13, 2001 Murray Ledger - News Bowen criticizes Church's policies
By EDWARD SHERIDAN
Staff Writer
After being the focus of articles published in Christianity Today, on the MSNBC Internet site and across the Associated Press wire, it might seem as if William H. Bowen, a former elder in the Jehovah’s Witness church, is everywhere.
And that is exactly where he wants to be - everywhere.
Bowen resigned from his position as presiding overseer (chief elder) at the Draffenville Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses Dec. 31 over what he called a “pedophile refuge mentality in the church.” He said his resignation was meant to stir the Jehovah’s Witness denomination to action.
“Their response to me was, ‘We accept your resignation,’” he said. “At that point, they forced my hand, which was to go public with the matter.
“I want the whole world to know what these people are doing to children.”
•••
Bowen, who moved to Draffenville from Seattle in 1994 with his wife, Sheila, and two children, Rex, 8, and Jessica, 13, is a lifetime Jehovah’s Witness. He attained the status of elder at the age of 28, a rarity since most are at least 30 before they attain the position. Since that time, he has served as presiding overseer in two different congregations, including the one in Draffenville.
During his time as an elder, Bowen said he became aware of several instances of child sexual abuse within the church, but did not question the church’s policy, which is set forth by the Brooklyn-based Watchtower Society, until becoming involved with a case in Draffenville.
Although Bowen will not divulge details of the incident he became involved with in Draffenville, he will say that began to become increasingly disturbed by the Watchtower Society’s policies on dealing with pedophiliacs.
“It’s something that’s completely protective of the pedophile,” Bowen said. “Once I discovered what the policy was, I could no longer remain silent. I could not live with myself as an elder and know that I was supporting or condoning such a stance.”
Particularly at issue with Bowen was that there had been occurrences of child molestation being reported to the elders of the church, but that the information was never passed on to law enforcement authorities.
Under the Jehovah’s Witness system, there must be two eyewitnesses to an offense before a complaint is considered valid. Even though the policy states that the two witnesses do not have to have witnessed the same event at the same time in cases of child molestation, Bowen said it places the burden of proof squarely on the shoulders of the victim.
“How can there be supporting evidence of child molestation when 90 percent of the time the crime is reported weeks or sometimes years later?” he said. “How many pedophiles will tell the truth, knowing if they do they could go to jail?”
Bowen said in many instances where the accused will not confess to church elders, crimes go unreported because of the church’s policy of not wishing to slander an innocent person.
“In many cases, accused pedophiles remain in positions of responsibility within the church, while their victims are threatened and told to suffer in silence or face church sanctions,” he said. “As it stands now, if my child were to accuse a Jehovah’s Witness of molestation, all he or she would have to do is deny it.
“If the molester repents in private to church elders, the victim or the family of the victim is not encouraged to report the molestation to the police. If not reported, then church authorities demand the victim remain silent.”
•••
Jeff Steen, an elder in the Murray denomination of Jehovah’s Witnesses, spent several years as a deputy sheriff. He still does not consider himself an expert on state laws concerning sexual crimes against children, though.
“Every state has a little nuance on how these things are handled,” Steen said. “Because this is such a rare occurrence, this is not the type of thing that I’m up on. It’s not the kind of thing we handle on a regular basis. It’s not an every day or week or year occurrence.”
As a result, Steen is thankful for the services of Watchtower Legal Services, which also operates out of the organization’s Brooklyn headquarters.
According to Jehovah’s Witness policy, any time a legitimate instance of child sexual abuse is reported to a church elder, that elder is required to consult Watchtower Legal on what the state laws are on reporting such offenders.
Kentucky, for example, requires its citizens to report suspected child abuse, but allows exceptions for clergy-penitent and attorney-client privilege. In contrast, Indiana allows no exceptions.
A recent press release from the Watchtower Society stated, “If child abuse becomes known to our church elders, they strictly comply with applicable child abuse reporting laws. Furthermore, we do not prohibit or discourage the victim or the victim’s parents from reporting child abuse to the authorities even if the alleged perpetrator is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
“Usually, we’re made aware of the situation by a guardian or parent,” Steen said. “It’s their legal responsibility to make that information known and not necessarily the church elders. We’re not law enforcement.”
Steen said those who come to church elders with an issue are given confidentiality in much the same way a Catholic priest ensures confidentiality during confession. That policy, he said, can sometimes lead to some gray areas.
“You have a boy who’s 18 and he’s dating a girl who’s 17-years-old, so now you have an adult who’s dating a minor,” he said. “Let’s say they go out and he gives her a kiss on the doorstep. If mom wants to report that to the authorities, I’m not going to stop her … but I’m not going to report that.”
•••
There are documented cases of Jehovah’s Witnesses being convicted for child molestation in instances where the behavior was not reported to the authorities by church elders. Some of those cases include:
• A teen-age boy in Maine who was molested between 1989 and 1992 by a church member after elders disciplined the offender secretly for molesting another boy. The law did not require child abuse to be reported. The second victim told a therapist, who notified authorities.
• A man in New Hampshire who was given a 56-year prison sentence for physically abusing children. Elders did not report the abuse to the authorities, even after an accusation by the man’s wife. New Hampshire law, however, required clergy to report suspicions of abuse.
Although more documented court cases exist, Bowen said there are literally hundreds of similar cases that never see the light of day in a court of law.
“I posted my letter (of resignation) to the Watchtower Society on the Internet on one forum,” he said. “In two days, I had 15 pages of victims who wrote me. Each day, I receive new calls from victims.
“My religion has become saturated with pedophiles holding positions from top to bottom. In my 40-plus years as a member, I have yet to find one church among Jehovah’s Witnesses that does not have problems with child molestation.”
While court documents are public, however, instances in which the Jehovah’s Witness’ policy of turning to an elder for help worked will never be known because of the ecclesiastic privilege, according to Steen.
“We have a million people, approximately, in the United States,” he said. “We have, literally, thousands of congregations. Because you have a million people in our organization, it would be prudent to have some policy for dealing with people if child abuse were to happen.”
In the end, Steen said, instances in which elders mishandled matters come down to the basis of relying on a religion itself - imperfection.
“I’m here to tell you we’re not perfect human beings.”
•••
To be disfellowshipped is to cast your lot with the world and die, according to Jehovah’s Witness doctrine.
Those who are disfellowshipped are not allowed to communicate with their former church members or vice versa. They are not allowed to attend meetings. The excommunicated “apostate” is told he or she will not rise from the grave on Judgment Day.
According to Bowen, it is this fear that keeps many victims of child abuse from coming forward in the church.
“Every breath we take operates under the eye of the Watchtower organization,” he said. “The function and purpose of Watchtower Legal is not to protect children. It’s to avoid lawsuits.”
Still, Bowen considers himself a Jehovah’s Witness today. His recent declarations have come with a price, however.
“I have no intention of being disfellowshipped because I am telling the truth,” he said. “I have been completely ostracized by my local congregation. Most members now shun me. They cannot excommunicate me for telling the truth.”
•••
In the end, Bowen and Steen want the same thing - the protection of the victim - and while they seem to differ on the Watchtower Society’s policies, they both place a strong emphasis on involving law enforcement authorities in all cases of alleged abuse.
“My recommendation is to first go to the police,” Bowen said. “It’s not the elders’ business to investigate. They have no training in this area.”
“We don’t block or delay in any way the investigation of legal authorities,” Steen said. “Within the congregation, we don’t protect (the accused) from the police at all. There is a confidentiality that exists, but we make sure that if a child is being abused, we make sure the authorities know about it.”
While Steen still supports Watchtower Society policies, however, Bowen remains on his mission to force the organization to revamp its position on the issue.
“The overall point is this: Not once have they acknowledged that they have made a mistake,” Bowen said. “Children are being hurt, and they should come out a do what’s right for the children.”

173

PEDOPHILES are to WTS as flies are to honey?

by Focus in

w73 11/15 703-4 questions from readers ***.

do paul's words at 1 corinthians 6:1-7 mean that under no circumstances should a christian take to court a case involving a fellow believer?

-u.s.a. here paul was showing the corinthian christians the inconsistency of taking disputes between christians before secular tribunals.

silentlambs

I wish to congratulate your efforts on speaking the truth when it comes to issues of molestation within the wt. I have read with interest the posts of friend and his apparent misguided and misinformed perception of the reality that faces so many victims. I continue to talk to victims with many new coming forward, sad to say all have the same story, a story that reeks of the stench of wt policy. These people who live in brooklyn have no idea the monster they have created. One poor sister who called me related, "I was promised when the person who molested me was df that he would never be reinstated until he apologized to me for what he had done. six months later i found he had been reinstated i was so upset i called the wt to ask why, the response? 'none of your business, when i called the elders who sat on the committee they said the wt instructed them to tell me it was none of my business."

The victim is victimized again, yet they have created a person who will speak on any forum and in any court to tell what horrid ways she has been treated. do you think she is the only one?? hundreds maybe thousands before it is over, i say the lambs will roar the truth and wt will have no place to hide the grevious atrocities they have perpetrated on so many.

Thank you Focus and Alan for not allowing the reality to become obscure by insideous efforts of misguided people.

14

The letter that started it all, 12-31-00

by silentlambs in

12-31-00. watchtower.

25 columbia heights.

brooklyn, ny 11201. dear brothers,.

silentlambs

12-31-00

Watchtower
25 Columbia Heights
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Dear Brothers,

I am writing to resign as an elder and Presiding Overseer effective the date of this letter. I bear no ill will or malice toward anyone in the congregation or the Body of Elders. In my twenty-plus years of special service I have enjoyed many privileges, of which there have been many fond memories. So, it is with sadness I must make the following statement: I simply cannot agree with an organizational policy that as an elder I am required to enforce. This policy, in my opinion, has harmed thousands, is leaving many unprotected, and provides refuge to outright criminals.

I am referring to Watchtower policy to keep information about pedophiles confidential. Pedophiles are protected by a code of silence and in many cases remain, Ministerial Servants, Elders, Pioneers, Circuit, District Overseers, members of the Bethel Family, etc., while their victims suffer in silence or face sanctions. This policy is unethical and immoral in my opinion.

As an elder, I am instructed (1994 Elder School) if it is one person’s word against another and not two witnesses to the wrong, no action would be taken and no authorities would be notified. The victim? Cautioned to keep silent or face discipline within the congregation that could go as far as being disfellowshipped for slander.

This policy was again stated to the public in The Watchtower 1995, 11/1 pages 28-29 in the Article, ”Comfort for Those With a Stricken Spirit”, under the heading, “What Can Elders Do?” it plainly states:

“If the accusation is denied, the elders should explain to the accuser that nothing more can be done in a judicial way. And the congregation will continue to view the one accused as an innocent person. The Bible says that there must be two or three witnesses before judicial action can be taken. (2Cor.13:1; 1 Tim. 5:19) Even if more than one person “remembers” abuse by the individual, the nature of these recalls is just too uncertain to base judicial decisions on them without other supporting evidence. This does not mean that such “memories” are viewed as false (or that they are viewed as true). But Bible principles must be followed in establishing a matter judicially.”

Does this offer comfort to those with a stricken spirit?
How often are there witnesses with “supporting evidence” to an act of child molestation?
If two different persons recall abuse by one pedophile, how could he be viewed as “an innocent” man?
How hard would it be for a person with the disposition to molest children to deny the act when accused?

The 3-14-97 Letter to Bodies of Elders, page 2, paragraph 5, states:

“It may be possible that some who were guilty of child molestation were or are now serving as elders, ministerial servants, or regular or special pioneers. Others may have been guilty of child molestation before they were baptized. The bodies of elders should not query individuals. However, the body of elders should discuss this matter and give the Society a report on anyone who is currently serving or who formerly served in a society-appointed position in your congregation who is known to have been guilty of child molestation in the past.” Paragraph 6 continues at the end: “this information is not to be made available to those not involved.”

The only way a person within the organization can be guilty of child molestation is by confession, conviction by a court of law, or by the mouth of two witnesses who were there for the same event. For the individual who meets this criteria, the above information states the “body of elders should not query individuals” and “this information is not to be made available to those not involved.” For those who do not meet the above criteria, as in the case of a victim who accuses a person of molesting them, the code of silence is even more strictly enforced. What about potential victims, parents of children who do not know of these accusations? They are left in the dark without any knowledge that their children could be exposed to an accused sex offender on a regular basis.

These directives make the Watchtower organization a pedophile paradise, where children can be freely molested, as long as there is not substantial evidence or two witnesses to the same event, pedophiles are protected by Watchtower policy which is enforced by the Body of Elders.

How often are there witnesses to an act of child molestation? How can there be evidence of molestation, when 90% of the time the crime is reported weeks or sometimes years later? How many pedophiles will tell the truth, knowing if they do they could go to jail?
Does the fact that the average pedophile will molest seventy children in his lifetime and is never convicted of a crime mean we should allow them anonymity within our organization?

Due to this organizational policy, we have become saturated with pedophiles holding positions from top to bottom within our organization, in my opinion. In my forty-plus years in the organization, I have yet to find one congregation that did not have serious problems with children being molested.

The most incriminating fact lay with it not even being a matter of record, as in many cases when it is one word against another, not one word is recorded within the congregation file. Watchtower policy gives no direction in this regard. When elders call or write the Service Department for home office direction on how to handle matters involving child molestation, they are instructed that they will have to make the decision locally as to whether it should be taken care of judicially. The Service Department in effect lets local elders make the decision and as a result, the locals will take the responsibility if anything goes wrong. Thus protecting the Watchtower legally. How often will local elders in effect, “take care of a fellow accused elder,” protecting him from a judicial meeting using technicalities as an excuse? But when it comes to the victims, they are discredited, humiliated, and told to be silent. There is a silence of the lambs, the little ones, who look to You and Bodies of Elders for protection, but instead are crushed and ostracized by an organizational policy when they needed help the most. The Watchtower is protected; the pedophile is protected, too bad for the silent lamb.

How bad is it? With this policy you will allow one out of three “witness children” to be molested in their lifetime, in my opinion. I can no longer serve as an elder in an arrangement that promotes unethical and immoral behavior toward children. I refuse to support a pedophile refuge mentality that is promoted among Body of Elders around the world. Criminals should be ousted, identified, and punished to protect the innocent and give closure to the victim.

Each day that passes, more children are being molested, and victims suffer as abused lambs with a shepherd who seems not to care. For myself, I feel I can trust no one within the Watchtower organization with my children. If my children were to accuse a pedophile of molestation, all he would have to do is deny it and as a father I would be silenced with the threat of disfellowshiping if I were to try to say something (slander of a perceived innocent man) in a way of warning to protect others who may be in harms way. I state for the third time, this is wrong it is unethical and immoral to not protect children.

It is my sincere hope that this letter will result in an adjustment to completely overhaul Watchtower policy to address this horrific stance of protecting pedophiles and exposing children to danger.

Sincerely,

William H. Bowen

2

silentlambs AP article

by silentlambs in

elder resigns, protests faith's policy on abuse charges .

jehovah's witness: child abuse claims can go unreported .

11 february 2001. by kimberly hefling .

silentlambs

Elder resigns, protests faith's policy on abuse charges
Jehovah's Witness: Child abuse claims can go unreported

11 February 2001
By Kimberly Hefling
Associated Press
BENTON -- As a boy, William Bowen sat quietly in his seat while his classmates recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
As a member of Jehovah's Witnesses, he spent years going door-to-door evangelizing and serving the denomination. In time, he became an elder, a position of authority, in his western Kentucky congregation.
But as an elder, he was privy to information that caused him to question the Jehovah's Witnesses faith -- and to question it publicly, an ultimate transgression in the denomination.
In a letter dated Dec. 31, Bowen resigned as an elder, in protest of how the denomination, a society that shuns the outside world, handles accusations of child molestation. His claim is that in such a culture, accusations of child sex abuse can go unreported to secular authorities by Jehovah's Witnesses members who don't want to go against their faith. The claims of abuse victims are discredited, he said.
"They want to act like pedophilia doesn't exist. Shame on them," Bowen, 43, said in an interview from his Draffenville home where he runs a candlemaking business with his wife, Sheila.
Though Bowen expects to be kicked out of Jehovah's Witnesses -- or disfellowshipped -- for speaking out, no disciplinary action has been taken by his congregation. Still, some members refuse to shake his hand or associate with him outside the church.
"They treat us like we have the plague," Sheila Bowen said. "You don't go against God, and they think the organization is God."
Bowen's decision to resign has made him a hero among the denomination's dissidents.
"People have been intimidated into not saying anything. There are pieces of this all over the country where one person has a piece of evidence and another has a piece of evidence, but they're scared to bring it up because they'll be disfellowshipped," Bowen said. "So these people stay silent and they think, 'I'm the only one.' "
A person who is disfellowshipped is considered invisible by denomination members and may even be shunned by members of his own family.
"It's not just being out of a health club," said Steve Hassan, a former Unification Church member who is now a therapist and author. "It's losing your connection to God and members of your family inside the group."
Bowen chose to speak out anyway, and his story has appeared in religious publications and the secular media. In Kentucky, The Paducah Sun and WPSD-TV covered it. The (Louisville) Courier-Journal published a story in which it examined court records in seven child molestation cases around the nation involving members of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Bowen said a Jehovah's Witnesses policy requiring two people to witness wrongdoing before it is acknowledged by leaders makes it nearly impossible to prove child molestation occurs. Victims who do come forward confident they will receive help from church leaders are often left feeling betrayed, Bowen said.
Bowen said he became interested a couple of years ago after reading a confidential file alleging a member had molested a child in the early 1980s. He said he disapproved of the way the case was handled by church officials even after he spoke up about it.
J.R. Brown, spokesman at the Jehovah's Witnesses' headquarters in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, said he believes Bowen does not have a full understanding of church policies.
Members are free at all times to report abuse to secular authorities, Brown said. "This is a personal decision on how you want to handle this," he said.
What is revealed to church leaders is generally kept confidential unless state law requires that allegations of abuse be turned over to police, he said.
"We deal with sin, and law enforcement deals with crime," Brown said.
In some cases, however, the matter is turned over to secular authorities regardless of the law, Brown said.
Of Bowen, he said: "He's concerned about victims of child abuse, and we are, too."
Brown said the faith does require at least two witnesses to prove any kind of wrongdoing -- including child molestation -- because that is what is taught in the Bible. But corroborating evidence can be used instead of a second witness to prove wrongdoing, Brown said.
James Bonnell, an elder in Bowen's congregation, said the faith reaches out and helps people in need. It is not controlling, he said.
"It's a free choice," said Bonnell, of nearby Gilbertsville. "Everything you do is based on love of God and your neighbor."
'An identity thing'
The Jehovah's Witnesses denomination has 89,985 congregations and 5.5 million members worldwide, according to its Web site. It was founded in Pittsburgh in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell, a former Congregationalist layman.
Members refuse to bear arms, salute the flag or participate in secular government. They also refuse to accept blood transfusions. They reject a number of doctrines taught by traditional Christianity, including the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that the faith is the authority and the only way to salvation. They are to bring all problems to their religious leaders first.
Members attend numerous meetings, do Bible lessons and go door-to-door to evangelize, and some who have left the faith say that schedule leaves little time to think individually.
"It's like an identity thing," said Marilyn Zweifel, an ex-Jehovah's Witness in New Berlin, Wis., who runs a telephone helpline for current members. "Somewhere along the way, you lose your identity."
Debbie Shard, an ex-member who also operates a helpline from Ocoee, Fla., said members are told going outside the religion could hurt the faith's image and make it difficult to recruit and retain new members.
"If there's a fire, you'd call the fire department," Shard said. "If it's something that's not a life-threatening emergency, then the elders would be the first line of defense."
She agreed with Bowen, saying: "If you go to the elders, they will generally discourage you from going to (secular) authorities because it will bring reproach on the organization."
A former elder agreed. "Denial and secrecy are elemental to the way the society operates," said Mike Terry, of Conway, Ark.
Raymond Franz, a high-ranking Jehovah's Witness who was disfellowshipped and then wrote two books about the inner workings of the faith, said he doesn't believe cases of pedophilia are any more prevalent in the denomination than in others. But the religion's insularity leads to problems, he said.
"The thing is to keep everything within the system," Franz said. "That's a natural reaction for Witnesses because they are essentially a closed community . . . "

2

Now is the time to roar silentlambs!

by silentlambs in

now is the time to roar silentlambs!

i have discussed this a few weeks earlier.

the moment has arrived.

silentlambs

Now Is The Time To Roar Silentlambs!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have discussed this a few weeks earlier. The moment has arrived. The only way to force the Wt to change their policy is by public outcry. The WT needs the public to be so angry they are ready to burn them out before they will make the needed adjusments for the children.

How can this be accomplished?

Take the AP article listed below to your local paper. Tell them this happened to you and the reason why the public should know of the dispicable way children have been treated by WT Policy. Print up all the articles together, make you a little porfolio to share the extent of publication so far. I can assure you, NOW, you will have their attention. We need the WT to have so many calls coming in they will not be able to say this problem does not exist. Silentlambs this is your fight not mine, you have to speak, your voices have to be heard. Why? For the future victims of WT Policy, for the current victims of WT Policy, for those who are afraid to speak and suffer in silence.

The power is in your hands to make this happen, please do not miss this golden opportunity to right this wrong and protect the children.

silentlambs

P. S. If you need help getting any of the articles let me know and I will get them to you.

16

Paducah, KY News 6 Report

by silentlambs in

jehovahs witnesses, resigned pastor draw battle line over child molestation coverup charges.

last month, bill bowen not only resigned as presiding overseer of jehovahs witnesses at draffenville.

bowen charged his denomination with a national policy of elders not reporting confessions made by child molesters to police.

silentlambs

Jehovah’s witnesses, resigned pastor draw battle line over child molestation coverup charges
Last month, Bill Bowen not only resigned as presiding overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses at Draffenville. Bowen charged his denomination with a national policy of elders not reporting confessions made by child molesters to police.
Jehovah’s Witnesses, officially called the Watchtower Bible Tract Society, have been drawing battle lines to counter Bowen’s charges. Bowen is also gearing up for the fight.
Bowen resigned, saying he wanted to expose a dirty little secret about Jehovah’s witnesses, their silence when child molesters confess. He held up a church directive on the subject, saying “Not one word is said in this entire article about going to the authorities.”
Silent at first about Bowen’s charges, Jehovah’s Witnesses later publicly denied shielding offenders. Church leader Tom Carrothers says it’s okay for a parent to inform police if their child is molested. “But as far as the local elders, it would depend on what the legal department suggested.”
Carrothers referred to the legal department at Watch Tower headquarters in New York City. Bowen says officials at “legal” only tell elders whether their state requires reporting molesters. Watch Tower says local leaders are then told to follow the law.
Word of Bowen’s charges brought messages of support by E-mail from around the nation. One thanked NewsChannel 6 for “exposing the Witnesses’ policy,” claiming many in the church were “sexually abused.” One stated an elder’s son was caught with his hand in the panties of an 8-year old girl.
One E-mail came from a woman who claimed her husband, a Jehovah’s Witness elder, “didn’t turn a child abuser in.” Another woman wrote that when her child was victimized, elders told her to “wait on Jehovah” rather to inform police.
When Jehovah’s Witnesses decided to refute Bowen’s charges, they produced a videotape featuring denials. Cape Girardeau business leader Earl Norman appears on the tape.
Norman, an elder who says he has been a Witness for 50 years, says, “I’ve not at any time ever dealt with, or handled a matter like this. And to be accused of this being prevalent is ridiculous.”
Also from Cape Girardeau, police Lt. Carl Kinnison is seen on tape saying, “I have never known any Jehovah’s Witnesses or anyh group that has ever attempted to cover up.”
Jehovah’s Witness officials telephoned NewsChannel 6 asking when excerpts of their videotape would be aired. Meanwhile, Bowen’s supporters sent more E-mail messages. With each side trying to get the last word, it’s like a ping-pong match with the media as the table.
The nation may hear more of Bill Bowen’s charges. Bowen says NBC’s “Dateline” will start interviewing people for a report.

4

Egg On Watchtower's Face

by silentlambs in

the watchtower pr crew came to paducah last thursday and filmed an interview denouncing the recent media attention given by victims of pedophiles within the organization.

they thought they were going to be exonerated by the mighty watchtower pr department.

local witnesses mounted a huge call the television station effort to get them to run the sacred "pr" piece that would give them vindication from the truth.

silentlambs

The Watchtower PR Crew came to Paducah last Thursday and filmed an interview denouncing the recent media attention given by victims of pedophiles within the organization. They thought they were going to be exonerated by the mighty Watchtower PR Department. Local witnesses mounted a huge call the television station effort to get them to run the sacred "PR" piece that would give them vindication from the truth. All the local witnesses tuned in and called all of their worldly relatives to tell them to be sure and watch the news tonight as the REAL story was going to come out.......... Can you guess what happened? It was the top story of the 6 o'clock news, it featured my orginial statements about the wt protecting pedophiles. Then it showed Tom Carrothers the local city overseer who looked like he was scared to death, making one statement. "If a pedophile confessed they would have to call Watchtower Legal to see what to do." Then the reporter went on to say they were inundated by e-mails from victims, who said it had happened to them. The reporter, Earnie Mitchell, then read off five of the e-mails, One said it was a huge problem in the organization, another said an elders son was caught with his hand down the panties of an 8 year old and nothing was done. A sister's husband who was an elder refused to turn in a child molester, and finally when a sister son was molested the elders told her to not go to police, but to wait on Jehovah.........
The piece then went to Missouri elder Earl Norman who said basically he had never dealt with a case of molestation and did not know of any problem. Way to go Earl I guess all those victims were lying. The reporter went on to say the local witnesses had called in mass to get the wt video aired, yet the victims had made their point.
I had a person who is a friend who is not a witness call me. He said his daughter who is a witness, called him and said to be sure and watch the news as he was going to get the real story tonight. He was laughing and said she had not called him back, since the story aired. Way to go Watchtower please keep it up, with help like this I may just stop and let them run my publicity campaign about the pedophile paradise that exist within. Lets see, you have egg on your face, foot in your mouth, and you just shot yourself in both feet. Ease up guys I need a break. You have me laughing at you so much my sides are killing me.............
The Associated Press is running Sunday in a newspaper near you, plus due to the fine efforts of Watchtower PR the Paducah Sun is going to run my letter to the editor next Monday that rebukes the local needs part. Stay tuned more to come...........

If anyone would like to thank Earnie Mitchell for the news story, you can e-mail him at [email protected]

8

The Mario Moreno and JR Brown Chronicles

by silentlambs in

jw
friends

the mario moreno and get down j.r. brown chronicles.. how would you like these guys speaking for your church?.

they screw up because they don't call here (the watch tower legal department).

a jan. 2 statement from j.r. brown, director of public affairs for the jehovah's witnesses, said church elders "encourage the wrongdoers to do everything they can to set the matter straight with the authorities.

silentlambs

The Mario Moreno and get down J.R. Brown Chronicles.

How would you like these guys speaking for your church?

Paducah Sun- 1-5-01
A spokesman at the church's headquarters in New York said there is no
prohibition or discouragement in going to legal authorities in the event of child abuse.
J.R. Brown, public affairs director for Jehovah's Witnesses at the
church's headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., said in a statement that the
members of the faith "abhor all forms of wickedness, including child
abuse.''
"If child abuse becomes known to our church elders, they strictly
comply with applicable child abuse reporting laws. We also encourage the wrongdoers to do everything they can to set the matter straight with the authorities. Furthermore, we do not prohibit or discourage the victim or the victim's parents from reporting child abuse to the authorities even if the alleged perpetrator is one of Jehovah's Witnesses."
Jehovah's Witnesses abhor all forms of wickedness including child abuse. We do not condone the actions of those who exploit children by this terrible crime and such persons are disfellowshipped (excommunicated) from the congregation. A known child molester does not qualify for appointment as a. church elder or for any other position of responsibility in any congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses.

PR Statement 1-5-01 Channel 6 News
If child abuse becomes known to our church elders, they strictly comply with applicable child abuse reporting laws. We also encourage the wrongdoers to do everything they can to set the matter straight with the authorities. Furthermore, we do not prohibit or discourage the victim or the victim's parents from reporting child abuse to the authorities even if the alleged perpetrator is one of Jehovah's Witnesses. If you would like to receive more information on how we report such matters, please contact Mario Moreno, Watchtower Legal Department. (845) 509-0416 or (845) 306-1000. A primary focus of Jehovah's Witnesses is to elevate me Bible's strong family values in all communities and to help willing ones come to know and serve God acceptably.

Paducah Sun 1-28-01
Mario Moreno, associate general counsel at the church's New York headquarters, said when church policy is applied to child molesters, "as a parent, an attorney and an elder, I'm comfortable with our policy."
Moreno said while he believes in the church's policy, he knows that some members have been hurt, and "my heart goes out to them." But he said that some elders don't follow the policy as they should, and that's where trouble begins.
Moreno said when a Witness goes to an elder with an accusation of abuse, the first step the elders should take is calling the church's legal department.
He said there are then three factors considered: protecting the child, complying with the law, and protecting minister-adherent confidentiality, with the last receiving the least weight.
The legal department will then advise the elders what is required by law. Twenty-two states, including Illinois and the District of Columbia, do not require clergy to report accusations of child abuse. In those states, Moreno said, the legal department generally advises the elders not to report the matter to law enforcement authorities.
J.R. Brown, public affairs director for the church, said the reason for this is "we do not think, as an ecclesiastical authority, we should run ahead of Caesar's laws," using a biblical reference to secular authority. "Even if secular authority does not require it, generally we have endeavoured to be more zealous for enforcing and seeing that these laws are complied with. If Caesar has a law, and it does not conflict with God's law, we follow it."
Brown said the church does not necessarily equate reporting the matter to law enforcement to protecting the child because "not all the time does government authority provide the protection the child needs. We don't say automatically that, but unfortunately too many reports show that's the case. You can be sure they're going to take what action is necessary to see that the child is protected."
Both Brown and Moreno said that the elders, who volunteer and are essentially untrained clergy, might err in their application of a policy both believe puts protecting children first.
"It's a matter of trying to balance confidentiality and protecting the child," Brown said. "It's not always easy. Have mistakes been made? Very likely, they have. We're trying to see that everyone is educated to what needs to be done to see that innocent children are not victimized."
Moreno agrees with Bowen's claim that no investigation is initiated in the church if there is only one witness and the accused denies the charge, but he said elders have the responsibility to watch the accused more closely. He added that elders sometimes advise the accused to not put himself or herself in suspicious situations.
He also said that when members are disfellowshipped, the congregation is told but no reason is given in order to protect confidentiality. When asked if the parents of the victim would be allowed to tell fellow congregates why a member is disfellowshipped, Moreno replied, "That would be their choice. We don't tell them that, but it would be their choice. Is that encouraged? No."
He agreed with Bowen's charge that a congregation would also not be told if a pedophile had joined the flock. But he said because of the church's structure, the fact that such a member, if male, who would have fewer rights in the congregation, would not be serving in a leadership role would alert members that "he obviously lacks spiritual maturity."
Moreno said he believes that while some of the church's critics on this topic have legitimate concerns, most "have a problem with pride" and "want the organization to change for them. We go by what we believe the Bible says, and we don't change for anybody."
He also said he feels the church is "being picked on" and added that he would be willing to put the church's policy up against any other.

Christianity Today 01-26-01
J. R. Brown, director of the public affairs office of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WTBTS) in Brooklyn, says he shares Bowen's concern. "We abhor what [molestation] does to children," he tells Christianity Today.
Witness spokesman Brown says that the incidence of pedophilia is no worse in his religion than in others, but he admits that some elders have not reported suspicions of abuse. In 38 states, the law requires clergy and other professionals to report physical and sexual abuse of children. Some critics argue that even in the 22 states that do not require clergy members to report, Witness elders do not qualify for such a privilege because most are neither professionally trained nor paid employees of the organization.
Although Witnesses comply with secular laws when necessary, Witness spokesman Brown says, the group prefers to deal with such matters spiritually. "We handle wrongdoing, sin, and transgression," he says. "This is what a religious organization is supposed to do. We're not getting into law enforcement. We're just going to handle the repentance."

Louisville Courier-Journal, 1-4-01
Church officials say elders alert authorities to suspected abuse in states that require reporting. But in other states they prefer to take steps to protect children that don't breach what they see as confidential communication between elders and members.
A lawyer for the Jehovah's Witnesses church, which has nearly 1 million members nationally and 6 million worldwide, said it complies with those state laws that require church elders to report abuse.
"If there is a law that mandates reporting, that takes precedent over any confidentiality, whether in church policy or statute," said Mario Moreno, associate general counsel for the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, a legal corporation of the church.
"In states where there is no reporting requirement, it's a different scenario," Moreno said.
Elders might have the victim relocated away from the abuser or have the parent or guardian of the victim, or even the accused person, report the abuse to police, he said.
"The laws of this country, as well as people's moral values, tell you there are some things that should be kept private. That's why laws protect confidential communications between clergy and their flock."
But Moreno said elders who contact the church's legal department with cases of suspected sexual abuse -- as they must do -- are often advised to refer victims to police or other outside help, even if the law doesn't require it.
Victims and their parents are free, Moreno said, to seek help from police or therapists and should not blame the church if they choose not to do so.
"Parents are encouraged to do whatever they need to do to protect their child," said Moreno.
Church attorney Moreno said church members know they can go to the authorities on a matter of abuse. "They haven't committed a sin by turning in a Jehovah's Witness to the authorities," he said. "It's a very personal decision."
Moreno would not comment on whether elders violated the law in this case but said, "Once in a while, in a small minority cases, elders screw up. They screw up because they don't call here (the Watch Tower legal department). When they call here, they don't screw up."
Moreno said that eventually, the truth comes out. "Somebody else comes out of the woodwork and now you can take action," he said. Moreno said two separate accusers would count as two witnesses when making a sexual abuse accusation.
Church policy neither encourages nor discourages members to report suspected or admitted sexual abuse to police, Moreno said. Elders are instructed to always call the central legal department of the church in Carmel, N.Y., upon receiving an accusation.
When elders call, church lawyers tell them whether state law requires them to report abuse to police, Moreno said. A still-valid 1989 church memo also tells elders to call for legal advice before being interviewed by police, responding to a subpoena or voluntarily turning over confidential church records, unless police have a search warrant.
Moreno said church lawyers might advise elders to refer victims to police or other outside help. "That's a personal decision."
A Jan. 2 statement from J.R. Brown, director of public affairs for the Jehovah's Witnesses, said church elders "encourage the wrongdoers to do everything they can to set the matter straight with the authorities."
Ayers, Rees' stepfather, declined to comment, but church lawyer Moreno applauded the decision.
"There is no duty to announce to people that 'John Brown' is a child abuser," he said. If the court had ruled otherwise, he said, it "would basically discourage people from going to their ministers and getting help."
"If people could not count on confidentiality when they go and confess to a Catholic priest, there's going be quite a chilling effect on religion," he said.
Church lawyer Moreno said it would be "ridiculous" for any elder to make such a threat, and if one did, it would contradict church policy.
"That's not scriptural," he said. "We teach the Scriptures. The Scriptures don't say, 'If you file criminal charges against an abuser you're going to have eternal damnation.' The one in danger of eternal damnation is the abuser."
Watch Tower officials are not consistent on how the church punishes child molesters.
In a Jan. 2 statement, church public affairs director Brown Church said that child abusers are "disfellowshipped," or expelled from the congregation. Later, he acknowledged the church can use less severe penalties.
He defended his original statement, saying that for "mass consumption it conveys the thought (that elders) do institute this discipline. They're not soft on abusers."
Said Moreno: "I wouldn't be too happy myself if somebody abused my child and was reinstated. The bottom line is if an elder determines a former child abuser has demonstrated repentance, (he has) a scriptural obligation to reinstate him."
Brown said pedophiles are restricted from working with minors and must also be with a well-respected church member when they go door to door.
Pedophiles also might not be sent into neighborhoods where they might be recognized as molesters, Brown said.
According to church lawyer Moreno, the system worked. Elders did their job, and victims and police did theirs, he said.
"What was the harm?" Moreno said. "The report got made.
"You've got a teen, who has been molested, upset at the elders for not calling the police?" he said. "You can call the police. You're the one injured.
"Who makes the laws? Not us. Don't blame us for the laws, please. Talk to the state legislators of Colorado."

10

silentlambs among us

by silentlambs in

i am silentlambs the elder who resigned in ky to protest wt policy with regard to child molestation.

i wish to request assistance in finding victims who would be willing to come forward and tell their experience with wt justice.

is every case handled wrong?

silentlambs

i am silentlambs the elder who resigned in ky to protest wt policy with regard to child molestation. i wish to request assistance in finding victims who would be willing to come forward and tell their experience with wt justice. is every case handled wrong? absolutely not, there are good brothers who try and help those in need. the sad part is often as not these men are hamstrung by policies they are mandated to follow. who suffers? the victims. i believe there are those who make policy who do not care and the only way to make a change is through public outcry. i tried the inside route for close to a year, i met a stone wall of negoiation.

if those who are outside the organization are outraged by what wt policy does to victims, should not those on the inside be more concerned about making this right? not one more child should suffer because wt choses to not do anything. the silentlambs suffer due to being afraid to speak and find the help they need, why? because of wt intimidation. this policy will change due to the victims speaking up as they did in the louisville article, this is the beginning and there are more to come. if you would like to assist please let me know. those who lie, cry, and deny will not succeed.....