i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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Evidence of JWBorg child abuse cover up includes their knowledge of and compilation of database of abusers in the organization while refusing to turn this database of information over to secular authorities...
https://silentlambs.org/news/jehovahs-witness-pedophile-60000-member-database-intake-form
i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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2002 NBC Dateline show exposing how WTBT$ covers up abuse...
i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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Video of Silentlambs 2002 March when abuse victims went to Brooklyn WTBT$ headquarters and were ignored by the WTBT$ and the GB...
i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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https://www.westernmassnews.com/2023/09/01/jehovah-witness-elder-sentenced-jail-child-sexual-abuse-case/?outputtype=amp.
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So will they now start doing background checks on newly appointed men?
It wouldn't matter. Their track record and policies show they would have appointed him anyway.
hello my friends,.
here are some encouraging scriptures for the day:.
revelation 21:2 i also saw the holy city, new jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from god and prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.. hebrews 11:10 for he (abraham) was awaiting the city having real foundations, whose designer and builder is god.. revelation 21:24 and the nations will walk by means of its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.. revelation 22:1 and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out from the throne of god and of the lamb 2 down the middle of its main street (of the holy city).
"I do prefer full chapters in context."
Me, too! I like how Isaiah chapter 59 shows how Jehovah feels about religious institutions like the WTBT$ who are trying to hide their sins, going to court in falsehood, no justice in their tracks, how truth has vanished and anyone turning away from bad is plundered, etc...whether a group of religious hypocrites is big like a mountain or small like an island, Jehovah is coming to "reward" the religious hypocrites with their due "payment" and to intercede for the crushed ones...
"Look! The hand of Jehovah is not too short to save,
Nor is his ear too dull to hear.
No, your own errors have separated you from your God.
Your sins have made him hide his face from you,
And he refuses to hear you.
For your palms are polluted with blood
And your fingers with error.
Your lips speak lies, and your tongue mutters unrighteousness.
No one calls out for righteousness,
And no one goes to court in truthfulness.
They trust in unreality and speak what is worthless.
They conceive trouble and give birth to what is harmful.
They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake,
And they weave the cobweb of a spider.
Anyone who eats their eggs would die,
And the egg that is crushed hatches a viper.
Their cobweb will not serve as a garment,
Nor will they cover themselves with what they make.
Their works are harmful,
And deeds of violence are in their hands.
Their feet run to do evil,
And they hurry to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are harmful thoughts;
Ruin and misery are in their ways.
They have not known the way of peace,
And there is no justice in their tracks.
They make their roadways crooked;
No one treading on them will know peace.
That is why justice is far away from us,
And righteousness does not overtake us.
We keep hoping for light, but look! there is darkness;
For brightness, but we keep walking in gloom.
We grope for the wall like blind men;
Like those without eyes we keep groping.
We stumble at high noon as in evening darkness;
Among the strong we are just like the dead.
We all keep growling like bears
And cooing mournfully like doves.
We hope for justice, but there is none;
For salvation, but it is far away from us.
For our revolts are many before you;
Each of our sins testifies against us.
For our revolts are with us;
We well know our errors.
We have transgressed and denied Jehovah;
We have turned our backs on our God.
We have spoken of oppression and revolt;
We have conceived lies and muttered false words from the heart.
Justice is driven back,
And righteousness stands far off;
For truth has stumbled in the public square,
And what is upright is unable to enter.
Truth has vanished,
And anyone who turns away from bad is plundered.
Jehovah saw this and was displeased,
For there was no justice.
He saw that there was no man,
And he was astonished that no one interceded,
So his own arm brought about salvation,
And his own righteousness supported him.
Then he put on righteousness like a coat of mail
And the helmet of salvation on his head.
He put on the garments of vengeance as his clothing
And wrapped himself with zeal like a coat.
He will reward them for what they have done:
Wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies.
And to the islands he will repay their due.
From the sunset they will fear the name of Jehovah
And from the sunrise his glory,
For he will come in like a rushing river,
Which the spirit of Jehovah drives along."
"...the Watchtower Corporation (Tm) and the Governing Body(tm)(Pee be upon them), are just a big corporation. They are a fake religion. Truth is not in them one jot!
They never have and never will preach the full truth. They are a big business in the market for conning money and assets from people so that the top dogs can live a luxurious, rock star lifestyle. It's a cult and a sham."
God is making an accounting with WTBT$ (and all the other hypocritical religious institutions) by means of the government agencies. The WTBT$/GB/FD$ "rock star" lifestyle is about to come to an abrupt end.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1vOVki-a1s
i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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(Here were some more details from a year ago, Mark O'Donnell's account of the Illinois case involving Penkava/Scott elders...)
https://www.reddit.com/r/exjw/comments/ulei3r/convicted_jehovahs_witness_elder_michael_penkava/
The judge isn't happy. The prosecution team isn't happy. The public isn't happy. More importantly, survivors of child abuse will be angered to hear that an elder for Jehovah's Witnesses who violated the mandatory reporting laws for Illinois has served his community service at the very site where he committed his crime: The Crystal Lake Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
On April 19th, 2022, Michael Penkava turned in a work register to the Probation and Court Services Department of McHenry County Illinois. He, along with fellow JW elder Colin Scott was convicted of a Class-A misdemeanor on March 18th for failing to report child abuse in July of 2006. Penkava's defense shifted over a year-and-a-half period from his custodial arrested in 2020, but the essential elements of that defense consisted of the claim that due to the circumstances of the case he wasn't a mandatory reporter, and secondly, that the Watchtower Legal Department gave him faulty advice.
Penkava and his fellow elders ignored Illinois law under instructions from Jehovah's Witness Headquarters and opted to handle the abuse allegations internally.
The problem is, they weren't just abuse allegations, they were abuse confessions from the father himself, Arturo Hernandez-Pedraza. Pedraza had admitted to molesting his daughter at least 6-7 times during 2006 when she was barely 7 years old. The Crystle Lake Spanish Congregation elders formed a judicial committee and decided that Arturo was repentant and would not be disfellowshipped from the congregation. Instead, he was "publicly reproved" and sent right back to his home with his wife and children.
The sexual abuse stopped for about a month, then immediately resumed for the next 12 years, with the abuser threatening the child and her family with harm or death if she revealed what he was doing. Hernandez-Pedraza became so brazen in his conduct that by the time his daughter was in her upper teens, he was escorting her to the local Walgreens Pharmacy where he coerced her into taking pregnancy tests.
On her 19th birthday, the victim came forward to the police, and her father was arrested and put on trial in 2019, found guilty, and sentenced to more than 45 years in prison. A year later, on November 9th, 2020, Michael Penkava was arrested for violation of the Illinois Mandatory Reporter Statute.
Arrest Report for Michael PenkavaFollowing the arrest of both Penava and fellow elder Colin Scott, both elders obtained separate attorneys not affiliated with Jehovah's Witnesses, but who were paid for their extensive legal services by the Witness organization in New York.
The case faced numerous trial cancellations and delays, largely due to the defendants' attorneys arguing vehemently against the disclosure of documents related to the case, including Judicial Committee notes from the congregation.
These delays proved fatal for the Jehovah's Witnesses, since it allowed sufficient time for an Illinois JW elder to resign his post as an elder in November of 2021, then agree to testify as a rebuttal witness in February 2022. Bradley Kelm provided the critical testimony needed to win this case for the prosecution.
On February 24th, Kelm testified as an expert witness regarding the confessional process of Jehovah's Witnesses. The reason for this testimony was to counter the claims made by Watchtower attorney John Miller, who had previously testified that the wife of an adulterous spouse was instrumental and critical to the "spiritual development" of her husband during or following judicial proceedings inside the church. This child abuse case suddenly became an adultery case, and the JWs fought hard to prove that the statements made by Mrs. Hernandez to the elders about her daughter's sexual assaults were "privileged" and hence abrogated the elders from any responsibility to report the abuse to the police.
Kelm overturned Miller's claims by testifying that the innocent spouse was not an essential part of the spiritual development of the guilty mate.
Bradley Kelm TestimonyIn the final verdict delivered on March 18th, Judge Mark Gerhardt stated the following:
"No privilege exists between [the wife,]Eloina Hernandez and the defendants. In deciding so, I do not find defendant Penkava’s testimony to be credible in light of his stipulations, his testimony in 18CF1057, his statement to detective Eitel, and Eloina’s statement.
I find Mr. Kelm’s testimony more credible than Mr. Miller’s regarding the role of the innocent spouse, including the court’s earlier analysis of exhibit 16-1 which was used only for the determination of admissibility of the statements, particularly Eloina’s."
Both Michael Penkava and Colin Scott were found guilty.
A week later, Judge Gerhardt sentenced both to one year of probation along with a $250 fine and 10 hours of community service.
Convicted elder Michael Penkava promptly arranged to fulfill his community service requirement at the very place where he committed his crime- the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Crystal Lake Illinois.
Crystle Lake Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's WitnessesOn April 19th, 2022, fellow elder Jeff Renfroe signed off Penkava's community service, adding a note under the "remarks" section stating: "Mike is very diligent in his work ethic and a pleasure to be around." Renfroe also filled out a Work Register report for Penkava in which he itemized the following services performed:
Date Hours Job Description Worker Initials Supervisor Initials Total Hours to Date 4.11.22 2.5 hours Clerical MP JR 2.5 4.12.22 2.5 Clerical MP JR 5 4.13.22 2.5 Clerical MP JR 7.5 4.14.22 1 Cleaning MP JR 8.5 4.15.22 2.5 Clerical MP JR 11 On April 19th, 2022, the Probations and Court Services Department accepted and processed the Community Service Worksheet for Penkava, while Judge Gerhardt and the State's Attorneys were unaware that the services were performed at the Kingdom Hall.
These are the facts of the case, in summary. There was, and is, a great deal more going on behind the scenes following this verdict, and I think it is important for all of us to understand that while the sentence carried out on these two elders was an insult to justice, this is far from over.
Other State agencies are very interested in this case and were present in the courtroom during all three days of the trial. While I can't discuss those details, it should not be overlooked that Illinois could cooperate with other States in an effort to flush out the individuals behind the faulty legal advice that led to an additional 12 years of sexual assaults on a minor girl in their State.
Watchtower has always taken the position that they bear no fault for incest cases, and in fact, it's their policy to avoid civil payouts for incest cases at all costs. Yet the fact remains that Jehovah's Witnesses are directly responsible for the lack of reporting everywhere they exist, and the majority of their Legal Department officials are not licensed to practice in Illinois and most other locations outside of New York. The local elders calling the Legal Department do not know this, and for the purposes of reporting, it's irrelevant whether the case involved incest or not.
On April 22, 2022, the State of Illinois filed a motion before the Court to unimpound a number of documents related to the Penkava and Scott cases, in addition to documents from the original criminal trial of abuser Arturo Hernandez-Pedraza. The reason for this request reveals that other States have not been able to secure these documents via the "IJustice" system that allows other jurisdictions to obtain out-of-state case documents.
On Friday, May 6th, Judge Michael Coppedge granted a motion to unseal documents surrounding the original criminal trial of the abuser, but did not rule on the documents from the Penkava and Scott trials. This motion will be heard on May 18th.
This case has highlighted some very serious flaws we have with the laws in the United States - flaws that are mirrored in other countries. First, religious organizations have caused this problem by insisting on confidentiality loopholes that permit clergymen and elders to conceal crimes. They make the argument that without these reporting exceptions, sinners will be discouraged from seeking spiritual counseling by confessing their sins.
Religious organizations apply intense pressure to lawmakers because that's what many of their religious constituents want- complete church-state separation. While this separation is a necessary part of democracy, a church's wishes should never overtake the State's right to protect children. In the Penkava case, the judge made this clear in his final ruling when he said:
"I still agree, as Mr. Prossnitz has argued multiple times, that the State cannot define one’s religion. I still agree that religion cannot define the State’s statute."
It is worth noting how close the State came to losing this case. While to most reasonable persons it seemed like a foregone conclusion that these elders were guilty, it's not so simple in a court of law. The reality is that if the wife of this abuser had not disclosed to the elders what her daughter told her, this case may have never happened, and the State of Illinois would have had nothing to prosecute.
Why? Because Arturo's confession to the elders is protected by law. This is why the judge refused to allow the State to introduce his confession to the trial. It seems absurd, but it's perfectly legal, and it's why the laws need to change. Too many cases go unreported, and too many victims are abused because of State-sponsored protection of churches.
This case was brought by Illinois because it simply could not be ignored. A child was violated in unthinkable ways, and the Jehovah's Witness elders sat by all those years having missed their opportunity and obligation to protect a child and cooperate with law enforcement. The JWs often quote Romans chapter 13 in support of following the laws of the land, but they go out of their way to conceal from police the volumes of criminal data they store within their database of sins and sinners.
Until the laws change, it's the responsibility of each one of us to understand what happened and to share it with the public and with active JWs who are completely in the dark about
Michael Penkava was convicted, yes- but in the end, he picked up a broom and swept the floors of the Kingdom Hall, just as he swept the sexual abuse of a little girl under the rug. Let's do what we can to not let that happen again.
i thought this fellow, not sure if he is pimo or pomo, who goes by the name anonymous, gives a fair opinion summary.. "i was a jw for many years, but generally not a particularly stellar example of one.
your question has two components, and i will address them separately:.
opinion of jws as a people:.
I have found that the organization that calls itself "Jehovah's Witnesses" does not accurately represent Jehovah. A better name for the organization would be "Not Really Jehovah's Witnesses". Many of the individuals in that organization genuinely want to do what is right but they are being misled by corrupt leaders who twist the scriptures in order to gain money and prominence. There are individual Christians within the organization (and outside the organization) who are truly witnesses of Jehovah, but they have to be careful about expressing what they believe and hide it from the leaders or else they will be disfellowshipped or otherwise harassed and threatened by the Watchtower leaders. An organization that punishes people for telling the truth is "Not Really Jehovah's Witnesses" since Jehovah is the God of Truth. When religious institutions are destroyed, the "Jehovah's Witnesses" religion will be destroyed as an institution, and then those genuine Christians who are currently "captive" to the corrupt WTBT$ leaders will be set free to worship Jehovah without hypocritical scammers (those calling themselves "the Faithful and Discreet Slave" or their cohort minions) trying to pull the wool over their eyes and the money out of their pocketbooks.
i hear of a plenty of personal testimonies of abuse but it is harder to prove organizational complicity.
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EasyPrompt said: "The scriptures show that they do not have God's backing."
Fisherman said: "Subjective and legally immaterial."
😂au contraire mon frère...
God is the chief subject of God's Word. His name is in there thousands of times. These people at the WTBT$ headquarters claim to represent Him, they call themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses" but they are liars. They don't represent Him. Their actions and teachings slander Him.
He will act for the sake of His name and for the sake of the victims of the WTBT$. He has the legal right to take vengeance.
Jehovah hates CSA. He hates the disfellowshipping doctrine. He hates all the false doctrines and misrepresentations by the WTBT$. He's warned them to change, but they've refused, so He's sending Jesus to destroy the WTBT$ along with all the other hypocritical religious institutions that keep hurting people while claiming to represent God. He has the right to destroy them. And when He does, you won't say "it's subjective and legally immaterial" because it will be clear He's the One having it done. He said he would right in His Word.
The WTBT$ has violated its own charter and has fraudulently misrepresented itself to donors. It has abused its powers. God will use the authority of the state to dissolve the WTBT$ and take all their stuff away.
Romans 13:4 "...if you are doing what is bad, be in fear, for it is not without purpose that it bears the sword. It is God’s minister, an avenger to express wrath against the one practicing what is bad."
"New York Consolidated Laws, Not-For-Profit Corporation Law - NPC § 1101. Attorney-general's action for judicial dissolution
(a) The attorney-general may bring an action for the dissolution of a corporation upon one or more of the following grounds:
(1) That the corporation procured its formation through fraudulent misrepresentation or concealment of a material fact.
(2) That the corporation has exceeded the authority conferred upon it by law, or has violated any provision of law whereby it has forfeited its charter, or carried on, conducted or transacted its business in a persistently fraudulent or illegal manner, or by the abuse of its powers contrary to public policy of the state has become liable to be dissolved.
(b) An action under this section is triable by jury as a matter or 1 right.
(c) The enumeration in paragraph (a) of grounds for dissolution shall not exlude 2 actions or special proceedings by the attorney-general or other state officials for the annulment or dissolution of a corporation for other causes as provided in this chapter or in any other statute of this state."
The name of this thread "Is there concrete evidence that the Org. has covered up child abuse?" The answer is: Yes. The greatest evidence will be Jehovah God's own actions to have them destroyed as an institution. Then it will be clear they did not have His backing or approval, and that they were indeed guilty of covering up abuse, among other things.
