My heart goes out to anyone who has had their trust violated by another professing to be a Christian. I am puzzled, however, was the perpetrator of the alleged offense a baptized brother or sister? So little is really revealed by the author of this letter that I wonder if it should have been posted without more information. There is always a need for caution when posting third hand information--especially when a post speaks in generalities only. It is too easy to cause far ranging decisions to be hastily made and to perhaps be found to be actually a worker against the interests of God.
As a student of psychology, I can affirm that the incidence of true child molestation is extremely low among Jehovah's Witnesses. Nor, is the Watch Tower Society at blame unless the Watchtower Society itself was notified of the accusation. Each congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses has it's own local judicial committee which investigates claims of wrongdoing. And, in all likelihood, if a local accusation of an incidence is "covered up" within the congregation there was not enough evidence to support the plaintiff. When a criminal accusation cannot be substantiated by the elders of a congregation the plaintiff is indeed encouraged not to spread their accusations among the flock. This protects all of the flock from alienating the one who was not proven to be guilty of scriptural wrongdoing. However, if the individual plaintiff is convinced that they have a criminal complaint then they are NOT discouraged from going to the authorities and filing criminal charges.
The author of this letter was 15 years old. There is no mention of the age of the original plaintiff who feels he or she was molested. However, an adult who makes a sexual advance towards a minor is not a pedophile. (in some states and many countries--including Canada--the age of sexual consent is 14) The youth must be prepubescent for such an accusation to be accurate. And, believe me, not all pedophiles are child molesters any more than all heterosexuals are sexual predators. The child molester, similar to a heterosexual predator, usually acts as a result of a far more serious underlying psychological illness. But if any criminal wrong doing did occur, the parents of the child should have gone to the authorities--post haste. It is the law enforcement agencies that bear the responsibility of investigating and prosecuting cases of sexual molestation in a court of law. It could be that the authorities were notified and likewise decided that the case was not one in which enough evidence existed to successfully prosecute the accusation.
All in all, I find Jehovah's Witnesses to be an unusually well adjusted group. And I also find the direction of the Watch Tower Society to be scripturally balanced when writing about dealing with accusations of wrong doing within a congregation. If any sinner is truly repentant then the Bible is quite clear at the Ist letter of John, chapter 1, verse 9 that a repentant sinner will find God to be:" faithful and righteous so as to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Thousands are disfellowshipped annually as a result of the society's adherence to "Jehovah's" high moral standards. And these disfellowshipped are reinstated if they repent and once more prove to become close adherents to God's high moral standards.
And, no, I am not protecting the Watch Tower Society. This is one organization that needs no protection. I myself was disfellowshipped for smoking--a problem I have struggled with for years. When I quit again. I will return to being a member of this "paradise of love." It is true that the mere men who take the lead in these organizations are prone to human error--just as we ourselves are. Again, 1 John, chapter 1, verse 8 and 10 clearly demonstrates that we all sin and miss the mark of perfection. This letter was written to 1st century Christians who were anointed. And yet it acknowledges that while in human form none are perfect.
Balance is golden when dealing with human imperfections and eternal lives.
