Posts by Tahoe

5

India Bomb Blast Suspect's Claims Are False And Misleading, Say Jehovah's Witnesses

by Tahoe in

https://www.ibtimes.com/india-bomb-blast-suspects-claims-are-false-misleading-say-jehovahs-witnesses-3717518 .

key points.

three separate blasts ripped through a gathering of jehovah's witnesses last sunday.

Tahoe

https://www.ibtimes.com/india-bomb-blast-suspects-claims-are-false-misleading-say-jehovahs-witnesses-3717518

KEY POINTS

Three separate blasts ripped through a gathering of Jehovah's Witnesses last Sunday
A 12-year-old girl and two adults were killed and about 50 others were injured in the incident
The suspect claimed he targeted the group because he felt their beliefs were "anti-national"

As police in India's Kerala continue to investigate a series of explosions that killed a child and two adults at a gathering of around 2,000 Jehovah's Witnesses last Sunday, members of the sect say they are still recovering from the incident that left everybody "in shock."

Three separate blasts ripped through the prayer hall in the southern state of Kerala on what was the final day of a 3-day event of Jehovah's Witnesses.

"Because of this bomb blast, everybody is in shock. I know friends who were sitting just four rows behind where the blast took place. They are shaking," Joshua David, the national spokesman for Jehovah's Witnesses of India, told International Business Times.

Soon after the attack, while scores of people were receiving treatment for injuries, a man, identified as Dominic Martin, posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the blasts. He confessed to having planted the explosives at the venue and claimed he targeted the group because he felt their beliefs were "anti-national."

"I had been a member of Jehovah's Witnesses for the last 16 years. I realized that their stand is anti-national and wanted them to rectify it. But they were not ready for it. I could understand this is a wrong ideology," the man said in the video. "They inject poison into the brains of children that they should not take even a sweet from others."

Martin later surrendered to the police.

“ We understand that the police are still investigating his claim. The alleged perpetrator, whatever he says, is completely offensive to us. He has had no association with Jehovah's Witnesses for many years," David said.

"His comments are false and misleading, and deeply offensive to Jehovah's Witnesses," he told IBT. "If you know Jehovah's Witnesses, they are the most peaceful. They are known to foster love and find works within the community."

When asked whether Martin had any association with the group in the past or had previously attended their meetings, David said he was not aware of it.

While taking full responsibility for the bomb blasts, Martin, in the social media video, said Jehovah's Witnesses teach its members that the world would perish and they will continue to live.

“Nothing wrong with having a belief. But what they teach is that everyone in this world will perish, and they will continue to live ... Living in this country, they demean the entire people here by calling them prostitutes and doomed. They ask their men not to join hands with others and don't eat food with them. I realized this was a wrong ideology," Martin claimed.

David said those claims were "false and misleading" and that the bomb blasts were the outcome of misinformation.

"Those are false and misleading. Absolutely false and misleading. We respect everyone. Everybody has a right to profess whatever they want to believe. We are sorry that he does not agree with the practices and the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses. But there are so many people who don't agree with Jehovah's Witnesses," David noted.

“T hat doesn't give anyone the reason to engage in such a ghastly attack. We don't agree with people's beliefs. We are happy with that. Each one has the right to believe what they want to and to also disagree. We are sorry that he does not agree with our beliefs right now," he added.

Jehovah's Witnesses, on their website, say the members have been victims of mob attacks and other acts of religious intolerance in India.

"Jehovah's Witnesses have been the target of over 150 violent mob attacks since 2002," the website reads.

David says the group has largely been able to peacefully practice their faith in India with the exception of a few isolated incidents.

"We are an international, multi-ethnic community. We come from all backgrounds and segments of society," he said.

According to David, there are about 8.5 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide and they have a 57,000-member strong community in India.

“ We haven't had much of a problem in India. We respect the government for allowing us the freedom of worship," David said. "We are happy. We have had the freedom to worship, to have places of worship, to have these larger conventions. If we had problems, we probably wouldn't have had all these."

This year alone, the group conducted about 74 conventions in different corners of India.

"We've had all the freedom of religion in India. Yes, there have been isolated cases of misinformation," David added. " ... People don't know us. Probably they have been misinformed about us. That is why sometimes when we go out in the house-to-house ministry, people feel differently about us [wondering] why we have come."

"If we could tell people out there, whenever Jehovah's Witnesses come to your door, sit down with them, have a chat and get to know what they want to say," he said. "You don't have to agree with them. We agree to disagree because everybody has a right, a personal choice to make."

David thanked authorities for the support provided to the victims and said the group is cooperating with police on the bomb blast investigation. "This unfortunate incident has happened. We are sad about it and we are trying our best to keep our composure, to keep our peace and continue to help our people in India.“

6

Why a legal bid by the Jehovah’s Witnesses to evade the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care failed

by Tahoe in

link to article .

the jehovah's witness church does not have a "fundamental right to avoid scrutiny" from the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care, a high court judge says.. .

the church sought a judicial review to be exempt from the inquiry arguing it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not run institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people.. the bid was dismissed by the high court last week.

Tahoe

Link to Article

The Jehovah's Witness church does not have a "fundamental right to avoid scrutiny" from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care, a High Court judge says.

The church sought a judicial review to be exempt from the inquiry arguing it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not run institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people.

The bid was dismissed by the High Court last week. In her judgment, released on Tuesday, Justice Rebecca Ellis set out the reasons why.

"There is no fundamental right to avoid scrutiny, nor is there a right to be subject only to certain degrees of scrutiny, especially in the context of allegations of abuse," Ellis wrote.

"An inquiry does not in itself affect legal rights; an inquiry is just that: An inquiry."

The church accused the inquiry of wilfully "miscasting" its religion and ignoring evidence showing why it should be excluded, which Ellis also dismissed.

"Indeed, the opposite is the case. The evidence suggests that the royal commission has sought to engage actively with, and obtain the views of, the Jehovah's Witnesses and has responded appropriately when concerns have been raised."

The church's claim that its policies prevented elders - who are like ministers - from spending time alone with children, was also thrown out by Ellis, who said evidence provided to the inquiry, and from overseas, showed otherwise.

"Whatever the Jehovah's Witnesses' policies might be, what sometimes happens in practice may be different. It is clear… that elders are sometimes left alone with children.

"I am unable to agree that the mere fact of the policies' existence must operate to protect that elder - or the wider institution - from scrutiny by the royal commission. It goes without saying, I hope, that no faith-based institution would adopt a policy or practice that was intended to facilitate abuse."

The inquiry's scope was expanded to include faith-based institutions in November 2018 after lobbying from religious groups and survivors. The Jehovah's Witness faith is the only group to oppose being involved, culminating in its application for a judicial review in May.

Ellis said the inquiry's primary purpose was "fundamentally remedial".

"It might be thought - although it is plainly not the case - that the pursuit of such purposes would be welcomed by any faith-based institution."

Former Jehovah's Witness elder turned advocate Shayne Mechen said survivors were relieved and happy with Ellis' comments.

"Happy in the sense that the judge had a pretty clear understanding of how the [Jehovah's Witnesses] work and was not allowing the wool to be pulled over her eyes. She basically saw through that they were trying to waste time, like they did at the Australian royal commission."

Former Jehovah's Witness Mikail Steens, a lawyer, said it was unfortunate the church took such a litigious approach given the inquiry's purpose was remedial, not judicial.

"The Jehovah's Witnesses anchor their perspective in scriptural readings and policies, emphasizing parental responsibility. However, the gap between stated policies and their actual practice is evident," Steens said.

"The decision highlights the need for institutions to strike a balance between upholding their internal beliefs and meeting societal expectations for the safety and well-being of their members.

In a statement, the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses Australasia, which oversaw New Zealand congregations and filed the case, said it was studying the judgment and "considering our legal options".

30

Jehovah's Witness' bid to be excluded from abuse inquiry dismissed

by Tahoe in

link to article.

a legal bid by the jehovah's witness church to get out of being part of the royal commission of inquiry into abuse in care has been dismissed by the high court in wellington.. after nearly three years of behind-the-scenes legal wrangling to avoid scrutiny from the inquiry, the church applied for a judicial review in june.. at a hearing, held earlier this month it argued it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not operate institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people and the inquiry had uncovered no evidence of abuse in that context.. lawyers representing the inquiry argued that jehovah's witness elders - equivalent to ministers or pastors - exercised a level of control over the congregation that allowed them access to children.. the inquiry informed abuse survivors who gave evidence to the inquiry in relation to the jehovah's witnesses of the news this afternoon.. "we have received advice from the high court that none of the causes of action brought by the jehovah's witnesses has succeeded and the application for judicial review has been dismissed.

the judge's reasons are not yet available, but are expected in the near future," the email to survivors, seen by rnz, said.. the church was the only faith-based institution in the country to legally challenge its involvement in the inquiry, although it had attempted to challenge its status in other countries where similar inquiries have also been carried out.. the inquiry said, in a statement, that the dismissal "means the royal commission can continue to investigate the jehovah's witnesses, and all other faiths, in accordance with the pastoral care approach we have been applying since 2019".. "reasons for the high court's judgment are not yet available but are expected in the near future.

Tahoe

Link to article

A legal bid by the Jehovah's Witness church to get out of being part of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been dismissed by the High Court in Wellington.

After nearly three years of behind-the-scenes legal wrangling to avoid scrutiny from the Inquiry, the church applied for a judicial review in June.

At a hearing, held earlier this month it argued it was beyond the inquiry's scope because it did not operate institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people and the inquiry had uncovered no evidence of abuse in that context.

Lawyers representing the Inquiry argued that Jehovah's Witness elders - equivalent to ministers or pastors - exercised a level of control over the congregation that allowed them access to children.

The inquiry informed abuse survivors who gave evidence to the inquiry in relation to the Jehovah's Witnesses of the news this afternoon.

"We have received advice from the High Court that none of the causes of action brought by the Jehovah's Witnesses has succeeded and the application for judicial review has been dismissed. The judge's reasons are not yet available, but are expected in the near future," the email to survivors, seen by RNZ, said.

The church was the only faith-based institution in the country to legally challenge its involvement in the inquiry, although it had attempted to challenge its status in other countries where similar inquiries have also been carried out.

The inquiry said, in a statement, that the dismissal "means the Royal Commission can continue to investigate the Jehovah's Witnesses, and all other faiths, in accordance with the pastoral care approach we have been applying since 2019".

"Reasons for the High Court's judgment are not yet available but are expected in the near future. Until we receive the full judgment we are not able to make any further comment."

A recent RNZ investigation revealed how the church has kept the presence of child abusers attending congregations hidden from most of its followers and had policies that protected abusers over victims, amid claims an elder was told to destroy church documents relating to child sexual abuse cases.

18

144 year-old mystery finally solved

by Tahoe in

.

Tahoe

12

Article: Spain: Jehovah’s Witnesses Win Important Case Against “El Mundo”

by Tahoe in

link to article .

a spanish court ordered the newspaper to publish the reply of the jehovah’s witnesses to a defamatory 2022 article.

the court found the newspaper has been fed false information by an association of disgruntled former witnesses and has uncritically published it.. .

Tahoe

Link to article

A Spanish court ordered the newspaper to publish the reply of the Jehovah’s Witnesses to a defamatory 2022 article. The court found the newspaper has been fed false information by an association of disgruntled former Witnesses and has uncritically published it.

The Spanish Jehovah’s Witnesses won an important case against the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo,” which on November 21, 2022, published a slanderous article based on information supplied by the anti-cult organization Association of Victims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. On October 2, the Court of First Instance no. 1 of Torrejón de Ardoz dismissed the newspaper argument that responsibility lied only with the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It ordered “El Mundo” to publish the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ reply and to pay the litigation costs.

In the decision, which is subject to appeal, the court did not limit itself to recognize the right of reply of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It also discussed the merit, finding the allegations of the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses both likely to cause damage to the religious organization and inaccurate.

The court found it self-evident that the article “generated verifiable damages” to the Jehovah’s Witnesses. To start with, “the title of the article itself included the word ‘cult’ [‘secta’ in Spanish] that has unquestionable negative connotations with respect to any religion.” The stories coming from the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses are, the judges said, “objectively harmful to the fame and credibility [of the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization], such as referring that it is a religious association (which they call a ‘cult’) with ‘cultic’ practices, stating that it causes ‘social death’ to those who leave it, that it ‘compels’ its members not to report crimes, that it alienates its members, and that it ‘encourages physical and moral suicide,’”and so on. Thus, “from any point of view, the article mentions allegations by third parties that cause undeniable damage to the religious association.”

Then, the judges examined “whether the allegations in the article are inaccurate,” and concluded that most are. The decision noted that “the first thing that is striking is the title of the article itself, where the plaintiff entity is catalogued as a ‘cult,’ then throughout the extensive text the terms ‘cultic practices’ are used.” According to the decision, “the information in this case is based on a fact that is clearly inaccurate, since the Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses are a religious denomination registered in the General Section (Minority Religions), inscription number 000068 of the Register of Religious Entities kept at the Ministry of Justice, so we are dealing with a legitimately recognized denomination in our country like many others.

Therefore, to classify the plaintiff entity as a cult is legally erroneous since, in the context of the analyzed article, it implies attributing to the plaintiff some pernicious or harmful features as opposed to the rest of the religious confessions legally established in Spain.”

Second, the article refers to “testimonies of alleged victims of sexual abuse within the religious denomination …, alluding to a certain situation in Australia where allegedly ‘they hid more than a thousand cases of sexual abuse.’”

The article also mentions a “former Jehovah’s Witness who reports that he was allegedly abused ‘among the Witnesses,’ concluding that ‘they kill you in life,’ and “another former witness who explains the context of some alleged rapes and that ‘they constantly threatened him that if he spoke, they would form a judicial committee…’”

The court concluded that, when carefully examined, “these facts are not accurate and further affect the public consideration of the plaintiff since, on the one hand, there is no certain record of any conviction of the religious entity as a whole for the aforementioned unspecific cases of sexual abuse in Australia, so it is an inaccurate fact that the alleged events were concealed in that oceanic country.

On the other hand, with respect to the specific accounts of alleged sexual abuse, it is not so much that the fact is true or not (in fact, no evidence of any convictions arising from such allegations, if any, has been provided), but that at all times the plural and collective number is used when referring to the alleged sexual abuse, to attribute to the religious denomination as a whole the responsibility for ‘sexual abuses perpetrated within the group’ rather than to the persons who in each case had caused the alleged abuses or sexual aggressions.”

Overall, the part of the article concerning sexual abuse should be “classified as inaccurate.”

Third, the practice by the Jehovah’s Witnesses of the so-called ostracism or shunning, i.e., counseling members not to associate with ex-members who have been disfellowshipped or have publicly left the organization, is qualified in the article as sentencing these former members to “social death” and “a silent hell.”

The court found the description of the practices by the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses as based on “facts that are not clearly proved, since it is one thing to assert the right or freedom to choose to relate with a certain person inside or outside a certain religious confession, and another that, as indicated in the article, ‘when they are inside the cult they are explicitly or implicitly forced to relate only with other faithful’”—which is “inaccurate.”

Worse, the court reports, “the article expressly states that ‘there are double standards, because many elders are either adulterers or pedophiles,’” and that the Jehovah’s Witnesses “encourage physical and moral suicide.” These allegations, the court found, “once again lack a demonstrable objective basis,” and are “inaccurate and extremely damaging to the prestige of the plaintiff entity.”

In summary, the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses was caught red-handed spreading false information, and “El Mundo” was caught red-handed uncritically reporting it. “It is not a question here of refuting or censuring opinions—explains the court—, but to legally sanction the erroneous or directly false facts that support such opinions.”

The court also confirms that a media “is responsible for the content of what is disseminated”, including allegations made by third parties. “To admit otherwise— the court argues—would be as much as to legitimize any type of publication based on unquestionably false or untrue facts, just because it is a third party who maintains this erroneous view of the facts.”

It is not the first time that media fall into the trap of publishing slander fed to them by anti-cult organizations, “experts” on “cults” (in this case, the “expert” interviewed was Carlos Bardavío, i.e., the lawyer representing the Association of Victims of Jehovah’s Witnesses in another case), and “apostate” ex-members.

It is also not the first time that a media outlet—even one that is a member of The Trust Project—refuses to publish a religious community’s reply to an insulting article. The decision should teach these media a lesson. However, it is unlikely this will happen. Some journalists are like the crow in Aesop’s fable, which kept being deceived by the fox and swearing that it had happened for the last time, only to be duped again at the next opportunity

18

2023-S-147-October-Announcements And Reminders

by Atlantis in

jw
friends

2023-s-147-october-announcements and reminders.. page 1. https://imgbox.com/vjct8rt3 .

page 2. https://imgbox.com/c0tbzgxy .

grandpa!.

Tahoe

Thank you Mike, Kim and Atlantis!

27

Ernie Fyans, JW elder CSA abuser from "Palmer Leaks" sentenced in Maine today

by EasyPrompt in

.

https://x.com/mark_j_odonnell/status/1704588790730256487?s=20.

Tahoe

Will damage control come in the form of claiming Religious Persecution by the ‘Satan’s System of Things’?

Will they claim these as false allegations created to stumble Jehovah’s true believers in the Last Days?

7

Sunshine Coast Evil Elder

by Tahoe in

from what little coverage i can find, that’s not behind a paywall:.

this person is the epitome of the evil elder.

truly evil.

Tahoe

@EasyPrompt Thank you for posting. The more I read, the sicker I get at my stomach. Absolutely vile garbage of a human being.

Thank you, Jehovah, for protecting the innocent.

7

Sunshine Coast Evil Elder

by Tahoe in

from what little coverage i can find, that’s not behind a paywall:.

this person is the epitome of the evil elder.

truly evil.

Tahoe

From what little coverage I can find, that’s not behind a paywall:

This person is the epitome of the Evil Elder. Truly evil.

Last year when he was granted bail:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-13/jehovah-sex-charges-gets-bail/101532330

11

A registered sex-offender became a ministerial servant; he’s now in prison for assaulting child

by Tahoe in

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-registered-sex-offender-became-a-ministerial-servant-for-jehovah-s-witnesses-in-springfield-he-s-now-in-prison-for-assaulting-child/ar-aa1h4vjg.

a level 3 sex offender who moved to springfield and secured a role with the jehovah’s witnesses religious organization is now in prison.

jay aaron smith, 62, was sentenced recently in hampden superior court to 15 years in prison for several counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.

Tahoe

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/a-registered-sex-offender-became-a-ministerial-servant-for-jehovah-s-witnesses-in-springfield-he-s-now-in-prison-for-assaulting-child/ar-AA1h4vJG

A Level 3 sex offender who moved to Springfield and secured a role with the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization is now in prison. Jay Aaron Smith, 62, was sentenced recently in Hampden Superior Court to 15 years in prison for several counts of indecent assault and battery on a child. Aaron abused a 13-year-old at his home for months in 2020 and 2021.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that Smith, convicted late last month of child sexual abuse, was a church elder, the title used by the Hampden District Attorney’s Office to describe his role with the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Springfield.

But the DA’s office says it stands by its statement.

And both the office and the Springfield Police Department say the church did not report the abuse that Smith inflicted on the victim. According to a court document, a family member went to the organization seeking action regarding the abuse.

The victim reported to police that Smith told her no one would believe her if she were to tell what he’d done.

Smith was already a state-registered Level 3 sex offender, the highest category, when the abuse happened because of a rape conviction decades before in Georgia, according to the DA’s office.

A spokesperson for the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ U.S. branch in Wallkill, New York, said Smith has never been an elder, but did serve for less than a year as “ministerial servant,” an assistant to an elder.

“We are deeply saddened by these horrible events,” the religious organization said in a statement in response to questions about the case from The Republican and MassLive. “It should be noted that the allegations had nothing to do with any congregation activity.”

The church reached out to the DA’s office asking that it correct a press release about Smith it published on social media stating his leadership position, according to the office’s spokesperson, Jim Leydon.

Leydon said the office will not be issuing a correction.

“Based upon evidence collected through the course of the investigation, we are comfortable with our assertion of his place of prominence within the hall,” Leydon said.

Role of elders

In the Jehovah’s Witnesses community, elders are volunteer leaders and “spiritually mature men who take the lead in the congregation and shepherd,” according to its website.

When asked if there are background checks the church conducts to qualify someone with a criminal history to serve as an elder, the church spokesperson reiterated that Smith was not an elder, and pointed to the Bible for eligibility.

“The Bible sets forth the requirements for volunteer elders,” the spokesperson said in a statement. Several Bible passages are cited on the Jehovah’s Witnesses website under qualifications for the elder role.

A victim’s family member “attempted to find resolution within her church,” a court document in the case says.

When the congregation found out about the abuse allegation against Smith, “it promptly reported the matter to the authorities,” a Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson said.

However, the Springfield Police Department did not get a report from the church, according to spokesperson Ryan Walsh.

The victim and a parent reported the abuse to Springfield police in February 2021, according to a report filed in court. When authorities investigated, the church had not filed a 51A report, a report of alleged child abuse or neglect, according to the DA’s office. Clergy members are mandated reporters in Massachusetts.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses spokesperson said its policy in responding to abuse allegations is to first comply with reporting laws, and that it reported allegations against Smith to the state Department of Children and Families in February 2021. The spokesperson said the church believed that DCF reported the abuse to police.

Around the world, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have been criticized for mishandling allegations of child sexual abuse.

Apologies for the repost.