Posts by bemused

28

JW Child Abuse Makes 'Private Eye'

by Joe Grundy in

following on from the recent thread about wt losing an appeal concerning the uk charity commission (sorry, i can't do the link) i'm pleased to report that this matter is covered in the latest 'private eye' (20 march - 2 april issue).. it's a one-third page article (p.34) under the heading 'child abuse' and the headline 'silent witnesses'.

it reports the case accurately, mentions several criminal cases and the ongoing high court compensation case.

it includes some of judge mckenna's comments..

bemused

That's great news Joe - well done.

As others have said, Private Eye has a high readership amongst the establishment (partly because they're worried they might appear in it). You can be certain that the Charity Commissioners will be aware of this article and will want to do a thorough job on the WT's abuse problems knowing that the Eye's spotlight is on them.

Like you, I was surprised at the extent of the data request. No timeframe was mentioned but going back a few years I bet there are many skeletons lurking in the WT closet.

The headline was good and may be picked up by the popular press ('Silent Witness' is a popular BBC crime drama in the UK).

32

Do JW Children Still Call Adults "Aunt" and "Uncle"?

by cofty in

when i was young we were taught to refer to other adult jws as aunt or uncle.. was this also the case in other countries and does it still happen?.

was it just a custom or has the literature ever commented on it?.

thanks.

bemused

I was never a JW but I called close friends of my parents uncle/auntie when I was young and I think this was a pretty widespread practice amongst my friends' families as well.

14

I'm a father first!

by FatherFirst in

jw
friends

hi guys, this is my first post; i thought i should introduce myself.

i was raised and spent most of my life a jw before i was disassociated, because i refused to stop seeing a non witness girl.

i must say their decision to cut me off from my family and friends although initially traumatic ended up being the biggest blessing in disguise of my life.

bemused

Welcome to the forum!

I was particularly struck by your comment about the blood doctrine. How could anyone let their child die just because the leaders of a religious sect that is notorious for changing its mind say so? It's beyond me.

I'm sure it must be traumatic to have no contact with your family but remember that's their choice, not yours.

20

What are the Witnesses Afraid Of ?

by Sour Grapes in

jw
friends

if the witnesses have the truth and have been going to meetings for many years and every week they learn how to be effective in the ministry and learn about the bible on sundays and every week have a family worship night, why are they afraid to talk to anyone who doesn't agree with them or question their beliefs?

if they have the truth then nothing can refute it.

the truth is the truth.

bemused

I guess from a fully-in Witness point of view, it's hard to reconcile the fact that the religion they are devoting their life to and which they fully believe is 'the truth' only manages to attract and keep about 1 in every 1000 people, despite an enormous preaching effort from the rank and file. Two explanations are:

A. Their religion consists of nothing more than dubious interpretations of an ancient book, that wouldn't convince any thinking person in the internet age.

B. People don't join their religion because they are being controlled by Satan.

From their perspective, A is obviously a non-starter, which leaves B. I don't know about you, but I'd be afraid if I thought 999 out of every 1000 people was possessed by Satan.

19

JW going to prestigious university

by ivanatahan in

jw
friends

i've been debating this, and my mother (the spiritual head of my family, she even controls my father spiritually, who is an elder) doesn't seem to be starkly against me going to a prestigious university.

in fact, i've been going over my chances, and i'd say i have a pretty decent chance of going to my dream university, oxford university, to study philosophy, politics, and economics.

naturally i wouldn't tell my mother about me wanting to take the three most hated subjects of jws at a university that would bring me into bad relations with "spiritually sound jws".. do you guys know any ex-jw or knowledgeable jw who knows ttatt that went to a randall group or ivy league school?

bemused

Do everything you can to get in. Whilst going to a prestigious university like Oxford doesn't guarantee success, it's a hell of a good start.

JW parents take an interest in their children just like parents everywhere. I suspect your mother is proud of you deep down, despite the GB's rhetoric. If you're concerned about the subjects, perhaps you can just say that PPE is a popular course (which it is) covering a range of topics.

76

WT loses appeal in UK!!!!!!!

by Viva la Vida in

the wt lost its appeals regarding the charity commission inquiry.

here is the ruling:.

http://www.charity.tribunals.gov.uk/documents/decisions/watch-tower-ruling-03mar15.pdf.

bemused

It would be great if Private Eye got involved. In particular they would put pressure on the Charities Commission to justify why WT UK should retain its charitable status.

I'd have thought the original Independent article and this latest court judgement would be enough to get their investigators on the case, plus perhaps some links to the Candace Conti case in the US to give some wider background.

24

Education, education, education....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

an update on my life post education..... as the governing body continue to denounce higher education, reality continues to prove their words ignorant, ill informed and blatant lies.

i am proud and astonished to say i have just been accepted for a university teaching hospital post.

i have a seriously sought after, senior house officer job in intensive care, endocrinology and clinical pharmacology.

bemused

Well done S&R, that's a really inspiring story. I hope all goes well in your new role.

I know a couple of Witnesses (relatives) in their early twenties, whose main aim in life appears to be to stand by a trolley on a street corner for the next 60 years or so. Words can't express how depressing I find this lack of ambition. I can only hope that stories like yours will make them question their decisions and realize that there is always the possibility to change their futures.

5

Is Reporting Child Abuse Mandatory?

by berrygerry in

was reading the comments section of the guardian story about candace conti.. an apologist or two were defending the inaction of elders - comparing it to attorney/client privilege.. commonwealth countries do not have the same blanket coverage that is appealed to by wts.. when searching whether or not reporting is mandatory in canada, came across this site:.

http://cwrp.ca/faqs#q5 .

do i need to report child abuse and neglect?.

bemused

Interesting. So any elder in Canada who has not reported a suspicion of child abuse to the authorities has broken the law? If that law has been in force some time then we may hear more of this.

15

Let it begin....

by snare&racket in

jw
friends

about time..... "teachers, councillors and social workers in england and wales who fail to protect children could face up to five years in jail under new proposals.. the new measures, being unveiled by the prime minister, would see the crime of "wilful neglect" extended to cover children's social care and education.. there would also be unlimited fines for individuals and organisations shown to have let children down.".

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31691061.

when they so cleverly predicted to us all that the world would turn against them, something that has not happened despite over a 100 years of taunting power and opposing religious figures, now it is likely to begin, they failed to mention that it would be due to rampant paedophilia in 'gods earthly organisation'.what a wholesome enviroment to grow up in and raise a child.. we have heard it said many times here that the jw's won't last as they are so entrenched in trends, so opposite to modern human progress, culture and society, they stand out as more extremist and inhumane by the year, mocked regularly in the media now.

bemused

I can't work out if the proposed new law only applies to state officials and organizations or if it applies to religions as well. I think it's the former but at the very least the courts would be influenced by this legislation when considering accusations that religious practices covered up abuse.

I assume the law won't be retrospective, so the WT has time to get its house in order, but whether they will or not is another matter. If you create a culture where all external criticism is claimed to be lies then why should you change?

All I can say is that in the future any elder in the UK who receives a report of alleged child abuse would be crazy not to go immediately to the police.

13

JW literature cart spot pinched by another church group!

by stuckinarut2 in

jw
friends

sooooo funny!.

the spot that is used by the local cong in our town for the literature cart has been taken over by another church group!.

the witnesses arrived to set up, and another group was in the exact same spot, with a table, and brochures and a sign..... it will be a great thing as it dilutes the effectiveness of the witness activity, by making it look confusing to the local town people!.....

bemused

As UK comedian Harry Hill would say - 'There's only one way to settle this ........ FIIIIIIIIGHT!'