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Noble Berean

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Everything posted by Noble Berean

  1. Noble Berean
    Nice use of language. "Jehovah examines the righteous one as well as the wicked one; He hates anyone who loves violence" (Psalm 11:5).
  2. Noble Berean
    Do you work closely with children? In the States it's the standard that individuals who work with children are mandated reporters. That makes it a crime not to report an allegation. And child abuse allegations are perceived differently than adult rape cases. I haven't heard of mandated reporting for adult rape, so drawing that comparison isn't effective. Sadly, children often times do not have an advocate at home in cases of abuse. That's why it's important to report.
  3. Noble Berean
    Not sure what that means
  4. Noble Berean
    There is no perfect justice system except Jehovah's justice system. At this stage, we have to make due with the imperfect systems we live under. Yes, there are miscarriages of justice in the legal system, but our organization's justice system isn't free from mistakes either. I'm asking you...why would you even want to take the chance of a sexual predator persisting in the congregation?
  5. Noble Berean
    Well that's just human nature isn't it? They want to use it when it helps them out and not use it when it hurts them. At the end of the day, the goal of the organization is to act in its best interests. I think that the Russia situation still fits what I said about avoiding the legal system as much as possible, because that was an extreme case when the organization felt the courts were the only option left.
  6. Noble Berean
    I understand that false allegations occur, but the well-being of a child trumps the psychological trauma of a false allegation. So, that really isn't an excuse not to report. Of course the police are not perfect, but they are more capable of doing a proper, thorough investigation than the elders. The police can obtain warrants to search property and uncover evidence, but the elders must rely on willing testimony. The elders are very limited in their investigation capabilities. In that way, the police can act as an aid to the elders. But it seems pretty clear that the organization wants to stay as far from the legal system as it possibly can.
  7. Noble Berean
    Of course it means something. Where did I suggest otherwise? I know our WT literature makes it clear that sexual abuse is abhorrent. Those articles are referring to proactive ways to prevent abuse, but I'm referring to what procedures take place after an event has occurred.
  8. Noble Berean
    That's info about ways to keep safe, but I wanted to see information on how elders handle sexual abuse allegations in the congregation.
  9. Noble Berean
    Please do. It would really be great if I could just go on JW.org and they had a section on their website about their policies on sexual abuse in the congregation. But it's all kept under wraps.
  10. Noble Berean
    How so?
  11. Noble Berean
    Fair enough. Maybe elders didn't understand just how pervasive sex abuse was. But people know now that it's a threat. And yet there's an unwillingness to accept error or a need to change.
  12. Noble Berean
    And a willingness to change for the better is a good thing. I would respect the org if it would acknowledge its errors and make necessary changes. But the organization seems set in its ways.
  13. Noble Berean
    I'm surprised to hear there's inconsistency on mandated reporting across Australia, but it doesn't defend the organization's policies. Unlike other institutions, the organization of JWs is a religion that prides itself on having a high moral standard far surpassing the law of the land. The elders act as shepherds for the flock. They are supposed to be protecting the flock from predators. So, elders have a moral responsibility as Christians to protect the flock, and that is the case regardless of what the law of the land says. In the case of sexual abuse of minors, elders should air on the side of caution, because it involves the well-being of children. There should be a sense of urgency to protect others in the congregation from a sexual predator. You wouldn't perceive child molestation in the same way you perceive smoking a cigarette. Smoking is morally wrong, but molestation is a heinous crime that hurts children. Perhaps you could wait around for two witnesses to a smoker, but you shouldn't wait on sexual abuse. There is absolutely no reason why elders need an allegation to be Scripturally substantiated in order to report to the police, because reporting does not convict a person. The police need to do an investigation to find evidence of wrongdoing, but the police have capabilities to uncover wrongdoing that the elders do not have. So, the police are an ally to elders in this regard. It's hard to imagine that elders sat on allegations of sex abuse and allowed predators to prey on congregations for years. I don't know how that sits well with your Bible-trained conscience.
  14. Noble Berean
    And this isn't even new news. I've been hearing about child abuse in congregations on discussion forums for the past 7 years. It's just that now the organization is facing a significant number of child abuse lawsuits worldwide and governments are scrutinizing the religion's policies. And this has gotten the attention of the media.
  15. Noble Berean
    Well, at this point I definitely think JWs can throw out that old line "Look at those wicked Catholic Churches with their child abusing priests!"
  16. Noble Berean
    Kind of confused how this is a "controversial topic." It's literally real, ongoing news.
  17. Noble Berean
    IMO I think we should dance at Kingdom Halls all the time
  18. Noble Berean
    I assume that God will back me on the condition that I make choices that honor him. But I'm not infallible. I can make mistakes and Jehovah God can remove his backing. Can the same be said for this organization?
  19. Noble Berean
    @TrueTomHarley don't you think the organization's inability to acknowledge any missteps in its abuse policies shows some measure of pride?
  20. Noble Berean
    I'm sure there's some element of pride when you have total confidence you are backed by God almighty?
  21. Noble Berean
    Not really. The organization admitting wrongdoing is unlikely. They're too proud to do that. No matter what the outcome, the organization will spin itself as a victim. The organization will never say it has committed a crime even if the courts rule against them. They will spin at as spiritual warfare. That's just the way it is.
  22. Noble Berean
    @Elisabeth Dolewka I can't wait for this day when our biggest worry will be what's for dinner!
  23. Noble Berean
    @Srecko Sostar you are being personally downvoted for spreading the news about our organization and that's sad. This isn't an apostate fabrication. Does reality trigger JWs on here? Us JWs have to face the reality of what's happening instead of digging our heads in the sand. We may face these questions in the ministry. Honestly, the organization needs to be 100% transparent right now about their child abuse policies, because we act as representatives for them when we go out. I shouldn't have to view some weird PDF of the Shepherd's Flock book to get a grasp of the org's policies (which I still don't get).
  24. Noble Berean
    Ok, but what will it prove? If they win, they've still acknowledged they have a secret list of alleged abusers in the congregation. If they lose, the courts get the namelist and it appears that the organization resisted complying with secular authorities. I don't see how any of this can be spun in a positive way.
  25. Noble Berean
    I hope that is the case...for Jehovah's name to stay clean and unblemished from these sexual abuse cases. But I believe we have only scratched the surface of these child abuse cases. As these legal cases before more frequent, I worry the media will soon eat this up. I can't imagine having to explain these policies to someone in the door-to-door ministry. I would just say I have no control over the organization's legal policies and that I would always report to the police. Surprisingly, a man did show up at my former kingdom hall asking about the child abuse to elders. They had to lock the doors after that. There is a rumor that Leah Remini may focus on Jehovah's Witnesses as a spinoff of her show on Scientology. And I also saw that Dr. Phil might include JWs in an episode on controlling religions/cults. It's all worrying to me, but it's just another brick in the wall.
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