TrueTomHarley

The trick will be, through social media and the like, to make this the beating known around the world. It won't be easy, because atrocities are a dime a dozen today. Countermanding this is the fact that everyone knows Jehovah's Witnesses have done nothing deserving of this. There will be none of: 'Well, he must have done something wrong.' Everyone knows he did not. You can be sure that those doing these things would like to do it in secret. Do not let them.

Does it really? For that?

When my aunt died, the entire Catholoc family converged on my uncle's house after the funeral, where they ate, laughed, visited and caught up on family. Meanwhile, he lay inconsolable on the couch, and was left alone. I recall thinking what a horrible spectacle it was. But now I think it is one of those things which must be. The best way to help anyone cope with such a blow is for family to gather around. He sees that normal life continues, and in time, it may be a long time, he joins in. And no, I did not witness to him. I would have had to have done so before everyone, none of whom were Witnesses, and I did not have the comfort level and freeness of speech that I have today. Today I would have done it, even if it was before all. It might even have been better that way.

DR. TOM "HAMMER" URABI ANSWERS YOUR BIBLE QUESTIONS! Dear Dr. Urabii: Why is there both Lord and LORD in Psalm 110:1? Is there something underhanded going on, like trying to hide God's name? Answer: Nothing to see here, people. Move along, now. #jehovah #jehovahswitnesses #yhwh #divinename ........ You have been listening to Dr.Tom "Hammer" Urabi. He hammers home the answer so that you will KNOW and can IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS!

I played with this one for a while: DR. TOM "HAMMER" URABI ANSWERS YOUR BIBLE QUESTIONS! Dear Dr. Urabii: Who was it that first removed God's name from the Bible. Why? Answer: It was Jack LORD, who went on to star in the original Hawaii 5-0 For career advancement. Duh. #jehovah #jehovahswitnesses #yhwh #divinename ........ You've been listening to Dr.Tom "Hammer" Urabi. He hammers home the answer so that YOU will KNOW and can IMPRESS YOUR FRIENDS!

It was Jack LORD, who later went on to star in Hawaii 5-0. He wanted to advance his career.

With regard to the April 25th story, ‘Silent Witnesses,’ about Jehovah’s Witnesses and child sexual abuse: Some significant facts are omitted, and some background facts that are included are misrepresented, leading to condemnation of a religion that otherwise has a reputation for fine works and conduct. “Overall, they’re nice, sincere people” says vehement critic Barbara Anderson, referring to the “rank and file.” The video of Jared Kushner, from before campaign days, speaking of the Witnesses from whom he would buy their Brooklyn buildings is almost unheard of in its praise—Witnesses are persons of “high integrity” with whom “a handshake deal means something,” he says. How can this be if the leadership is as vile as the reporter represents them? Plainly, something is missing. No topic is more incendiary than child sexual abuse. In no other area is a person’s viewpoint so determined by experience. Few evils are more widespread. The organization InvisibleChildren.org reports that, in the United States, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old—despite years of emphasis on punishing perpetrators. Jehovah’s Witnesses’ relationship to the pandemic can be viewed through a different lens than the Inquirer views it. The Watchtower organization was proactive at a time when few others were, investigating reports of this and other forms of wrongdoing within their ranks, and it is through this policy of vigilance that they come to be identified with this moral crime. In fact, any group professing that their beliefs contribute to better conduct should take measures to see that that is in fact the case. The Book of Romans says “You, the one preaching, “Do not steal,” do you steal? You, the one saying, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery?’ Few, if any, other than Jehovah’s Witnesses followed through on this obviously necessary self-examination. Lucy Delap, writing for History and Policy, states that “clear guidelines for best [child protective] practice were not established until the 1990s,” during or even after most of the JW abuse cases under review. Thus, the Witness organization walked in largely uncharted territory, for the purpose of identifying this most pernicious group so as to apply discipline, often expulsion, to safeguard other congregation members, and to ensure that pedophiles could not slip unnoticed from one congregation into another (as they could anywhere else). To some extent, condemnation of the Watchtower for this proactive policy is a prime example of the cynicism: “No good deed goes unpunished.” The fourteen persons that Mr. Gambacorta interviewed appear to be from a Reddit forum “devoted exclusively to ex-Witnesses,” who “discuss the absurdity of their experiences.” I have no reason to challenge the experiences the fourteen relate, and whether their perspective on what they report is the final word, I am in no position to say. However, it is inexcusable for the Inquirer article to link to an ex-Witness forum of 20,000 members, and not also to a Watchtower downloadable child-protection policy packet plainly showing that most its insinuations are untrue: https://www.jw.org/en/news/legal/legal-resources/information/packet-jw-scripturally-based-position-child-protection/ To be fair, this latest update is released at about the same time as the article, but no mention is made of it by the reporter in subsequent material. Instead, he returns to the Reddit forum where he promises participants further incendiary reports. I am a 45-year member of Jehovah’s Witnesses. I have authored three books about the faith, in digital format. The latest, ‘Dear Mr. Putin – Jehovah’s Witnesses Write Russia,’ is freely available, as it is primarily about the religious organization’s ban in Russia, which brings hardship to persons dear to me. Part 2 of the book considers the many accusations made against Witnesses, and chapter 12 of that section is entitled ‘Pedophiles.’ It is a 9,000+ word examination of that topic that includes the ARC investigation. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/815620 Case Study 54 of the ARC mentions reports of abuse from the JW community within the period extending from the ARC’s initial investigation to its final report. It is possible to work out ratios, compare them to the non-Witness community, and conclude that the Witness organization’s vigilance has paid off, perhaps by as much as a factor of six. It is fine to handle a case of child sexual abuse properly. But it is far finer if the abuse does not happen in the first place. It is similar to calling in the grief counselors in the wake of a school shooting. Of course, it is a good thing to call them in, but how much better to not need them at all. A case of child sexual abuse ‘properly handled’ does not mean that it did not occur, and the child is only somewhat less damaged than if the case was properly handled. Thus, a story on this topic should never omit the overall relative success of the Witness organization in prevention of this evil. Stories of Jehovah’s Witnesses and child sexual abuse are certainly not nothing, and it is easy to see why a journalist might go there. However, by being so selective in what he reports, the Inquirer maligns a faith whose overall record of producing fine people of integrity has already been mentioned, by a harsh critic, no less. You owe it to your readers to publish this letter, as prominently as you published the article trashing the Witnesses. I have no doubt that the reporter behind ‘Silent Witness,’ is overall a fine journalist. In this instance, however, he has proven far too biased in the anti-Witness material he relies upon and relates without any counterbalance. Respectfully, Tom Harley

No, it is another newspaper with a grudge against the Watchtower, having run three anti-Witness articles in the span of a few weeks. Easily searchable.

Yes, it reminds me of the Newsweek cover a few years back emblazoning the headlines of recent disasters on all fronts, then concluding (on the cover) with a nice reassuring message for the children , because it didn't want to frighten them: "What the !@!* is next?" it read. http://www.tomsheepandgoats.com/2011/04/what-the-is-next.html

You are right, and it does not. I will admit, however being surprised as the suddenness of the onslaught. This makes the third of three entirely separate reasons to viciously attack Jehovah's Witnesses, in Russia even banning them. It appears to be like Jesus said abut the theif not announcing his presence beforehand and so the householder must keep on the watch. To the extent ones have done that, they are probably glad of it. It appears to be getting near to crunch time.

A major American newspaper has published material meant to be damning to Jehovah’s Witnesses, which refers to a group of elders at a 2017 meeting, where they were supposedly advised to destroy handwritten notes of meetings and notes of internal documents due to the potential legal harm such pose. Presumably (though it is not explicitly made clear) these are notes relevant to child sexual abuse investigations. The reason? A Witness representative reportedly states: “Well, we know that the scene of this world is changing, and we know Satan’s coming after us, and he’s going to go for us legally. We can see by the way things are shaping up.” It is not hard to imagine what certain ones are doing with the explanation that “Satan’s coming after us.” The reason the Witnesses have whatever child abuse records they do is that they sought to investigate this evil in their midst at a time that others did not. Should they destroy anything, it merely puts them on par with everyone else, who never left a ‘paper trail’ in the first place because they never were proactive. Seen in this light, it does indeed seem that Satan is ‘coming after them.’ It is the quintessential example of the cynical phrase: ‘No good deed goes unpunished.’ On the other side of the world, the Jehovah’s Witness organization during the same year was banned in Russia. Government and media have partnered to whip the public into a froth, hurling many virulent accusations about the faith. Yet, child sexual abuse allegations have played no part whatsoever. Chivchalov states that nobody has heard of it there. Only after the ban did the Russian Embassy, in response to one of my tweets, respond with a Western headline of pedophile charges. In other words, they found a completely separate reason to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses. Keep in mind that we are speaking of the faith whose members are universally recognized as ‘pacifist’ – who will on no account resort to violence or support war efforts. It is highly unusual for a large group of people to have absolutely no blood on their hands in this regard, but they do not. Is it so crazy for the Witness spokesman to say: ‘Satan is coming after us?” Given the foregoing, it would almost be crazy for him not to. Among the most heated charges in Russia are those of Jehovah’s Witnesses refusing blood transfusions, stemming from their interpretation of scripture. It is an issue that has largely been put to bed in the West because of the success of bloodless medicine and the growing recognition that transfusion therapy poses many risks. Still, it does happen from time to time that such refusal costs a Witness his or her life. Russian media rages over this, labeling leaders of the religion murderers. Surely, somewhere along the line it should be acknowledged that Jehovah’s Witnesses have absolutely no deaths at all attributed to illicit drug abuse, overdrinking, and tobacco use, save only for when someone is slipping into old habits. Witnesses could multiply transfusion deaths 1000-fold and still not not come close to the mortality record of the overall world. Far and away, they are the ‘safest’ religion out there. Yet they are said to be the murderers. And we are to laugh when they say: ‘Satan is coming after us?’ One thing we know about opposers: they will always overplay their hand, giving honest-hearted persons a heads-up. How can it not be getting near to crunch time? It is in the free ebook (soon to be in print), ‘Dear Mr. Putin – Jehovah’s Witnesses Write Russia,’ with chapter 12 devoted to pedophile accusations. I had no idea when I wrote it that the book would so quickly become so relevant. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/815620

I wonder why they would choose that theme? Yeah, like how police have shown up in Russia, typically in full riot gear, to arrest members of the faith.

Okay, now Allen, behave yourself. Seriously. It is excellent stuff that you contribute. Don't mess it up. You have made what appears to others as personal attacks and have been tossed on your ear several times. Have others engaged in attacks and not been tossed? I many times have been called a liar with no repurcussions at all. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. Nobody will ever say that you do not get worked up. You cannot afford the luxury. Please, never post a comment immediately. Take time to think it over and cool off if you are heated. The most brilliant comments that you, I, or anyone else, make are quickly buried. There is no need to be hasty. Take your time. Remember it is a public forum that you are on and people can (and do) say whatever they want. You cannot stop that. You have to work around it somehow when they post what seems malignant. If you hurl something ultra-harsh that gets you tossed, you have indulged your own fury, but fallen short of reaching your full power.

It is hard to comment on their policies or records, much less compare them with the records of anyone else, since others hid their heads in the sand and kept none. It is in Chapter 12, 'Pedophiles' of the free ebook Dear Mr. Putin - Jehovahs' Witnesses Write Russia, which I trust the Librarian will let me link to, since it is not like that time long ago when he took issue because he (correctly) thought I was hawking my first book which was not free. https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/815620

The reason they have whatever records they do, if it is child abuse records being referred to, is that they investigated a great wrong in their midst when others did not in theirs. Should they destroy anything, it puts them on par with everyone else, who never thought to attempt to root out the evil. Seen in this light, it does indeed seem to be "Satan coming after them.'