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By Witness
Jehovah’s Witnesses facing tax turmoil
The secretive Christian group has begun legal action against the charity watchdog after it quietly revoked the organisation’s tax-exempt status over concerns with its opaque global structure. Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content.
I received this alert in my Google feed as well as the exjw who posted it. I am not getting a subscription to the Australian newspaper to verify the article. I'll leave that up to the readers here. I am sure it will come out in other news sites soon. As usual, the organization puts money ahead of the lives of individuals.
This is the copied article supplied by the exjw:
The Jehovah’s Witnesses have taken legal action against Australia’s charity watchdog after it revoked the organisation’s tax-exempt status over concerns with the religion’s opaque global donations structure and alleged failure to protect vulnerable people.
The organisation’s charitable arm, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Australia, which posted an income of $32m in the year to August 31, has been accused of pushing cash offshore after directors splashed $16m of its total expenses on undisclosed donations and “overseas aid”.
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission informed Watchtower in November of its intention to revoke the organisation’s charity status, citing a litany of concerns about alleged contraventions of the Corporations Act and a failure to comply with a host of governance and conduct standards.
Lawyer and abuse survivor Alec Spencer, a PhD candidate at James Cook University, said the ACNC’s decision was comparable to the abolition of the so-called “Ellis defence” in NSW in 2018, which ended the Catholic Church’s long-standing immunity to lawsuits.
“If registration were to be removed, it would serve as a wake-up call for many other religious charities who have systemically failed to protect sexually abused children,” he said.
“The removal of charitable registration would be an extraordinary outcome, both for the commission and the religious charity sector in particular.”
The charity, which is seeking judicial review of the ACNC’s decision in the Federal Court, has been accused of “operating outside of Australia” and breaching its requirement to protect vulnerable people, including children, when conducting operations overseas.
In a statement, Watchtower director Terry O’Brien denied the ACNC had moved to strip the organisation of its charity registration. “The ACNC has assured the directors that they do not intend to revoke Watchtower Australia’s charity status,” Mr O’Brien said.
However, court documents filed last week reveal the ACNC sent a notice to revoke Watchtower’s charity registration to the group’s directors in November.
The ACNC has accused Watchtower’s directors of failing to comply with key conduct standards, including a requirement to disclose conflicts of interest and a requirement to protect children who are accessing benefits under the charity’s programs.
If the court upholds the ACNC’s decision, Watchtower will lose its status as a registered charity and will not be entitled to receive tax concessions, including lucrative tax breaks.
According to an application for judicial review filed by Watchtower, the ACNC’s decision is “unlawful” and an “unreasonable and inappropriate exercise” of its discretion.
The organisation, which has nearly 70,000 members in Australia, has allocated almost $120m from 2014-20 to “donations and overseas aid”.
“As a donor, I would be very troubled by this,” Mr Spencer said. “And as a regulator, their hands are tied due to the differential treatment bestowed on basic religious charities.
“The ACNC could deregister a charity but the decision and why that occurs is not disclosed,” he said. “It allows them to operate in a cloud of secrecy.”
Watchtower argues that the decision contains multiple errors of law, including that the legislation confers “no function with respect to child protection” on the ACNC.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse warned that there were systemic problems within the Jehovah’s Witness religion in dealing with abuse, including a failure to report credible allegations to the police.
The commission heard Jehovah’s Witnesses had documentation of abuse allegations by 1800 children involving more than 1000 perpetrators since 1950.
Former church member and child abuse survivor Lara Kaput said revocation of Watchtower’s charity status would be a “watershed moment” if it were upheld by the Federal Court.
“They were reticent to revoke their charity status because the charity commission knew it would set a precedent, and they don’t want that to happen,” Ms Kaput said.
An ACNC spokeswoman said it was unable to comment on the “particular circumstances of a charity” and whether or not a charity was being investigated.
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By Isabella
The federal government has given institutions named and shamed in the royal commission into child sexual abuse an extra eight years to sign up to the national redress scheme.
It is the second time the deadline has been extended, this time until 2028, a transcript of the parliamentary inquiry into the operation of the scheme shows.
An independent review of the scheme is due to be finished by the end of February which should canvass issues that include further ways to ensure institutions join the scheme.
Of the 158 institutions mentioned at the royal commission, three have not flagged their intention to join.
A further 16 have said they are intending to join but have not yet signed up, and there are 11 institutions that have been assessed as “unable to meet the legislative requirements”.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses is the only national organisation to declare they will not be joining.
Jehovah’s Witnesses abuse survivor and advocate Lara Kaput said it felt like the government was “buying themselves time” while they decide how to handle institutions who have not signed up.
“There is no clear government strategy to make the Jehovah’s Witness leaders accountable that has been shared with survivors,” she said.
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By Isabella
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, the organization that publishes Bible and Bible-based materials in over 1,000 languages, made history in translation when it released the first complete sign language Bible in the world.
The app that it designed — the JW Sign Language — is downloadable for free, according to Dean Jacek, national spokesperson of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
The app also contains portions of the Bible in 90 other sign language translations, he added.
Described by several members of the deaf community as the “best gift during the pandemic,” the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures contains videos of all the 66 books in American Sign Language (ASL).
Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1388913/jehovahs-witnesses-release-worlds-1st-complete-sign-language-bible#ixzz6kuOxkSrX
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook
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By Witness
"This is my first video. I'm not sure how many videos I will do. I hope to reach out to Jehovah's Witnesses and former JW's in the Missouri area. My reason to do these videos is not to hurt anyone but to bring awareness to the issues that face JW's that are in a high control group."
Please, hear his words. Elders are realizing that as "shepherds", compassion must be regulated according to men, and not according to the Bible.
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By Isabella
MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Update, Tuesday evening: Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber announced an arrest in this case. Arrested on Tuesday is Natalee A. Hamilton, 34, of Middletown. Hamilton is charged with four counts of criminal mischief, three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and one count of resisting arrest.
As of Tuesday evening, she is at the Monmouth County Jail in Freehold.
"This series of crimes committed against houses of worship is deeply disturbing, especially as it occurred during the pandemic when so many people have relied upon their faith for comfort and support in these very difficult times," said Chief Weber. "I would like to acknowledge and commend our Detective Bureau for their dedication and outstanding investigative efforts in identifying and apprehending the individual responsible for these crimes."
Middletown Police say a number of churches in the Township have been vandalized this summer, and the same suspect, a woman, is thought to be behind all the crimes.
Churches that have been targeted include Westminster Presbyterian Church, at 94 Tindall Road, New Monmouth Baptist Church at 4 Cherry Tree Farm Road and Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses at 743 Leonardville Road.
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By Isabella
Some child sexual abuse survivors will miss out on compensation because organisations like the Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to join the national redress scheme.
Religious, community, charity, education and sporting groups that fail to meet Tuesday's deadline to join the scheme will be "named and shamed" and face possible financial sanctions and changes to their charitable status.
The Jehovah's Witnesses refuses to join despite the threatened action and legal service Knowmore expects other survivors will also miss out because the organisation responsible for their abuse has not signed up.
"This will result in survivors receiving nothing," Knowmore principal lawyer Anna Swain told AAP.
Institutions have had two years to opt into the redress scheme, with some Knowmore clients saying "they're punishing us" or "they're waiting for us to die".
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By Isabella
On a very special behind-the-scenes tour on March 9th, our Untapped New York Insiders will get to discover Panorama, the iconic former Jehovah’s Witnesses’ headquarters in Brooklyn Heights. In the years since the closing of Watchtower, the global architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler has been transforming the complex into a dynamic new mixed-use campus. Situated at the heart of the Brooklyn waterfront, Panorama also has a brand new sign: a large 15-foot “WELCOME” sign replaced the famous Watchtower sign that once loomed over the East River.
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By Isabella
Institutions such as the Jehovah's Witnesses, the Presbyterian Church and the Disability Trust have not signed up to the national redress scheme, delaying compensation for child abuse survivors.
While some institutions, such as the Brisbane Boys' College and the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, have flagged their intention to join the scheme, others have not.
The government has publicly named and shamed the groups singled out in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse that have not signed up to the redress scheme.
There are expected to be more unnamed institutions where abuse occurred.
Ten per cent of applications lodged by survivors - about 700 - have been put on hold because the organisations responsible for their abuse have not joined.
"It is a lot but some of those are in the process of signing up," Social Services Minister Anne Ruston told ABC radio on Tuesday.
Institutions have until June 30 to join the redress scheme, which was launched two years ago.
While some organisations responsible for abuse no longer exist, others claim they do not have the financial capacity to compensate their victims.
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Some institutions are still signing up to the redress scheme, Minister Anne Ruston says.
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By Isabella
Police this week released new details about what they’re calling the attempted murder of a Jehovah’s Witnesses member, who was shot in the parking lot of her Gastonia church.
A $2,500 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the Jan. 15 shooting. Part of the reward money, $1,500, was contributed by the woman’s family and another $1,000 comes from Crime Stoppers of Gaston County.
In releasing new details, police said the woman had left a meeting at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on David Park Road and was in her car in the church parking lot when someone “walked up, fired two shots at her and she was hit.”
Several other members who were outside during the shooting scrambled to safety in the congregation‘s Kingdom Hall, joining other worshipers who “sheltered in place,” Elder John Wray told The Charlotte Observer at the time.
The woman was treated for minor injuries at CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia, police said. She was back home later that week but was still in a bit of pain, according to Wray.
Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers of Gaston County at 704-861-8000.
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By Isabella
The organization allegedly directed elders in all of its United States congregations to send detailed reports on members facing an allegation of sexually abusing a child to its headquarters.
Since the late 1990s blue envelopes from Jehovah’s Witness congregations across the country have been sent to the organization’s headquarters. But, it’s the information inside those envelopes that contain damaging secrets.
The blue envelopes contained detailed reports of members within the religion accused of child molestation. Officials scanned those documents into a database of files for each congregation, according to a sworn deposition by an official with The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society obtained by Reveal, the website for the Center for Investigative Reporting.
But the specific details within that database have largely remained a secret—despite court orders and calls from the public to release its contents, leading some to accuse the organization of concealing suspected child abusers.
The child abuse files were collected after the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society—the organization that oversees the Jehovah’s Witnesses—sent a request in March 1997 to all of its United States congregations requesting that each congregation write a detailed report about anyone within the religion who had been accused of child molestation and send it to the headquarters in the special blue envelope, according to The Atlantic
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By Isabella
FARGO, N.D. (KVLY) A south Fargo man took to the Nextdoor app after he says a woman claiming to be a Jehovah's Witness knocked on his apartment door Sunday night. It all happened in the 2300 block of 30 1/2 Ave. S.
The man didn't want to talk with us on camera today, but he tells our reporter the woman claimed her name was Stephanie, and that she wanted to share the word of God. The man says when he looked through his peephole he saw the woman had empty hands.
The man says he didn't open the door as he didn't know how she got in his building without buzzing for access, and didn't know if she actually was part of the religion or not. He says after lingering outside his door for about 10 minutes, the woman left.
And while door knocking is no unfamiliar task for the Jehovah's Witness, it wasn't something members were doing last night.
Fargo Jehovah's Witness member, Guy Howie says it's unusual to find a member at your door without an iPad, meeting invitation or bible reading in their hands. He also says members usually travel in twos when knocking through neighborhoods.
Howie says Jehovah's Witnesses don't go into secure buildings unless they're buzzed in. He says if one does end up at your apartment door, you'll see or hear other members on your floor trying your neighbors as well.
With motives unknown, Howie says an incident like this is concerning, but says it's not the first time he's heard something like this happening.
He says Jehovah's Witnesses are not dishonest people and only come to your door to share a message of good news. Howie added members of the religion will never ask you for money.
Fargo Police say they haven't heard of any incidents like this recently, but they also urge you to report any suspicious activity by calling dispatch at 701-451-7660.
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By Isabella
Cheryl Pitts was having trouble breathing, could barely walk and her skin was turning gray. She needed heart surgery, but her choice of hospitals was limited.
A Jehovah’s Witness, Pitts couldn’t accept a blood transfusions or other treatment with blood products because of her religious beliefs.
In need of a bloodless surgery, the 64-year-old Portsmouth woman decided to go to OhioHealth Grant Medical Center — one of seven Ohio hospitals that offer blood alternative solutions to adults.
“I just can’t handle the thought of having to take blood,” Pitts said. “Even before I became a Jehovah’s Witness, I would not take blood.”
She didn’t trust receiving blood because of the possible complications that come with blood transfusions.
Blood transfusions replace blood that is lost through surgery or injury or if a person’s body is not making blood properly. Though generally considered safe, there is some risk of complications and allergic reactions, according to the Mayo Clinic.
In central Ohio, only Grant Medical Center and Nationwide Children’s Hospital have a blood conservation program that uses methods to limit blood loss during surgery and provides blood alternatives to people who don’t want to do transfusions for religious reasons or safety concerns.
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By Witness
Article in People Magazine:
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By Guest Indiana
If you go outside this Labor Day weekend, don't forget the bug spray.
The dangerous but rare Eastern equine encephalitis virus is flaring up in Michigan, state health officials say, and has been confirmed in two people in Berrien and Kalamazoo counties and is suspected in five more people.
The virus, carried by birds and transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, is deadly in 1 in 3 people who contract it, and can cause brain damage and permanent neurological disabilities in those who survive.
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By Guest Indiana
Juror Dan Stinnett, in his first interview about the case, explained how he and eight other Sanders County jurors found the Jehovah’s Witnesses governing organizations negligent and “guilty of malice” in the child sexual abuse of Alexis Nunez, awarding her $35 million. “I believe they were trying to cover up, yes. I have no doubt about that,” Stinnett said. When asked if he was trying to send a message with his jury vote, Stinnett responded, “Why, absolutely. We as jurors and as society really don’t condone … any of this.”
The Nunez case is one of dozens tallied by the Hearst Television National Investigative Unit as part of a yearlong investigation that uncovered new allegations of child sexual abuse and decadeslong cover-ups inside the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious organization in the United States. The allegations span congregations, states and generations.
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By Witness
From John Redwood...
A preview of upcoming news:
Jehovah's Witnesses are appealing to the Supreme Court of the United States, but this time it has nothing to do with preaching or saluting the flag.
It's all about child abuse.
Specifically, the protection (or cover-up) of information, documents, and testimony of persons involved in cases of child abuse.
I will be covering this story in the coming weeks and months, but I thought I would share some of this news and try to distill it down as simply as I can.
I'd like to point out first that Watchtower has appealed to the Supreme Court in connection with their loss of yet another California child abuse case. The chance that Watchtower's appeal being will be heard by the Supreme Court is slim, but anything is possible.
What brought this about?
There are many ongoing civil child abuse cases in California. One such case is J.W. versus Watchtower. J.W. happens to be the initials for the victim of former JW elder Gilbert Simental, who went on a spree of molestation which touched the lives of numerous victims.
As with other cases, the plaintiff demanded that Watchtower turn over to the court a database of child abuse cases known to be maintained by Watchtower of New York.
In this particular case, because Watchtower failed to turn over the documents in a timely manner, attorneys asked for a default judgment of just over 4 million dollars.
The court agreed with the plaintiff and entered a default judgment in that amount. Watchtower was required to post a bond of more than 6 million dollars while their appeal was pending.
Watchtower lost their appeal, and the decision of the court was upheld. This decision is final- with one exception.
Watchtower has decided to appeal to the United States Supreme court on the basis that their judicial hearings related to child abuse matters are "confidential intra-faith communications" and that they do not, and should not, reveal those communications or documents to anyone, including civil courts.
I'd like to make it very clear what Watchtower is doing here. They are fighting for their right NOT to allow civil authorities to dictate what is confidential, and what is not confidential.
All of this is in relation to their claim that elders do not have the right or duty to report child abuse to the authorities.
Watchtower overtly lies to their members by claiming that they obey secular laws, except when they conflict with God's laws.
Yet they break the law every single time by advising elders NOT to report child abuse to the authorities.
It does NOT matter whether child abuse occurs in a mandatory reporting state- elders STILL do not report to the police because Watchtower has told them that ALL of their communications are protected by clergy-penitent privilege.
This is false- and it is exactly why they are losing tens of millions of dollars in child abuse civil cases. Watchtower advises elders to break the law.
And now they want the Supreme Court of the United States to agree with them.
The claim that the state of California has unfairly targeted Jehovah's Witnesses and "intruded upon matters of church governance."
Why???
How does compliance with mandatory child abuse reporting laws conflict with God's laws? It doesn't. This is a fabrication of Watchtower attorneys working for the Governing Body, and it's become quite clear that they feel that compliance with these civil laws will spell disaster for their religion.
And they might be right.
If Jehovah's Witnesses did the right thing and complied with the law, they would lose the tight grip of control over their elder bodies in ways which frighten the hell out of them.
There is a whole lot more to this story as well as the underlying cases involved, but I wanted to let you know what's going on.
Attorneys for J.W. (the abuse victim) will be filing an opposition to Watchtower's appeal in August, and we should have a decision from the Supreme Court by October on whether they will accept Jehovah's Witnesses appeal for review.
Stay tuned!!
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By Guest Indiana
BY: MICHAEL YOUNG 7:30 AM ON JUNE 15, 2019
Excavation and the insertion of pilings have commenced for a new 26-story, mixed-use structure at 30 Front Street in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Hill West Architects will be responsible for the design, while Fortis Property Group is the developer of the 360,000-square-foot project that will stand 270 feet tall and come with 74 apartments, averaging 2,400 square feet apiece.
Photos were taken by Tectonic and show the current state of construction.
The site was previously occupied by a parking lot for the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ former headquarters, famous for its prominent Watchtower sign. The plot at 30 Front Street was the last piece of real estate the group sold off, which concluded a seven-year process of relocating to Warwick, New York.
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By Guest Indiana
The annual event is expected to bring in more than $3 million in revenues for local businesses
WRITTEN BY HOLLY HERMAN
READING, PA —
By midmorning Saturday, more than 500 volunteers checked in to the Santander Arena, scrubbing the arena to make it spotless for the 14th annual Jehovah's Witness annual conference in downtown Reading.
“We love coming to Reading,” Kelvin Wilson, convention spokesman said, walking through the arena, greeting volunteers. “It's beautiful here. We will be worshipping here for the next three weekends. We stay in the hotels and dine in the restaurants.
Wilson said members have booked more than 2,500 hotel nights for the event, bringing an estimated $3 million in revenues for downtown businesses.
“We are getting ready to worship here,” Wilson said, noting the volunteers are also cleaning the parking garage for the arena and spruced up the landscaping.
By the day's end, more than 800 volunteers from 120 congregations throughout southeastern and central Pennsylvania cleansed the stadium to prepare for three weekends of family festivities and worship.
This year's convention theme, “Love Never Fails,” focuses on loving thy neighbors.
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By JOHN BUTLER
OK, I know some people will not like this and they will call it gossip but my wife and I are worried about it so it needs to aired out.
We have one daughter that is still a JW. i will call her H. She is married to a non JW. She has 4 children.
This daughter does not seem to recognise any dangers at all about her children. She invites anyone to her house without really knowing who they are or anything about their past.
3 of the children are girls and they attend ballet and tap dance lessons. They are only young, the oldest being around 8 years old.
Today they were in a performance /show in Exeter, a biggish show that their teacher was putting on for all parents, grandparents, etc.
I wasn't allowed to go of course as I'm a 'naughty boy' that left the Org.
My wife went to the show and was surprised to find two 'brothers' there.
One of the 'brothers' is a young single Elder and the other 'brother' is an old man that has recently been reinstated and moved into Honiton congregation.
This older man frequently visits H and her daughters at their home and the girls call him Uncle Phil. He seems very 'friendly' toward the girls.
H does not know where this 'brother' is from but he is now part of the Honiton Congregation which H and her children attend, here in Devon.
It seems strange to me that this man has just arrived at Honiton Congregation and just been reinstated. My wife says he has a London accent.
If I were still a JW I would ask him bluntly why he was disfellowshipped and where he is from, but of course I cannot do that now.
I have his full name, so is there any way i can run a check on him ?
Should i contact an Elder at Honiton Congregation and tell them of the concern my wife and I have ?
If this 'brother' had been involved in a child abuse accusation would they have told H about it so that she could be on her guard ?
Some on here may think I'm just trying to cause trouble, but my wife came home this evening and is looking very worried.
It seems that H had invited both 'brothers' to the meal afterward and my wife felt unhappy about the whole situation.
TTH will probably bring out the rule book again and say 'it never happens', but child abuse does happen and needs to be looked for all the time.
Our daughter H seems to have no idea about the situations that have taken place, and in honesty she doesn't want to know. So how can my wife warn her ?
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By Guest Indiana
La policía de Houston arrestó a un hombre que se presume está detrás de la desaparicón de no menos 31 persona en la década pasada.
Ivan Fedorovitch Yanukovych, de 56 años de edad, podrías ser vinculado a un número de misteriosas desapariciones en el área, creen los oficiales.
Yanukovych fue interrogado por la policía después de que los vecinos se quejaran de que él estaba usando una sierra la noche pasada, y reportaron que el hombre estaba «cubierto de sangre.»
Cuando la policía llegó a la escena, Yanukovich fue encontrado descuartizando un cuerpo en su garage y preparando lo que los oficiales describieron como «una gran cantidad de carne molida» mezclada con «especias aromáticas.»
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By Guest Indiana
Seven were shot at a party near Indiana’s Ball State University.
At least seven people were injured, three in a life-threatening fashion, in a shooting near Indiana’s Ball State University overnight.
According to local NBC affiliate WTHR, the shooting occurred at a large off-campus house party, with shots fired inside the house around 12:45 am. Police say they are still working to piece together what happened, as most witnesses heard but did not see the shooting.
https://www.vox.com/2019/5/18/18630674/ball-state-university-indiana-party-shooting-what-we-know
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By JOHN BUTLER
I've often thought of this point of reproof from the platform. It does nothing positive at all, it just leaves people wondering why the person was reproved.
And it certainly does not protect the congregation.
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by Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. In January of 2019, elders in the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses were issued a new version of their confidential handbook, "Shepherd the Flock of God." This handbook covers, among other topics, when a person should be "reproved."
For those unfamiliar with the their practices, Jehovah's Witness elders might determine that someone guilty of a serious sin is repentant and will be "reproved" rather than disfellowshipped [excommunicated]. This reproof might be administered privately, or it might include a very brief announcement to the congregation.
Public Reproofs Are Not a Protection
The "Shepherd" book makes the claim that a public reproof serves as a "protection" to the congregation against certain dangerous behaviors, such as child sexual abuse; note this statement from chapter 14, "Child Abuse::
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. However, this announcement of reproof includes no information about the person's "sinful" behavior, as instructed in chapter 16, "Procedure for Judicial Hearings":
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. The "Shepherd" book even outright instructs that a person's sinful acts should not be connected to their reproof, such as when a "warning" talk is given regarding their behavior; also from chapter 16:
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. This statement alone demonstrates that the entire "public reproof" arrangement protects no one from congregation members who might pose a danger to others, including children. Simply stating that someone has "been reproved" doesn't warn a congregant of that person's specific behavior, and especially when there is a long list of reasons why someone might be publicly reproved, including:
Smoking Fornication, adultery Theft Lying, slander Various forms of "apostasy" Severe fits of temper, fighting Drunkenness Using narcotics Taking up boxing After hearing a rather generic announcement that someone has been "reproved," without knowing the actual reason for that reproof, how would congregants know to keep their children away from them? Another congregant might assume that a person being reproved was caught smoking or fornicating with an adult; child sexual abuse might be the last thing they would consider when they hear of someone having been reproved!
Your Conscience Shouldn't Be Clean
This begs the question of why Jehovah's Witnesses think that their consciences can be clean in these cases. Elders honestly think that making an announcement of so-and-so having been "reproved" protects the congregation and so they've done their job of keeping people and children safe?
Nothing can be further from the truth, especially when it comes to child sexual abuse. This "public reproof" arrangement purposely conceals the action that warranted the reproof, so it warns no one about a congregant who might be a danger to their children.
This announcement does not take away from an elder's complicity in hiding allegations of abuse. Any elder who hears of such a credible allegation and doesn't notify authorities, cooperate with their investigations fully, and then do everything possible to keep a potentially dangerous person away from children shares guilt and blame if that person goes on to molest another child.
Hello guest! Please register or sign in (it's free) to view the hidden content. The bottom line is that Jehovah's Witnesses and elders especially have no problem lying to themselves and to the general public about their supposed "protections" for congregants. They shield alleged molesters by purposely ensuring that no information about a particular act is associated with "reproved" persons, and then tell themselves that this passive-aggressive "hinting around" is going to somehow alert congregants to the need to keep their child away from him or her.
While the authors of these practices and the elders charged with enforcing them might go to bed with a clean conscience, remember it's not them who suffer the consequences of their actions; the elders are not being raped and abused, the men who wrote this "Shepherd" book are not the ones who will be the next victims of these "reproved" persons.
Their complicity in this horrific act is bad enough, but their smug self-righteousness in thinking that they've somehow done enough to protect children with a generic "reproof" is just another slap across the face of those same children.
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By Guest Indiana
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A state agency has determined that the Montana Women's Prison discriminated against an inmate on the basis of religion.
The Billings Gazette reports that the Montana Human Rights Bureau found in February there was "reasonable cause" to believe there was discrimination against Mayson Simmons.
Simmons' complaint filed in August says the Department of Corrections and the prison in Billings violated the law by allowing inmates of other religious faiths to use a prison chapel for services while denying access to Jehovah's Witnesses.
The bureau says it did not find sufficient evidence to back up Simmons' claims she was denied a Jehovah's Witness bible or that she was discriminated against based on her gender and a disability.
Prison officials deny any discrimination occurred.
The case will proceed to a formal hearing.
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By Guest Indiana
WASHINGTON – Kirstjen Nielsen, who oversaw President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration policies as secretary of Homeland Security, is leaving her post amid tensions with some in the White House who felt she hasn't done enough to stem border crossings.
Trump tweeted Sunday that Nielsen is leaving the post she has held since the end of 2017.
"Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service," he said. He said Kevin McAleenan, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, will become the acting DHS secretary. McAleenan has held senior posts within CBP dating back to President George W. Bush's administration.
Rea more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/07/kirstjen-nielsen-out-trump-secretary-homeland-security/1895285002/
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By Witness
"On Sunday, March 31, Anthony Morris, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, was filmed at Bottle King, a discount booze store in Ramsey, NJ, buying 12 bottles of very expensive single malt. My “Bottlegate” video sharing the footage has since accumulated tens of thousands of views, with many saying the incident represents an act of hypocrisy from a man famous for his somewhat judgmental approach to morality and Christian living. The team discusses the permutations of the remarkable footage, and the widely known culture of drinking at bethel."
This video expresses the opinions of a past member of Bethel in Australia, and those of his wife, also Mark O'Donnell whose story under the article " A Secret Database of Child Abuse" was posted in The Atlantic, and "Covert Fade", author at JWsurvey.
From the comments I have seen here, JWs are measuring Anthony Morris' actions by worldly standards; yet, for someone who claims to be "faithful and discreet", worldly standards do not apply.
"For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." Matt 5:20
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By Guest Indiana
Local and federal authorities are investigating a string of acts of violence against Jehovah’s Witness houses of worship in Washington state ― including multiple suspected arsons.
The latest attack gutted a Jehovah’s Witness building in the city of Lacey, near Olympia. The fire reportedly broke out . No injuries were reported, but the building was deemed a total loss, .
The Seattle division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has .
BREAKING: A fire has destroyed the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Lacey. This is the SIXTH attack on Kingdom Hall’s in Thurston County since March. Five fires, one shooting.
— Alex Rozier ()
The fire in Lacey brings the total number of attacks in Thurston County against Jehovah’s Witness centers, called kingdom halls, to six this year, . In March, arson caused minor damage at kingdom halls in Tumwater and Olympia. Four months later, a blaze worship space. In August investigators discovered a fake bomb at a kingdom hall in Yelm, . The incident was determined to be an attempted arson.
In May someone shot about 35 rifle rounds into the Yelm center, causing more than $10,000 in property damage, .
Jason Chudy, a spokesperson for the ATF’s Seattle field division, told HuffPost that the organization believes all the incidents could be related. The attacks were probably “meant to send a message,” he said.
“We believe that the suspect or suspects has or have a grievance related to the Jehovah’s Witness community, or about another issue they think is important,” he wrote in an email. “Before these fires, the person or persons involved are likely to have shared these strong feelings with others through comments and conversation.”
Chudy said the ATF also believes that the suspect or suspects may have exhibited changes in behavior in the hours, days, weeks or months since the fires, including unexplained injuries, changes in normal routines and dramatic and unexplained altering of physical appearance.
The ATF is investigating the incidents, along with Thurston County police. Investigators are offering $36,000 in combined rewards for information that leads to a suspect’s capture.
During a press conference on Friday, Thurston County Sheriff John Snaza urged the public to call in with tips.
“It makes you feel really ill,” . “How frustrating is it that people who find a solemn place of worship, and now it’s being destroyed?”
Dan Woollett, a member of the kingdom hall in Lacey, that the important thing is that congregants are safe.
“It’s just a building ― buildings can be replaced,” he said. “Things can be redone. So we just move ahead with the ministry that we have that we’re involved with.”
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By Guest Indiana
On Tuesday, we asked ex-JW activist Lloyd Evans about the Jehovah’s Witness view on climate change, since it’s an organization so centered around the idea of global catastrophe. Lloyd explained that because the planet was in Jehovah’s hands, Witnesses tended not to be concerned about environmental issues. We then received a rebuttal from Rob, a Witness who disagreed, and we’re very happy to publish his message to us, with his permission…
The main point I am rebutting is this quote from Lloyd: “Jehovah’s Witnesses mostly have a very laid back approach to environmental concerns. They point to issues like global warming and damage to the environment as evidence that humans are incapable of ruling themselves….”
Jehovah’s Witnesses, in fact, do have an active interest in environment, and encourage members to take action to reduce the negative affects we have on the environment. Consider one of our journals, the Awake! magazine, from 2007:
The Bible assures us that every trace of the damage caused by man will be undone when God ‘makes all things new.’ (Revelation 21:5) However, we should not conclude that since God will in time restore the earth, our actions now do not matter. They do!
That article further states that we are not indifferent to the earth’s plight:
Jehovah God made the earth to be a gardenlike home for mankind. He pronounced all of his work to be “very good” and assigned man “to cultivate [the earth] and to take care of it.” (Genesis 1:28, 31; 2:15) How does God feel about earth’s present condition? Clearly, he is deeply offended by man’s mismanagement, for Revelation 11:18 foretells that he will “bring to ruin those ruining the earth.” So we should not be indifferent to the earth’s plight.
Lastly, steps are given in this same article that we can or should take, to reduce the negative impact on our environment.
It is proper, though, for us to consider the environmental impact of our choices in such areas as household purchases, transportation, and recreation. For example, some choose to purchase products that have been produced or that operate in ways that minimize damage to the environment. Others strive to reduce their share in activities that create pollution or unduly consume natural resources.
This does not represent disinterest in climate change, or feigning interest in it. This is actively discussing ways to minimize our own environmental impact.
So yes, Jehovah’s Witnesses do in fact believe that God will undo climate change once and for all, but this does not mean we are indifferent or apathetic, as the article above shows.
Lastly, Jehovah’s Witnesses’ buildings received the highest possible rating of Four Green Globes for all seven of their buildings, for environmental efficiency.
Really, the best way to show concern for our planet is to reduce the impact we have. Jehovah’s Witnesses build so to have the least negative impact as they possibly can.
So whoever is suggesting that Jehovah’s Witnesses are apathetic to our environmental concerns is ignoring what’s in print, and how we construct our buildings, and the recognition we receive from authoritative environmental agencies.
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By Space Merchant · Posted
The media is causing much more damage in combination with trust in Dr. Anthony Stephen Fauci being reduced over time, likewise with the so called Warriors of God on social media who is also spreading fear. The vaccine situation is causing a segregation between people in the US and EU, specifically, France, with all the protesting going on. Practically what they do not want is a 1940s Nazi-sque type situation (hence the papers please memes) with the demand of showing papers, and or passport -
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Hi Twyla· 1 reply
Thank you for all your hard work. Last time I had difficulty in accessing the material. You then allowed access. This week all downloads again have "unavailable" blocking their access. If you could please let me know how or what I need to do to avoid this each time. That would be appreciated.
William
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