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Do Jehovah's Witnesses approve, condone, and encourage
accused, confessed, and convicted child molesters to call door
to door on unknowing potential victims in the witnessing work?
Do Judicial Committees require two witnesses to the event
of molestation before taking any disciplinary measures?
Do elders allow sex offenders complete anonymity when they
are discovered?
Do they threaten parents of molested children with disfellowshipment
if they try to warn other members whose children may be in danger?
Does the Service Department remove elders who warn parents
of a pedophile member even though the elder is simply attempting
to protect the children of the congregation?
Does your Kingdom Hall provide significant training on how
to direct a molested child to get the help they so desperately
need?
Or…
Does the Watchtower Organization advise you that the best
way to help a "troubled" person is to instruct them
to endure and wait for God's Kingdom to solve their problems?
Get the answers to these questions. Is There A Problem?
I have found that many do not believe that there is an inherent
problem with child molestation among Jehovah's Witnesses. The
reason might be based on the fundamental make up of the Watchtower
Organization and the small amount of information that brothers
and sisters on the inside as well as those who are not witnesses
on the outside are actually given thus making it difficult to
understand the nature or extent of this problem. I wish to try
and explain the mechanics of why this problem is real and of
horrific proportion within the Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
I also want many to understand unless decisive action is taken,
child molesters will continue to be protected and children will
continue to be hurt. The explanation for the reasons I feel the
Watchtower has moral and ethical problems when dealing with child
molesters is as follows:
Closed society. The Watchtower Organization is a closed society
that thinks everyone outside the organization is a part of Satan's
world. Satan's world will be destroyed when the day of judgment
comes and this includes everyone who does not become a Jehovah's
Witness. The basis for this teaching is found in scriptures like
1 John 5:19 that states, "The whole world is lying in the
power of the wicked one." This reinforces the JW mentality
that anytime you go outside the organization, the help you obtain
is being guided ultimately by Satan and you should be distrustful
of what they offer in any way. One letter to Body Of Elders dated
1992 states that therapy could be sought for molestation victims
if it was "in harmony with bible principles." How often
can you approach a therapist and demand that any guidance given
must be offered in complete harmony with the way Jehovah's Witnesses
believe the bible?
This effectively does away with any therapist unless they
happen to be a Jehovah's Witness. Articles in the Watchtower
and Awake continually reinforce the, "us" against them
mentality. The June 1, 2001 issue of the Watchtower has this
statement on page 16: "Is it presumptuous of Jehovah's Witnesses
to point out that they alone have God's backing? Actually, no
more so than when the Israelites in Egypt claimed to have God's
backing in spite of the Egyptians' belief, or when the first-century
Christians claimed to have God's backing to the exclusion of
Jewish religionists." The point made? If you go anywhere
else you will not have God's backing. It is very understandable
to see why Witnesses rarely seek help in the way of therapy or
have apprehension in going to the police when molestation issues
arise.
Elder authority. The elders are pointed to as being shepherds
of the flock. The flock being everyone not an elder in the congregation.
This thought is repeated time and again in all writings of the
Watchtower Organization. Nothing outside the shepherd arrangement
is pointed to as a source that could override in anyway counsel
an elder gives as direction. What an elder says is considered
the final authority. If you were to go against an elder's direction
it could be considered apostasy. Example: An elder advises you
not to go to a certain therapist, if you choose to disobey, you
could be placed under sanction. This means you would be considered
a bad example.
A "bad example" cannot auxiliary pioneer, have a
demonstration part on the meeting. This in turn makes a statement
to the congregation that you are a problem and some may choose
to limit any association with you outside of meetings and field
service. At this point, if you in anyway rebelled against this
sanction and talked to others about it being unfair, you would
be offered counsel to "shut up" with scriptures being
offered on being submissive to theocratic arrangement. If this
"counsel" was not followed and the elders had to meet
with you on three occasions with this same counsel, without the
proper response, you could then be "marked." "Marked"
means you would be informed that a warning talk would be given
about your actions to the congregation. While your name would
not be mentioned, the actions would, and anyone who knew of these
actions could not associate with you unless you were at the meeting
or out in the field ministry. If you continued to speak against
the counsel offered by the elders, a judicial committee will
be convened and the charge would be "loose conduct."
Definition? "
A gross disregard of theocratic order." Causing "divisions"
in the congregation could be another charge. At this hearing
you must apologize and say you would never do this again or you
will be disfellowshipped. To be disfellowshipped is compared
to stoning in ancient times. For all practical purposes you are
considered dead in symbolic terms. Unless you repent and are
reinstated no Jehovah's Witness will speak to you, or have anything
to do with you unless it is some sort of emergency.
When you attend a meeting no one will acknowledge your presence.
You may only speak to elders when a question arises. You are
expected to arrive just as the meeting starts and leave as soon
as it is over. If a person chooses to arrive early and leave
late after meetings, this could cause them to not be reinstated,
thus prolonging their disfellowshipment due to a bad attitude.
Unwritten Watchtower guidlines say that at least one year must
pass before a Disfelowshipped person can be reinstated. This
of course is at teh discrection of the elders who served on the
disfellowshipping committee. Even if you move the originial committee
has final say on your reinstatement. Disfellowshipment destroys
family interaction outside the church. Any association must only
be necessary business or your family will be considered a bad
example. What happens to a bad example? See above. This example
offers the classic way it works for anyone who disobeys an elder
and the direction he offers.
Masculine dominated society. Women are in submission and follow
the direction of men within the organization. They have a limited
role in teaching from the platform. The only assignment a sister
can have is to be a pioneer. A pioneer puts a set number of hours
in the field ministry. Women are generally forbidden from doing
any administrative work unless there are no men available to
do so. In the simple meeting for field service if no brother
is available, a sister must wear a head covering to acknowledge
headship. Recent guidlines state a mother must wear a headcovering
in front of her baptized son if she performs any duties that
typically men perform relating to worship. Sisters are taught
to be submissive from birth and never question or in anyway rebel
against the direction of brothers in the congregation. Any questions
a sister may have is to be directed to her husband if she needs
an answer, if she does not have a Christian husband or is single,
she may respectfully approach an elder for direction. If a sister
did not follow this protocol or was found to be disrespectful,
she could be labeled as a "jezebel influence" and then
ultimately be disfellowshipped for not submitting to headship,
which is termed theocratic arrangement.
Home office detachment. The headquarters of the Watchtower
is a closed environment made up of policy makers who are older
men who by and large have never had children. They live an institutional
life. As a general rule, they do not cook, clean, pay taxes,
drive cars, or have an understanding of life outside an institutional
setting. It is difficult for them to comprehend the problems
that many face on a day-to-day basis. The attitude is generally
to maintain the "status quo" and not make sweeping
changes or minor adjustments unless forced to do so when it weighs
to their advantage. The attitude is, "if it is not broke
don't fix it" and if it is broke we do not want to know
about it.
The result is often good decisions are distorted and applied
in areas that do not fit. Example: The principle of "two
witnesses". This is basically a good idea in areas of fraud
or false accusation when it comes to a slip of the tongue. It
also fits in matters relating to adults who may commit moral
sins, preventing accusations being made unless the accuser can
back it up. When this matter is stretched to include matters
relating to children, it doesn't work. When children are molested
there are never two witnesses. The misapplication of this scripture
gives the pedophile an opportunity to lie and use this to his/her
advantage. Children are revictimized when the elders demand two
witnesses as proof of what happened. The victim in effect is
called a liar as no action is taken, which actually would be
the same result if the child had made up the accusation.
This distortion has caused much suffering to molested children
who have asked the Governing Body for help. The Governing Body
has turned a deaf ear, placing a greater emphasis on maintaining
the "status quo" rather than rocking the boat by making
an adjustment to protect children. If confronted the Watchtower
says it is the parent's job to protect children. In light of
the above matters discussed it is passing the buck on a problem
the Governing Body has caused by not taking decisive action.
I believe the closed society, elder authority, masculine dominated
society, and home office detachment, all together lay the foundation
for a pedophile paradise within the organization. It is my opinion
we have a much higher ratio of child molestation than any mainstream
religion. The basis for this conclusion is the internal rules
and the environment created in the Organization that allow the
pedophile to remain anonymous, thus bringing other possible victims
into harms way. The following issues and internal rules are listed:
No publisher can say negative things about another publisher
to anyone. If a publisher has a problem with someone the publisher
is instructed to either forget it or approach the offender and
attempt to settle the matter. If after two to three attempts
with no resolution, the matter is then taken to the elders who
will have the final say in the matter. If this guideline is not
followed the publisher can be disfellowshipped for malicious
gossip.
If a child is molested the above guideline forces that no
one tell who the pedophile is. They are not allowed to discuss
this with anyone, even members of their immediate family or other
congregation members whose children may be in danger, no one
in the congregation can be informed who molested the child.
Elders are instructed to maintain absolute confidentiality
with any judicial matter. Infractions that violate biblical law
are recorded within the confidential file for that congregation.
In the event a person is disfellowshipped, a complete report
is sent to home office where a second record of the infraction
is maintained. If a person commits a crime, copious records are
placed within the local congregation file and then a full report
will be maintained indefinitely at the WT Legal Dept. The congregation
confidential files and the files of Watchtower Legal Dept. contain
thousands of crimes that have never been reported to police and
never will be because "ecclesial privilege" will be
used as a basis to hide criminals from justice. These "files"
allow thousands of child molesters to escape prosecution.
Elders are forbidden to tell anyone of a confessed pedophile
who attends the local congregation. Only at the advice of Watchtower
Legal will elders even suggest to parents a child molester be
reported to the police. At the congregation level the only action
that can be taken with a confessed child molester is a "local
needs" part that would state to watch your children, but
nothing would be directly stated that a pedophile was actually
in the congregation. Another action could be for the elders to
have a meeting with the pedophile and tell him/her they would
monitor their conduct around children. He/she cannot have children
at their home for sleepovers nor hold them in their lap or work
alone with children in the field ministry.
The elders generally have contact at meetings and in the field
ministry. The rest of the time the pedophile has the freedom
to monitor his/her self. An interesting footnote is the addition
of a new policy in May of 2002, that is a confessed child molester
cannot work alone in the door to door ministry. This was unstated
in any writing or instruction before May of 2002. At that time
NBC's Dateline did a story about child molesters going door to
door at which Watchtower spokesman mislead media to believe this
was a long standing policy. On this website is a internal congregation
letter written on the "WT information" page in which
an elder was removed for being a confessed child molester, after
giving several instances of how this person was to be treated
in the congregation, not one word is stated about working alone
in the door to door work.
We would encourage media or any long time member to produce
any written material that could prove this policy went into effect
before May 2002. If not then a thank you note should be sent
for silentlambs for causing this policy to go into effect.
There are three actual disciplines a confessed pedophile could
experience in the congregation.
The "sudden death" for privileges. A directive that
came about with the Jan 1, 1997, Watchtower. You basically cannot
have any position of responsibility within the congregation.
The judicial committee, which has the authority to disfellowship
only if the pedophile is considered to be unrepentant. Guilt
is established by a confession or by the mouth of two witnesses.
If you reside in a reporting state and a minor claims to be molested
the elders could see to it you are reported to the police.
One, two, or all three of these directives may be followed, which
are determined by local elders, WT Service Department and the
WT Legal Department.
If a person is accused of being a pedophile, and they deny
the charge, they are considered innocent until proven guilty.
This works to the pedophile's advantage, as the requirement for
two witnesses means to the same event, not two separate occasions.
Watchtower PR has stated to media they will now take witnesses
to seperate incidents and take action in the congregation. This
again works to a child molesters advantage in that seldom will
successive children report being molested. The result?
Often numerous children will be molested before a "second
witness" to "seperate incident" might come forward.
Numerous reports from abuse survivors in the organization indicate
the "seperate second eye witness" was seldom if ever
honored in the event they came forward. Again this became a policy
instituted when silentlambs pressed the issue on child abuse.
Generally speaking in the unusual event a pedophile was accused
by two children in the same week, it might be considered as a
basis for a judicial committee but anything outside of this in
the face of a denial will allow the accused pedophile to remain
an innocent man. (11/15/95 WT)
There is a mention by JR Brown of WT PR, of corroborating
evidence in addition to one witness. This is a clever misrepresentation
to make it appear that often action will be taken on the basis
of one witness testimony. What is corroborating evidence of child
molestation? Example: pictures/video, pregnancy, or DNA evidence.
How often do these things come to bear in a case of child molestation?
Very seldom if ever. We invite Watchtower to produce one case
involving child molestation in which congregational action was
taken with one witness and "corroborating evidence."
The victim is placed in a very negative environment to come
forward and relate what happened. The victim is summoned to the
back room of the Kingdom Hall and they sit in a room with three
to four elders who fire questions about every detail that happened.
Where were you touched? How many times? What were the dates of
the molestation? What room of the house were you in? What did
you not tell anyone sooner? Did you participate in the act of
molestation? Did you enjoy the experience?
Why did you not cry out or tell the molester to stop? What
type of clothes were you wearing? Did you experience orgasm?
These questions are based on testimony given by molesteed children
when they were 4-8 years of age. There have been cases where
the pedophile denies the charges and then the victim faces a
judicial hearing for confessing to participating in a sexual
experience. As recently as December of 2002 victims have even
been disfellowshipped for coming forward and confessing to multiple
sexual acts and the molester will be protected as an innocent
man if he denies the allegations. The elders have zero training
on how to conduct a rape investigation and by their misguided
efforts taint a legitimate police investigation if it ever gats
to that stage, by tramatizing the child and informing the molester
of the child's testimony.
The parents of a victim are required to follow the direction
of the elders and trust their judgment of the matter. The "reproach"
of the congregation is turned into "reproach" on God
and provides the basis to keep parents from going to the outside
for assistance. In the event a parent chooses to go to police,
they are often advised to not disclose what religion they are
so as to not bring "reproach" on God's name. This can
cause difficulty for police investigations by not having complete
information the elders have advised them to withhold. The congregation
will be advised the alleged molester is innocent by their investigation
and members will impede a police investigation to protect a person
the elders have deemed innocent.
A confessed or convicted pedophile is allowed anonymity within
the Watchtower Organization. When they move a letter will follow
to the new congregation. Only the elders are privy to this information.
No one within the congregation would be informed of the pedophile's
presence. Even the wives of the elders are not to be given this
information. This can be a real danger for children. Example:
There have been occasions when elders purposely withheld their
children from being around "known" pedophiles while
other unknowing publishers in the same congregation have had
their children molested because of not being informed of the
pedophiles past. There have been occasions where a molester started
a bible study with people that have shown interest in religion
and then molested their children. There is currently no policy
that prevents a Jehovah's Witness child molester from studying
the bible with people they contact in the door to door work that
may have children.
An accused pedophile is allowed to move anywhere with no letter
to follow. He is viewed as an innocent man with no one being
allowed to warn others of the accusations against him. He can
serve as an elder or have any privilege in the congregation even
if convicted by a court of law. If any member disagrees with
this policy they can be deemed "causing divisions,"
see above….
A convicted or accused pedophile is allowed to go door to
door alone and with sisters in the field ministry. He is free
to have children in the car. This includes the children he/she
may meet at the door, the yard, or anywhere else he/she may travel
in the witness work. A person will never know if the Jehovah's
Witness who stops at their door is an accused or convicted pedophile
or not. The primary purpose of witnessing is to start home bible
studies, if an accused or convicted pedophile starts a study
with a family who has children, no directive is offered on protocol
of how this is to be handled. They are deemed to be innocent
by current policy based on elder determination. In addition,
it is common for those who participate in witnessing to take
a coffee break mid-morning. Children are nearly always present
unknowing who they on "break" with. Again no directives
are offered.
At Circuit Assemblies and District Conventions convicted,
confessed and accused pedophiles are allowed to mingle freely
with no monitoring among literally hundreds of children. There
are no directives offered in a Convention setting. In addition,
most motels are filled with unknowing JW families who are never
informed of a pedophiles presence in the motel where they are
staying with no directives to monitor the pedophile in this setting.
These represent areas where no policy exists currently.
Quick/Build, a large gathering of witnesses from all over
the state to build a new Kingdom Hall in four days. An accused
/convicted pedophile is free to be used in this program. They
will be exposed to many children from all over the state who
again have no knowledge that they are around a possible sex offender.
No directives are offered. Confessed pedophiles are not allowed
to work in the Quick/Build arrangement.
Elders have absolutely no training on guidance, therapy or
counseling when it comes to child molestation issues. The 1994
Elders School specifically advised against getting training on
counseling or therapy for mental health issues stating, "we
are spiritual shepherds only." The admonition was to listen,
read a scripture, and say a prayer and that should be sufficient.
The attitude was, some things will not be solved till the "new
order" and persons with difficulty should learn to endure.
The way troubled victims were advised to cope was to read the
bible, pray, be regular at church meetings and participate more
in the field ministry.
When victims are not treated and then act out their anger
by self-destructive behaviors the elders move quickly to establish
judicial committees to disfellowship a person who contaminates
the congregation by wrong conduct. The victim is then victimized
again, ostracized by family and every friend they have ever known
within the closed environment all Jehovah's Witnesses are associated
with.
All these things together contribute to the reason I believe
there is a pedophile paradise within the Watchtower Organization.
We recruit troubled persons to be members and accept them
in with no questions asked. A pedophile that becomes a witness
will be able to move about freely with the benefit of his past
being buried with no one knowing. If the pedophile then starts
to molest Jehovah's Witness children who are taught to submit
completely to adult authority, the children are easily intimidated
to not say anything for years. If any do come forward, the pedophile
simply denies the charge and remains "innocent" from
the congregation's standpoint. Should things become uncomfortable
for the pedophile, they can simply move and start all over again
with a fresh batch of children.
Witnesses have absolute trust in one another, it is called
a "spiritual paradise" in a wicked world. Their children
are only allowed to associate with one another. A gathering will
only have Jehovah's Witnesses in attendance. Any extra circular
activity will only feature Jehovah's Witnesses with each other.
The typical pedophile will invariably have ample opportunity
to take advantage of the trust of unknowing fellow members. The
above stated issues raises the following questions:
Do other churches operate like this?
Do other church members have the shepherd dominated mentality
JW's have?
Do other churches allow sex offenders complete anonymity within
the church when it is discovered?
Do other churches advise that the minister has the last word
when molestation issues arise?
Do other churches lead members to believe their investigatorial
measures are the best way to determine if a person has committed
a crime?
Do other churches advise the best way to help a troubled person
is to tell them to endure and wait for God's Kingdom to solve
their problems?
Do other churches take a person who is troubled because of
molestation, who has begun self-destructive behaviors and disfellowship
them, ostracizing them from the people who would be in the best
position to help them?
Do other churches require two witnesses to the actual event
of molestation before taking any disciplinary measures?
Do other churches threaten parents of molested children with
disfellowshipment if they try to warn other members whose children
may be in danger?
Do other churches remove ministers who warn parents of the
danger of a certain pedophile molesting their children?
Do other churches disfellowship members that speak out to
protect children from child molesters?
Do other churches provide zero training when it comes to how
to direct a molested child to get the help they need?
In answering the above questions, if you feel there is no
difference between Jehovah's Witnesses and how other churches
handle these matters then we could be considered to have a similar
ratio of child molestations to other churches. If on the other
hand, you see a difference, then you have to accept a much higher
ratio of child molestation among Jehovah's Witnesses than mainstream
Christianity. It is morally and ethically wrong to perpetrate
a "Policy" that hurts children. After reviewing the
material above I hope this can help you to be better informed,
educated as to the nature of the problem, and see the need to
require the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to rethink this
issue, to change their policy and realize that protecting children
is the highest priority in an Organization that wants to lead
people to worship God.
Watchtower Policy-What needs to change?
Watchtower Policy: What needs to Change
1. Report matter to the police first.
What does the Watchtower say? Note the 97 WT on direction
for reporting what is bad:
w97 8/15 26-30 Why Report What Is Bad?
Appreciating the Value of Reproof Among Jehovah’s people,
however, there is a different attitude toward reproof. Godly
men and women deeply appreciate the arrangement Jehovah has made
to help erring ones inside the Christian congregation . They
recognize such discipline as an expression of his loving-kindness.—Hebrews
12:6-11.
What is that arrangement? Is it going to the police when a
crime is committed?
In our day too, Jehovah’s servants can become involved
in serious wrongdoing, even those who have been faithful for
many years. Recognizing that the elders can assist, most take
the initiative to approach them for help. (James 5:13-16) But
sometimes a wrongdoer may try to cover up his sin, as did King
David. What should we do if we come to know about serious wrongdoing
in the congregation?
Whose Responsibility Is It?
When elders learn about serious wrongdoing, they approach
the individual involved to give needed help and correction. It
is the elders’ responsibility to judge such ones inside
the Christian congregation. Keeping a close watch on its spiritual
condition, they assist and admonish anyone who is taking an unwise
or wrong step .—1 Corinthians 5:12, 13; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1
Peter 5:1, 2.
So does this just apply to slander of moral crimes committed
by adults that break bible law? Notice the scripture used to
define wrongdoing.
But what if you are not an elder and you come to know about
some serious wrongdoing on the part of another Christian? Guidelines
are found in the Law that Jehovah gave to the nation of Israel
. The Law stated that if a person was a witness to apostate acts,
sedition, murder, or certain other serious crimes , it was his
responsibility to report it and to testify to what he knew. Leviticus
5:1 states: “Now in case a soul sins in that he has heard
public cursing and he is a witness or he has seen it or has come
to know of it, if he does not report it, then he must answer
for his error.”—Compare Deuteronomy 13:6-8; Esther
6:2; Proverbs 29:24.
Though not under the Mosaic Law, Christians today can be guided
by the principles behind it. (Psalm 19:7, 8) So if you learn
about the serious wrongdoing of a fellow Christian , what should
you do?
Where are we given the right here to call the police? Not
one word offered. So who do you go to? See below.
Handling the Matter
First of all, it is important that there is valid reason to
believe that serious wrongdoing has really occurred. “ Do
not become a witness against your fellowman without grounds,”
stated the wise man. “Then you would have to be foolish
with your lips.”—Proverbs 24:28.
You may decide to go directly to the elders. It is not wrong
to do so. Usually, however, the most loving course is to approach
the person involved. Perhaps the facts are not as they appear
to be. Or perhaps the situation is already being handled by the
elders. Calmly discuss the matter with the person. If there remains
reason to believe that a serious wrong has been committed, encourage
him or her to approach the elders for help, and explain the wisdom
of doing so. Do not talk to others about the matter, for that
would be gossip.
If the person does not report to the elders within a reasonable
period of time, then you should. One or two elders will then
discuss the matter with the accused. The elders need to “search
and investigate and inquire thoroughly” to see if wrong
has been done. If it has, they will handle the case according
to Scriptural guidelines. —Deuteronomy 13:12 -14.
Who investigates the crime first? THE ELDERS! Yet still no
mention of going to the police. Then if there are only one witness
what do you have to do? Report it to police then? See Below.
At least two witnesses are required to establish a charge
of wrongdoing. (John 8:17; Hebrews 10:28 ) If the person denies
the charge and your testimony is the only one, the matter will
be left in Jehovah’s hands. (1 Timothy 5:19, 24, 25) This
is done in the knowledge that all things are “openly exposed”
to Jehovah and that if the person is guilty, eventually his sins
will “catch up” with him.—Hebrews 4:13 ; Numbers
32:23.
There you have it the basis of discouraging victims to go
to the police. They are clearly instructed to leave it in Jehovah’s
hands. That means do nothing. Can you warn any other parents
whose children may be in harms way? See Below.
But suppose the person does deny the charge and you are the
only witness against him. Could you now be open to a countercharge
of slander? No, not unless you have gossiped to those not involved
in the matter. It is not slanderous to report conditions affecting
a congregation to those having authority and responsibility to
oversee and correct matters. It is, in fact, in line with our
desire always to do what is correct and loyal.—Compare Luke
1:74, 75.
So if you gossip and tell others about your child being molested
you could be charged with slander and expelled from the congregation.
What is the reason why? See Below.
Maintaining Holiness in the Congregation
One reason for reporting wrongdoing is that it works to preserve
the cleanness of the congregation. Jehovah is a clean God, a
holy God. He requires all those who worship him to be spiritually
and morally clean. His inspired Word admonishes: “As obedient
children, quit being fashioned according to the desires you formerly
had in your ignorance, but, in accord with the Holy One who called
you, do you also become holy yourselves in all your conduct,
because it is written: ‘You must be holy, because I am holy.’”
(1 Peter 1:14-16) Individuals who practice uncleanness or wrongdoing
can bring defilement and Jehovah’s disfavor upon an entire
congregation unless action is taken to correct or remove them.—Compare
Joshua, chapter 7.
The congregation does their own dirty laundry and keeps outsiders
uninformed. This is the basis of how the congregation operates.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are NOT free to go to the police. They
are required to OBEY the direction of the elders. If they do
not they are disfellowshipped . Thus Watchtower Policy requires
a child molestation victim to go to the ELDERS FIRST and this
is the error of WT policy.
2. A pedophile should never hold a position of responsibility
within the congregation.
The 1-1-97 Watchtower seemed to indicate this would be the
policy for Jehovah’s Witnesses, yet in just three short
months a letter was sent (along with more to follow) to Bodies
of Elders that changed that policy. The 97 letter stated:
“It may be possible that some who were guilty of child
molestation were or are now serving as elders, ministerial servants,
or regular or special pioneers. Others may have been guilty of
child molestation before they were baptized. The bodies of elders
should not query individuals.”
This statement made provision for pedophile to continue to
serve. That was further collaborated by the 6-1-01 letter to
Bodies of Elders in England which states:
“There is one exception to the above direction: The elders
may have written to the branch office and given full details
about a former child abuser who is currently serving as an elder
or ministerial servant. In such a case, if the branch office
has decided that he can be appointed or continue serving in a
position of trust because the sin occurred many years ago and
because he has lived an exemplary life since then, his name should
not appear on the List, nor is it necessary to pass on information
about the brother’s past sin if he moves to another congregation
unless contrary instructions have been given by the branch.”
Child Molesters are clearly given positions of responsibility
within the congregation at the direction of WT Policy. Time passing
should be no factor for a pedophile.
3. Child molesters should never be allowed to participate
in the door to door ministry.
Is this WT policy? Please note the 1-1-97 Watchtower which
initially established molester policy. What would a child molester
who is newly released from prison be required to do to show his
repentance? See Below.
w97 1/1 29 Let Us Abhor What Is Wicked
”Depending on the law of the land where he lives, the molester
may well have to serve a prison term or face other sanctions
from the State… ’If he seems to be repentant, he will
be encouraged to make spiritual progress, share in the field
service ..”
A newly released child molester is required by WT Policy to
call at the homes of the unknowing public. THAT IS WT POLICY!
This information shows without doubt something is terribly
wrong in this matter. This “Policy” presents a danger
to children within the organization as well as those who are
met in the door to door work. If the Governing Body really wishes
to be a “faithful slave” they should move at ONCE to
correct this mistake and protect the children. [Source: http://www.silentlambs.org
]
We carry a video in the video library which portrays a confession
of a young woman and how JWs handled the problems. http://a2zbookdepot.adelink.net/video_library.html#anchor256
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Bill Bowen, former Jehovah Witness - 12-31-02: As I reviewed
the events of last year, it brought me to the simple comment
above. This is the basis of why I am in the position I am in
today. The thirty first of December will mark my one-year anniversary
of no longer serving as an elder. Forty-three years of my life
were devoted to a cause I would have willingly sacrificed myself
or my family for. I often thought of myself as a knight who would
grab his sword and be willing to give his life in behalf of the
innocent and for the honor of the King. I believed in two words
that followed me throughout my life. In business, I would place
them on my business card; whenever a decision was to be made,
these two words would often guide me. On many occasions those
two words caused me much personal hardship, but I could agree
to the terms as it is better to obey what those two words require
than to live with the results of not doing so.
In 1992, I was deleted as an elder over those two words. The
consequences were devastating. You see, in 1992 my circuit overseer,
Ken Purvis, chose to tell a lie about some information that hurt
several people. If he had told the truth, it would have exposed
several serious mistakes he had made. I was confronted with agreeing
to his lies and staying an elder, or telling the truth and being
deleted for being “self-willed.” Because of those two
words, “honor” and “integrity,” I had no
choice when making my decision. As I stated to the special committee,
“I would rather be deleted as an elder for telling the truth
than serve as an elder by agreeing to a lie.” I believed
Jehovah would make it up to me, and my life’s course would
prove who the real liar was. Two years to the day, I was reappointed
as an elder. Three years to the day, I had a part on the district
convention.
The reason for sharing this story is because I gained insight
as to how the WT organization works. Through this experience,
I began to understand the manner in which corrupt people in high
places could get away with wrongdoing, they simply lied their
way out. Although I came to believe that there were many corrupt
people in high places within the organization, I also believed
there were good guys who had honor and integrity. Ultimately,
I believed they could help right to prevail. On December thirty-first
of last year, in my heart there was an ember of that hope as
I proceeded on my course. As I sit here and write this today,
I see a much clearer picture.
In the fall of 2000, my effort to protect a child was terminated
by WT directives based on WT policy. As an elder I tried for
four months to work matters out within the organization and met
a brick wall. This caused me to research the problem nationally.
Were other elders efforts thwarted when they endeavored to protect
children in their congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
like I was trying to do in Kentucky ? It deeply disturbed me
to the point I wrote a letter resigning as PO and elder in protest
of what WT policy was doing to children. I sent a copy to headquarters
to the Legal and Service Departments, and, also, to the Governing
Body. This was in the middle of December. On the twenty-ninth
I got my answer direct from the circuit overseer when he casually
said at the end of an elders meeting, “Oh yes, Brother Bowen,
we accept your resignation.” Not one word of counsel; not
one attempt to encourage me to work for a solution as an elder.
The following week I was on the six and ten o’clock news
as well as the front page of the local newspaper. Four elders
asked to meet with me, three of whom were PO ’s in their
respective congregations. They basically had a simple mission
– to find a basis to disfellowship me for apostasy, and
tell me that WT policy would never change. Thus, this would keep
me from speaking out anymore on the matter. It did not work.
So began the “fight for what is right,” and what
a fight it was, with Watchtower pulling every dirty trick possible
to silence and punish my family and me. To list a few:
I was placed on full restrictions; when I challenged in writing
the basis for doing so, they took four weeks to inform me I was
really not on restrictions.
WT sent in a substitute circuit overseer to give a special
local needs part with the simple objective – to demonize
me so badly that everyone would be afraid to talk with me about
the subject. I recall his first words, to the effect of, “The
person who went to the media has spoken against God.”
The brothers who had parts on the meeting were informed not
to call on me. When I inquired about this, I was told I was welcome
to comment at any time.
The brothers at the Literature Counter were instructed not
to locate any literature orders I placed.
The brothers at the Magazine Counter were instructed to give
away my magazines.
The brothers could not locate a KM for me while everyone else
had one.
At the end of January, members of WT Information Office flew
to Missouri to videotape an interview with my parents. They recorded
over two hours of tape, yet the only part they chose to use was
where my father stated, “My son is just not telling the
truth.” This was released to all local newspapers and television
stations as a rebuttal to what I was saying.
When I would meet for field service, the conductor would place
me in a car by myself with no territory.
The brothers instructed the congregation to treat me as a disfellowshipped
person; when I attended meetings, no one would speak to me, and
I had to endure their dirty looks.
Anytime local Witnesses met my family out in public places,
they were also treated as disfellowshipped.
The brothers refused to offer any explanation for the above actions
when questioned; all the while I remained a Witness in good standing.
Consequently, the actions of these superfine elders extinguished
any ember of hope I held that the good guys would take any meaningful
action. I was even contacted by persons in high places at Bethel
who offered support, yet did nothing to bring any change to WT
child abuse policy. The breaking point for me was in June of
this year when the local elders decided to start using the child
molester on the stage again. When I confronted them, basically,
I was told to go to hell. I attended meetings for six months
under the conditions above, while the child molester commented
freely with the support of the entire congregation. You see,
I was forbidden by WT policy to even inform his wife that he
was a pedophile.
While I did report him to the police, the local elders informed
the congregation I was making a big deal about nothing. To a
certain extent, I began to understand how a victim must feel
to live as a silent lamb as I watched the pedophile enjoy the
good favor of the congregation. The stories of the victims that
came by the hundreds confirmed how they were silent lambs and
why they were treated far worse than me for trying to get help.
This reminds me of the scripture in Corinthians that says, ”Now
if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones,
wood materials, hay, stubble, each one’s work will become
manifest, for the day will show it up, because it will be revealed
by means of fire; and the fire itself will prove what sort of
work each one’s is.” (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)
I remember the application given that Scripture in a talk:
the “fire” proves what we are really made of when we
face adversity. If you turn that scripture around and apply it
to the Governing Body, what do the events of the last year prove
them to be made of? Do these men really believe that God allows
them to hurt children with no consequences?
The answer brings to mind the scripture in Romans, ”But
according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are storing
up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revealing
of God’s righteous judgment. And he will render to each
one according to his works: everlasting life to those who are
seeking glory and honor and incorruptibleness by endurance in
work that is good; however, for those who are contentious and
who disobey the truth but obey unrighteousness there will be
wrath and anger, tribulation and distress, upon the soul of every
man who works what is injurious, of the Jew first and also of
the Greek; but glory and honor and peace for everyone who works
what is good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For there
is no partiality with God.” (Romans 2:5-11)
Apparently, the application of this Scripture is that God
is not partial to anyone; if you do bad things and hurt children,
I do not believe God would overlook it because of man’s
imperfection. As it says in Romans 13:10, “Love does not
work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s
fulfillment.” How can it be showing love to enact a policy
that allows children to be molested?
More than once WT has quoted the scripture in Acts about Gamaliel
and applied it to their favor in dealing with the silentlambs
’ issue. I offer you the verses to review.
“When they heard this, they felt deeply cut and were
wanting to do away with them. But a certain man rose in the San'he·drin,
a Pharisee named Ga·ma'li·el, a Law teacher esteemed
by all the people, and gave the command to put the men outside
for a little while. And he said to them: “Men of Israel
, pay attention to yourselves as to what YOU intend to do respecting
these men. For instance, before these days Theu'das rose, saying
he himself was somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred,
joined his party. But he was done away with, and all those who
were obeying him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him
Judas the Gal·i·le'an rose in the days of the registration,
and he drew off people after him. And yet that man perished,
and all those who were obeying him were scattered abroad. And
so, under the present circumstances, I say to YOU, Do not meddle
with these men, but let them alone; (because, if this scheme
or this work is from men, it will be overthrown; but if it is
from God, YOU will not be able to overthrow them;) otherwise,
YOU may perhaps be found fighters actually against God.”
At this they gave heed to him, and they summoned the apostles,
flogged them, and ordered them to stop speaking upon the basis
of Jesus’ name, and let them go.” (Acts 5:33-40)
It might appear that the application of the Scripture would
be for WT to lay low and let this blow over. Yet, I see the point
made that they could actually be fighting against God, and, if
so, the results would be men who no longer have the benefit of
God’s Holy Spirit directing their decisions.
Jesus dealt with men such as this and he used a word to describe
them. At Matthew 15:6-9, he stated, ”YOU hypocrites, Isaiah
aptly prophesied about YOU, when he said, ‘This people honors
me with their lips, yet their heart is far removed from me. It
is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands
of men as doctrines.”
Jesus went on to give further description, “Woe to YOU,
scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU give the tenth
of the mint and the dill and the cumin, but YOU have disregarded
the weightier matters of the Law, namely, justice and mercy and
faithfulness. These things it was binding to do, yet not to disregard
the other things. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat but gulp
down the camel! “Woe to YOU, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
because YOU cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but
inside they are full of plunder and immoderateness. Blind Pharisee,
cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the
outside of it also may become clean. “Woe to YOU, scribes
and Pharisees, hypocrites! because YOU resemble whitewashed graves,
which outwardly indeed appear beautiful but inside are full of
dead men’s bones and of every sort of uncleanness. In that
way YOU also, outwardly indeed, appear righteous to men, but
inside YOU are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew
23:23-28)
This is an ample description of what Jesus called a hypocrite.
That description is defined further in the Insight book under
that word:
it-1 1164-5 -HYPOCRITE
“A person who pretends to be what he is not; a person
whose actions are out of harmony with his words. Although words
from the Hebrew root cha·neph' are rendered “hypocrite”
or “hypocrisy” in some translations, such as the King
James Version, Douay, and Leeser, other translators have variously
rendered these words “profane” (Yg), “impious”
(Ro), “godless” (RS), and “apostate” (NW).
According to A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament
by Brown, Driver, and Briggs (1980, pp. 337, 338), cha·neph',
when used as an adjective, may be defined as “profane, irreligious
. . . , godless”; or, as a verb, “be polluted, profane
. . . , inclining away from right.” In the Scriptures cha·neph'
appears in parallel with those forgetting God (Job 8:13 ), the
wicked (Job 20:5), evildoers (Isa 9:17 ), and it is used in contrast
with the upright and innocent ones.—Job 17:8; see APOSTASY.
“The Greek word rendered “hypocrite” (hy·po·kri·tes')
means “one who answers,” as well as meaning a stage
actor. Greek and Roman actors employed large masks with mechanical
devices for amplifying the voice. Hence, the Greek word hy·po·kri·tes'
came to be used in a metaphoric sense to apply to one playing
false, or one putting on a pretense. The same word appears in
the Greek Septuagint at Job 34:30; 36:13. Hypocrites are “unfaithful
ones” (compare Lu 12:46 with Mt 24:51), and “hypocrisy”
(hy·po'kri·sis), as used in the Scriptures, may
also denote “wickedness” and “cunning.”—Compare
Mt 22:18 ; Mr 12:15 ; Lu 20:23 ; see also Ga 2:13 , where hy·po'kri·sis
is rendered “pretense.”
“Jesus Christ identified as hypocrites persons who make
gifts of mercy with showy display, who pray and fast to be seen
of men, and who pick on the strawlike faults of their brothers
but do nothing about removing their own rafterlike faults. Christ
classified as such those who claimed to be God’s servants
but who failed to discern the significance of the time in which
they were living and the events that were occurring, while readily
drawing conclusions from the appearance of earth and sky as to
what the weather would be like.—Mt 6:2, 5, 16; 7:1-5; Lu
6:42; 12:54-56.
“Not only did the Son of God while on earth denounce
the religious leaders of Israel as hypocrites but he also stated
his reasons for doing so. They rendered mere lip service to the
Creator, making the word of God invalid because of their traditions.
(Mt 15:1, 6-9; Mr 7:6, 7) Their actions were out of harmony with
their words. (Mt 23:1-3) The scribes and Pharisees not only deliberately
refused to avail themselves of the opportunity to enter the Kingdom
of the heavens, but they added to their sin by trying to hinder
others from doing so. They put forth every effort to convert
someone, only to make him twice as much a subject for Gehenna
as they were. They were sticklers for the little things of the
Law but disregarded the weightier matters of it—justice,
mercy, and faithfulness. As hypocrites, they possessed only a
seemingly clean outward appearance; inside they were full of
immoderateness. Like whitewashed graves, outwardly beautiful,
they appeared righteous to men, but inside they were “full
of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” They built the graves of
the prophets and decorated the memorial tombs of the righteous
ones, claiming that they would not have shed the blood of such
ones. However, their course of action proved them to be just
like their murderous forefathers. (Mt 23:13-36) The teaching
of the Pharisees and Sadducees was actually hypocrisy.—Mt
16:6, 12; Lu 12:1; see also Lu 13:11 -17.
“A striking example of a hypocritical course was that
followed by the disciples of the Pharisees and the party followers
of Herod when approaching Jesus on the tax question. First they
resorted to flattery, saying: “Teacher, we know you are
truthful and teach the way of God in truth.” Then they posed
the catch question: “Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar
or not?” Appropriately Jesus referred to them as hypocrites,
since they were not really desirous of getting an answer to their
question but merely raised it with a view to trapping Jesus in
his speech”.—Mt 22:15-22; Lu 20:19-26; PICTURE, Vol.
2, p. 544.
A hypocritical course cannot be concealed indefinitely. (Lu
12:1-3) Hypocrites are condemned by God as unworthy of life everlasting.
(Mt 24:48-51) Therefore, a Christian’s love and faith must
be without hypocrisy. (Ro 12:9; 2Co 6:4, 6; 1Ti 1:5) The wisdom
from above is not hypocritical.—Jas 3:17 .”
“Hypocrite!” What better word in light of the definition
above to describe the Governing Body who claim they direct a
brotherhood guided by love, yet refuse to make any adjustment
to protect children and offer support to victims. Their willful
action proves them to be hypocrites.
It is interesting to note that in the scripture that lays
the basis of authority for the “Faithful and Discreet Slave,”
the word hypocrite is mentioned. Read it for yourself:
“Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his
master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food
at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on arriving
finds him doing so. Truly I say to YOU, He will appoint him over
all his belongings.“But if ever that evil slave should say
in his heart, ‘My master is delaying,’ and should start
to beat his fellow slaves and should eat and drink with the confirmed
drunkards, the master of that slave will come on a day that he
does not expect and in an hour that he does not know, and will
punish him with the greatest severity and will assign him his
part with the hypocrites. There is where [his] weeping and the
gnashing of [his] teeth will be.” (Matthew 24:45-51)
In Jesus estimation, hypocrites were the lowest form of humanity,
something the “evil slave” would be assigned to. This
scripture has often been applied to me as the “evil slave”
who beats his brothers. They say I “beat” them by bringing
up this issue as it gives JW’s a bad image. How interesting
that the “Insight” book makes this point under beating:
it-1 273 BEATING
”Jesus foretold that at the time of his presence he would
appoint “the faithful and discreet slave . . . over all
his belongings.” God’s Son also spoke of an evil slave
that would not be alert and anxiously watching for his master’s
arrival. Such an “evil slave” would say: “My master
is delaying.” Not only would he eat and drink with the confirmed
drunkards but he would go further by beating his fellow slaves
and opposing their work of providing the spiritual food at the
proper time for God’s faithful slaves. This one, in turn,
would be punished with the greatest severity and assigned a part
with the hypocrites. (Mt 24:45-51; Lu 12:42-46) Jesus went on
then to show that one who has greater responsibility and fails
to take care of it is more reprehensible than one who does not
know or understand his duties so well. Such a one’s punishment,
the number of “strokes,” would be proportionate to
his responsibility.”—Lu 12:47, 48.
It seems that many strokes are due the Governing Body for
ignoring the cries of the silent lambs. In addition, by their
inaction, it is they who are beating those who are the weakest
and the most helpless in the organization. So, I ask you, is
the Governing Body by their actions, the “good” slave
or the “evil” slave?
Another area that has been of great concern, is the misrepresentation
and outright lies that have been told by WT officials on this
matter. Again to the “Insight” book where a lie is
defined:
it-2 244-5 LIE
“The opposite of truth. Lying generally involves saying
something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth
and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another
person. A lie need not always be verbal. It can also be expressed
in action, that is, a person may be living a lie. The Hebrew
verb that conveys the idea of speaking that which is untrue is
ka·zav'. (Pr 14:5) Another Hebrew verb sha·qar'
means “deal or act falsely,” and the noun form is rendered
“lie; deception; falsehood.” (Le 19:11; Ps 44:17; Le
19:12; Ps 33:17; Isa 57:4) Hebrew shaw´, at times rendered
“untruth; falsehood,” basically refers to something
worthless, vain, valueless. (Ps 12:2; De 5:20; Ps 60:11; 89:47;
Zec 10:2) The Hebrew verb ka·chash' (deceive) evidently
has the basic meaning “prove disappointing.” (Le 19:11;
Ho 9:2) The Greek term pseu'dos and related words have to do
with lying and falsehood.
“The father, or originator, of lying is Satan the Devil.
(Joh 8:44) His lie conveyed by means of a serpent to the first
woman Eve ultimately brought death to her and to her husband
Adam. (Ge 3:1-5, 16-19) That first lie was rooted in selfishness
and wrong desire. It was designed to divert the love and obedience
of the first human pair to the liar, who had presented himself
as an angel of light, a benefactor. (Compare 2Co 11:14 .) All
other malicious lies uttered since that time have likewise been
a reflection of selfishness and wrong desire. People have told
lies to escape deserved punishment, to profit at the expense
of others, and to gain or maintain certain advantages, material
rewards, or the praise of men.
“Especially serious have been the religious lies, as
they have endangered the future life of persons deceived by them.
Said Jesus Christ: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
because you traverse sea and dry land to make one proselyte,
and when he becomes one you make him a subject for Gehenna twice
as much so as yourselves.” (Mt 23:15) The exchange of God’s
truth for “the lie,” the falsehood of idolatry, can
cause a person to become a practicer of what is degrading and
vile.—Ro 1:24 -32.
The case of the religious leaders of Judaism in the time of
Jesus’ earthly ministry shows what can happen when one abandons
the truth. They schemed to have Jesus put to death. Then, when
he was resurrected, they bribed the soldiers who had guarded
the tomb so they would conceal the truth and spread a lie about
the disappearance of Jesus’ body.—Mt 12:14; 27:1, 2,
62-65; 28:11-15; Mr 14:1; Lu 20:19.
“Jehovah God cannot lie (Nu 23:19 ; Heb 6:13 -18), and
he hates “a false tongue.” (Pr 6:16-19) His law to
the Israelites required compensation for injuries resulting from
deception or malicious lying. (Le 6:2-7; 19:11 , 12) And a person
presenting false testimony was to receive the punishment that
he desired to inflict upon another by means of his lies. (De
19:15-21) God’s view of malicious lying, as reflected in
the Law, has not changed. Those desiring to gain his approval
cannot engage in the practice of lying. (Ps 5:6; Pr 20:19 ; Col
3:9, 10; 1Ti 3:11 ; Re 21:8, 27; 22:15 ) They cannot be living
a lie, claiming to love God while hating their brother. (1Jo
4:20 , 21) For playing false to the holy spirit by lying, Ananias
and his wife lost their lives.—Ac 5:1-11.
“However, persons who are momentarily overreached in
telling a lie do not automatically become guilty of an unforgivable
sin. The case of Peter, in denying Jesus three times, illustrates
that if a person is truly repentant, God will forgive him.—Mt
26:69-75.
“While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the
Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to
divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to
it. Jesus Christ counseled: “Do not give what is holy to
dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never
trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open.”
(Mt 7:6) That is why Jesus on certain occasions refrained from
giving full information or direct answers to certain questions
when doing so could have brought unnecessary harm. (Mt 15:1-6;
21:23 -27; Joh 7:3-10) Evidently the course of Abraham, Isaac,
Rahab, and Elisha in misdirecting or in withholding full facts
from nonworshipers of Jehovah must be viewed in the same light.—Ge
12:10-19; chap 20; 26:1-10; Jos 2:1-6; Jas 2:25; 2Ki 6:11-23.
“Jehovah God allows “an operation of error”
to go to persons who prefer falsehood “that they may get
to believing the lie” rather than the good news about Jesus
Christ. (2Th 2:9-12) This principle is illustrated by what happened
centuries earlier in the case of Israelite King Ahab. Lying prophets
assured Ahab of success in war against Ramoth-gilead, while Jehovah’s
prophet Micaiah foretold disaster. As revealed in vision to Micaiah,
Jehovah allowed a spirit creature to become “a deceptive
spirit” in the mouth of Ahab’s prophets. That is to
say, this spirit creature exercised his power upon them so that
they spoke, not truth, but what they themselves wanted to say
and what Ahab wanted to hear from them. Though forewarned, Ahab
preferred to be fooled by their lies and paid for it with his
life”.—1Ki 22:1-38; 2Ch 18.
How could those who represent the WT read the above and justify
lying to support a policy that allows children to be molested?
Are these just stupid men or are they outright wicked? The answers
to these questions have led many who I have had conversations
with to ask: “Where else can we go?” This, of course,
is paraphrasing a statement made by Jesus disciples when confronted
with the choice of leaving him. I have thought of this statement
many times over the last year. Two weeks ago, I found a simple
answer in the story of “Dumbo.”
While this may give the reader pause, please be patient while
I explain. The story of Dumbo is about a little elephant that
had extremely large ears. While his mother loved him very much,
everyone else made fun of his deformity. One day as a gag, a
circus monkey convinced Dumbo that if he could hold a magic feather
in his trunk and flap his ears, then he could fly. It worked.
As part of the circus act, Dumbo became an overnight sensation.
He was the only flying elephant in the world. Dumbo had lots
of friends now. As long as he had his magic feather he would
remain famous. One day, a high tower was constructed for Dumbo
to jump off. However, when he got to the top, he discovered he
had lost his magic feather. When he tried to come down, the monkey
stopped him and said the magic feather was a complete lie. He
said that the power to fly was with Dumbo all along; the feather
was nothing more than a prop used to get his confidence up to
try to fly. Dumbo refused to believe it was so, but in the process
of trying to get off the platform, he slipped and fell off. Inasmuch
as he knew it was either fly or die, Dumbo flapped his ears and
quickly discovered he could fly without the “magic”
feather. The power to fly lay within him all along. Now he knew
that he had been lied to about the feather.
How does this apply to the statement, “Where do we go
from here?” What I have learned in the last twelve months
is that to live with honor and integrity you do not have to be
an elder, ministerial servant, or even a publisher. I am far
happier in what has been accomplished in the last year than in
my twenty years as an elder. You see, I was convinced that unless
I had the “magic feather” of WT approval, I could not
be a good person or have a fulfilled life. I have lived now for
one year without WT approval, and find I am far happier as I
fight for truth and what is right. I can no longer stomach the
company of rank and file who blindly defend and support WT leadership,
a leadership that protects pedophiles and hurts children.
To illustrate this further, recently WT approached media persons
outside the organization and tried to use what happened to me
in 1992 as a basis to challenge my credibility. WT forgot to
take into consideration that the media would more than likely
contact me about the question raised. When I explained the matter,
I then called WT and asked to talk with the person who was spreading
this rumor. Can you guess what they said? They could not find
him. I then had a thirty-minute conversation with WT Public Information
about the child abuse issue. They repeatedly called me Brother
Bowen over the phone, yet could not offer one sentence of corrective
counsel that the basis of my position was wrong. Being spineless
and not standing up for what is right is also not an excuse for
allowing children to be hurt. As the saying goes, “All that
is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”
I recently received my personal United Nations letter from
the WT with their explanation of the matter. The letter dated
11-30-01 started off, “Dear Brother Bowen.” Now if
I have an apostate website as many claim, and no one locally
will speak to me, then why does home office in writing still
call me Brother Bowen? If I am truly a wicked person then why
have I not been disfellowshipped or even an announcement made
I am no longer an elder? Could the reason be because I am telling
the truth? Could the answer be that the WT organization is made
of up men in leadership positions that are lying hypocrites who
have spineless men to follow their bidding? Do you really need
people like this controlling your life for you to be a person
who lives their life with honor and integrity? To be a good person
do you need the WT feather? The events of the last year have
given me my personal answers to these questions. It is my hope
that those who read this will see that the fight for what is
right is not based on the opinions of lying hypocrites, but on
the goodness, and strength of character you have within. It appears
the Creator feels much the same way. In conclusion I would like
to leave you with His words on the matter.
“Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling
calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and tens of thousands
of rivers of olive oil? Would that please the LORD? Should we
sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for the sins of our souls?
Would that make him glad? No, O people, the LORD has already
told you what is good, and this is what he requires: to do what
is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:6-8) [Source: http://www.silentlambs.org/personal_experiences/fight_right.cfm
]
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