Sunday, June 6
If you are doing what is bad, be in fear.—Rom. 13:4.
Child abuse is a grave sin. The child abuser hurts the child in devastating ways. He betrays the child’s trust, robbing the child of his or her security. Children must be protected from such a wicked deed, and those who have been victimized by it need comfort and help. (1 Thess. 5:14) When someone who is a part of the congregation becomes guilty of child abuse, he brings reproach on the congregation. (Matt. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:12) We do not tolerate in our midst individuals who unrepentantly commit wicked deeds and who bring reproach on the good name of the congregation. If someone in the congregation becomes guilty of violating a criminal law, such as by committing child abuse, he is sinning against the secular authorities. (Compare Acts 25:8.) While the elders are not authorized to enforce the law of the land, they do not shield any perpetrator of child abuse from the legal consequences of his sin. w19.05 9 ¶4-7
When angels materialized as men and spoke to Abraham concerning Sodom and Gomorrah Abraham was astonished that Jehovah—“the Judge of all the earth”—would callously sweep away the righteous with the wicked. So, Abraham posed a series of questions. If 50 righteous men could be found in Sodom would God spare the city? The answer was yes. How about 45? 40? 30? 20? All affirmative. Finally, Abraham asked if 10 righteous men could be found would God spare the city on their account? Again, yes.
Then the angels went off to rescue Lot and his family and as soon as they got out fire and brimstone fell from heaven and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Apparently, there were not 10 righteous men to be found.
The same is true of the leadership of the Watchtower. There is not one honest man to be found among them. Not so much as one humble truth-teller. Many among Jehovah’s Witnesses know the Governing Body is lying. Apparently, they do not care. Like the scripture says, “For we have made a lie our refuge and we have hidden ourselves in falsehood.”
Surely, many elders who have had to deal with pedophiles and child abuse know firsthand how the Watchtower’s legal department imposed restrictions upon victims and their families and elders, forbidding them from reporting the crime or cooperating with the police in any way. Elders were required to be the enforcers of Bethel’s policies.
If there was an honest member of the Governing Body surely he would step down in protest. How could any man of integrity endorse the falsehoods the Watchtower publishes? If there were any righteous men in all the headquarters staff at Warwick or Patterson surely they would resign in disgust at the blatant dishonesty promoted by the Governing Body.
It is obvious that the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not fear Jehovah.
Think about it, mankind is in the mess that it is because an angel lied and Eve believed the lie. Lies have far-reaching consequences.
When Christianity began with the outpouring of the holy spirit on Pentecost a husband and wife by the names of Ananias and Sapphira were anointed. A need arose among believers that moved some to donate their possessions to the newly-formed congregation. Ananias and Sapphira sold some property that they owned and falsely claimed to have donated all the money to the brothers. They lied. They secretly held back a portion for themselves. It was totally within their right to do that. No one required them to make a donation. They were within their right to keep all or a portion of the money. It was their deceit that was disturbing. They wanted to appear to be more generous than they actually were. And God was watching.
As a result of their deceit, Ananias and Sapphira have the ignominious distinction of being the only two Christians God has executed—so far anyway.
Similarly, there is no reason for the Governing Body to lie in this matter. As stated already, many, many elders know the Governing Body is lying. Loyal supporters of the Watchtower would pardon the leadership and respect them all the more if they simply acknowledged their past failure. Something like: “we hereby acknowledge that our longstanding policy of silence and non-cooperation with authorities was wrong-headed and harmful. We are sorry for the pain that so many have suffered because of our failure to adequately protect children.”
Jehovah would be honored and pleased by such a frank and humble admission of guilt. As it stands, the Governing Body, like Ananias and Sapphira, are willing to stand before the congregation, before God and Christ and the heavenly host, and declare before all onlookers that they have no responsibility in the matter. What an insult to God!
It is understandable that the lowly publishers are unaware of the Watchtower’s backroom lawyering. However, it is a matter of public record that attorneys representing Jehovah’s visible organization have submitted statements to the courts declaring that elders bear no fiduciary responsibility whatsoever to protect children from the depredations of sexual predators within the congregations they oversee. Most JW’s have not looked into these matters and are oblivious to the treachery and deceit. But, obviously, Jehovah knows.
Evidently, the Governing Body sees no contradiction between the legal strategy of declaring that elders have no responsibility to protect children and the public statements such as in today’s text implying the opposite. Again, the leadership of the Watchtower, like Ananias and Sapphira, evidently do not fear Jehovah. If they did they would not dare pretend to be innocent in this matter.
Not only does God see through all pretense and hypocritical posturing, but He also foresaw it thousands of years ago. His judgments are prerecorded and available to all. Hence, Isaiah reads: “Hear the word of Jehovah, you dictators of Sodom. Pay attention to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.” — Isaiah 1:10
The perverted inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were not under law toward God nor were they his people. Those two iniquitous cities no longer even existed when Jehovah spoke through Isaiah. In reality, God is addressing the leaders of His people; ostensibly, the leaders of Israel, but ultimately the so-called faithful and discreet slave at the time of Christ’s inspection. How can that be confirmed? Because in context the prophecy has to do with the Kingdom of God being established in the final part of the days. The modern-day dictators of Sodom and Gomorrah are the Governing Body and their helpers and the board of directors of the Watchtower Bible and tract Society.
Jehovah’s Witnesses may be highly offended by such a comparison, but from God’s standpoint, all of those appointed to positions of oversight bear a very heavy responsibility to protect God’s precious little lambs. It is not an agreeable thing with God for one child to be abused.
An organization that maintains a secret database of over 20,000 known pedophiles, that has made itself the legal adversary of children who have been raped and molested by child predators, an organization that binds sexual abuse victims with gag orders and legally forbids them from speaking about the crimes perpetrated against them, while at the same time hypocritically claiming that victims “need comfort and help,” is very much like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Watchtower has had an opportunity to set matters straight. They have refused. As today’s text underscores, the Governing Body has doubled down. They are willing to stand before God and lie to His face. How true, Jehovah’s observation: “Your princes are stubborn and partners with thieves. Every one of them loves a bribe and chases after gifts. They do not grant justice to the fatherless, and the legal case of the widow never reaches them.” — Isaiah 1:23
How shall God deal with the unrepentant dictators of Sodom? God goes on to say: “Therefore the true Lord, Jehovah of armies, the Powerful One of Israel, declares: “Ah! I will rid myself of my adversaries, and I will take revenge on my enemies. I will turn my hand against you, I will smelt away your dross as with lye, and I will remove all your impurities. I will restore your judges as in the beginning and your advisers as at the start. After this you will be called City of Righteousness, Faithful Town. With justice Zion will be redeemed, and her people who return, with righteousness. The rebels and the sinners will be broken together, and those leaving Jehovah will come to their finish.””
Laughably, the Governing Body claims they have been purified. The laundryman came back in 1918 and washed the Organization clean. They boast that pure worship has been restored—at last. Dictators of Sodom, indeed!
