Sunday, July 25
Children are an inheritance from Jehovah. —Ps. 127:3, ftn.
Parents may at times feel overwhelmed by the challenges they face, but children are a gift from Jehovah. He is always available to help. He willingly listens to the prayers of parents. And he answers those prayers by means of the Bible, our publications, and the example and advice of other mature parents in the congregation. It has been said that raising children is a 20-year project, but parents never really stop being parents. Among the very best things they can give their children are love, time, and Bible-based training. Each child will respond differently to the training. However, many of them who have been raised by parents who love Jehovah feel as does Joanna Mae, a sister in Asia: “I am so thankful that my parents disciplined me and taught me to love Jehovah. They did not just give me life, they gave me a meaningful life.” (Prov. 23:24, 25) Millions of Christians could express similar sentiments. w19.12 27 ¶21-22
Children are vulnerable. That is why parents are expected to protect them. Jehovah especially expects appointed overseers to look out for the interests of children. It was particularly important for elders to be vigilant in overseeing congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses because prior to the Watchtower-imposed lockout children and adults were always encouraged to mingle at get-togethers and work alongside each other in the ministry. No wonder some have called the Watchtower a pedophile paradise.
Standing up for the widow and fatherless boy was the foundation of Jewish law. It is the same in Christ’s organization. The letter of James defines the pure worship the Watchtower boasts of practicing: “The form of worship that is clean and undefiled from the standpoint of our God and Father is this: to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.” — James 1:27
Short of outright murder, child sexual abuse is the worst sort of crime.
According to Barbara Anderson, who was a researcher at Bethel for many years, the Watchtower has on file the names of over 20,000 known pedophiles. And that was more than 20 years ago! No doubt many names have been added over the course of the last few decades. That means at a minimum over 20,000 children have been abused over the past 50-60 years. That is the minimum. Without doubt, a substantial number of pedophiles have had multiple victims. And other abusers have never been found out and so are not named in the Watchtower’s database of known child predators.
We cannot say for certain, but probably a conservative figure would be somewhere in the neighborhood of 50,000 children who have been sexually abused. Perhaps many more. Of course, Jehovah God knows precisely how many children have been abused in the Watchtower’s spiritual paradise.
By the way, were you aware that the Watchtower reserves the right to appoint elders to positions of oversight who are known child abusers? And, did you know that the Watchtower does not inform congregations when they appoint a known pedophile to be their overseer? Although it is well-known that pedophiles are notorious recidivists the dictators of Sodom do not consider it to be any business of parents if they appoint a man whom they know has molested children to oversee their young ones. (See article: Is Your Elder a Known Child Molester?)
While the Watchtower’s spokesmen claim it is all apostate-driven lies millions of people know better. The truth is, the Watchtower has had a longstanding policy of protecting pedophiles from exposure and prosecution. It is not a good position to be in before God but the Watchtower has become the legal adversary of sexually abused children. It has spent untold millions in out-of-court settlements. And is willing to absorb millions in fines to prevent their secret database from becoming public.
Think of it, the Watchtower is spending the proverbial widow’s small contribution intended to advance Jehovah’s work in order to persecute the orphan in their tribulation. Again, not a good place to be come judgment day.
If David Splane expects JW’s to believe that backroom legal wheeling and dealing is following Jesus’ admonishment to be quick about settling matters, why then must abuse victims hire attorneys to attempt to drag the Watchtower to court? If the Governing Body were really supporting the oppressed child in their tribulation shouldn’t the elders be proactive? With several tens of thousands of victims, why isn’t there a special fund and program set up to address this problem? The Watchtower would be well-advised to deal with this evil rather than pretend it does not exist. The Governing Body certainly has no freeness of speech to lecture JW’s on how to help children.
No doubt the princes of Warwick were terrified by the jury award of $28,000,000 dollars in the case of Candace Conti nearly 10 years ago. Although the jury-ordered settlement was later overturned, you can be sure the Watchtower’s hired-gun attorneys will avoid a jury judgment at all costs.
While Splane wickedly implies that juries are not trustworthy or impartial, the truth is the Watchtower cannot stand up to the scrutiny of a jury verdict. JW’s may be mesmerized by the Watchtower but a jury made up of ordinary men and women is not likely to be bamboozled.
By the way, a new documentary is airing this week in the US on the Vice TV.
It is as Christ said: “For there is nothing hidden that will not be exposed; nothing is carefully concealed that will not come out in the open. Whoever has ears to listen, let him listen.”
