On March 10th 2017, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was called back before The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse.

Watchtower had previously appeared before the Commission in Case Study 29, where its policies and practices were subjected to a detailed expert analysis. The resulting discoveries made news headlines around the world, and resulted in a damning final report from the Commission that left Watchtower’s credibility in this area in tatters.

Nearly two years later, the Watchtower was called back so that the Commission could analyse what its response to the Commission’s finding had been. Now this hearing has also taken place, and the transcripts and live footage is available for the public to review.

We did not see the kind of jaw dropping spectacle observed during Case Study 29, such as Watchtower’s own expert witness turning on them, or the Commission directly accusing Watchtower’s leadership of deception. However, whilst the testimony was less dramatic, it was certainly no less important, showcasing Watchtower’s woeful response to the recommendations of the Commission and their lack of understanding as to the grave risks their policies posed to the safety of children both inside and outside the congregation.

We are working on a number of articles that will analyse various aspects of what transpired at the Case Study 54 hearing. In the meantime, we kick off proceedings with a 2 hour analysis video hosted on the YouTube channel of JW Survey founder Lloyd Evans.


 

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150 thoughts on “Case Study 54 – The analysis begins

  • April 6, 2017 at 5:25 pm
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    Ricardo, we don’t have a lot to do with Caboolture, we missed the meeting this week so missed the freak show, i don’t watch the broadcast at all so don’t see any of them, we are up on the Darling Downs, so a bit far away, i heard they are planning to build a new assembly hall on the north side so you won’t have to travel to Browns Plains

    • April 7, 2017 at 5:21 am
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      @Whip It,
      I haven’t heard a whisper about a hall on the north side. Good grief, that’s all we need. All the talk will be about the expansion of the organization and look, isn’t it wonderful that we even have an assembly hall on the north side.

      Surely it won’t happen. As the publisher numbers in Australia continue to fall year after year it doesn’t seem feasible to build another big hall. Let’s see what happens. The hall I used to meet in has just been sold, and as congregations grow smaller there should even be more halls sold.

      I believe we are on the edge of a crisis for Witnesses in Australia, similar to what happened after 1975. Our publishers are mainly elderly ones who will have passed off the scene in the next 15 years. No new ones are coming in. The Royal Commission has caused some elders, even a CO, who I know in Australia to leave. And the publishers who are left are largely bullied by unscrupulous elders. What you are seeing in your congregation will soon be the story countrywide.

      And on those happy tidings I bid you good night.

  • April 9, 2017 at 4:02 pm
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    Ricardo, who was the CO ?, up here we have shrunk, as i said we used the have 2 congo’s, now one, & shrinking, young ones leaving to go to Brisbane etc, its the same here Elders getting older & loosing the plot & no fresh blood coming up or coming in, yes crisis it is, i had heard that they are selling KH where they is little interest, we have also seen the money crab from the GB, we all had money saved up for refirbs & they took the lot, i heard that in the sunny coast are one congo had a million dollars in the bank for new land hall venture, all gone, i no longer give money, as i said i just watch the tower crumble, so many desperate people, quite sad really.

    • April 9, 2017 at 6:38 pm
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      @Whip It,
      The CO is named Campbell. I don’t want to put his surname. I don’t know him personally, just keep in email contact, but I know an elder named Neil who was serving where I was in Asia who returned to Australia and withdrew from the truth (I have loose email contact with him), and Neil knows Campbell. Campbell’s wife has set up a website to help ones like you and me to get out, and their story of injustice in the org is detailed there. Give their site a read, get in touch with them if you like, they are really nice people.The organization should feel ashamed losing good people like this. Their webpage is http://www.bibletruth.international. He was a CO down south. Now they are in Tasmania.

      I was discussing with one brother who used to be an elder about the future of the org, and he was wondering where the tipping point is. Like, when we start getting overall worldwide decrease (so are no longer able to point to Jehovah’s blessing or support) and the child abuse court cases start coming through, and the doubters start leaving in higher and higher numbers, and guys like him and me and you and Messenger etc don’t give any donations and no longer direct people to the organization when we are preaching, where is the tipping point when the whole thing just collapses? I suggested 10 years in the future. We should start to see critical cracks developing in about 5 years when the brothers notice a definite decrease (combined with an increase in anointed numbers) and then collapse in 10.

      Momentous times to be a Witness. I hope I am around to see it fall, and the elders looking bewildered that the people they have bullied for decades are leaving cos they are sick of being bullied.

  • April 9, 2017 at 8:32 pm
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    Ricardo, nice link thanks, as you said the bullying is alive & well, as i was saying before, in plenty of places KH are being closed & many have to travel, then the Borg sells the real estate & makes money, we had $50,000 saved for our re firb & got nothing, i know a very prominent Elder who was on the RBC, now he’s disillusioned, he was the guy that told me the sunny coast had saved a million dollars, all gone, another brother (Elder) was dismayed at how much it cost to hire Browns Plains for a weekend, when i was an elder they mentioned in the business meeting they had hundreds of thousands, & yet every assembly they want more, thats why i stopped giving. it sadens me no end to think of how much time & money i have wasted, glad to have woken up brother.

  • April 9, 2017 at 8:34 pm
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    Oh & yes, i believe the Borg will lie when the figures go south, i believe they are already lying about the amount of halls being built.

    • April 11, 2017 at 5:00 am
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      @Whip It,
      I remembered the case about Caboolture cong’s kingdom hall. The hall was sold, but then due to some unexpected factor they couldn’t get the land for a new hall. They saved and saved and saved. Then when Wayne ‘nutter’ Hunt visited my cong as CO he was encouraging us to lend money to Caboolture to help buy the land. Next thing we know the building funds are gone, Caboolture has lost the opportunity to buy any land, and instead the cong needs to attend the hall near Bribie Island. Heaven knows when Caboolture will ever get a hall.

  • April 12, 2017 at 4:36 pm
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    Ricardo, wow i didnt know that, it would probably stagger us to find out how much money they grabbed world wide, we built our hall with man power, man money, then saved the 50k for the refirb, they even make you put in writting a pledge as to how much you will give, our hall needs so much, so how much travelling do you do time wise.

    • April 12, 2017 at 5:20 pm
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      @Whip It,
      My hall’s about to be refurbished, so the congregations that meet in it have to go elsewhere for 2 months. Our replacement hall is around 30 minutes away. It will be interesting to see how many of the cong actually make the drive that far. I know I won’t be.

      Surprisingly, in the kingdom hall now there is a contribution box for the renovation. Why? It’s not our hall, it belongs to the org. And according to the letter March 29, 2014, major renovation work will be financed by the branch. It looks like the brothers have lovingly provided an avenue for us to contribute if our hearts feel overwhelmed with appreciation for the love and care we receive in our spiritual paradise.

  • April 12, 2017 at 5:43 pm
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    Ricardo,

    Money grab, nothing else & if you speak up, look out, my understanding of the area is its very busy to drive anywhere as its so busy, as said i no longer give money, i know where we are that the 2 congo’s become one & the numbers are dwindling, the majority are old & many retired so they will all start dropping of, we have some younger ones but not alot, many have moved to brisbane for work, so we could potentially face a closure here & then have to travel, 40 minutes to 1.5 hours one way, or just do the phone hook up, i would imagine that would be frowned upon to, i know in the west of us that one hall has been closed, the only trouble here is they wouldn’t be able to sell the hall, its on the outskirts & not appealing, maybe to another church, wouldn’t that be a laugh

  • April 12, 2017 at 6:30 pm
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    Ricardo, we can buy easter eggs now that they have removed the word from the packaging, he he ho

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