The High Court in London where a potentially landmark child abuse case has been heard
The High Court in London where a potentially landmark child abuse case has been heard

A High Court child abuse case in the UK against Watchtower could set a precedent for further cases. This could be a landmark victory for the victim if she wins her £500,000 compensation claim against the organization.

The Judge has retired to consider his verdict in the case being heard at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. According to a story published today in The Sunday Times, if successful this case could pave the way for many more victims of Watchtower to file cases against the organization.

Most of us will be aware of the civil suits that have already been won in the USA against the organization, such as that of Candace Conti and Jose Lopez, but so far there have been no similar victories in the UK.

The victim, who has been referred to as Abigail (not her real name), has spoken to The Sunday Times. She tells of the sexual abuse she suffered growing up in Leicestershire at the hands of a ministerial servant named Peter Stewart.

The abuse, which included alleged rape, started when Abigail was as young as four and continued for five years until she was nine. She told the court she was abused by Stewart in her home, his home, in a shed, and in cars.

Now 29 and no longer a Witness, Abigail told the Sunday Times: “I brought this case because I wanted them to be sorry and I wanted them to change… They are a very insular organisation. Any change to children’s lives is going to have to come from outside pressure. I tried for years to get an apology. It was degrading having to beg for an apology, but I did not get one..”

The victim, referred to as Abigail, has yet to receive any apology (Photo: Chris Bourchier)
The victim, referred to as Abigail, has yet to receive any apology (Photo: Chris Bourchier)

 

Abigail related how Stewart gave her chocolates and led her to believe that when Armageddon came she would not be saved as she had committed fornication. In 1995 Stewart was convicted of assaulting another child and sent to prison for 5 years. When he was released, Abigail was terrified the abuse might resume, so she told police about her own ordeal. Stewart was arrested and charged with the offences, but he died in 2001 before the case could be heard in court.

When Abigail reported the abuse to her elders, she says they told her Stewart would be reinstated as a ministerial servant “because there was not a second witness to the abuse.”

Abigail finally confided in her husband who urged her to take legal action. She told Sian Griffiths of The Sunday Times: “I want them to change and to change some of their practices too. I would never have gone to court if I had had an apology.”

“Victims of abuse are made to confront their perpetrators. I don’t understand how this organisation can organise meetings between perpetrators and victims. It is criminal that that is being done. That should stop. They also have a rule that there have to be two witnesses to abuse and they must be of good character. Abuse is regarded as a sin not a crime. I want this to change to protect other children in the future.”

Lawyers in the case, who have been working closely with Candace Conti’s legal team in the USA, say: “We expect this case to open the floodgates to dozens, if not hundreds, more cases.” AO Advocates, the firm handling Abigail’s case, already has six other clients who are waiting for the outcome of this case before considering their own legal action.

Abigail has found it difficult to hold down a job having not completed her university education, and suffers from a post traumatic stress disorder. “It has affected me in every way. It has changed who I would have been,” she says. Abigail has already attempted suicide and reportedly told her lawyers that she doesn’t expect to live beyond 30.

Watchtower has issued a statement to The Sunday Times saying: “While deeply sympathising with any victims of abuse, we do not consider it appropriate to comment on a case where a ruling by the judge is still pending. Jehovah’s Witnesses have an absolute and unequivocal abhorrence of child abuse. The care and safeguarding of children is extremely important to us. For decades we have published material to help parents and children to be protected from abuse.”

Disturbing parallels

A few weeks ago I spent a day at the Royal Courts of Justice so I could meet the victim and observe how the case was progressing. One of the first things I was struck by was how many elders were in attendance.

In child abuse cases, elders have been known to refuse to make statements to help police, and they certainly don’t have a reputation for attending court to support the victim. Yet in this case, with Watchtower under the spotlight, the elders were out in force.

Attending the High Court to show support for a fellow abuse victim
Attending the High Court to show support for a fellow abuse victim

 

On the day I attended, Watchtower produced a witness who was an expert in his field of working with children. He began by trying not to answer direct questions put to him by the Barrister. Eventually, the Judge intervened and told him he had to answer the questions directly.

He was asked if saying sorry and showing repentance was good enough when it comes to child abusers. He gave an honest answer and explained that pedophiles are like alcoholics and drug addicts. Once they offend it is very unlikely that they will ever stop.

The defence Watchtower was using was that Stewart was removed as a ministerial servant and this was announced from the platform. A few weeks later a talk was given from the platform concerning improper behaviour. Watchtower felt this was enough of a warning to the congregation as it should have been obvious this talk was being given about Stewart.

Watchtower’s own expert was questioned on this, and asked whether this was indeed sufficient action. Of course, he had to answer honestly and say, “no.”

There are so many similarities between this case and the case I am involved in. I actually requested an apology from my local body of elders and didn’t even get a response. I just wanted them to say sorry for sitting me in front of my abuser and making me say what he had done to me.

I then tried to get an apology from London Bethel instead, and I was flatly told that Bethel doesn’t apologise! I find this quite bizarre since Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged to say sorry and repent when they make mistakes. If I had received an apology and assurance that steps would be taken to ensure children would be more protected in future, I too would never have considered taking legal action.

My final words are directed towards the victim in this case: No matter what the outcome of this case is, you have shown strength, determination and incredible bravery to take on the organization. I applaud you for that, and I want you to know you are not alone in your fight.

 

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Karen is herself a victim of child sex abuse as a Jehovah’s Witness. You can read more about her story here and here.

Further reading…

113 thoughts on “Landmark UK High Court case against Watchtower could make history

  • March 2, 2015 at 1:30 pm
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    @JJ

    I worked at Bethel for years and worked with the GB as well as various writing and service departments as I was in IT. The reason for keeping the records is to avoid public scandal and liability. As an example, if a GB member was known to be a pedophile and they were called to court to defend an accusation 30 years old it would not go well for them. They keep records in case a member tries to move up in the ranks. The reason for keeping records on the women members is to hide their real motivations as it is primarily the men that they are interested in.

    Consider also the fact that when you seek a job, you fill out an application and a background investigation is done by most reputable companies. When you are a JW seeking promotion they almost have no information as to who you really are other than the opinion of a local group of elders. Obviously this is a very flawed system. However before selecting GB and other high ranking members they definitely try to avoid anyone that will add fuel to the already blazing fire. To be clear I believe the information that they keep on pedophiles is best in the hands of the authorities who best can handle the situation.

  • March 2, 2015 at 1:40 pm
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    Perhaps someone should have treated the Royal Court in London to the latest rant from Stephen Lett (right from the horses mouth of what the Society thinks of child abuse) Case closed !

  • March 2, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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    Wow! so many amazing comments here. If someone is struggling at the moment & don’t know how to free themselves from this then they should start here.

    Karen, you & Abigail are an inspiration for all of those that have been victimised by this bully boy organisation. I hope that ones who are suffering in silence will be encouraged by this.

    Anonymous, you’re right most likely all of us have been personally affected by this. I had to deal with the horrific realisation that something happened to my daughter while I was studying for baptism. It was told to me after she died. I won’t go into it but it was kept quiet from me otherwise I would have stopped studying. This person confessed to me a week after the funeral. I was devastated that they could keep this from me. The compounding grief just made it unbearable for me. I sank into depression but instead of any empathy toward me as a newly baptised sister, all that I got was judgement & alienation & made to feel like I wasn’t spiritual enough because I wasn’t using this opportunity to go & save others who might be going through the same thing. I could barely get out of bed, I was crippled by the pain with grief upon grief but was told that ‘this is the way, walk in it’ to be with her again. I was accused of being a gossip because I needed to talk it out so I had to clam up & never speak about it again.

    Years later, I made friends with someone who went through something similar with her daughter & it went to Bethel in Sydney. She was told not to talk to anyone about it or she would be disfellowshipped. We both had never recovered from it as mothers. You push the pain down so much that it has no where else to go but manifest itself into something unhealthy mentally. Thankfully I got grief counselling which helped me through it but I still carry a little resentment for it to this day. I have major trust issues because of it.

    While I was in, I listened to other mothers open up to me about their kids & the things that have gone on with their young ones. I feel empathy towards them because of what I went through. They have no one to turn to & are made to feel like there is something wrong with them.

    When you are made to feel like it is your fault for something you are completely innocent of, you are in an abusive relationship. Simple as that.

    • March 2, 2015 at 5:01 pm
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      Grace, I can’t even imagine how much pain you have gone through and are still going through. Losing a child has to be the worst pain a person can possibly go through. It seems like I remember you saying that she was only 6 when she died? I can’t remember but it seems like you said she was very young. My grandsons are 5 and I can’t imagine losing them and I don’t know if my daughter could live through it.

      I remember being in so much pain about a year ago and it had to do with something that happened to me in my life.

      I was so hurt and damaged that I went to the Kingdom Hall and it happened to be the week of the circuit overseer’s visit and it was Friday night and they were having the pioneer meeting at the Kingdom Hall and I drove to the Kingdom Hall and the door was locked.

      I told the elders later that if the door hadn’t been locked, that I would have went into the Hall and screamed my head off at everyone there and I wouldn’t have cared who heard me. That is how angry I was at the elders in my Kingdom Hall.

      Now I know they are just following orders but it had to do with someone that I know that I thought was a danger to the women and girls in our Kingdom Hall. It was somebody that he should have gotten disfellowshipped for that went on for 5 years that they knew about it the whole time but he was able to talk himself out of it with just a warning with restrictions on answering at the meetings and then just 2 weeks later was told that if he went in service regularily that he’d get his privileges back. I couldn’t believe it. That was enough to push me over the edge.

      So, I don’t know what happened with your daughter but this I know and that in the JW religion, the stories like ours has to be thousands and thousands. If a person can get to a therapist, that is the best course. The elders are not capable of helping out a person when they are going through any kind of mental distress. Throwing scriptures at them isn’t the answer.

      • March 3, 2015 at 9:47 am
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        @ Grace

        I want to express my deepest sympathies over the loss of your dear daughter. You are not alone and there are people who care about what happened to you and your dear little one. I am not a therapist, however I can tell you that your loss does not go unnoticed. I also want to say, that I am glad that you found a way to go on. Your story matters, thanks for sharing.

        @anonymous

        I love your courage! You are not a coward and your will to face any obstacle is what brings about change in the world.

        • March 3, 2015 at 10:24 am
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          Grace, I too am so glad that you found a way to go on. I think being “out” of the religion is the best course for anybody who is suffering from depression. All Witnesses can do for offering sympathy is to tell you that if you are faithful you will see your loved one again in the new order. I have seen person after person who has been told that and of course, years have gone by and they are still waiting. It’s just a carrot that they like to hold out to a person to keep them in the “truth” but that is all it is, a carrot. Being in the “truth” is nothing but depressing, in my opinion.

          I haven’t lost any of my children so I can’t say I know what you are going through, but know that we here for you and many others in your life as well care about you and hope that you can enjoy life today and from now on.

          Writing down how you are feeling is so good for you to get it down on paper and commenting here too.
          There was a wonderful book that helped me when my father committed suicide and it’s called: The new Mood Therapy – Feeling Good- by David Burns. If you can get a hold of that book, you should read it. Every page will make you feel better. We can’t bring back a loved one, but we can go on and be happy but it’s not easy. I got that book and gave it to a sister at the hall who a couple years before that had lost her 18 year old daughter in a car accident and she was telling me about how her husband cried every day because it was his only child and he could hardly go on and this was about 2 years after she had died. So, I got that book and gave it to her for him to read and she came back to tell me that it helped him a lot.

          • March 3, 2015 at 3:17 pm
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            Thank you Ted123 & anonymous, I guess I just needed to share a bit more of my story here as it is the appropriate place, I hope. It’s been hard to tell the rest as I don’t know who reads this in my area but like you say, writing it down & sharing has been good for me to let it all go. I haven’t felt this free to express my feelings for years. I couldn’t run to my family because they weren’t witnesses & they weren’t happy about us getting involved with the Witnesses, as you could imagine. They thought that we were being taken advantage of at our lowest point.

            You see, I found out that she had been molested & that my study conductor kept it from me while I was studying because it was someone in the congregation that was looking after her while I learnt ‘the truth’. As you can imagine, if I had been told earlier I would have stopped the study. Finding this out after she died (because someone needed to let go of their guilt) was the most devastating thing my husband & I could go through. I don’t know which was worse, dealing with her death or dealing with the lying pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Why we didn’t run then, I don’t know. We were already hooked & brainwashed into believing that we had no other choice, we were so desperate to be with her again.

            Also, I wanted to share the story because after years of looking back & analysing things without even reading apostate stuff, I could see the culture of secrecy was all for appearances sake. I noticed that from the moment we start studying we were being groomed to leave out any negative experiences for the sake of the image. That’s why I kept all of this from my family, the very people who would have supported me. Coming on here has made me see that this isn’t just a few small isolated cases, it’s a dysfunctional religion that causes unnecessary stress on people in many ways.

  • March 2, 2015 at 4:05 pm
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    i came to one conclusion and i ask.why people still believing these gangster and worshiping them.

  • March 2, 2015 at 4:56 pm
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    I have seen a number of JW apologists and the statements from the GB, et. al on this and other sites. Frankly, I grow tired of the “Organization” and JW apologists using other religions, the “world”, Satan, and apostates as whipping boys for their failed policies and inactions.

    I think other posters have done an exemplary job at pointing out the problems with their reasoning and logic. All I wish to add are the words of Martin Luther King Jr.:

    “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

  • March 2, 2015 at 6:06 pm
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    “Jehovah’s Witnesses are encouraged to say sorry and repent when they make mistakes.”

    Karen, as I’m sure you know by now, that only applies to the Rank & File Witnesses, not to the leadership.

    This is a religious cult that hypocritically oppresses its members in a number of ways!

    Great reporting!

  • March 2, 2015 at 6:38 pm
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    Mark 9:42
    “If anyone causes one of these little ones–those who believe in me–to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.”

    Revelation 18:21
    Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again.

    Jehovah’s Witnesses:
    “Every religion but us is the Harlot.”

    Jesus, Matthew 12:37
    “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

  • March 2, 2015 at 9:34 pm
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    we just had a brother arrested & jailed for a number of very serious offences, including grooming, rape & making movies of his antics & distributing them, the scary thing is their was no hint, as we had spent time with him (he is single) he apparently gave himself up, we have no knowledge that any people in the congo were effected, funny whaen i spoke to a close elder he was warning me about another one & didnt know our friend was in jail awaiting trail, well that makes 3 in the congo that remain hidden from general knowledge, so heres a question, if a known pedo moves in, & the elders/society keep it quiet & they reoffend, how far does the blame go, i struggled with this as an elder myself & said i can’t do it.

    • March 3, 2015 at 7:58 am
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      @warren. Looks like a total disconnect with the hierarchy. Typical of an organization with a superiority complex. Finger pointing excuses like blaming Satan makes the GB look ill prepared managing the masses or a crisis. I’m sure the logic with the GB is this is a merely TEST, yet they misread the MESSAGE long ago. IF, this case succeeds (judgment against the WT society) like a sinking ship will the rats be first to leave?

      IMHO

      dogstar

  • March 3, 2015 at 7:12 am
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    The April 8, 1997 Awake had an article entitled: “Sexual Exploitation of Children – A Worldwide Problem” by Awake correspondent in Sweden. Just to show how little they know about the pain that a child goes through when they are sexually abused, I am going to quote the opening paragraph:

    When Magdalen was 14, she was lured into a job as a “hostess” in a beer house in Manila, the Philippines. Actually, her work involved taking male customers to a small room and baring her body for their sexual exploitation-an average of 15 men in a night and 30 on Saturdays. Sometimes, when she said that she could not cope with it anymore, her manager would force her to continue. She often ended her day at four in the morning, feeling exhausted, depressed, and miserable.”

    Now, I am not very good at math, but that adds up to 110 times a week that this young child was raped every week and the Society had the gall to describe her situation that at the end of the day “often feeling exhausted, depressed, and miserable.”

    To describe her situation as blase’ as that is to describe her situation like she was tired and depressed for “working” such long hours by having to stay up till 4 in the morning.

    The real way to describe how this girl would be feeling each and every day is used and abused and in pain.

    If you are a man, imagine your anus being stuck with an erect penis over and over again until a man ejaculates. Now imagine having this done to you at the age of 14 and having this done to you 110 times a week for years. Do you really think that you would describe your life by saying that at the end of your day as being exhausted, depressed and miserable??????

    If you are a female, the pain is just as bad if they are being sexually abused in the vagina as any boy who is being abused rectally and we don’t really know how this girl was sexually abused. She could have been vaginally raped and rectally raped. We don’t know. At any rate, she would have been in excruciating pain each and every day of her life.

    The Society has almost nothing in it’s articles in the magazines about pedophilia and what a terrible crime it is against children. Why is that???? And the little that they do print is pointless, worthless, nonchalant, unconcerned, indifferent, apathetic, uninterested, disinterested, lukewarm, dispassionate, untroubled, unperturbed, undisturbed, unexcited, careless and unconcerned.

    • March 4, 2015 at 2:38 am
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      @Aninymous, there is something about pedophilia in their publications…. Here you are:

      *** w86 1/1 p. 13 par. 12 Days Like “the Days of Noah” ***
      Shocking as it is, even some who have been prominent in Jehovah’s organization have succumbed to immoral practices, including homosexuality, wife swapping, and child molesting. It is to be noted, also, that during the past year, 36,638 individuals had to be disfellowshipped from the Christian congregation, the greater number of them for practicing immorality

  • March 3, 2015 at 4:22 pm
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    @Grace. There wasn’t a reply tab beneath your last comment so I started here again. There were so many inconsistencies from what the Bible said and what the Watchtower said, over those 50 years that I was “in”, that when I’d see them in the Bible, I’d think to myself, that it fits the Watchtower (in a bad way) but I kept pushing them down in the back of my mind, thinking the whole time that Jehovah God was behind the organization. I couldn’t see anything wrong with the org.

    I kept racking it up to imperfection and not the Organization being the problem. It took me getting kicked in the head before I realized, it’s the Organization and the elders and everyone else are just being fooled into thinking it’s backed by God.

    I think any thinking person has to have some doubts but they just keep pushing them down like we did.

    As long as the Witnesses think the problems are due to “imperfection” of the elders and the “imperfection” of pedophiles and child molesters in the congregations, they will continue to think that God is directing it, when in reality, if there was a God directing it, he’d never allow all the deceitfulness and cover-ups that the Watchtower is full of. Yes, people are imperfect but if the core of the apple is rotten, so is the whole apple.

    I can’t imagine how anybody could be so stupid to tell you after your daughter died, that they had molested her. How could anybody be that selfish????

  • March 3, 2015 at 5:23 pm
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    Do you see similarities ?

    WT. vs. Vatican

    1.) Leadership. 7 men. Pope Francis

    2.) Members. 20 million. 1.3 billion

    3.) Answers to: no one. no one

    4.) Rulership. Hierarchy. Hierarchy

    5.). Child protection: 2 witness rule. Don’t ask – Don’t tell

    6.). Protects predators: yes. yes

    7.) Protects children: no. no

    8.). Cases – claims: 100+. 1000+

    9.). Prefers to settle: yes. yes

    10.). Media coverage: yes. yes

    11.). Investigation: to be determine. yes

    12.). Effects after investigation: TBD. Pope Benedict resign

    WT may now recognize the fuse has been lit and pray they don’t get investigated.

  • March 3, 2015 at 9:06 pm
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    If the majority of jehovah’s witnesses believe they are living in a “spiritual paradise”, the joke’s on them.

  • March 4, 2015 at 1:31 pm
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    The WTS, like many other religions has an inordinate concern
    regarding the genitals and what one is allowed , and one is
    forbidden to do with them.

    The over emphasis on sexual sin, highlighted in so many W,T,
    articles, creates a negative, guilt ridden ambience around the
    subject. Ive known sensitive people rendered impotent or
    frigid through feelings of shame.

    Conversely, some develop a prurient interest in the matter.
    Taboos often have that effect ! Mark Twain, wrote, —
    “There is a charm about the forbidden, that makes it
    unspeakably desireable”. By far, the highest number of
    judicial cases elders deal with, concern sexual indiscretion

    There’s an appalling ambiguity here. Despite all the strong
    counsel against sexual sin, when the crime of Paedophillia
    occurs they don’t want to touch it. They take no active part
    in exposing it, hoping it will go away. An attitude that protects,
    not the victim but the perpetrator.

  • March 4, 2015 at 6:39 pm
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    @ Ted

    Indeed, the sexual repression in jw’s and most religions, that is, the repression of HEALTHY sexual expression, in or out of marriage, may even RESULT in UNHEALTHY, sick, perverted, twisted forms of “sexual expression”.

  • March 4, 2015 at 6:43 pm
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    It’s not surprising that WT is a haven for predators. WT itself is a predatory organization.

  • March 4, 2015 at 6:45 pm
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    I’m coining a new term: “religious sociopath”. Seriously.

  • March 4, 2015 at 6:54 pm
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    The best way to fight abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting is to be alert, aware, strong-minded and strong-willed. If more people were like that, it would create an ENVIRONMENT in which it would be extremely difficult for ANYONE to commit ANY kind of abuse.

    • March 6, 2015 at 11:46 am
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      This has obviously touched a pain point with you, Neal, did you have more to share?

  • March 5, 2015 at 6:34 am
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    I listened to Sam Vaknin’s video again called: Pedophile Narcissist: Narcissism, Pedophilia, and Hebephilia and I heard something in it this time that I didn’t pay attention to the first time and it’s telling. He is an expert on the subject of pedophilia and he said in order for the pedophile to live with himself for what he does to a child, he projects the blame onto the child claiming the child came on to him by the way she dressed or acted towards him. They rationalize by blaming the victim.

    Why that is important is that when you read anything in the Watchtower literature, they never blame the abuser. They always put the blame on the child for the way the child dressed and acted. The Watchtower never tells the victim that it’s a crime and should be reported to the police. The Society never describes what the abuse did to the child except to say that these children feel shame. Why should the child feel shame?????

    According to Mr. Vaknin, up to 20% of (mostly) men have these fantasies. Do any on the Governing Body have these kinds of thoughts themselves and is that why they are so “protective” of these types of people? If Mr. Vaknin is right, that is 2 out of 10 men have those kinds of thoughts. That makes the odds of men in the organization quite high of thinking like a pedophile. Is that why these men project the blame onto the child’s actions in all of their literature concerning children being abused????

  • March 5, 2015 at 5:38 pm
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    @ anonymous

    Interesting. I watched Dr. Vaknin’s video too. Going by those odds, at least 1 or 2 members of the “Governing Body” would indulge in those kinds of fantasies.

    • March 6, 2015 at 6:53 am
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      Neal, I printed out the chapter in the Young People Ask book number one under the topic “How Can I protect myself from sexual predators?” and if you study that chapter, it’s actually disturbing the way they treat the abuse of children so nonchalantly.

      The only child it seems that can get off without being to blame for abuse is if the child was forcibly raped and stabbed like the example it gave in the article.

      It speaks of the child feeling guilt over and over again and none of the blame is put on the abuser except to say “If your feelings are similar to those of Anette or Natalie, how can you cope with the guilt? First, try and keep foremost in mind that if you were raped, you were not a willing participant.” It only addresses not being a willing participant of a rape. What about abusers who groom their victims?

      If Mr. Vatkin’s statistics are correct, we not only probably have men on the Governing Body who have secret thoughts of having sex with children, but more than likely, at least one of the men in an elder body in each congregation is also going to harbor those thoughts and who can know what a man is thinking?

      These men aren’t going to be stupid enough to come right out and tell how they think in their mind but it will be demonstrated in the lax way they treat the abuse of children within the organization. Is it any wonder that if a molester is called before a committee that his actions will be looked as if it’s a “sin” and not a crime?

      Keep in mind that the article in the Young People Ask book has a little box that admits that 90% of child molestations are from a person the child knows, yet almost the entire article focuses primarily on stranger rape and these are the topics it warns a child against:

      Be alert (strangers).

      This is what it says under the topic: “Don’t send mixed messages by flirting or dressing provocatively” “Such actions may send the message that you’re interested in getting physical-or at lest that you wouldn’t object to it.-1 Timothy 2:9,10” (This is exactly the way a pedophile rationalizes what he does)

      Next is the topic: “Talk about boundaries” and this is what it says “If you are dating, discuss with the other person what conduct is and is not appropriate.” Once you have set boundaries, do not put yourself in compromising situations in which you could be abused.” (Putting the blame on the child for putting themselves in compromising positions)

      Another topic: “Be cautious while online.” What they say here is disturbing: “If you receive a sexually explicit message usually the best reply is no reply.” (I can’t imagine that the “usual” reply would be no to an explicit message to them. Wouldn’t it be ABSOLUTELY DO NOT REPLY. Why would they use the word “usually”???? In the same paragraph it again stresses that a child may not be able to avoid dangerous areas, taking away from the fact that 90% of abuse does not come from a stranger)

      In the article, the child is told that they can talk to somebody like their parents or the elders but no where does it tell the child that it’s okay to report the abuser to the police. It tells the child to memorize scriptures and to pray instead so they can “Cope with the Guilt” as the topic of another paragraph says.

      By listening to Mr. Vaknin’s video, he makes it clear that a pedophile will shift the blame onto the child by claiming that the child enticed him and sent signals to him that they were sexually attracted to him. The Watchtower put in that article to young people that 90% of all abusers are close to the child so why do they concentrate on stranger abuse???

      I’d say that the Society’s men are way to sympathetic to pedophiles. Elders will call in a person like that and believe the abuser’s excuses over instead of the victim and then possibly let the abuser “talk” his way out of it by saying he is sorry. They are complicit in the abuse if they don’t report the abuse of a child, plain and simple.

      According to Mr. Vaknin, the only ones that can assess whether or not a pedophile is a danger to the community, is that they have to be evaluated by a psychiatrist and that is after the person has been turned into the police station and booked. Before that person can be released into the public, they have to be deemed safe by a psychiatrist, not the elders and not the Branch.

      Who do these people (Governing Body) think they are? They think they are above the law and don’t give a rip about the abuse of children.

  • March 5, 2015 at 7:00 pm
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    Luke 8: 17 says things hidden will be revealed. So that is what is happening here. Yahshua said he knows his sheep and his sheep know him so he will make these things known so his sheep “can get out of her my people”Also things will be revealed from the scriptures in our time. Remember when he Daniel said he didn’t know what he was writing and was told write it and it would be revealed in the later days. Things don’t change but are revealed. That includes wrong doing in the name of YHWH and his beloved Son Yahshua.

  • March 5, 2015 at 7:30 pm
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    I think there a couple of the Governing Body who were kicked out because they abused boys while they were serving at Bethel and that lax attitude towards sexual abuse and rape goes way back. I am looking at the current members with a whole different view now. According to Mr. Vadim, that number of 20% could be low.

    For years, I have wondered why the Society seems so apathetic towards the abuse of women and children and have been resentful because of it. Nobody knows what goes on in their minds do we??? Like Mr. Vadim said, those people who think that that, would be the very last person that you would think.

  • March 6, 2015 at 1:58 pm
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    @ anonymous

    Yes, the so-called “Governing Body” are nothing but arrogant “know-it-alls”. They are self-proclaimed experts on EVERYTHING, ranging from science to psychology, and now even to the Law!
    To imply that the VICTIM is the one who would have ‘feelings of guilt’ is a little bizarre. I’m no expert, and I’m sure that’s possible, especially in the mind of a child, who wouldn’t know better. But, as you said, why doesn’t WT focus on where the guilt REALLY lies – the PERPETRATOR!!!

  • March 6, 2015 at 2:23 pm
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    I can remember when my folks first studied with the “witnesses”. The guy who conducted happened to be an insurance salesman. He saw no conflict of interest when, in the process, he sold them life insurance. That was decades ago. Look how corrupt they are now. They’ve certainly come a LONG, LONG way — DOWN.

  • March 6, 2015 at 11:52 pm
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    Mind control begins with the acceptance of another’s authority. It is obvious by this man’s comments, and other GB members, that they too are under this influence. When it comes to the point that a person actually believes they speak/ represent God atrocities begin, and reasoning goes out of the window because how could you ever be wrong?
    What is so amoral about the Watchtowers stance on child abuse is the fact that lawyers direct these policies. Who could honestly say, as a Christian, that they have no duty of care and under no legal obligation to protect minors, and in a court of law?

  • March 7, 2015 at 9:15 am
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    Since the Watchtower takes seriously the 2 witness rule from the Law Covenant, it is good to remember some other things about the God of the Watchtower like what is found at Numbers chapter 31, starting at verse 13: “Then Moses and Eleazar the priest and all the chieftains of the assembly went out to meet them outside the camp. (14) And Moses grew indignant at the appointed men of the combat forces, the chiefs of the thousands and the chiefs of the hundreds who were coming in from the military expedition. (15) So Moses said to them: “Have you preserved alive every female? (16) Look! They are the ones who, by Balaam’s word, served to induce the sons of Israel to commit unfaithfulness toward Jehovah over the affair of Peor, so that the scourge came upon the assembly of Jehovah. (17) And now kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has had intercourse with man by lying with a male. (18) And preserve alive for yourselves all the little ones among the women who have not known the act of lying with a male.”

    I would say that those Israelites were told by Jehovah to use those little girls as their personal sex slaves. It doesn’t say how old those “little”girls were but it says little and that says they were very young girls. Also what kind of a depraved God would kill all the little boys like that and all the women because they weren’t virgins????

    The Governing Body love that God Jehovah and they think just like he does when it comes to how much they don’t protect the little children in the organization.

  • March 7, 2015 at 11:50 am
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    I hope she wins the case and this should open the flood gates so other abuse victims get justice. I find it very upsetting the attitudes towards abuse and victims in the WT organisation.

    I had an odd experience when I visited NY bethel. There was an brother maybe in his 50’s and the way he was staring at a visitor. The kind of look that every red blooded male “knows what he is thinking”. The trouble is, she looked only 8 or 9. I found that very creepy. It didn’t “feel” right. Thought I was over reacting, but now I’m not so sure.

  • March 7, 2015 at 8:27 pm
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    @anonymous

    Yes indeed. People become like the god(s) they worship. The Old Testament is of full of atrocities, genocides, and wars, not only sanctioned, but ordered, by “yahweh” – jehovah. Then turn one more page, into the New Testament, and all of a sudden he’s a god of love, mercy, and understanding. I thought the Bible itself states that yahweh never changes!! Interesting commentaries on this subject on YouTube by a fellow called nonstampcollector.
    This 2-witness rule is another example of WTS’s practice of “cutting-and-pasting” passages from all over the bible to create doctrine and justify their actions (or inactions).
    Wasn’t jesus’ sacrifice supposed to nullify and replace the Law Covenant? Are jehovah witnesses still under the Law Covenant, or not?? I know I’m not. So why are they imposing their standards on OUR legal system? They believe they’re the chosen. But I didn’t choose them. Isn’t there a “Global War” against this sort of thing? Are we not fighting extremists at this very moment, who would impose their own “Sharia” law or whatever on US? Sometimes I wonder who’s more dangerous.

    • March 8, 2015 at 3:08 am
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      Neal, I looked up those videos by nonstampcollector. What an amazing videos!!! Thank you so much for telling us about that website!!!

  • March 8, 2015 at 2:22 am
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    @Neal Krauni. From watching a bunch of youtube videos about how widespread pedophilia is, it seems like now, it would take a worldwide court to bring it to an end, it’s so bad.

    The Watchtower claims to be from God, so if it really was from God, you would think that it would be the first to protect children from abuse but it doesn’t, so they are no different than the rest of the world who don’t give a rip about children being killed and raped and tortured every day.

    One video that I put above about the abuse and torture of children in England said that 3 children go missing in England every minute and most are never seen again alive and the statistics are as bad in the United States and yet the Watchtower stays silent about it and when they have a chance to do something about it within the organization, they hide behind the 1st amendment about the freedom of religion. Since when should it be freedom of religion when it comes to protecting children from being sliced and diced if a religion was really from a loving God????

    If you read the Hebrew Scriptures, that God is nothing but barbaric and that is the God that the Watchtower chooses to worship and they think just like the god they worship.

  • March 8, 2015 at 5:12 am
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    Pickled Brain,

    Great points, sir. Many, many of these sick paedophiles are either elders or ministerial servants. They will have access to the Shepherd the Flock book, where the “cheat sheet” is contained!! They know the exact things to say to satisfy the “repentance” requirement!

    There are trolls claiming that Candace and all the other brave victims are part of a conspiracy! Check out their ridiculous comments.

    I will await with interest the decision of the judge.

    Peace be with you, Excelsior!

  • March 8, 2015 at 4:43 pm
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    @ anonymous

    Yes, it’s interesting that WT always comes out with articles on timely matters like the environment, nuclear war, terrorism, etc, etc, etc, yet, if I’m not mistaken, there has not been a major article on child abuse. To quote Shakespeare, maybe that subject has ‘caught the conscience of the king.’
    This is an epidemic. Children, as well as adults, are disappearing. I believe it is due to many factors, including pedophilia, slave trade, sex trade, human organ trade, satanic cults, and whatever else you dare to imagine. I’m not trying to scare anyone, but it is out there. That’s why I’m kind of a fan of the Second Amendment. One fellow actually saved himself from a satanic cult by “exercising” his 2nd Amendment rights!

    • March 9, 2015 at 1:59 am
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      P.S.: If you’re not a big believer in the Second Amendment, I recommend 6 months of taekwon-do or jiu jitsu.

  • March 9, 2015 at 2:50 am
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    @Neal Krouni. If you read anything that the Watchtower prints when it comes to either child abuse or wife abuse (most abusers men but small percentage women also), the blame is about 99% put on the one who was abuse, like they did something to bring on the abuse, like the child was acting promicuously or the wife had done something wrong.

    If you are an man who is a Witness and you have abused either a child or a wife and you read anything that the Watchtower puts out about abuse, you will let yourself off the hook for it and feel justified in what you did.

    I can’t imagine how anything that the Watchtower writes about abuse can be read any other way then to say that these men either have no idea at all about what they write or they are sympathetic to the abuser and not the abused.

  • March 9, 2015 at 11:05 am
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    @ anonymous

    Maybe she burned the toast.

    • March 9, 2015 at 5:15 pm
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      Neal, it doesn’t take much.

  • March 9, 2015 at 2:00 pm
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    For anyone whose fingers aren’t tired, I just emailed the best internet news show, The Young Turks (TYT) (many, many segments are free to watch on YouTube). I tried to interest them in the JW abuse scandal. feedback@tytnetwork.com

  • March 28, 2015 at 12:37 pm
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    All of this info is quite serious. In the rank and file of CIA operatives, we would never allow such rhetoric and failure to comply. When something of this nature is shoved to the side in favor of expediency, the conscience of each mortal is pricked into action. There are numerous instances of abuse, not only of this type, but others as well that have demanded Justice. Our Ops Teams have gone in and administered such Justice. Perhaps not in the full legal sense. Sometimes, to get the job done, voiding ourselves of international laws results in success. Outside the boundaries of sovereignties exist neutral battle zones. Removing the perpetrators to such geographical zones and administering like for like accomplishes much more than the mundane words of legal counsel.

  • March 29, 2015 at 3:33 pm
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    Nightstalker,

    “Removing the perpetrators to such geographical zones and administering like for like accomplishes much more than the mundane words of legal counsel.”

    Are you saying that we should take the law into our own hands? I don’t really understand what you are saying. Are you able to write in simple english?

  • June 19, 2015 at 3:28 pm
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    I was in the org. for 30 yrs. Not able now to get a decent job am homeless, no friends. I told my exhusband when we were married that I wanted to work. His response I was being materialistic besides this system is ending soon. There are many like us. Now at 56 I am having a very hard time with this. I honestly feel that my ex. because of being on commitees of sexual abuse he wanted to go to authorities. They wouldn’t allow. Now he’s like a zombie medicated and listless, I know that’s what led him to a breakdown, marriage destroyed,children don’t have any contact with him. We have 2 daughters, and only my youngest and I stay in contact. She’s struggling as well. And yes she too was molested. It goes on and on. I myself would like to sue them. Can you help us because if we don’t stand up like these younger ones I so commend Conti and others. I live in Ca. So please if you could contact me. This could be a different case against society. Sorry but I want retribution. Because there are so many like myself I would like to have a shelter for our sisters. That’s my reason for wanting to do this. A place where they could get help to assimilate back into society, that is my goal. So you see how serious I am about this.They destroyed many but we can stand up for those that fear to speak.

  • December 8, 2015 at 9:07 pm
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    Haba, this is an alleged crime. The accused is not an organisation. This post is in utter bad faith.

Comments are closed.