One of the most alarming Jehovah’s Witness sex abuse cases ever seen in the UK has ended with the conviction of former elder, Mark Sewell, on eight historic sex charges, including rape, between 1987 and 1995.
Sewell, 53, faces a lengthy jail sentence after the jury at the Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court delivered their verdicts, which included unanimous guilty verdicts on five counts of indecent assault against two young girls.
“By a combination of bullying, bluster and hypocrisy you managed to avoid being brought to account for this utterly disgraceful behaviour for many years,” said Judge Richard Twomlow as he remanded Sewell into custody, adding: “Fortunately the jury were not fooled by you and you now face a very substantial prison sentence.”
Clear negligence revealed
But perhaps just as disturbing as Sewell’s litany of abuse has been the way allegations against him were mishandled by his local elders, who according to instructions from Watchtower were under the direction of the London Branch for all child abuse cases.
As full details of the trial continue to come to light, it has emerged that…
- Evidence of allegations against Sewell dating back 20 years was “shredded” by the organization.
- Of the “eight or nine” Barry Congregation elders involved in judicial committee hearings against Sewell, only one agreed to give evidence in his Crown Court trial. The rest refused, claiming that they either couldn’t remember or were unwilling to assist.
- Despite disfellowshipping Sewell 20 years ago, Jehovah’s Witnesses provided no help to police and prosecutors in their investigations.
It was also revealed earlier in the case that the London Branch appointed a seven-man committee of elders to investigate allegations against Sewell. But although this resulted in Sewell being stripped of his position as an elder and disfellowshipped, this action was supposedly taken due to claims of his “belligerent and unforgiving attitude” rather than his sexually abusive behavior. His sex offenses were thus left unacknowledged and unreported.
And in a further indignity, Sewell’s victims were made to confront him personally if they wished to see justice served. As SNAP director David Clohessy remarked in response to the judgment: “The internal church ‘process’ followed here was awful. Victims were sworn to silence and had to be in the room with this predator when they reported their pain, both of which are cruel demands to make on brave but deeply-suffering crime victims.”
Statements conflicting with actions
All of the above flies in the face of PR statements made by Watchtower in the wake of the ruling.
A Watchtower spokesman has reportedly offered the following comment (bold is mine):
“As Jehovah’s Witnesses we have an absolute and unequivocal abhorrence of child abuse and [offer] our support for any victim or parent who reports this crime to the authorities. This is in line with what the Bible says at Romans 12:9. We feel that the care and safeguarding of children and the promotion of their welfare is extremely important. Jehovah’s Witnesses act in harmony with the law and do not condone child abuse in any circumstance or endeavour to shield from the authorities those committing offences of this nature. The spiritual and physical welfare of Jehovah’s Witnesses is of paramount concern to the elders who have been appointed to ‘shepherd the flock’. Individual members of the congregation who seek guidance on personal matters rightly expect that their concerns are treated confidentially. In the shepherding setting the elders offer personal support in a sensitive and caring manner. Therefore, we are unable to comment on the details of any specific case. Mark Sewell has not been a member of the Barry Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses for 20 years.”
If Jehovah’s Witnesses truly have an “absolute and unequivocal abhorrence of child abuse” why were the allegations made against Sewell not reported to the police straight away?
And if Jehovah’s Witnesses “act in harmony with the law” and do not “endeavour to shield from the authorities those committing offenses of this nature,” why did all but one of the elders involved in judicial action against Sewell refuse to offer evidence at trial, why was evidence destroyed, and why was no help given to police or prosecutors during their investigations?
The Mark Sewell case clearly demonstrates that, when it comes to the handling of child sex abuse, Watchtower is willing to say whatever will tickle the ears of the public even if such statements entirely contradict their actions.
Justice finally served
Despite the horrific nature of Sewell’s crimes and the way they were effectively covered up by his elders (and arguably the branch office), there can be at least some consolation in the fact that yet another predator has been brought to justice – even if this is with no thanks to Watchtower.
That Sewell’s victims pursued justice so doggedly despite so many setbacks is worthy of huge admiration.
As SNAP’s David Clohessy noted: “Given the mean-spirited treatment by JW officials, it’s a miracle that Sewell’s victims are willing to cooperate with the secular justice system. We applaud them for doing so. We hope they take some comfort from the jury’s wise decision today.”
Two witness rule increasingly exposed
The case has also been very helpful in bringing to light the shocking inadequacy of Watchtower’s approach to child abuse, including its increasingly notorious “two witness rule.”
In his coverage of the case, journalist Ciaran Jones told of how “Judge Richard Twomlow touched on the church’s two-witness rule and told the jury it meant anything alleged to have happened in private ‘can never be proved’ unless both people involved agree.”
Judge Twomlow is said to have remarked that “almost all sexual activity, whether consensual or not, happens in private,” noting that the first victim must “challenge” an offender at a judicial committee. “How effective that can actually be as an actual judicial inquiry may be open to doubt,” the judge reportedly commented.
It is a relief to see the absurd and immoral two witness rule finally receiving some much-deserved exposure, not just by journalists investigating these cases, but by law enforcers.
It remains to be seen whether Watchtower can continue its charade as a “charity” in the UK, where indifference and credulity by regulatory bodies such as the Charity Commission is slowly giving way to greater scrutiny – especially over safeguarding measures in which the organization falls so woefully short.
Though the Governing Body stubbornly refuses to bring its child protection policies into line with basic principles of decency and community responsibility, the tide is slowly turning as thinking Witnesses grow weary of having their children placed in harm’s way out of mistaken allegiance to archaic traditions.
As this website has repeatedly insisted: “Let the bible judge sin, let the law judge crime.”
Further reading…
- Elders labelled “spiritually corrupt and morally bankrupt” in Mark Sewell trial
- WalesOnline article: “Jehovah’s Witnesses destroyed documents showing child abuse allegations against church elder“
- WalesOnline article: “Jehovah’s Witness leader guilty of rape and seven other indecent assaults“
- BBC report
- SNAP response to Sewell conviction
- JWsurvey articles on child abuse
… These cases and many others make the fallacy that Kingdom Hall congregations are clean and pure, (which i have been personally told by a Jw).
I would not even say this of my own church congregation as only God knows who are the sheep and who are the goats.
Keep the good work up cedars.
I agree with you Cedars, “Let the bible judge sin, let the law judge crime.” When situations like this arise then the ‘Sheparding the Flock’ philosophy just doesn’t cut it. Yet another example how the cult philosophy flies in the face of common sense and the right thing to do.
Excellent summary John but sickening to read. Wishes go to the brave individuals who confronted this disgusting man and went through the justice system to protect other children. In no way can the Society be proud of its own actions, as finally, it is being revealed in a court of law how little the Watchtower Society does in bring these perpetrators to justice, if fact it can be proven that they can cause more harm than good. To say they hate child abuse and then offer no assistance to the police and authority’s shows what a callous disregard they have not only for common decency, the justice system and worse, the child.
Believe me when I say, I know a guy called Andrew Smith from Holyhead who abused 7 children. It is a very common issue in Britain among Jehovah witnesses. The court records of Carnarvon Crown Court of course will prove it. I should know my daughter was one of them and guess what? Not one elder or representative of the Society cared enough to support those family’s either. One word. Bastards.
I would to say well done to that one Elder who went to court (in the above article). If Jehovah’s witnesses say that they do assist the authority’s in their inquiries could they clarify the position they took regarding the Gordon Leighton case?
Thanks for such an excellent article! I’m so grateful that I was never molested as I grew up a JW. I trusted the elders so implicitly as do all the members, it would have really messed with my head. The trust from the members combined with the ridiculous two witness rule make the organization a pedophile’s paradise. The most at fault though is the Society. What despicable liars! They pretend to abhor it, but the reality is that they continue to make a practice of covering it up, and then they refuse to cooperate with the police, thus allowing it to flourish.
Deut 19:15 In context, the “two witness” rule is in regard to land.
Deut 22:25 is in regard to rape, and the man is put to death on testimony of the victim alone. Nothing is to be done to her, because she is innocent, yet believed, despite no other witnesses.
The “two witness” rule comes from Deut 19:15. Funny when you read that whole chapter and see how they (watchtower leadership) cherry-picked their way past their own undoing:
As far as “theocratic warfare” (sanctioned LYING) by the watchtower society’s make-believe rule set:
Deut 19: 18 (NIV)
18 The judges must make a thorough investigation, and if the witness proves to be a liar, giving false testimony against a fellow Israelite, 19 then do to the false witness as that witness intended to do to the other party. You must purge the evil from among you.
Thank you to everyone for your kind comments and support throughout this trial. Both I and 2 of the other victims have been following your blogs and comments. This is now the start of challenging the jws for how I was treated. I don’t intend to stop until their policies change. I should never ever have been made to sit in a judicial meeting with him. Twice they made me do that! At this point, I am speaking to the newspapers etc but once that is all over, I intend to start some sort of campaign. Im not exactly sure what form that will take yet but I will keep you all updated.
CognitiveLoop,
Absolutely right! The context of Deut. 19:15 is indeed talking about land disputes.
An excellent refutation of the two witness rule as regards child abuse. Thank you for your comment.
Peace be with you
Excelsior!
There is no doubt that the two witness rule is found throughout the scriptures. However, when a person considers Christ’s words in Matt 18 in conjunction with the two witness rule it can clearly be seen that the “witnesses” do not necessarily have to witness the event only the attitude of the one accused. “Search through throughly” it is the attitude and response that can produce the two witnesses.
Also Christ’s words regarding two or three being gathered in his name is regarding a judicial matter. The accused denies the accusation. The witnesses are called. The witnesses make a decision. Then, “whatever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven”. The way the Watchtower applies the two witness rule is for their own benefit to avoid possible litigation at a future trial. What a lack of faith these “peddlers”(watered down wine) of God’s word they are. Cowardly.
Well,Well !!omg..that’s the most i can say,except to say;thank you john cedars,you have become a bright shining light bringing us out of the darkness… opening our eyes to see the hidden rocks below the waters and all the deeply concealed things withing the watchtower organization.I must confess that i am one of those that once refused to listen to anything not coming out from HQ…I did have some question marks along the way when i observed the arrogant attitude of certain appointed ones insisting on blind compliance while shoving aside valid complaints..Now i know the real reason was to portray that clean cut image as being the only clean and holy people of truth and light, while carefully concealing the indecent aspects that are now having due exposure in this information age.This i must also ad,it’s so pathetic just to think that many live in morbid fear of these men as they are said to be appointed by holy spirit, and these same men violates the very office of which they pride themselves.As for those ones cowering behind the holy curtain so as to avoid their duty to respect the authorities their day too will come because those covering up wrong are also guilty of the same,James 4:17.
The entire chapter of Matthew 18 starts off with the disciples asking “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Jesus told them they must be like little children. He summarized all of it, from their asking who is greatest in heaven, right down to dealing with “sins”:
Matt. 18: 15-20:
15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
—–
It isn’t just about passing judgment. The person who stated the above (Jesus) NEVER passed judgment his entire time on earth. And “a slave is not greater than his master”, is he/she?
In historical context, christians were persecuted as criminals until 313CE, when the “Edict of Milan” was enacted by the Roman govt.
“The Edict of Milan refers to the February 313 CE agreement to treat Christians benevolently within the Roman Empire. Western Roman Emperor Constantine I, and Licinius, who controlled the Balkans, met in Milan and among other things, agreed to change policies towards Christians.”
So why would their be special little “judicial committees” back prior to that year, for christians who were already being persecuted far and wide by hostile governments? The “church” is certainly not 3 men sitting in a back room of a kingdom hall, either. Judges back then sat at the gates, correct? Meaning, out in the open.
Kmorg the Bible tells us to stand against evil and when we have done that to stand eph 6.
will pray God strengthens you and let me encourage you !
God bless you.
Jesus did make judgements even eternal ones Matt 23 also positive judgements “truly today”. Paul also made judicial judgements “remove the wicked man”. Elders in Israel sat at the gate and in Matt 18 the entire congregation would be informed, they too being witnesses. No confidentiality there then. Also peter by holy spirit made a judgement and the person’s died.
For a fact,everything carefully hidden will become known;and as painful as it may be to learn of these disgusting things happening within the org, eventually each one doing these things will suffer the consequences.those covering up for them will eventually be exposed too in like manner.As for the destruction of evidence,that would certainly violate the principal founded at Hebrews 13:18 here we are told to conduct ourselves honestly in all things.Thankfully in this incident honesty and bravery prevailed;whereas abuse and deceit met the axe of justice.To the victims goes my deepest sympathy and the prospects of a bright and happy future.
I SENT YOU TWO COMMENTS ON THIS POST THAT WERE NEITHER OFF TOPIC OR VINDICTIVE ! THEY WERE PLAIN STATING FACTS OF TRUTH….HOWEVER MY COMMENTS WERE NOT POSTED..
What are you talking about? No comments on this JWsurvey post have been removed.
Doesn’t the Watchtower acknowledge forensic evidence? Let’s say there is only one witness to sexual abuse (the victim), but he perpetrator has left sperm and is later identified by a DNA test. Is this evidence to be ignored by the judicial committee, since the Bible for some reason doesn’t mention DNA tests?
Sooner or later there will have to be a much-needed flash of “new light” regarding this. Genesis 4:10 (“Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground”) would provide a scripture the Governing Body could appeal to in recognizing the validity of forensic evidence as a valid independent “witness” that a crime has occurred.
And since the congregations are not equipped to gather and analyze such evidence (no DNA labs, for one thing), it should be a firm principle that whenever sexual crimes are alleged to have occurred, the matter MUST invariably be reported to secular authorities who are properly trained and equipped to fully investigate the matter.
But I suspect many elders are more concerned about not “bringing shame upon Jehovah’s organization”.
Why did not the other elders cooperate with the law,? Their
minds were under watchtower control and they were incapable of making an independent decision or were afraid to do so. I attended an elders course at the London Bethel
and the class was told, “Why go to the worldly courts to
resolve wrongdoing when we have a theocratic arrangement
within the congregation that is superior”, How could I have been so gullible?, I snapped out of the hypnotic spell in 1982 during the watchtower study when it stated that, If
we had “private thoughts” that were out of line with those of the fds, we were part of satans organization, So if one is a
Jehovahs Witness independent thinking and freedom of
Conscience are are plainly not allowed.
Kmorg, I have been so impressed by your bravery and courage. You are truly inspiring. Thank you so very very much.
I only hope this will inspire other victims to come forward.
For over twenty years the victims had to suffer, if the elders had spoken to the police as soon as the allegations were made just think how much pain and suffering they could have stopped.
how can this two witness rule even work?
if a person needs two ‘witnesses’ to be accused, that means persons accused of adultry or fornication can also go without such condemnation, [ since when would anyone doing these wrongs have an audience? ] actually, I wonder how many acts of unchristain behaviors have been done that are not known till this very day? But hey,
where are our two witnesses against the supposed ‘crime’ of having a different understanding of scripture?
I wonder if the personality culture of those in the area from which this crime has taken place, has a fear of getting involved than of those of us here in the states? personally Id report anyone to the police who had done that.
Deuteronomy 22:25 – Which if used in a modern context would be just as amoral and unjust as 19:15
How silly, pointless and irrelevant to the 21st century the Bible really is.
Jesus reiterated the two witness principle at John 8:17-18. This does not of course prohibit allegations or confessions of child abuse being passed onto the secular authorities by elders Rom 13:1.
The elders use Deuteronomy 19:15 as the source for the “two witness” rule.
“Shepherd the flock of god”
Chapter 5, pages 71-73:
Paragraph 37:
• There must be two or three eyewitnesses, not
just people repeating hearsay; no action can be
taken if there is only one witness.- Deut. 19: 15;
John 8:17.
• If there are two or three witnesses to the same
kind of wrongdoing but each one is witness to a separate incident, the elders can
consider their testimony. While such evidence
is acceptable to establish guilt, it is preferable to have two witnesses to the same occurrence of
wrongdoing.
[…]
39. If the accused denies the accusation, the
investigating elders should try to arrange a meeting
with him and the accuser together. (Note: If the accusation involves child sexual abuse and the victim
is currently a minor, the elders should contact the
branch office before arranging a meeting with the
child and the alleged abuser.) If the accuser or the accused is unwilling to meet with the elders or if the accused continues to deny the accusation of a single
witness and the wrongdoing is not established, the
elders will leave matters in Jehovah’s hands. (Deut. 19:15-17;] Tim. 5:19, 24, 25; w95 11/1 pp. 28-29) The
investigating elders should compose a record, sign it,
put it in a sealed envelope, and place it in the congregation’s confidential file. Additional evidence may
later come to light to establish matters.
I have followed the trial closely……and have been shocked in the main by the cover ups. If others abused by this ‘man’, i use the term loosely, had spoken sooner (or the elders had) then it could have saved others. I do not think any religion is ‘above’ the law of the land and so criminal offences MUST be reported to the police. IMO there should be more than Mark Sewell facing a jail sentance…..those who lied for him should also ie his wife, his father, his aunty, his so called business partner (who is himself a liar and corrupt)…..all these should be punished for their efforts to keep Mark out of prison.
what a crock of shite……why do they think they can take the law into there own hands???? elders should be obligated to report any criminal allegation to the police.
Why did not the other elders cooperate with the law,? It’s
Simply down to mind control independent thinking is vigorously discouraged so after a while one is either incapable or afraid of making an important decision without
the support of the organization. I attended an elders course at the London Bethel and the the class was told
“Why should we go to the worldly law courts to resolve
wrongdoing when we have a theocratic arrangement within
the congregation that is superior”. How could I have been
so gullible!,
I snapped out of the hypnotic state in 1982 after 25 years,
It was during a watchtower study which stated, If we had
“private thoughts” that were not in line with the faithful and
discreet slave we were part of satans organization, So if
one is a Jehovahs Witness independent thinking and freedom of conscience are plainly forbidden.
Kmorg and the other two victims, You are very brave to have gone through all that you did. You are a source of encouragement to all of us to not give up when we are seeking to right a wrong.
I wish I could tell you that things will be easy now that he is being brought to justice. The truth is that he sentenced you to a lifetime of memories of abuse that will never go away. I can offer you hope that it is possible to still have a good life despite what you have gone through. Happiness is a choice we get to make every day of our lives.
Some people will never understand how it feels when someone you have looked up to and loved as a brother, takes advantage of your innocence and vulnerability and trust. A lot of abuses are not reported for years, if ever. I had to deal with guilt because it took me so many years to report it, nearly 20 years, I felt responsible for all the other girls he molested that I did not know about.
Sadly, nothing was done then, or when I reported it again a few years ago. My only comfort is that he is dead now and cannot hurt anyone else.
I understand your desire to do something, please keep us informed and let us know what we can do to help.
I offer my Christian love, support and encouragement to all three of you!!!
Thank you all for your kind words. We had elders in court every day from the start and they will now be conducting an investigation into everyone who covered up, refused to come forward etc. As you can imagine, I am sceptical at this stage as I have never experienced elders who want to do the right thing. However these elders do seem very on the ball and determined to right the wrongs. I am doing a story for the papers tomorrow and I am waving my anonymity for it. I think its vital people see my face and hear what I have to say about the whole thing. I think the article comes out Wednesday alongside the sentencing.
John, thank you for another well written article exposing the cover ups of the WT. My hopes and prayers are with these victims, and also my hope is that the molester finds “justice” while in the penitentiary. I feel certain there will also be justice meted out to those who concealed or covered over the facts.
kmorg, Don’t be swayed by the elders cooperation at this
late stage it should have been forthcoming at the beginning, One has to question the motive of someone who
makes reparation only after their error has become public,
Also are they acting on their own initiative or under orders,
In a judicial committee would our repentance be accepted
as genuine if it came only after the sin was discovered.
kmorg, Don’t be swayed by the elders cooperation at this
late stage it should have been forthcoming at the beginning, One has to question the motive of someone who
makes reparation only after their error has become public,
Also are they acting on their own initiative or under orders,
In a judicial committee would our repentance be accepted
as genuine if it came only after the sin was discovered.
kmorg, you said
“I am doing a story for the papers tomorrow and I am waving my anonymity for it. I think its vital people see my face and hear what I have to say about the whole thing.”
My dear sister, I am praying for Holy Spirit to guide you when doing your story tomorrow. You are truly an inspiration to me…and to many others!
You also said “I am sceptical at this stage as I have never experienced elders who want to do the right thing. However these elders do seem very on the ball and determined to right the wrongs.”
The Governing Body cannot keep the eyes blinded of those sheep who are being called by our Lord Jesus.
kmorg,
You said “I am doing a story for the papers tomorrow and I am waving my anonymity for it. I think its vital people see my face and hear what I have to say about the whole thing.”
My dear sister, I am praying for Holy Spirit to guide you when doing your story tomorrow. You are truly an inspiration to me…and to many others!
You also said “I am sceptical at this stage as I have never experienced elders who want to do the right thing. However these elders do seem very on the ball and determined to right the wrongs.”
The Governing Body cannot keep the eyes blinded of those sheep who are being called by our Lord Jesus.
H.K. Fauskanger, You make some very valid points and that is why the police should be called immediately! The problem is that for some children, it takes a long time to ever tell anyone that they have been abused, so often there is no physical evidence. Then it becomes a child’s word against an Elder, or brother. When the brother denies everything, that makes the child a liar.
Some even unconsciously repress the memory until they are older and better able to handle the emotions. That’s what happened in my case. I totally blocked it. Up until the day it came back to me and I remembered. Now I can’t ever forget it.
Kmorg,
Thank you for your bravery, I know how hard and scary the process of a trial is and I’m so happy for you and the others who finally received some justice. It feels darn good to be heard an believed :) I look forward to seeing you speak out publicly…very brave!!
Gary, you said:
“The court records of Carnarvon Crown Court of course will prove it. I should know my daughter was one of them and guess what? Not one elder or representative of the Society cared enough to support those family’s either.”
Brother, I am so sorry for what happened to your little girl. No child should ever have to go through that. I am sure it meant a lot to her to have your support and I hope she is learning coping skills to help her deal with her memories. I had to have professional help myself. It’s important for her to know it was not her fault and that she is still someone lovable and who deserves to love and be loved.
I can understand why you feel so strongly about abuse. I hope you don’t feel guilty. There is no way you could have known what would happen to your daughter, or could have prevented it. Pedophiles are quite intelligent and cunning when it comes to figuring out ways to get to their victims.
You don’t even know they are in your midst, unless you happen to sit on a judiciary committee.
I send my Christian love and support to you and your family.
@ kmorg
I truly admire your courage in choosing to pursue justice to protect others, and your firm determination to continue to do more to bring about a change in how such cases are handled. The same goes to all of the other survivors of this horrendous crime. You all are truly inspirational and a motivating force for me and other ex-JW’s around the world.
Stay strong. We all are here for you!
Thanks for your reply john,i meant no disrespect.There could of been a delay in transmission as i see the comments are now posted…my apologies as i just wanted to reach out to those victims of watchtower abuse with all my heart,watchtower never apologizes for anything as they try to sit in the seat of moses trying to play GOD TO US JUST AS MOSES BECAME GOD TO PHARAOH. ALL WE ARE TOLD IS TO LISTEN OBEY AND BE BLESSED//OBEY JEHOVAH’S SHEPHERDS.They have filled these men with too much power and authority over the flock even more so than Jesus the true shepherd,because of this many of them act as if the sheep belongs to them to do what ever they please;so rather than feed and tenderly care for the flock. they fleece the flock and even worse…Now that they have the title of dukes and princes bestowed on them the abuses will continue unabated as
they have the blessings of the GB..LET’S GIVE THESE VICTIMS ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN AS THEY DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH DIGNITY,EMPATHY,AND TRUE CHRISTLIKE LOVE..Peace be unto to you and to all.
They may from a legal point of view be able to distance themselves from been accountable, and so far there has only been 1 official case which they have paid out on. But I just have to wonder the effect this is having on their credibility as a religion, and their ability at getting and retaining membership. It would certainly make me think twice about trying to convince the public on how robust and loving the policies and procedures of the organization are, while having this splashed across the front page of a newspaper. I really can’t see a single major scandal bringing them down. Sex abuse didn’t bring the Catholic Church down (although it hurt them), and neither will it with the JWs. But what I can see happening is a lot of little things slowly eroding their credibility, which will mean people walking away.