Trial Background

This case took place in the Thompson Falls congregation, where it was alleged that a congregation member sexually assaulted, molested, and raped two young women, both family members of the abuser, over a 13-year period, dating back to the 1990s.

The abuse began with one plaintiff, now age 32, who alleges that her brother was also a victim of abuse. Elders in the congregation apparently disfellowshipped [excommunicated] the abuser in 2004, but allowed him back into the religion the very next year.

After he was reinstated, the man then began abusing the second plaintiff, a niece of his first victim, now age 21.

The Trial and Judgment

Leading up to the trial, Watchtower’s attorneys had requested that the state’s Supreme Court overturn many of the judge’s ruling and delay the proceedings, but those requests were denied.

It was also reported in court filings that Jehovah’s Witnesses didn’t deny the abuse happened, but claimed that Montana law exempted the elders from reporting “internal ecclesiastical proceedings on a congregation member’s serious sin.”

The attorney for Jehovah’s Witnesses also said in her arguments, “The Constitution bars the court from contradicting a religious organization on issues of religious beliefs, including canon law, church doctrine and established church practice.”

It was also reported that Jehovah’s Witness lawyers argued that too much time had passed for the women to sue, and the Watchtower Society claimed that they were not responsible for the actions of individual elders.

The trial itself only lasted three days, and the judgment was against both the Thompson Falls congregation and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in New York as well as the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The older woman’s claim was dismissed; according to news stories, “Jurors concluded church elders did not receive notice of the 32-year-old woman’s abuse… and therefore did not have a duty to tell authorities.”

The judgment pays $4 million in compensation plus $30 million in punitive damages from Watchtower and $1 million in punitive damages from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. That judgment must be reviewed and can be reduced by the trial judge.

The judge also did not accept the attorney’s argument that church practice was exempt from mandatory reporting laws, as one news report stated:

“Earlier in the case, Judge James Manley ruled that Reyes’ criminal acts were foreseeable to the church leadership when they allowed him to return and that the congregation’s elders were not exempt from Montana’s mandatory reporting law when they learned of the allegations against him and didn’t turn him over to law enforcement.”

News reports have referenced what the Australian Royal Commission Inquiry Into Institutional Response to Child Sex Abuse revealed about Jehovah’s Witnesses and their handling of child sex abuse claims; read more about that Inquiry and Jehovah’s Witnesses at this post. See the Pedophilia category of this site for more information as well.

Also reference the handbook, “Jehovah’s Witnesses and Child Sex Abuse,” at this page.

*** ***

Please also see:

Jehovah’s Witnesses accused of mishandling abuse in Montana (AP)

Montana jury awards two women $35 M in sex abuse lawsuit against Jehovah’s Witnesses (The Missoulian)

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

For those unfamiliar, the ARC was not a criminal trial; these Inquiries are conducted often in Australia, so an Inquiry can then make recommendations for new laws to be enacted, based on their findings.

After the Inquiry Into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse, the ARC released recommendations for dozens of new laws that would protect children from sex abuse in churches, orphanages, and other such institutions, and that would ensure these incidents are handled more appropriately, to preserve the feelings of the [alleged] victim first and foremost. (See this post.)

Along with these recommendations, this ARC outlined what is called a national redress scheme, or a program that “…provides access to counselling, a direct personal response from the institution and a monetary payment to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.” (See this news article.) This redress scheme is (so far) voluntary, so that each state in Australia and each organization can decide if they will participate in this scheme.

The 30 institutions questioned during the ARC were asked if they would be willing to participate in this scheme, given the volume of historic abuse cases that were discovered and brought to light; this is the answer from Jehovah’s Witness governing body member Geoffrey Jackson when he was asked about this redress scheme¹:

On Thursday, May 31, 2018, the Salvation Army, the Scouts, the Anglican Church, and the YMCA joined this redress scheme, which had already been endorsed by the Catholic Church in that country. These organizations specifically and publicly offered apologies to child sex abuse victims as well.

Noticeably missing from those who have joined this scheme and offered their apologies? Jehovah’s Witnesses, of course:

While this redress scheme is a step in the right direction, even this news story above notes some criticisms from victims, including the somewhat low compensation amount they would each receive. However, that simply makes the lack of participation by Jehovah’s Witnesses even more reprehensible!

If this redress scheme promised millions of dollars for each victim, I might understand the hesitation of the Watchtower, but at a mere $150,000 [Australian] per victim, there is no reason for the organization to be holding out. This is especially true in light of the recent revelations that the organization has some $1.3 billion [U.S.] in real property, and I assume that number is for their United States properties alone. (See this post.) Note, too, that other smaller churches and organizations with far less property and wealth have already willingly joined the scheme, as this news report shows.

Not voluntarily joining a redress scheme is despicable enough on the part of Watchtower, as it’s their policies and practices that have created this issue. This includes their stubborn yet grossly hypocritical insistence on a victim producing a second witness to their abuse before they put the abuser out of the congregation.

See also: In a Shocking Hypocrisy, Watchtower Refuses to Apply Their “Two-Witness” Rule to Adults Committing Immorality!

Also contributing to the suffering of child sex abuse victims within the walls of the Watchtower are horrifically untrained, angry, misogynistic, power-hungry, abusive, perverted men, put in the position of elders who act as investigators and judges of such incidents. These men often make it even worse for victims, with their accusatory questioning and sometimes perverse approach toward female victims in particular.

Jehovah’s Witnesses also refuse to give up on their stubborn insistence when it comes to protecting the abuser above the abused, even telling child abuse victims to “respect” their abusers, in the case of incestuous abuse:

What is also appalling, and what also adds to how they victimize these children all over again, is the callus disregard and disdain for those on the outside of the organization, including law enforcement, shown by the Watchtower, which has also created this problem for so many abuse victims under their roofs.

This situation in their organization is their mess; why shouldn’t they be willing and even eager to help clean it up?

No Apology From Jehovah’s Witnesses Either

That being said, it’s the lack of any apology or even acknowledgement of their responsibility for these issues that is the most disgusting. As I’ve brought out on this website before, the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has simply blamed homosexuals for pedophilia in general (this post), and have referred to accusations that their organization is permissive toward pedophiles as “apostate-driven lies and dishonesties” (this post), in effect, calling the victims liars.

During the ARC Inquiry itself, it was apparent that Jehovah’s Witnesses feel no regret over their actions; this was demonstrated by Geoffrey Jackson, who hesitated over his answer when questioned about the Inquiry being the result of “apostate lies.”

The elders questioned during the ARC also showed not one shred of empathy or regret for their actions, even appearing angry and resentful over the questioning. When one elder was asked why they don’t alert authorities in cases of child sex abuse, he responded with the disgusting retort, “What ability have we got to protect every child in Australia?”, as if the inability to protect every child from sex abuse somehow justifies protecting no children from such abuse:

Anyone familiar with Jehovah’s Witnesses knows that they will address the epidemic of child sex abuse in their religion, and the horrific re-victimization of children by elders assigned to “investigate” such allegations, only when legally forced to do so, when dragged along by their nostrils, as it were. Jehovah’s Witnesses would rather blame apostates, homosexuals, or just Satan himself for any exposure of child sex abuse in the religion than admit culpability, and before they offer a simple apology to those victims.

The religion’s stubborn, self-righteous pride, and the need to preserve their own reputation, trumps everything, including the simple decency of paying into the fund used by victims to get counseling and support.

Any religion that is willing to call victims “apostates” and “liars” has shown their true colors when it comes to how they feel about those victims, and this gross lack of cooperation of Watchtower in paying a few dollars into this redress scheme, and their avoidance of offering even a token apology, speaks volumes.

Remember this, the next time Jehovah’s Witnesses tell you that theirs is an organization based on love of family, and love of neighbor. They don’t even love children in their religion enough to say they’re sorry for that child’s rape and abuse; how much love do you think they really feel for anyone else?

*** ***

¹Case study 29, Day 155, page 15986

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

During the course of these cases, the courts had ordered Watchtower to produce records of other alleged child molesters in the religion. Watchtower refused, and was then slapped with a $4000 per day sanction from the courts.

As I brought out in this post, Watchtower lost their final appeal against these sanctions last November, and you can read the court’s rather scathing decision against them in that column.

This settlement with Lopez and Padron closes down both this order for Watchtower to produce documents, and the $4000 per day sanction. The terms of the settlement reached with the men are confidential, so there is no information available about dollar amounts, etc.

Despite this huge, but not entirely unexpected, disappointment to activists and advocates who are interested in exposing allegations of child molestation in the religion so that they can be handled properly, this settlement is not a complete loss. In appealing the decision, Watchtower had stated they couldn’t produce the records because it would be so time-consuming; they didn’t say that such records don’t exist, so they cannot argue with anyone who accuses them of keeping such a database or collection of accusations.

Also, these sanctions alone disprove Watchtower’s statement that they do not shield these persons from the consequences of their actions, as they were happy to pay $4000 per day to protect these ones!

The sanctions themselves no doubt cost Watchtower over $2 million, which is two million dollars they can’t spend on recruiting new members, or on building tax-exempt properties that they’ll simply flip for a profit. Eventually the Watchtower’s owners will need to determine if the cost of the many, many lawsuits they’re facing for how they mishandle child sex abuse allegations, and these public displays of their duplicity, outweigh the benefits of clinging to their ineffective policies that do nothing but traumatize and abandon victims to their abuses.

*** ***

Please see this story from Reveal News for more information about the history of these cases in particular.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

Another way the religion earns money is through property flipping; volunteers build their Kingdom Halls, convention centers, and other structures, which are then often sold for a hefty profit that goes back to the religion’s headquarters. Don’t underestimate the value of the Watchtower’s portfolio of properties; a recent court case in California revealed that the religion has $1.3 billion in real property alone, and that was probably just for the United States, not for overseas holdings. (See this post for a copy of that court document.)

As I bring out in that post above, Watchtower has actually been working very hard to make their property flipping easier, designing new Kingdom Halls to resemble a bank or small office than any type of church. This is a mock-up from the video they posted on their site:

New Kingdom Halls with this design are already being constructed; this one was spotted in New Jersey, USA:

I was also just recently sent a picture of a Kingdom Hall from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, USA, which is also very businesslike:

You can see how easily the religion might flip these properties, as these buildings could quickly be converted into any number of generic businesses; this Kingdom Hall above doesn’t even have an elevated stage, which is commonly found in other Halls.

While the amount of profit that the religion earns from such property sales is important to consider, I also noticed something else in these photos, and that’s just how cold and impersonal these buildings are, both inside and out. Keeping buildings this generic might be part of flipping the properties for a quick sale; the less personalized a building, the easier it is for a potential buyer to imagine their own business in the space, with fewer needed changes and fit-outs.

The greed of the Watchtower Corporation in building these so-called places of worship with the idea of how much profit they can get from them is bad enough, but this also betrays a horrific attitude the religion has toward its members. How so?

When you’re planning on staying at a home or apartment for any length of time, you make it your own. You put artwork on the walls, add plants, hang curtains, and soften the exterior with landscaping and flowers. This is done so that you feel relaxed, welcomed, and comfortable in your own space.

Businesses even do the same; they’ll paint a building the colors of their logo, add signs with their slogan everywhere, bring in plants and landscaping, and customize the interior, so the staff feels comfortable while working.

A plant, a splash of color, and some windows and this office looks more inviting than any Kingdom Hall.

Churches will also enrich their buildings, inside and out, with stained glass artwork, thick columns and heavy wood doors, artwork painted on the walls, and stunning light fixtures. These features and details all create a hospitable environment that makes attendees feel welcomed, comfortable, and appreciated.

Yet, you see none of that, inside or outside of these Kingdom Halls. There is little to no landscaping or color outside the buildings, and nothing personable, attractive, or welcoming about their interiors.

The more I stared at these pictures, the more I realized that these new Kingdom Halls actually look more like prison chapels than real churches:

Local prison chapel.

A chapel in a prison is usually very basic and cheap, but not just because of the prison’s limited budget. This space is impersonal because the people sitting in those chapels are criminals, not respected members of society. Prisoners are, quite literally, just numbers to their caretakers, so their individual comfort, emotional health, and feelings in general are not important to the wardens. Prison administrators feel no obligation to make a chapel any more cozy and personal than the prison itself, because they think so little of the people sitting inside.

Lacking care for the feelings of their congregants was always a trademark of the religion when I was in; a woman was expected to stay with an abusive husband, even being blamed for her abuse, no matter her feelings or the feelings of the children in the home.

My own mother was outright suicidal, in and out of mental treatment centers, and I obviously had issues dealing with my stepfather’s temper and my mother’s own treatment of me, but elders were still angrily insistent that she stay, and even yelled and bellowed at her and I when the subject was ever brought up. Our feelings were nonexistent throughout my entire childhood.

The religion also makes incessant demands on its congregants, for them to preach and recruit, with little regard for their physical health or mental and emotional makeup, which often makes this work very difficult for them. Doing more of this difficult preaching is even recommended for those who are feeling depressed or anxious, as if it would help them when it often makes their feelings even worse!

As I bring out in this post, a video to be shown at the 2018 regional conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses included a skit of a congregation being split into two, and of families being sent to different congregations, including an elderly woman being separated from her children and grandchildren.

As I mentioned in that post, splitting up families this way is cruel and negligent, but the elders made this decision, and so many decisions like it, without ever consulting with congregants about their feelings, and expecting those congregants to just blindly obey, no matter what.

This lack of personal warmth or concern for their congregants is demonstrated right down to the decor of their Kingdom Halls. There is nothing to make their members or visitors feel invited, welcomed, relaxed, and cared for in these buildings. Everything is stripped bare and utilitarian, merely functional, ready to serve the religion and not the congregants, much like how everyday rank-and-file members are meant to serve and recruit for the religion, and not the other way around. A prison chapel is not such a poor description of their buildings after all.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

Obey, Obey, Obey

One video and discourse, “Future Events That Will Require Courage—The Attack by Gog of Magog,” yet again demanded that congregants blindly obey the organization and congregation elders, even if the instructions given make no sense, or are downright hurtful, as the video itself demonstrated. The video skit showed one congregation being divided into two separate congregations, and a woman being concerned for how families in that congregation were being split up accordingly. This included one elderly woman whose children and grandchildren would be going to a different congregation!

I personally would need to question why elders would split up families like this; I might understand certain scenarios, such as two men from the same family who were both elders, and a need to spread those elders across separate congregations. However, an elderly woman being isolated from her children and grandchildren sounds downright cruel and even negligent; seeing your elderly relative at congregation meetings not only reinforces family bonds, but it can also ensure that the family is keeping watch over her!

When someone is of a particular age, it’s good for family to note any changes in their physical health, mental clarity, and the like. Without seeing this woman at congregation meetings, this might necessitate the family going out of their way to visit her more often throughout the week, to ensure she’s in good health. Yet, despite this outrageous arrangement, the elderly woman was blindly resolute to simply do as she was told.

It was also obvious from this skit that the elders never consulted with anyone in the congregation that was being split as to their preferences or feelings. They simply made their decisions without concern for the opinions of the people actually being affected by those decisions, and then expected those ones to fall in line and blindly, mindlessly obey.

(Please see the YouTube video below for a snippet of this skit.)

Stop Elevating Them; They’re Just Men

Jehovah’s Witnesses might be quick to jump to the defense of elders and say that they need to make decisions as to what’s best for a congregation, but there are a few problems here. Number one, who are they to arbitrarily decide this? Elders are amazingly imperfect men, no more able to make a good decision than anyone else!

Congregation members are just as intelligent, mature, wise, and able to make good decisions as these elders, so why wouldn’t they be consulted, and allowed to be part of that process? For elders to make these decisions on their own is insulting to congregants, infantilizing them, treating them as children who need direction and control.

I would also think that what’s “best” for a congregation is to listen to each member, and let their feelings and opinions dictate these decisions! A religion is not a business, where decisions are made based on what will bring in the most profit; a religion is supposed to exist for the spiritual needs of congregants, so that it can comfort and console people during troublesome times, bring them closer to their god, and strengthen family bonds.

Running a religion like a business, with elders making arbitrary decisions without any concern for the opinions of those below them, just demanding that these ones toe the line, makes that religion… well, a business, not a religion, and certainly not one that exists to care for individuals and their needs.

And Obey Some More

This skit then showed the elders discussing how important it was for congregation members to blindly obey them, now and in the future, as surviving the end of the world might depend on that blind obedience. This fear tactic is shameful and disgusting, but is also nothing new; Jehovah’s Witnesses have been predicting the end of the world, with these same demands for blind obedience in order to survive this upcoming doomsday, for decades.

From Watchtower literature of 1982.

“Obey me so you survive the horrible doomsday that is about to be upon us” is not only unhealthy, insulting, and abusive to congregants, but it’s also a sign of a damaging, dangerous cult. Once followers are indoctrinated to believe that their religion’s leaders know more than them, that they cannot or should not rely on their own intellect or feelings, and that they must obey those leaders no matter the instructions, poisoned Kool-Aid is not usually far behind.

No, I don’t truly believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses would ever become a suicidal cult, but members already sacrifice their time, money, chance at a higher education or for bringing children into this world, friendships, hobbies and interests, and even their family to the religion. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t allow blood transfusions even in emergency situations, they can also literally sacrifice their life, and a child’s life as well. This strict and unquestioning obedience demanded by Jehovah’s Witnesses doesn’t then need to involve poisoned Kool-Aid for the religion’s members to lose everything for the sake of this blind obedience.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

I’m not arrogant enough to assume that the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is talking about me directly, but I did recently write up a post about an outright lie the religion’s own attorney made during a court case in Canada. This case was filed by a disfellowshipped (excommunicated) Witness, and, during his arguments, the attorney for the JWs said that when a person is shunned by Jehovah’s Witnesses, “normal family relations continue, with the exception of spiritual fellowship.”

Anyone familiar with the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses knows that this is absolutely untrue, and you can read that post above for more information on that subject. Getting back to this assertion made by Losch, however, where he claimed that statements made on social media are “out of context” and therefore only rumor; that’s a bold-faced lie on his part, as the post I wrote above included a clip of the entire presentation by the lawyer. This was done purposely so that readers could hear his statement in context, and I even introduced the clip with the sentence, “Listen to that statement here, in its context.”

Presenting things properly to my audience, ensuring that you can always see things in context, is very important to me; the above blog post is not the only time I’ve ensured you, the reader of this site or listener of my videos, have had a fair chance to see and hear things as they’ve been presented:

These are just a few clips I managed to pull in a short time that specifically used the phrase “in context” (and the only ones I could find where my hair wasn’t completely wonky and weird).

Accusing detractors of the Watchtower of taking things out of context when so many activists and advocates actually take great pains to present quotes, reference materials, and websites as accurately as possible, and with its surrounding context intact, is inexcusably deceitful of Losch.

It’s also another demonstration of the horrific priorities of Jehovah’s Witnesses; rather than giving an honest answer to the accusations of their lawyer lying in court, they simply dismiss those criticisms as untrustworthy rumor, propaganda, “fake news,” or “apostate lies.”

They care little about the damage their policies do to individuals and family, much less do they care about the lying insults they hurl at we advocates, and only care about preserving their image, no matter the cost.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

The founders of Mormon Leaks then launched the website “Faith Leaks.” Fittingly, their first major leak outside the Mormon religion came from Jehovah’s Witnesses (links to posts about those leaked documents below), regarding a case of child sex abuse that occurred in a congregation in Massachusetts, U.S.A.

On February 15, 2018, FaithLeaks posted on social media that they had been contacted by the police department near that congregation regarding “theft of documents.”

I’m not a lawyer so I cannot comment on the legalities of this issue, but FaithLeaks makes the real point here; the elders called the police upon learning that someone had shared private documents with an outside company, but never called the police to report the case of child abuse that was outlined in those particular documents.

The Case, In Brief

For those not familiar with this case, those documents, including notes from the elders and correspondence between them and the religion’s headquarters, revealed that a father repeatedly raped and savagely beat his two daughters, so that there were even frequent hospital trips for at least one of the daughters. Teachers had questioned her about her injuries, so obviously she had visible bruises and other such marks, but despite that, elders overlooked the physical abuse and did not call the police when the allegations of child rape then surfaced.

People familiar with the religion know that elders demand a second witness to child sexual molestation before taking action against the accused within the congregation; according to their policies, a second victim can suffice as this witness. However, in this case, the elders didn’t adhere to this requirement even though there were two victims to the man’s abuse, meaning both his daughters, simply because one of the girls was not emotionally ready to confront her father face-to-face.

The elders also objected to one of the girl’s husbands calling the police on the father after he violated a restraining order she had against him at that time. According to their own notes, the elders were concerned for the abuser’s “public humiliation” in being removed from one of their conventions. (See this post.)

Priorities

I don’t need to spell this out for anyone; the twisted and warped value system of the elders, and of Jehovah’s Witnesses as a whole, is clearly presented here. Elders in this congregation are concerned with how they and the religion must look, now that their inner workings and practices have been revealed, but were not, and are not, concerned for the safety of children who are being raped and beaten in their own homes.

Elders have no problem phoning police over the “theft” of documents, but don’t involve the police when a child’s life and mental and emotional well-being are being stolen.

The disgusting hypocrisy of how elders have mishandled this case, along with so many cases like it, betrays their claim of being a religion based on love of anyone but themselves. They love their reputation, their control over others, their appearance, their power, their institution … but not the people in it. Before anyone argues that point, remind yourself of what the elders were so quick to ensure got proper protection; the religion and its secretive, damning policies, or the children affected by those policies.

*** ***

See also:

New Leaked Watchtower Document Site, Part One: The Horrific Sexual Crimes Against Children, At The Hands Of Those In Authority

New Leaked Watchtower Document Site, Part Two: Even With a “Long History of Violence,” a Man Can Still Be an Active, Approved Jehovah’s Witness

New Leaked Watchtower Document Site, Part Three: Being Concerned for the “Public Humiliation” of a Child Rapist

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

The elders, in this demonstration, are discerning if three such pioneers in their congregation should be allowed to remain as pioneers, as each one has failed to meet that hourly requirement for the past year.

I’m Calling Their Preaching Reports Outright Fraudulent!

Jehovah’s Witnesses often brag about the hours they spend preaching and proselytizing, even claiming that they are the only religion known for such preaching. For example:

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only ones preaching the good news of God’s Kingdom.” (May 2016 Watchtower simplified edition)

And:

“…we rejoice that our [preaching] work fulfills prophecy. Consider Jesus’ answer to his apostles when they asked: ‘What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?’ He told them that one feature of that sign would be a global preaching work.” (“God’s Kingdom Rules”, chapter 9)

Not content to brag about the fact that they preach, Jehovah’s Witnesses like to talk about how much they preach. Their report for their 2017 service year claims that their members spent over 2 billion hours preaching.

That certainly seems like a lot of hours preaching to others, and these numbers are one reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses often feel they’re the true religion, and the only religion fulfilling that command to preach.

However, something was revealed in the recently leaked elders’ training videos for their 2018 ministerial training school; in one skit, the elders are discussing a regular pioneer named Chris, who is also an elder, and who is not spending enough time in their preaching work to fulfill his obligations as a regular pioneer. One reason for this shortcoming is that Chris works with a Jehovah’s Witness volunteer group that is involved in building and maintaining local Kingdom Halls, assembly halls, and other properties of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Note especially what is said about the 1:15 mark in this skit, as the elders discuss if Chris should be deleted as a regular pioneer:

The elders are reading a letter from their headquarters that discusses other work that a regular pioneer might be doing for the religion, and the “hour credit” they get for this work. These elders go on to note that those on their various volunteer committees get credit for that time they spend, which they can then report as part of their preaching for the month; the only limitation I’m hearing from this video is that they have a cap of 70 hours per month.

In other words, Chris, and other congregants like him who work on various volunteer projects, may report that they put in 70 hours preaching during one month, and those 70 hours are then added to the worldwide report published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

However, what is the reality of hours spent actually talking to people about the bible, versus maintaining JW properties or these other volunteer activities? What if Chris spends 60 hours every month maintaining Kingdom Halls, but only 10 hours in the actual preaching work?

Whatever the ratio or however it’s broken down, this makes the claim Jehovah’s Witnesses publish as to how many hours they spend preaching outright fraudulent! While the religion may say that their congregants spent 2 billion hours preaching in 2017, with similar numbers reported each year, how many of those hours were actually spent by congregants in other activities, such as property maintenance, visiting patients who may need a prohibited blood transfusion, preparing their conventions, and the like?

From JW.org, the website of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

When I was in the religion, I knew that elders could count the 45-minute discourse they gave on Sunday to everyone in attendance at the Kingdom Hall, because it was assumed that non-Jehovah’s Witnesses might be in the audience, but what about persons who live at the religion’s world headquarters and branches around the world? I know some of those individuals go in the preaching work in addition to their full-time assignments, but are they allowed to also count hours spent in those volunteer assignments as part of their report of preaching?

The men who are on the writing committees, on the committees that handle construction and building plans, those who handle disaster relief, the ones at the branch offices who answer questions from local elders; can they also count a good portion, if not all, of their hours in that work as part of their “preaching”?

Don’t get me wrong; I care very little about how Jehovah’s Witnesses figure their preaching work and numbers for their own internal use. It’s the deception of calling all this work “preaching” when no one really knows how much of it is actually work done to care for and maintain their own properties, and grow their own organization internally, that I have an issue with.

Putting these fraudulent numbers out to the public, and to their own members, as a way of somehow proving that they’re the true religion because they spend so much time “preaching” is my concern. Those numbers in their yearbook, that they hide behind as some type of proof of being the true religion, are a complete fraud.

Just like their claim of having special knowledge of the bible while having to backtrack on their predictions and flip-flop on their own doctrine, and like their claims of being a loving religion while systemically hiding pedophiles and other abusers, everything on which they rest those claims are slowly being exposed as being nothing but fraudulent and deceitful.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

According to court records, Nassar used his position to sexually molest more than 150 women and underage girls. Along with his indictment on these offenses, Nassar had already pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography and had been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on those charges.

Pedophiles Rarely Operate In a Vacuum

Nassar’s accusations and convictions didn’t stop with him; many of the women who came forward noted that they had tried to report his abuse to MSU, USA Gymnastics, and the U.S. Olympic Committee, but were rebuffed and even chastised by those organizations:

“Michigan State University had the audacity to tell me I did not understand the difference between sexual assault and a medical procedure.”
~ Amanda Thomashow, Nassar survivor

After it came to light that these abuses had been so grossly mishandled or ignored, many key figures from these organizations resigned, including MSU president Lou Anna Simon, MSU doctor Brooke Lemmen, MSU gymnastics coach Kathie Klages, the president of USA Gymnastics, Steve Penny, and three of the organization’s directors. An American Olympics team coach, John Geddert, has been suspended, and the dean of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, William D. Strampel, took a medical leave.

This is only appropriate, as these persons were in a position of care over these girls, they heard of their complaints regarding their sexual abuse, and did nothing. They abandoned these girls to their abuses, and even lectured them about what was happening to them. This created an atmosphere where Nassar was free to rape child after child, and which no doubt contributed to the mental and emotional distresses felt by these girls.

The Similarities With Jehovah’s Witnesses

Jehovah’s Witnesses have a tremendous problem with child sex abuse within their ranks, with more and more cases being revealed every day, and I can’t help but notice the similarities between Nassar’s case and this religion. For one thing, there are no safeguards in place to reasonably protect children from a predator in the religion. An elder can request a child accompany him alone in their preaching work, and parents will allow it, as they’re told to be obedient and submissive to those taking the lead in the congregation.

In the religion, even if someone is a known pedophile, there are no warnings given to parents; when a congregant is disfellowshipped (excommunicated), reinstated into the congregation, or reproved in any way, there is no information shared about their conduct, so congregants have no idea why this person was facing discipline.

Women and children are told, time and time again, to be submissive and silent before the men in the home, which can lead to children allowing themselves to be abused out of a misplaced fear of a father’s authority, and women being afraid to put a stop to it for the same reason. Those who write this material, the elders who strongly enforce this doctrine, the women who buy into this authoritarian arrangement, and the other congregants who strongly counsel women to remain submissive, even to abusive men, then become complicit in any abuse that follows because of this silence and submissiveness.

Elders turn their backs on victims when allegations of sexual abuse are brought forward; they demand a second witness to the abuse before putting such an abuser out of the congregation, and out of the reach of other children in the religion. Elders may even determine that a confessed abuser is “repentant” so that he or she is not put out of the congregation at all, allowing them to potentially prey on other children.

If an alleged abuser moves to another congregation, elders go through a long checklist to determine if they should warn that new congregation of the accusations against them, even considering the “maturity” of the alleged victim’s parents.

It has also been shown that elders report such abuses to police only when absolutely required to by law, and even then, they may do everything they can to resist cooperating with police. (Please see “In Scathing Court Decision, Watchtower Loses Appeal of $4000 Per Day Fine“)

Don’t assume that elders are doing their best to help victims in all of this; anyone who listened to the Australian Royal Commission could easily see that these men were angry, deceitful, spiteful, arrogant, and dismissive of the victims, both when the abuse was occurring and during the Inquiry itself.

The Guilt Starts On the Ground Floor

The rank-and-file members are also not guiltless; Jehovah’s Witnesses have recently emphasized their adherence to their “two witness” rule, despite it being questionable from a scriptural point of view, and despite it being all but impossible in cases of child sex abuse. Their “doubling-down” on this policy was announced publicly, through a segment on their online TV channel, which rank-and-file members are strongly encouraged to faithfully view and follow.

In turn, congregants are not ignorant to this ludicrous, obscene rule that does nothing but protect pedophiles in their midst. Those congregants also have no choice but to go along with that rule; when you’re one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, you must follow the rules of the religion, without question, and without exception.

Beyond that, many victims of abuse in the religion have recalled how other congregants accused them of lying, or got outright angry at their allegations. This also leaves those victims abandoned to their abuses.

I’m Not Unsympathetic

Don’t get me wrong; I still have family in the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, including a younger brother and sister. My brother is not an elder and likes to avoid confrontation, so he and my sister both are just blindly waiting for the new system to get here and sort it all out.

However, as sympathetic as I am to them, I don’t let them off the hook for what goes on in their religion. I’ve given my brother a sound piece of my mind over his lack of backbone in standing up to this stupid, abusive little cult.

I do that because, when people tell me that all rank-and-file members of the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses are just innocent, brainwashed cult members who deserve sympathy and pity, I think of the horrors that went on at MSU and at the Olympic training facility, beyond the pedophile himself. These girls were made vulnerable by the atmosphere of trust and compliance that was forced upon them. They had doors slammed in their faces by those in positions of authority, those who could and should have helped them.

I think of how so many children could have been protected, if the people around those victims had not failed to act on the first allegations brought to them. How is it different within the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

The judge in Larry Nassar’s case. She wasn’t having anyone’s nonsense, and we shouldn’t either.

Persons at MSU and the Olympic camp have resigned or been forced out because of public outcry about their behavior, and rightly so. However, this begs the question, why do we hold coaches, team organizers, and others in that situation to a higher standard than elders, parents, and congregants in a religion?

We show justified disgust at those around Nassar who turned a blind eye to his abuse, but are then quick to plead for “decency” for rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses, who are sometimes just as complicit in the abuse of children as the abusers themselves. Asking for sympathy or pity for these ones is an insult to their intellect, as if Jehovah’s Witnesses are just too stupid to understand child molestation and why it happens so often in their religion, and are too stupid to realize how policies like demanding a second witness to child molestation are ludicrous and laughable.

I’m With Trevor

As I was researching this column, I came across a video of talk show host and comedian Trevor Noah, slamming Nassar’s “enablers,” saying that these ones should be sentenced right along with him:

I’m with him. If you know of, or have reasonable allegations of, child sex abuse, you have no excuse to ignore it and dismiss the victims. Doing so makes you an enabler, as we’ve seen in the religion.

The governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and writers of the Watchtower magazine, can say whatever they want, but it’s up to individual elders to enforce their policies, and individual rank-and-file to also support their words. When they do that, it makes them all complicit in this abuse, and part of the reason why it can happen so easily in a religion like Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“They should have a law, that if they found that you were an enabler, if they found that you willfully ignored messages or information about something that was being done to somebody, you should get a piece of their sentence. Like commission. Because you’re like their agent. They’re the superstar, and they give you ten percent.”
~ Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show”

Remember that the next time you want to say that people should have sympathy and pity for all the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the religion; you’re including, not just pedophiles, but those who create the atmosphere that allows pedophilia to flourish, women who allow their own their children to be abused in order to comply with the “headship” arrangement, those who strongly encourage if not outright demand that those women and children be obedient even to abusive men, those who turn a blind eye to credible accusations of abuse, those who fight and argue with the courts when told to produce proper evidence to support victims of abuse, those who endorse practices like the “two witness” rule, and everyone else who abandons the victims in this religion.

I can only wonder how child sex abuse victims feel when they hear of someone’s deep, abiding empathy and pity for everyone in the religion who made their abuse possible.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.

The founders of Mormon Leaks then launched the website “Faith Leaks.” Fittingly, their first major leak outside the Mormon religion came from Jehovah’s Witnesses.

***

Being Concerned for the “Public Humiliation” of a Child Rapist

As was revealed through leaked correspondences from congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Massachusetts, U.S.A., a man whom I’ll call “John Doe” was discovered to have been molesting and otherwise physically abusing his own daughters. The man was even terminated from his place of employment for using “excessive force” against someone in his care (see Part Two: Even With a “Long History of Violence,” a Man Can Still Be an Active, Approved Jehovah’s Witness for more info).

Some years after the girls had grown up and the abuse came to light, the man was disfellowshipped (excommunicated), but was working at being quickly reinstated, which means he would be attending all the meetings and conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

One daughter, whom I’ll call Jane Smith, had been granted a restraining order against her father during this time.

This woman and her husband, an elder whom I’ll call Jack, were going to be attending a convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 2004. The father was also going to be attending, which was a violation of that restraining order.

At the convention, Jack called the police to have his father-in-law arrested. The police arrived and were intercepted by other elders, who asked John Doe to leave with them; he was handcuffed and escorted out without incident.

Apparently Jack Was the One In the Wrong Here?

The day after this incident, elders in Jack’s congregation wrote a letter to one of the religion’s overseers, which you can read in its entirety here 2004-02-29-JW-Mass_Circuit_9-B, criticizing Jack’s conduct, referring to his actions as “unnecessary,” and showing “poor judgment.” They state in the letter that Jack and Jane were not attending their assigned assembly location, claim that the couple knew beforehand that the father would be in attendance, and criticize Jack for not informing anyone else of his intent to call the police. They even call into question Jack’s qualifications as an elder for how he handled the situation.

Yes, how unnecessary and in poor judgment to have a child rapist and abuser removed from their building and from the presence of that man’s victim.

Being Protective of a Child Rapist

In this letter, the elders also show full sympathy and consideration to this John Doe, the pedophile. They note that he was “completely cooperative” with police, and say that this incident could be a “set back” (sic) for him and his attempts at “restoring himself to good standing with the congregation.”

This is a sickening statement from the elders, but very revealing, as it’s obvious how eager they are to assist a child rapist to return to an approved standing in the congregation.

The letter also mentions one elder who knew this John Doe in particular, and said that Doe had “no history of violence,” completely contrary to the statements from his daughters, statements that were confirmed in another letter from the religion’s headquarters a few months later (see Part Two above to read that letter in its entirety). It’s apparent that elders arbitrarily ignored the testimony from these women about their father’s violence, and weren’t concerned at all about having someone so hot-tempered at an assembly with others.

Elders also overlooked the fact that a restraining order had been granted, so it was not up to them to discern if the man had a history of violence or not; the courts had already determined that there was reason for this man to stay away from his own daughter.

Consider, too, that it took these elders one day, just one day, to put their snarling disgust over Jack’s actions in writing. Elders often take weeks, if not months, to deliberate and decide if they will ever act on an allegation of child rape, but if a known child molester suffers a bit of “humiliation” because of not being legally allowed to be near his victim, well, they will pounce on that matter as fast as they can get things in writing.

Perhaps the worst statement in the letter is when the elders say, in their summary:

“No doubt John Doe was publicly humiliated by the manner of his arrest.”

This just sickens me. This should sicken everyone. John Doe raped his own daughters from the time they were just little girls, tied one to the bed and would “examine” her vagina in the morning, beat them both so that there were repeated trips to the hospital, and threatened their lives if they ever told anyone.

Those girls grew up terrified and humiliated, and in immeasurable physical, mental, and emotional pain, suffering horrific trauma and damage that will probably never leave them. Most victims of this type of abuse have long-term panic attacks, anxiety, bouts of rage, crippling depression, and extremely low self-esteem, not to mention problems with relationships and sexual expression. Many are suicidal.

Yet, the elders are concerned about his humiliation?

Does it not occur to elders that this man should be suffering humiliations and punishment for his actions? Many people, myself included, strongly feel that a child rapist does not deserve to live, much less should he or she be free to walk the streets. Yet, after all his abuses and torture of his own daughters, John Doe was walking around as a free man, with the only exception of not being allowed near one of his victims. Heaven forbid he should suffer a little humiliation after all he put her through.

Victim? What Victim? Who Cares About the Victim!

As if all that wasn’t bad enough, in this entire letter, there is not one word said about the victim herself, the damage done to her, and her feelings in this matter. She is only mentioned in the opening paragraph as an explanation of who had the restraining order against John Doe. There isn’t even an explanation as to why that restraining order was in place, nothing said about these horrific abuses and how the woman would have felt to see her father, her rapist and abuser, at such a convention.

The last paragraph also sums it up quite nicely, when these men question Jack’s qualifications as an elder after his “bypassing theocratic organization because of his personal feelings.”

That, in a nutshell, is the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. You can be viciously raped and beaten by your own father, have your very life threatened while you’re still an innocent child, and yet be made to sit in the same room as the man who did that, while any thought of your personal feelings are immaterial.

Your humiliations and abuses are nonexistent, unimportant; the feelings of a child rapist and his reputation are the only things that are worth consideration, as this letter proves in black-and-white.

Shame on you for acting on personal feelings, when you should have been worried about the “public humiliation” of a violent child molester.

Their feelings are worth a two-page, same-day letter of complaint to an overseer, while their victims, no matter the disgusting, horrific, disturbing nature of their abuse, are obviously as important as this man’s daughter, which is not at all.

*** ***

Please share via social media below.