Evil Prevails
In a movie the lead actor makes the following comment, “There is an expression when good men do nothing evil prevails, the truth of the matter is simply, evil prevails.” These words seem to ring more true in this day and age than ever before. While men in government speak of protection from evildoers they themselves sell weapons that result in mass destruction and among other things allow the weak to suffer when a catastrophe strikes. In continents like Africa the people are killed and subjugated by those that are evil while good men try to stem the tide against them. A much smaller context applies when you look at the work of silentlambs. In a little over five years silentlambs was created to expose the machinations of evil men. Some of those men were child molesters, others perhaps due to pride or arrogance allowed polices to continue that put children in danger. Silentlambs is a whistleblower of sorts for when the Jehovah’s Witness organization was confronted with the problem of abuse they simply denied its existence and stated there were no abuse survivors. The thousands of experiences and programs featuring JW abuse survivors speaking out about their abuse, has shown in over fifty countries around the world. Disfellowshipping ordered by home office, of abuse survivors and advocates in an attempt to destroy credibility and the documenting of these actions are a simple testament to truth as well as an exposure of how evil men operate.
Currently millions of dollars in donated funds from Jehovah’s Witnesses are going to defend the religious right of child molesters while victims are ignored and discredited. A certain percentage of funds collected for hurricane and disaster relief from Jehovah’s Witness members will instead line the pockets of attorneys hired to defend pedophiles among Jehovah’s Witnesses. While so many have exhibited much courage to speak out in a sincere attempt to change the Jehovah’s Witness policy on abuse, members remain in the dark and think adjustments to protect their children is an attack by Satan as they are instructed. Evil prevails.
The simple aspect of what silentlambs has requested since day one is for three simple adjustments to be made to the current policy on abuse.
If your child is molested call the police and have it investigated.
Do not appoint child molesters to positions of authority in the congregation.
Child molesters never allowed calling on the public in door to door work.
The current policy remains as follows;
Calling the police is an option for parents to decide. When elders are notified they remain neutral unless they reside in one of the few states where it is required by law for ministers to report.
Confessed child molesters can be reappointed to positions of trust after twenty years. Accused or convicted by a court of law child molesters can continue to serve in their assignments.
Due to silentlambs in May of 2002 this policy was adjusted to require a partner when a molester participates in door to door work yet in most cases the partner does not know the person they are with is a child molester.
This policy remains as a testament to what haughty evil men contrive. Out of one side of their mouths they speak of love and service to God while out of the other side they insult abuse survivors and hurt children. Evil prevails.
The recent article in the August 1, 2005 issue of the Watchtower magazine furthers that premise. In an article entitled, “When is there a basis for taking offense?” The following comment is offered about rape;
“A woman who has been raped has a right to be highly offended, as this is a major crime in God’s eyes. Under the Mosaic Law, a man who raped a woman was to die “just as when a man rises up against his fellowman and indeed murders him.” (Deut. 22:25, 26) While we are no longer under that Law, it gives us insight into how Jehovah feels about rape – a horrible wrong.
“In our time, rape is also a major crime with severe penalties. The victim has every right to report the matter to police. In this way the proper authorities can punish the offender. And if the victim is a minor, the parents may want to initiate these actions.”
What is the point of these comments? Does this represent a balanced view toward a person that is a victim of crime? Do women that experience the violent crime for forced sexual intercourse need to be instructed they have the “right to be highly offended?” Is the right of a woman to be “highly offended” less than the right of a child? The Watchtower article is a statement of policy on child rape that was first mentioned specifically in a letter to elders. In the February 15, 2002 letter to all Jehovah’s Witness elders the comment was made,
“If you are asked, make it clear that whether to report the matter to the authorities or not is a personal decision for each individual to make and that there are no congregation sanctions for either decision.”
In this directive elders are being instructed to sanction lawlessness. That is the ignoring of mandatory reporting laws in all fifty states. This law has been in effect since 1996 and leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been well aware of this law, yet in their policy they thumb their nose at the law when a child is raped. To see this law look at the link below,
The federal law Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA)(Jan. 1996 version), 42 U.S.C. 5101, et seq.. requires all fifty States to comply with MANDATORY reporting or lose federal funding, no State is not receiving Federal funding due to non-compliance.
The Watchtower article of August 1, 2005 is the first public statement of that policy that has remained unchanged for the last twenty plus years. Parents are not encouraged to report the crime of rape of a child but instead are left with the statement, “they may want to initiate these actions.” How would that sentence relate to murder? “
“If your child is murdered and the victim is a minor, the parents may want to initiate these actions.”
Does that statement seem out of context to the reader? Why would the rape of a child be left as an “option” for parents to consider reporting to police? Is this in fact enabling a sadistic criminal to have access to more victims? This policy is a violation of MANDATORY reporting laws in all fifty states and is also in violation of JW doctrine that requires all JW”S to be in subjection to the “superior authorities” in all legal matters unless man’s law conflicts with God’s law. In this instance Jehovah’s Witnesses are being encouraged to condone the defiance of MANDATORY reporting laws on child rape and leaving it a personal decision.
We encourage the public and Jehovah’s Witnesses to demand a retraction of this policy and suggest, yes require the reporting of all child rape to proper authorities. We further propose the installation of all three requests to protect children within the religion as well as children that Jehovah’s Witness child molesters visit in their door to door work. We ask that the use of donated funds to the Worldwide Work be suspended in the legal defense of pedophiles. Do these requests seem outlandish? A few years ago an article was written to “all those in high places” referring to leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses. You can read it at this link,
http://www.silentlambs.org/personal_experiences/high_places.cfm
When that was written a few people did come forward and offer assistance but soon faded into obscurity. It came back to mind when seeing the statement, “When good men do nothing, evil prevails.” We see a group of seven men that claim to follow Christ that further claim to have the direct Word of God as the only channel of God on earth. They call themselves the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. When they are humbly asked to protect the children under their charge with three very simple policy adjustments they instead stay the course and ignore the suffering of raped children. This request was first made in 1992 by the “Awake” Writing Committee and now for fifteen years how many thousands of children have had their innocence taken due to their lack of decisive action? The Bible offers many comments as to consequences for men that allow children to be hurt yet in the passage of time one simple statement holds true, “evil prevails.”
We encourage you the reader to write Jehovah’s Witnesses at Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, NY, 11201. Send them a copy of this article with the three adjustments to current policy noted. Demand that they change their policy on child abuse to protect all children that see or associate with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
silentlambs
Written in 2005