Victims 'told not to report' Jehovah's Witness child abuse

[RandomGuy]

Victims from across the UK told the BBC they were routinely abused and that the religion's own rules protected perpetrators.
One child abuse lawyer believes there could be thousands of victims across the country who have not come forward.
The organisation said it did not "shield" abusers and any suggestion of a cover-up was "absolutely false".

...

I've spoken to multiple victims who have told me of the abuse they have suffered while in the Jehovah's Witnesses organisation.
What most of them keep coming back to is something known as the "two witness rule".
It is a procedure set by the main governing body of the religion and means for any sin committed, there must be two witnesses to it in order for the elders of the congregation to take any action.
The problem with this is it can be rare to have witnesses in cases of abuse.
The victims I've spoken to said the organisation self-polices and teaches members to avoid interaction with outside authorities or to take another member of the religion to court.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-42025255

[Blake]

Lolsmh two witness rule

[RandomGuy]

Lolsmh two witness rule

Seems more designed to protect offenders than victims. That part jumped out to me as well.

[boutons_deux]

Yet another fucking American "Christian religious" cult run by power and money hungry perverts

[florige]

I was raised a JW. Haven't practiced since youth. But that being said they are generally good people. Like any other organization they have their bad apples and perverts. They are the one organization that runs everything purely off donations. You won't find the coordinators (Priest,JW's refer to them as overseers when I was going but now its coordinators) riding around in huge cars and living in lavish mansions while the members pay them to live like kings and they live in poverty. The majority of them have full time jobs outside of the organization. My GM passed away earlier this year and was heavy with them until she got Alzheimers 10 years ago. They with no problem let me have the funeral there and didn't want to accept any money for having it there. I donated something anyway, but any other place would had most definitely charged an arm and a leg.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I was raised a JW. Haven't practiced since youth. But that being said they are generally good people. Like any other organization they have their bad apples and perverts. They are the one organization that runs everything purely off donations. You won't find the coordinators (Priest,JW's refer to them as overseers when I was going but now its coordinators) riding around in huge cars and living in lavish mansions while the members pay them to live like kings and they live in poverty. The majority of them have full time jobs outside of the organization. My GM passed away earlier this year and was heavy with them until she got Alzheimers 10 years ago. They with no problem let me have the funeral there and didn't want to accept any money for having it there. I donated something anyway, but any other place would had most definitely charged an arm and a leg.

The issue is not with the rank and file. It is with the leadership of these religions.

[Reck]

I was raised a JW. Haven't practiced since youth. But that being said they are generally good people. Like any other organization they have their bad apples and perverts. They are the one organization that runs everything purely off donations. You won't find the coordinators (Priest,JW's refer to them as overseers when I was going but now its coordinators) riding around in huge cars and living in lavish mansions while the members pay them to live like kings and they live in poverty. The majority of them have full time jobs outside of the organization. My GM passed away earlier this year and was heavy with them until she got Alzheimers 10 years ago. They with no problem let me have the funeral there and didn't want to accept any money for having it there. I donated something anyway, but any other place would had most definitely charged an arm and a leg.

They are still very protective/strict.

My brother got roped into being with them after his first marriage. There is a lot of things they dont allow. No celebration of any kind. Birthdays, holidays etc.

Cant even play or watch violent games or movies. I've been to a few assembly they do every year and have been to some of their meetings and they are nice enough people. But you cant let them down or they'll cast you out for the lightest thing.

There are certain freedoms you have to give up in order to be a part of them. It's nuts.

I was living with my brother for a short time. Him being a full blown JW and me not being a part of it at all. Once I went out and came home after midnight and the next day he had a "chat" with me about being out so late. I was like the fuck...

A month after that I got my own place.

[RandomGuy]

I was raised a JW. Haven't practiced since youth. But that being said they are generally good people. Like any other organization they have their bad apples and perverts. They are the one organization that runs everything purely off donations. You won't find the coordinators (Priest,JW's refer to them as overseers when I was going but now its coordinators) riding around in huge cars and living in lavish mansions while the members pay them to live like kings and they live in poverty. The majority of them have full time jobs outside of the organization. My GM passed away earlier this year and was heavy with them until she got Alzheimers 10 years ago. They with no problem let me have the funeral there and didn't want to accept any money for having it there. I donated something anyway, but any other place would had most definitely charged an arm and a leg.

Individuals can, and almost always are good people, that goes for any religion. But religion poisons everything. In the case of the OP, you have leaders making decisions based on what is good for image, rather than victims.

That stinks.

[florige]

They are still very protective/strict.

My brother got roped into being with them after his first marriage. There is a lot of things they dont allow. No celebration of any kind. Birthdays, holidays etc.

Cant even play or watch violent games or movies. I've been to a few assembly they do every year and have been to some of their meetings and they are nice enough people. But you cant let them down or they'll cast you out for the lightest thing.

There are certain freedoms you have to give up in order to be a part of them. It's nuts.

I was living with my brother for a short time. Him being a full blown JW and me not being a part of it at all. Once I went out and came home after midnight and the next day he had a "chat" with me about being out so late. I was like the fuck...

A month after that I got my own place.


Oh yeah they are. They will put you out in a second. But that being said they are probably part of the reason I didn't have a whole bunch of illegitimate kids running around when I had the chance to bang girls when I was growing up. They had it implanted in your head if you had sex before marriage you were out. Also they sort of distance themselves from anyone outside of the organization as "worldly". Their strict rules are what drove me away as I got older.They used to have issue on how long my side burns were for goodness sake. It is no doubt in my mind they are one of the more stricter religions out there. I also didn't like the fact how they treated the traveling overseers who used to visit the halls a few times a year like they were royalty or something. I could had sworn that one of them had the major hot's for my then 17 y/o girlfriend at the time. She thought so too because he would always manage to conveniently assign himself to pair with her when we would go knock on doors. I to this day believe that dude was a pedo/creep.

[RandomGuy]

Oh yeah they are. They will put you out in a second. But that being said they are probably part of the reason I didn't have a whole bunch of illegitimate kids running around when I had the chance to bang girls when I was growing up. They had it implanted in your head if you had sex before marriage you were out. Also they sort of distance themselves from anyone outside of the organization as "worldly". Their strict rules are what drove me away as I got older.They used to have issue on how long my side burns were for goodness sake. It is no doubt in my mind they are one of the more stricter religions out there. I also didn't like the fact how they treated the traveling overseers who used to visit the halls a few times a year like they were royalty or something. I could had sworn that one of them had the major hot's for my then 17 y/o girlfriend at the time. She thought so too because he would always manage to conveniently assign himself to pair with her when we would go knock on doors. I to this day believe that dude was a pedo/creep.

JW and other small cults are a haven for those types. Insular in nature and bible-based morality in one of its purer forms.