Meldpunt voor seksueel misbruik bij getuigen van Jehova: “Dit is het topje van de ijsberg”

Op 27 maart laatst leden spraken spraken in het programma van de Vlaamse televisie zender Eén ‘Pano’ verschillende voormalige Getuigen van Jehovah openlijk over seksueel kindermisbruik binnen de organisatie. De dagen daraop  konden dan meerdere programma’s op Eén en Canvas de aandacht trekken rond dit schandelijk gebeuren van verzwijgen van kinder- en seksueel misbruik.

Volgens Pascal Mertens, mede-oprichter van het meldpunt Reclaimed Voices voor seksueel misbruik bij Getuigen van Jehovah is dit slechts

“Het topje van de ijsberg”

Mertens zegt “dagelijks” zulke verhalen te horen die daar in dat programma naar voor gebracht worden. Hij roept ook de organisatie op om zelf met de feiten naar justitie te stappen.

“Verbreek de stilte”,

klinkt het.

In het programma werd er ook over “blauwe enveloppes” gesproken waarbij niet enkel op het hoofdkantoor van de Belgische Jehovah-getuigen in Kraainem, maar ook in het algemeen hoofdkwartier in de Verenigde Staten de namen en feiten vermeld zouden zijn, die echter niet altijd werden doorgegeven aan justitie.

Het federaal parket voert intussen wel een onderzoek naar misbruik binnen de organisatie, en in de Kamer werd midden maart nog een commissie opgericht.

Wij zelf kennen ook enkele gezinnen waar zulks is voorgevallen en die uit de vereniging geweerd zijn geworden. Erg genoeg zijn de meesten die zulk een slechte ervaring hebben zo gedegouteerd dat zij niet enkel de vereniging maar ook het geloof verlaten.

In Nederland werden voor de Pano uitzending al meer dan 300 meldingen gedaan, met een gemeenschap van 29 000 Jehovah-getuigen. België telt om en bij de 25 000 gedoopten. Na de uitzending bleken meerdere mensen toch bereid zich te melden.

 

Het is verschrikkelijk om te moeten vaststellen dat de organisatie al de moeite doet om zulke feiten toe te dekken. Louis De Witte, hoofdverantwoordelijke voor België, toonde zich ook niet bereid om de zaak verder toe te lichten. Ook al zou men denken dat zulke organisatie die zich beroept op de Naam van God toch alle moeite zou nemen om haar leden volgens de wetten van God te gedragen, blijkt dat zij vreemd genoeg hier de slachtoffers meer kwaad doen en niet beschermen terwijl ze de schuldigen beschermen.

De afgelopen decennia is er veel aandacht van de wereld gegaan naar beschuldigingen van misbruik waarbij men zich vooral  concentreerde op de katholieke kerk, maar ook andere religieuze groeperingen konden nu en dan in de kijker komen. Er werd echter minder aandacht besteed aan het misbruik van de Jehovahs Getuigen, hoewel deze christelijke groep met meer dan 8,5 miljoen leden op verschillende fora en blogs van ex-Jehovahs Getuigen veel werd gesproken, met vermelding van dergelijke en andere problemen in die organisatie.

In de Verenigde Staten Er zijn al miljoenen dollars betaald door de jaren heen om het geheim te houden.

Naar aanleiding van de Pano-reportage over seksueel kindermisbruik binnen de Jehovah-Getuigen-gemeenschap, nodigde de tv-makers ook topdokter Karel Decaestecker uit die opgroeide in de Getuigen van Jehovah gemeenschap, maar er op zijn achttiende uitstapte. Samen met Stefaan Van Hecke, parlementslid voor Groen, besprak hij de Pano-reportage, waarin te zien was hoe het misbruik al jaren structureel wordt toegedekt via een intern rechtssysteem.

Stefaan Van Hecke maakt deel uit van de werkgroep ‘Signalement betreffende de afhandeling van seksueel misbruik van minderjarigen binnen de groepering getuigen van Jehovah’. Zelf zei hij:

“Ik heb schrik dat het bewijsmateriaal zal verdwijnen, dus justitie moet héél snel in actie schieten.”

Men kan zich niet inbeelden wat het moet doen als men te horen krijgt

“Dit moet je echt voor jou houden, we willen geen smaad op Gods naam brengen. Je moet ons vertrouwen. We zullen samen nog een keer bidden tot God en dat komt goed.”

Ook valt het op dat de organisatie dan, om haar naam zuiver te houden, het liever had om het slachtoffer het zwijgen op te leggen en zelfs over te gaan om haar of hem uit te sluiten van de gemeenschap. Daarbij moet men beseffen dat zulk een uitsluiting zeer ernstige gevolgen heeft op sociaal en psychologisch vlak. Het is namelijk zo dat de uitgeslotenen door de gewone leden moeten geweerd worden en dat zulks een verbroken contact echt als een zware leemte aan voelt voor die slachtoffers. Verder is er hen voor jaren geleerd dat enkel Getuigen van Jehovah het koninkrijk binnen kunnen gaan. Door hun uitsluiting zou dat dan betekenen dat zij ook het recht op het Koninkrijk zouden verliezen.

Makkelijk is het om te laten uitschijnen dat zij geholpen worden. Maar als iemand binnen de beweging van de Getuigen slachtoffer is geworden van misbruik moet deze volgens de regels in eerste instantie naar zijn ouders gaan of direct naar een ouderling. Die is dan wel verplicht om een interne melding te maken maar hoeft geen aangifte bij de politie te doen. Aangifte bij de politie vinden de Getuigen een exclusieve zaak voor het slachtoffer of de ouders.

In Nederland kon uit onderzoek van dagblad Trouw in 2017 al blijken dat de manier waarop Jehovah’s Getuigen omgaan met misbruikzaken, traumatisch is voor slachtoffers.

Opvallend is dat zij twee maal slachtoffer worden en dan nog eens als vervloekten uitgestoten worden.

Probleem van velen die opgegroeid zijn in de groepering van JG is dat zij zich zo min mogelijk horen te mengen met de buitenwereld, waarbij ze regelmatig van sociale activiteiten worden weg gehouden.

Na weinig contact te hebben gehad met de buitenwereld, behalve om van deur tot deur te gaan om anderen ervan te overtuigen dat hun religie het enige ware pad naar verlossing was in deze laatste dagen van de menselijke geschiedenis, voelen ze zich verraden en afgesloten door hun eigen “familie”. Voor de vromen voelt zulke uitsluiting als letterlijk een doodvonnis, omdat volgens wat ze hebben geleerd hebben, een JG iemand moet zijn die “tot de Waarheid behoort” om het Koninkrijk van God binnen te kunnen gaan.

Jehovahs Getuigen noemen hun versie van excommunicatie uitsluiting, een straf door te mijden, om de gelovigen te bevrijden van slechte omgang met hen die de wetten van God overtreden. Hoewel deze keer niet de dader wordt uitgesloten, maar het slachtoffer waardoor zij of hij als verdreven persoon geen enkel contact meer met Getuigen kan hebben, zelfs beleefde erkenning op straat, totdat zij de beschuldigingen worden teruggenomen en dat zij dan hebben bewezen ‘hun berouw en bereidwilligheid’ om gehoorzaam op te stellen en terug te keren naar de organisatie.

Het is zeer goed dat nu eindelijk enkele mensen uit de biecht durfden klappen.

Een ex-ouderling gaf in de documentaire toe dat zij best de zaak konden toedekken met de  mantel der liefde. Zo werd er gezegd

“We hadden instructies dat je bij seksueel misbruik allereerst contact opneemt met het hoofdkantoor hier in België, en zij zouden je dan instrueren hoe je verder zulke ‘netelige kwesties’ in het belang van de reinheid van onze gemeenschap verder zou moeten behandelen.
En dan is een van de eerste dingen die ze je vragen, of dat meisje of wij er al mee naar buiten gekomen zijn. Er wordt dus bij wijze van spreken letterlijk verteld om geen stappen te ondernemen zoals naar de politie gaan om dat aan te geven.”

Telkenmale ging het bij het treffen met de ouderlingen om het ene woord tegen het andere.

Via internationale klokkenluiders werden ook honderden pagina’s geheime interne rechtsdocumenten en brieven verzameld waarin stap voor stap uitgelegd staat hoe zaken als seksueel kindermisbruik binnenskamers afgehandeld kunnen worden.

Vaak moeten slachtoffer en dader samen verschijnen voor het intern rechtscomité. Als de dader ontkent, moeten er twee getuigenissen zijn, dan pas wordt de dader veroordeeld en uitgesloten van de organisatie. Bij seksueel misbruik is dit bijna nooit het geval. Daardoor heeft het misbruik in veel gevallen geen gevolgen voor de daders.

vertelt ons een ouderling.

“Er zijn nooit twee getuigenissen”,

verklaart een ex-ouderling,

“en hoe droevig dat ook is, dan kun je eigenlijk alleen maar tegen dat meisje zeggen als slachtoffer: het is het woord van je dader tegen jouw woord. Laat de zaak maar in de handen van Jehovah.”

Zo laat de ex-ouderling ook uitschijnen dat in de gemeenschap van de Getuigen heel wat kan wat op andere plaatsen degelijk zou afgestraft worden.

“De getuigen van Jehovah zijn zowat het paradijs voor kindermisbruikers”,

vult ex-ouderling Patrick aan.

“Wij denken dat het tijd wordt dat dit vuile potje wordt geopend.”

Hiertoe is het dan ook nodig dat Getuigen zich niet meer zullen schamen en uit de biecht willen spreken om die boosdoeners aan de schandpaal te brengen. Louis De Wit mag dan wel als woordvoerder van de Jehovahs Getuigen in België de beschuldigingen ontkennen, meerdere stemmen hebben zich ondertussen ook al laten horen.

De organisatie laat weten:

“Veel belang te hechten aan het welzijn van kinderen en te allen tijde door te verwijzen naar de rechterlijke autoriteiten.”

Verder laat Louis De Wit nog weten dat er binnen hun religieuze gemeenschap geen plaats is

“voor degenen die dergelijke praktijken beoefenen”.

Laat ons dan ook hopen dat er degelijk werk van gemaakt wordt om de Naam van Jehovah, en de naam van die organisatie die Gods Naam in haar naam wil dragen, dan ook spoedig gezuiverd mag worden van alle blaam door de rotte vissen er uit te gooien en de slachtoffers op te nemen en te verzorgen zoals het een christen hoort.

Indien je misbruikt bent is er Reclaimed Voicesdat je de mogelijkheid wil bieden om je verhaal te delen. Zij willen naar je luisteren, je zien en je erkennen in de pijn die je is aangedaan. Zij zullen ook vertrouwelijk omgaan met wat je met hen wil delen. Misschien wil je je hele verhaal doen, of misschien wil je alleen maar kort melden dat je ook slachtoffer bent. Belangrijk is dat centraal staat wat jij wil.

*

Nood aan een gesprek? Dan kan u terecht bij Tele-Onthaal op het nummer 106.

Meldingen kunnen ook gedaan worden bij  Stichting Reclaimed Voices

Contact opnemen kan doorReclaimed Voices (seksueel kindermisbruik Jehovah’s Getuige) rechtstreeks te mailen:

Voor Nederland: jouwverhaal@reclaimedvoices.org
Voor België: jouwverhaalbelgie@reclaimedvoices.org

++

Vindt ook

1. “Jehova’s zijn het paradijs voor kindermisbruikers”: herbekijk hier de “Pano”-reportage
2. Kindermisbruik binnen de Jehova-gemeenschap: Stefaan Van Hecke hoopt dat justitie snel ingrijpt
3. Reclaimed Voices: Abuse Survivors Speak Out
4. Jehovah’s Getuigen zien ‘hetze’ in beschuldiging seksueel misbruik
5. Hoe Jehova’s getuigen kindermisbruik toedekken: “Paradijs voor pedofielen”

++

In het Engels / English articles

1. Abuse been kept silent by Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation
2. Belgian Jehovah’s Witnesses sexual abuse scandal

Abuse been kept silent by Jehovah’s Witnesses organisation

The Watchtower’s child abuse protocols read like a mashup of Scripture and corporate policy.
From a 1989 Watchtower letter to all U.S. elders describing the importance of secrecy:

“Often the peace, unity, and spiritual well-being of the congregation are at stake.
Improper use of the tongue by an elder can result in serious legal problems for the individual
the congregation, and even the Society.”

Every year in the United States, 60,000 children (aged 11 and younger) are sexually abused.
Every year, 321,500 (aged 12 and older) are sexually assaulted or raped.
80% of all those sexually abused under the age of 18 are abused by a parent or stepparent. (RAINN, 2019).

Normally believing people following Jesus should try to have an immaculate life, taking care of and protecting those around them.

From Jehovah’s Witnesses one would expect that they would show respect for men, women and children and would take care that those who do something atrocious against the Law of God would be punished and would be put out of the community. Often we hear about people have been disfellowshipped for matters which could be talked about and which are not so terrible as for the matters we came to hear about the last few weeks.

At the end of March a documentary was shown on the Flemish state television about reports of sexual abuse by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. At the edition of “Pano” on VRT Eén the documentary brought to light that the organisation had been covering up sexual abuse of minors via an internal ‘disciplinary’ system for years. That way, none of the claims were reported to the police. One of the witnesses, who has been an elder in the organisation, was very straightforward in the documentary, in calling it

“a paradise for paedophiles”.

The (protected and therefore made anonymous) elder made it clear the organisation had in March 1997 already sent a letter to each of its 10,883 U.S. congregations, and to many more congregations worldwide indicating for the dangers if some news about paedophile acts would come into the public. The organization was concerned about the legal risk posed by possible child molesters within its ranks. The letter laid out instructions on how to deal with a known predator:

Write a detailed report answering 12 questions — Was this a onetime occurrence, or did the accused have a history of child molestation? How is the accused viewed within the community? Does anyone else know about the abuse? — and mail it to Watchtower’s headquarters in a special blue envelope. Keep a copy of the report in your congregation’s confidential file, the instructions continued, and do not share it with anyone.

The man in charge for Belgium, Louis De Wit was not really willing to give a reasonable reply for what was going on behind the doors of this religious organisation.  He gave the impression he did not know about such “blue envelope”.

One would think Jehovah’s Witnesses disapprove of sexual abuse, and would do everything to react properly against such unwanted actions. When there were sent “blue envelopes” like many from different countries tell, are sent to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, they must have a large database of undocumented child molesters:

at least two decades’ worth of names and addresses —likely numbering in the tens of thousands — and detailed acts of alleged abuse, most of which have never been shared with law enforcement, all scanned and searchable in a Microsoft SharePoint file.

we known from more than one source.

In recent decades, much of the world’s attention to allegations of abuse has focused on the Catholic Church and other religious groups. Less notice has been paid to the abuse among the Jehovah’s Witnesses, though this Christian group with more than 8.5 million members was much spoken off at several fora and blogs of ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses, stating such and other problems in that organisation.

In the United States already millions of dollars have been paid over the years to keep it secret.

Because the church, and its community, is for many of those victims their life, it is even more difficult to cope with, because they also feel that they can give a negative impression over their religious group. Often they live in a certain way isolated of the outside world. They go to school but friendship with non-JW is not exactly recommended or encouraged. In several countries and several JW families kids aren’t allowed to play sports in school or participate in holiday observances in school.

When the abused persons tell others about what happened they are asked to keep it quiet or are treated as the trespasser and soon after talks with elders they become considered as a “reproofed” member of the congregation, being effectively shunned,  not permitted to speak unless spoken to. Often they even become forbidden from participating in church activities and as such having been made invisible in the eyes of the church.

Having had little contact with the outside world, staying with their own, save for going door-to-door to convince others that their religion was the one and true path to salvation in these, the final days of human history, they feel like betrayed and shut down by their own “family”. For the devout, disfellowshipping feels literally like a death sentence, because according to what they have learned one has to be a JW or to “belong to the Truth” to be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

Jehovah’s Witnesses call their version of excommunication disfellowshipping, a punishment by shunning to rid the faithful of bad associations with those who break the laws of God. Though this time not the abuser is disfellowshipped but the victim which makes she or he as expelled person cannot have any further contact with Witnesses, even polite acknowledgement on the street, until they take back the accusations or allegations and have proved ‘their repentance and willingness to return obediently’ to the organization.

Midway through the last century, the Watchtower took the power to judge and punish Witnesses away from the entire membership of congregations and gave it to the elders in each kingdom hall. The Watchtower also began to emphasize the importance of keeping the organization “spiritually clean.” By the early 1990s, roughly 40,000 Witnesses were disfellowshipped each year, according to Watchtower literature.

For decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses literature has described the importance of cutting off unrepentant sinners, even when they are family members. A 1988 Watchtower article traces the roots of the organization’s shunning policies to Deuteronomy, which says Israelite parents must bring rebellious children before the elders to be judged and executed

“to clear away what is bad from the midst of Israel.”

Israelite parents even participated in the execution of their own children to show their loyalty to God before family, the article states, because such demonstrations of devotion can be necessary to save one’s own life.

From the way the organisation reactions we can have the impression those youngsters who say they are misused are rebellious children who themselves created such situations where the adult fell in their trap.
What is also so ‘funny” is that those people by others are called “man of God” and should receive full respect and as such nothing bad can or could be said about them.

The same as what seems to happen in many other countries (like the Netherlands) the organisation does not have any policies to prevent sexual abuse or report it to the police and even worse want to keep it silent, sometimes even giving the victims the idea that they are the cause or warning them that they may not let outsiders know about this.

Victims that quit the organisation are not only ignored completely but become disfellowshipped and considered outcast nobody of the JW (lower) members may have contact. Only elders are supposedly to have contact with them, but do not seem to do anything to help them really.

According to CIAOSN, an independent centre set up by Belgium’s Department of Justice to study sectarian organisations, there are similar findings in 12 other countries. The report concludes that the issues in all other countries are the same. Due to the strict hierarchy of the organisation, it’s very difficult to come forward, reports CIAOSN. Another issue that returns frequently in CIAOSN’s report is that victims have to give their statements about the abuse in the presence of their abusers. If the accused denies involvement, they’ll only further the investigation after two other witness statements. In all these 13 countries, there is not one woman involved in the internal disciplinary system.

Reclaimed Voices Belgium finds that it is noteworthy how many people that talk about the severe psychological damage that the exclusion by the community brings with it. They say

“In conversations we’ve had with victims so far, it seems that the trauma caused by the exclusion that follows when a victim speaks up about the abuse has an even bigger impact than the abuse itself.”

+

Find also to read:

Over the past couple of years, Mark O’Donnell has been leaking stolen letters and other papers documenting instances of child abuse. (Lexey Swall)

1. A Secret Database of Child Abuse; A former Jehovah’s Witness is using stolen documents to expose allegations that the religion has kept hidden for decades.
2. Belgian Jehovah’s Witnesses sexual abuse scandal
3. Sexual or indecent assault in the Belgian Criminal Code
4. Let’s talk about it
5. Amendment to hide child sex abuse claims
6. Jehovah’s Witnesses use 1st Amendment to hide child sex abuse claims
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses cover up child sex abuse and oust a victim
8. ‘Punished’ for being sexually abused in York County: Jehovah’s Witnesses’ culture of cover-up
9. Jehovah’s Witness leader says child sex abuse claims are ‘lies’
10. She spoke about Jehovah’s Witness abuse, and her home was vandalized
11. Surviving
12. A Moment of Silence
13. Child abuse
14. Dear Dairy
15. Vatican removes Guam archbishop after conviction of sexual abuse
16. No Comment: Fordham’s Continued History of Silence on Sex Abuse Claims
17. George Pell: A Devil in the Disguise of a Saint – One of the worst immoral things/crimes I can think of is child abuse, physical or sexual.
18. Inerrantists are My Brothers and Sisters in Jesus—Not My Enemies
19. What Do the Church’s Victims Deserve?

The Golden rule not always as easy as its sounds

People who do not want to know what happens in Belgium, between the different Christadelphians, better do not read this article. This is mainly provided to give an overview of what is going on again this last few weeks and concerns events that are again hurting many Christadelphians living in this tiny country.

The previous weeks we and fellow brethren got sms-messages requesting money from us. Also other Christadelphian groups in Belgium got such messages. The CBM-connected ecclesia of Brussel-Leuven, after they went looking who was behind such messages, got to find Facebook accounts and websites of a few of them. Of those there were some who liked to make us and them afraid, that if we or they would not pay, we would end up in hell, being punished by God. Also some of those websites checked told their readers that the Christadelphian ecclesia of the CBM connected group in Leuven and the CBM would be racist and would not allow Iraqi and Iranian people in their ecclesia. Nothing of such sort, we know that ecclesia to be a very open one, even having tried to unite all the different Christadelphian groups in Belgium. Though when they tried to warn people on their (private) Facebook account, we too could notice, certain people who are befriended with the ‘Man of the North’ who seemed to spread again false sayings, and who made again a ridiculous accusation (a.o. at Mr. Ampe, the elder of that ecclesia) on their Facebook account, took side of that  man who tries to spread hate and division.

When we know as Christians we must “Do to others as we would want them do to us” and have tried to do that several times, even be willing to forgive all the faults they did and the damage they caused, there sometimes can come a point where one wonders what to do. Best is to leave it along and untouched. But in the case of the recent events, when certain Africans tried to bribe some of the ecclesia members, we can fairly well understand why the Christadelphian ecclesia of Brussel-Leuven on their ‘closed or limited access account’,  wanted to react and warn their own ecclesia members and the many so called “Facebook friends”.

Strangely enough there were people who found certain things could not be said at that account, though it were sayings ‘between friends’ and not like they accused the ecclesia to bring it into the open or to have it generally viewable on the whole internet. We are aware that with this message it is brought into the open, what that ecclesia did not want to do and for which they were accused. So probably when the friends of that attacker of that ecclesia see this article, they also could come to have their say over here.

As with many rules, this time again we could see that “the golden rule” is not as simple as it seems at first glance. It might seem easy enough to think about what you want, but the proper use of this rule as a guide for conducting ourselves relies on empathy. We clearly saw that certain people reacting against the defender (the Christadelphian Ecclesia) showed no interest of looking what really happened now, or did not want to go to see what happened in the past. They also seem to forget that they were on the private account of the ecclesia, which has to be” considered as them being in the private house of that ecclesia. This is what many Facebook users seem to forget when they are on an account of a person or a private account of a group or organisation. They think they are part of a Discussion Group; Though also in a discussion group one has to behave and has to be respectful to the owners of the Group. But that does seem to be something very difficult on the net. But being allowed on a restricted viewing account, is like being allowed to enter a living of a person. Then it would not be appropriate to forbid the guest and his friends to warn each other of certain dangers and to discuss internal matters. But it looks like the friends of the attacker try to direct what can be said or done in that Private account. When they were welcome to enter the house it seems very strange that they are so against the host and try to limit his right of speaking.

Many also seem to forget that we are not in the position that the other might be or why and how somebody else may be hurt.

Often we are in different circumstances and we also might find people who can not come to see in what for circumstances they are. Before we are going to judge some one else we must know about the case in which the other reacted. We have to consider the circumstances that person or group might be in.

Let us not forget that if we are to act in a way that we would want to be treated, we must first consider how we would want to be treated if we were in the scenario of the other.

We should try to examine the case unbiased, looking at both parties  involved. Then we should try to understand what inspires, drives, and constitutes the counterparts and have to figure out where we fit in the picture.  We also should be aware that our own perceptions and experiences may cloud our ability to place ourselves, to use a cliche, in someone else’s shoes. We might be able to try them on, and they might hold our feet, but after walking a few miles in those shoes, wither our feet will feel the difference or those shoes will change to accommodate our feet. It will never be a perfect fit.

We also should constantly be aware that by silencing a person or a group one reaches not a solution but can endanger some people or allowing the wrongdoers to do even more damage. By putting up censor one takes away the freedom of speech and undermines the democratic system.

It is a shame the Christadelphians in Belgium are again facing such trouble. Though after the earlier case with Mr. D.H. also several Christadelphian members from our congregation or denomination also do not want to have any contact any more with that man, his organisation, but also not with the ecclesia, which by Mr. Ampe his trial to bring unity, seemed to have brought more division than ever before. We feel pity for this whole situation and the members of the ecclesiae of Brussels, Leuven, Nivelles and Mons. We wish them lots of strength and do hope the man from the North and his friends shall not be able to destroy them, what they clearly want to do.

The Golden Rule does not mean one has to stay silent. It was never the purpose to have such a restricting rule. At other places in the scriptures it is clearly said how the responsible of an ecclesia has to protect the flock and has to warn the members of the ecclesia for malicious people entering or attacking the community. In certain books of the Bible it is even shown that sometimes one has to decide to ban some one from the ecclesia or to dis-fellowship some one.
Mr. Ampe and his ecclesia have done a big effort to get, a by a different ecclesia in England disfellowshipped person, to be reinstated and to have a friendly relationship with him. And perhaps there lies his and that ecclesia their fault. They perhaps had better kept their hands far away from that person and would better have shunned him, though that is something they and we would never like to do. But sometimes it is better to keep away from certain people and to leave them for what they are and for what they do.

Once one has given a hand in friendship and it is refused and misused the Golden Rule does not mean one has to keep it happen and have to keep silent or has to keep covering up the bad things the other person does to one self. We think everybody should have the right to react to false accusation or when unrighteous things are written about them, and that is what that ecclesia had done in its closed circle, but because of it escalating coming again to our ears and we too finding that that man and his actions against the Belgian Christadelphians to be stopped. first everything was discussed between two people, then between them and an other elder, only afterwards to the ecclesia, and only now it comes more in the open, because we think it is something of which we all can learn and because we too want to warn for that dangerous person, who might be as shrewd as a fox.

This message also should be considered as a news message of what goes on in Belgium and should be taken as such and as a text to wonder or think about, how far people want to go to take away the democratic free speech. Because that last part is so much under treat these days, having there so many battles between several religious groups, not to say of having some religious wars going on in these times. But concerning those religious groups going against each other we have been warned in the Bible this to be one of the many signs of the coming of the end-times. And as such we still do have hope.

So let those who love God and who love Jesus share that love with each other and try to unite, even when they might be so different, and live together in peace as different members in the Body of Christ, but let us never close our eyes for what is going on.

God bless you all.

+

Preceding post

Matthew 7:12 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Summary on the Torah’s Fulfillment

++

Additional reading

1. The ecclesia Facebook account from now on restricted access
2. Golden rule for understanding in spiritual matters obedience

+++

Further reading

1. Silence is Golden
2. The place of civility
3. Online with Facebook
4. Is Privacy Obsolete?
5. Muse of the Day
6. Thou Shalt Not Call Someone Empty-Headed
7. The Golden Rule and the secret of happiness
8. Proverbs 14:34: “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”
9. Faith Is Freedom
10. Sunday Glory
11. JudgementJuly 20 @ Proverbs 11-12
12. The Age of Entitlement and Backwards Expectations
13. Take a Hand & Take a Stand
14. Democracy, Kindness and the Fourth of July

+++

Shunning amidst a crisis

Regularly people can find instead of the usual sports fans or concert goers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses descending on regional arenas in Sunday best.

The agenda for this year’s series of conventions focus on some of the more controversial aspects of the faith that bring sharply into focus some darker period of our guestwriter’s life when she/he (on the photo we see a she) faced the harsh reality of wanting to leave the religion in which she was never baptised as this would have meant that instead of just fading away, she would now be ‘disfellowshipped’. But her not being part any more of that religious group may perhaps brought her to use some words which should not be part of the language of a Christian. Therefore we apologise for those words which some youngsters also use like they have no meaning at all, or which they use simply to ad more strength to what they want to bring over, though it weakens their saying and shows more their frutstration.

The hyperbole rebel who last year decided to stop watching TV, particularly the news as she/he felt it just injected her with sludgy negativity. Not only are the only things that are reported hate-filled acts of violence or tragedy, but as a socially savvy gal, it was so clear that there was another agenda being fueled just by the way things were reported or certain people were interviewed or the way some people or groups were discussed. {Welcome y’all}

She/he writes

I would like, through this blog, to remind people that just as you do not know who is under that cat suit, you don’t know who is under that burka or under that Paul’s Boutique bomber jacket. We all have stories. We all have a context and there are many things that unite us all including inner strength, love of family and friends, loyalty and the sheer joy of a sugary donut first thing in the morning. {Welcome y’all}

The person who knows that the antithesis to fear and disgust is exactly that love  {#Prayforenlightenment} when she sits with her coffee and thinks about her parents who will be at that moment sitting in the morning session of the Jehovah’s Witness Convention ‘Remain Loyal to Jehovah’, she looks at that group of which her entire extended family on both sides are in that religion, save for the few who have been ‘led astray’ over the years and she has watched cousins who were baptised shunned by their own parents; an act of cruelty and emotional trauma that has no let-up – not even in times of great celebration, such as family weddings, or great sadness, like terminal illness and death, both of which she has witnessed.

She says she knows from her new found ex-JW friends that the title belies messages about shunning and she wonders what will go through their heads as they watch the videos and listen to the talks about what a worthy thing that is.

What a demonstration of your faith; to cause yourself the pain of separation. To voluntarily cut off your own loved ones. What martyrdom. Job-like. {Why Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t get punk rock}

It was with a grimy horror that she learned about the topic of this year’s Regional Conventions, being held across the UK, which open with the importance of shunning non-believing family members as a means of ‘Staying Loyal to Jehovah’.

The act of shunning, which is to completely disconnect and reject all association, is upheld as a virtue.

She writes

My tragic observation and experience of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they close down this emotional listening and only channel into the Watchtower frequency. All explanation for why they feel pain is excused and placated by the meetings, the Watchtower, the assemblies and each other through their exclusivity. Otherwise, what possible explanation could there be for a reasonable person to voluntarily cut off contact with their own child? The pain has to go somewhere, and when stuck in a high control religion which discourages freedom of thought and experiential learning, the pain returns in a loop as misguided zeal. ‘Suffering for love’ the insightful Jamie Catto calls it. It’s present in the very make-up of Christianity; if you suffer, you are just like the Christ! Go you! {Why Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t get punk rock}

For non-Jehovah’s Witnesses that shunning looks incredibly contradictory to the teachings they always get to hear at the door. It might be interesting to hear how those faithful to the organisation consider their attitude worthy of a Christian and how they are brought to accept such an attitude of excluding others, even own family of having contact or conversation.

Day 1 of the convention

video showing a young Jehovah’s Witness, ‘Sonja’, questioning her faith ¹ (one of her inalienable human rights) +  she starting a sexual relationship with a non-Jehovah’s Witness.

all sex outside of marriage considered a grave sin = act results in her disfellowshipping from the congregation and shunning by all members, including her own parents > complete rejection lasts for 15 years

As an ex-Jehovah’s Witness herself, the writer can vouch for the pernicious and damaging effect shunning has on families.

shunning = emotional blackmail => psychologically damaging

shunned person = indoctrinated with idea = their choice to take path of sin + reap consequences of withdrawal of love + affection from those closest to them

Watchtower HQ showing Jehovah’s Witnesses holed up in an underground bunker whilst the ‘Great Tribulation’ (the pre-curser to Armageddon) rumbles away outside

When the Jehovah’s Witnesses descend in droves to gather at stadiums around the country, local press are typically supportive of the influx of well-mannered families who bring income to the local economy and clean up meticulously after themselves, but this is unhelpful surface observation of a religion with something altogether more sinister worth talking about.

+

Preceding articles:

A Society pleading poverty

Male domination and tyranny giving opportunities to defile the Name of God

Belonging to or being judged by

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?

Oklahoma City Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Random Observations From My Most Recent JW Convention Experience

You Are The Truth

Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom

Jesus’ footstep followers, irrespective of sectarian lines

Authority from the One God to one mediator between God and men

The Picture of the Governing Body

The Truth About the Watchtower Judicial Committee Process, as Told By a Former Elder

+++

Related articles

• The glossy beauty parlor gospel
• Report: USA Gymnastics Ignored Dozens of Allegations of Sexual Abuse by Coaches
• Man arrested amid sex abuse investigation at famous school
• Covington man sentenced to 3 years in child sex abuse case
• Surrey man accused of sexually abusing girl for years
• Day care worker charged with sexually abusing 5-year-old boy in Utah – Q13 FOX News
• Did USA Gymnastics ignore sex abuse by coaches?
• How will the inquiry into historical child sexual abuse work? – BBC News
• Metro man arrested after child reports alleged sexual abuse to youth pastor
• Long Beach Teacher Arrested On Suspicion Of Sexually Assaulting Student

The Hyperbole Rebel

Jehovah’s Witnesses promote shunning of family members amidst child abuse crisis

If you happen to have been anywhere near any big stadia this summer, you may have noticed that instead of the usual sports fans or concert goers, the Jehovah’s Witnesses descending on regional arenas in Sunday best. You may not know much about the cloistered religion, but they hold to a brand of faith that contains ideas that may surprise you – in the same way stubbing your toe on a doorframe first thing in the morning might surprise you – and the agenda for this year’s series of conventions focus on some of the more controversial aspects of the faith that bring sharply into focus some darker period of my life when I faced the harsh reality of wanting to leave the religion.

It was with a grimy horror that I learned about the topic of this year’s…

View original post 2,439 more words

The Truth About the Watchtower Judicial Committee Process, as Told By a Former Elder

On JWVictim.Org, a site from a woman who simply fade from the religion and from the view of the elders and even of her own family, just stopping going to meetings and out in their preaching work for weeks, which turned into months, which turned into years. As an “inactive” nobody seemed to have reach out to help her. As an invisible she went back two or three times, but each time she returned, she could so easily see the hypocrisy, failed predictions, abuses, and so many other disturbing aspects of the religion, that after some time she was able to break away from the religion, mentally and emotionally and started a blog in the hopes of waking up others to its danger. She chose the URL “JWvictims” because that’s what she wanted to concentrate on; the victimization that happens in this religion.

“Spike Raynor” is the pen name of a former elder of the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses, for almost 10 years, who has his own YouTube page for more insights on the Watchtower practices and policies. We are pleased to hear form him more about such a judicial committee whose results can cause all of JW their friends and family to shun the person in question.

He himself sat on several judicial committees and was more than once involved in disfellowshipping people, resulting in their friends and family shunning them until they changed their “sinful course.”

In sharing his experience and knowledge to help right the wrongs that he did as an agent of what he now realizes to be a rather malicious publishing company he lifts up the veil for the unknown to non Jehovah’s Witnesses.

*

To remember

Watchtower has created a rules-based religion

break one of their rules [breaking rules of a sexual nature (sex outside of marriage)] = invite you to such a judicial committee

secret book titled, “Shepherd the Flock of God” = regular Jehovah’s Witnesses not allowed to see

 

basic Star Chamber trial > elders= prosecutors + judges

accused = considered guilty > faces them alone = no support + no representative >> exception of minor children can have parents present + married women can have husbands present

Nobody ever invited to a judicial committee unless elders have some sort of proof or reason to believe the individual is guilty => to determine the appropriate punishment.

 

1. individual reproved privately
2. public reproof => congregation will severely limit any association with someone who has been reproved =  “disfellowshipping light.”
3. disfellowshipping => friends and family will begin to shun until (or if) reinstated. The fourth, which is almost unheard of, is that the committee realizes that no offence worthy of disfellowshipping is committed, and the judicial committee is cancelled.

times when a sin is considered to be so serious that a plea of repentance won’t be accepted

+

Preceding articles

A Society pleading poverty

Male domination and tyranny giving opportunities to defile the Name of God

Belonging to or being judged by

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?

Oklahoma City Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses

Random Observations From My Most Recent JW Convention Experience

You Are The Truth

Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom

Jesus’ footstep followers, irrespective of sectarian lines

Authority from the One God to one mediator between God and men

The Picture of the Governing Body

+++

 

Related articles

• Long Beach Teacher Arrested On Suspicion Of Sexually Assaulting Student
• CESNUR 2016 Conference in Korea, with presentations by Introvigne, Kim (UTS’91), and Fefferman (UTS’86)
• 1,200 Jehovah’s Witnesses clean arena before convention
• Gen Con set to get underway in Indy
• Jehovah’s Witnesses Shunning ex-members adverse effects on family relationships
• Russia’s battle against the Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom
• Oklahoma City Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?
• Random Observations From My Most Recent JW Convention Experience