Friday, December 27, 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
US DIPLOMATIC CABLES RELATING TO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES AND THE WATCH TOWER SOCIETY
The first series of diplomatic cables deals with the years 1973 – 1976 and provides a unique insight into the role the US government played in assisting the Watch Tower Society around the world during the turbulent mid-1970′s.
These diplomatic cables deal with the treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Malawi, the banning of the Watch Tower Society in Kenya and Argentina, arrests of Jehovah’s Witness missionaries and members around the world (incl. Turkey, Spain, Greece, Kenya, Mozambique), the US government’s diplomatic political assistance in trying to get Grant Suiter and Milton Henschel into South Africa for a visit, and the seizing of Watch Tower Society property in various countries.
When taken together the cables show the degree of reliance the Watch Tower Society has placed in the US Department of State and various US embassies to secure the presence of the corporation in Africa, Asia, and South America.
These diplomatic cables will especially assist those who are researching the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Africa, Asia, South America, Turkey, Greece, and Spain.
www.jwleaks.org
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Jehovah’s Witnesses under fire
25. jul. 2013 13.26 EnglishAt the recent summer conventions of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Silkeborg and Herlufmagle, speakers likened lapsed members to a deadly virus, snakes and contaminated soil that should not be mixed with clean soil.
The rhetoric was so strong that the movement may have breached article 266b of the Danish Criminal Code, under which “any person who publicly or with the intention of dissemination to a wide circle of people makes a statement or imparts other information threatening, insulting or degrading a group of persons on account of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, belief or sexual orientation shall be liable to a fine, simple detention or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years”.
Overstepping the markThis is the conclusion of lawyer Niels-Erik Hansen, head of the Documentation and Advisory Centre on Racial Discrimination (DRC), after having read excerpts from the sermons delivered at the summer conventions, reports Danish newspaperKristeligt Dagblad.
“The speeches clearly overstep the mark. When someone compares another group to deadly diseases and snakes, we’ve moved into the core area of the anti-discrimination article,” said Hansen.
Harsh attitude towards defectors
“The speeches are the same type of rhetoric that we heard against the Jews in Europe in the 1930s. This is precisely what the anti-discrimination article was introduced to restrain,” said Hansen.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are known for having a harsh attitude towards those who choose to leave the movement. Among other things, many defectors find that existing members refuse to have any contact with them.
Nevertheless, Poul Dal, chairman of the Support Group for Former Jehovah’s Witnesses, believes the language used at the summer conventions represents a stepping up in rhetoric.
Could be reported
“The rhetoric has become more intense in recent years, when they have begun to use terms such as ‘mental illness’ and ‘Satan’s workers’ in relation to former members who now oppose the religious community,” said Dal.
The support group is now considering reporting Jehovah’s Witnesses to the police for violating the anti-discrimination article.
Carit Stypinsky, a spokesperson for Jehovah’s Witnesses, denies that the summer conventions’ sermons and denunciations of former members are in breach of Danish laws.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Watchtower cult shuts down websites to coverup Pedophilia letters
The story seems to start where watchtower decided to shut down websites using copyright clams as an excuse to cover up these leaked watchtower letters. Its not the first time watchtower has been caught bullying or going after websites but apparently this time the watchtower realizes the situation is getting out of control so there solution to the problem is to tell the body of elders to cover up any tracks of criminal activity.
First lets talk about the letters regarding watchtowers desperate attempt to cover up cases regarding pedophilia.
The document reads:
“1. This letter updates the letters to all bodies of elders regarding child abuse dated March 23, 1992; February 3, 1993; August 1, 1995; March 14, 1997; July 20, 1998; May 24, 2002; April 1, 2004; June 5, 2006; and May 24, 2010. Those letters should be removed from the congregation permanent file of policy letters and be destroyed. No one should keep originals or copies of any of those letters.”
Obviously telling someone to destroy a document regarding Child Abuse is not only suspicious but illegal.
But wait it gets better. According to the watchtower the document is saying in black and white that basically, it is not child molestation, as long as the person is approaching adulthood and is a willing participant. The reality is Children are not capable of making adult sexual decisions with an adult.
“In harmony with these references, we are herein discussing sexual perversion in which children are the object of sexual abuse, including fondling, by an adult. We are not discussing a situation wherein a minor who is a willing participant and who is approaching adulthood has sexual relations with an adult who is a few years older than the minor nor, generally speaking, are we discussing situations in which only minors are involved. Rather, we are referring to situations in which it is established that an adult brother or sister has been guilty of sexually abusing a young child or has been sexually involved with a minor who is approaching adulthood and who was not a willing participant.”
As sick as this sounds elders rather then reporting these problems to the authorities they are strongly encouraged to seek legal advice from there legal department. Last I heard this falls under the pretenses of aiding and imbedding a known felon. Not that this comes to any kind of shock. I think what is most festinating is that they are writing a sort of step by step guide to conducting illegal and unlawful practices within a religious organization. But there is nothing to see here right?
“4. Most states have child-abuse reporting laws that, depending on the facts, mandate elders to report an accusation to the authorities. Thus, when elders learn of an accusation of child abuse, two elders from their congregation should immediately call the Legal Department for legal advice. If the individuals involved are in different congregations, each body of elders should arrange for two of their elders to call the Legal Department. A call should be made even when both persons involved in sexual misconduct are minors. The elders should not ask an alleged victim, the accused person, or relatives of the victim or accused to call the Legal Department.”
Now lets move on to the next brilliant watchtower letter telling elders how to hide or manage digital information that may have illegal or legally sensitive information.
“What should never be stored online? Any information of a sensitive or confidential nature, including judicial matters, should not be stored online or be distributed electronically. The same is true for documents already available on the jw.org Web site.”