Jehovah's Witnesses & Sexual Abuse
The Jehovah's Witness organization began in 1872 under the leadership of Charles Taze Russell. Russell disagreed with several Christian doctrines, including the belief in eternal hell fire and punishment, as well as the Trinity and the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. Today, Jehovah's Witnesses deny most of the basic doctrines of Christianity: the belief in Hell, the presence of an eternal soul, the Trinity and man's place in Heaven (only 144,000 Witnesses will achieve Heaven). Currently, the group has over 4 million members worldwide, with nearly 200,000 new members joining every year.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are currently involved in a major molestation scandal similar to what the Catholic Church has been facing for over a year. The situation first came to light in July 2002 when two Minnesota women filed lawsuits against the organization alleging a member of their congregation sexually abused them. The plaintiffs, Heidi Meyer, 22, and another victim who wishes to remain anonymous, allege they informed leaders of the abuse, which occurred before the women were teenagers, but congregation elders dismissed their pleas and instead told them to "keep quiet." A police investigation was never conducted. Because, according to the faith, an elder's views are perceived as the word of God and should never be refuted (you can reportedly be excommunicated for questioning an elder), the women say they did nothing.
An April 2003 CBS News feature on misconduct inside the Jehovah's Witness organization revealed the prevalence of alleged sexual abuse in the church. A former Jehovah's Witness elder, Bill Bowen, told reporters that the problem was "of global proportions." According to Bowen, "tens of thousands of children" were molested in the last ten years. One problem, revealed Bowen, may lie in the procedure a member must follow when making an accusation. A victim must have two eyewitnesses to any incident or a confession, both of which may be difficult to obtain. Bowen said he expects dozens of lawsuits to be filed against the faith by the end of 2003. Jehovah's Witnesses Headquarters in Brooklyn, New York disputes the high incidence of sexual misconduct but admits, in a letter published in the summer of 2002, that elders have always been instructed to report "allegations of child abuse to the authorities where required by law to do so, even when there is only one witness."
If you or a family member has been abused by a Jehovah's Witness member, it may be important to contact an attorney who can help you protect your legal rights. Please keep in mind that there may be time limits within which you must commence suit.
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-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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