Quote Originally Posted by ramAnag View Post
Really? I feel much the same about organised religion as you MA, but I had no idea about the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Thought they were just a bunch of cranks who turn up on the doorstep occasionally wearing bad suits, looking a bit sad and wanting to find a new friend.
I always felt sorry for their kids at Christmas when they weren’t allowed to take part in seasonal parties and discos etc...never realised they had a more sinister side.
In the past year or so there have been around 50 girls and women in Holland who have gone public (the estimate of cases in the past 20 years is well into the hundreds), gone to the police and there are now calls for a public inquiry. JWs are encouraged not to report abuse to the police but have it dealt with by their own "court". Going public would harm the JW cause (no **** sherlock).

I took this from a BBC web page..............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.

To do so, they say, could lead to expulsion from the religion. (MA note on this...... thia means you could be raped, have DNA of the rapist but because no 3rd party saw it, the JW "commission" would say "it never happened" and still discourage you from going to the authorities. I will ba having me some fun next time they arrice at my front door...........).

................ back to me again. JWs are also encouraged not to go to University. Not to chase a career. These two things would get in the way of JW meetings and stop you going door to door. They are also not to smoke or take drugs. Drinking is OK but they may not get drunk. Adultery is the only cause for divorce acceptable to the JW. All other 100% legal divorces are not accepted by the JW. That means you cannot, as a JW, remarry. You may also not cohabit with a member of the opposite *** at any time, especially following a non-divorce.............. and having a wafty crank is also forbidden.