A Secret Database of Child Abuse

[viper37]

Link

In March 1997, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Jehovah's Witnesses, sent a letter to each of its 10,883 U.S. congregations, and to many more congregations worldwide. 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.Thus did the Jehovah's Witnesses build what might be the world's largest 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. 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, a Christian sect with more than 8.5 million members. Yet all this time, rather than comply with multiple court orders to release the information contained in its database, Watchtower has paid millions of dollars to keep it secret, even from the survivors whose stories are contained within.That effort has been remarkably successful—until recently.A white Priority Mail box filled with manila envelopes sits on the floor of Mark O'Donnell's wood-paneled home office, on the outskirts of Baltimore, Maryland. Mark, 51, is the owner of an exercise-equipment repair business and a longtime Jehovah's Witness who quietly left the religion in late 2013. Soon after, he became known to ex–Jehovah's Witnesses as John Redwood, an activist and a blogger who reports on the various controversies, including cases of child abuse, surrounding Watchtower. (Recently, he has begun using his own name.)
When I first met Mark, in May of last year, he appeared at the front door of his modest home in the same outfit he nearly always wears: khaki cargo shorts, a short-sleeved shirt, white sneakers, and sweat socks pulled up over his calves. He invited me into his densely furnished office, where a fan barely dispelled the wafting smell of cat food. He pulled an envelope from the Priority Mail box and passed me its contents, a mixture of typed and handwritten letters discussing various sins allegedly committed by members of a Jehovah's Witness congregation in Massachusetts. All the letters in the box had been stolen by an anonymous source inside the religion and shared with Mark. The sins described in the letters ranged from the mundane—smoking pot, marital infidelity, drunkenness—to the horrifying. Slowly, over the past couple of years, Mark has been leaking the most damning contents of the box, much of which is still secret.Mark's eyebrows are permanently arched, and when he makes an important point, he peers out above his rimless glasses, eyes widened, which lends him a conspiratorial air.
"Start with these," he said.
[...]

[11B4V]

Christian religions and Pedophilia. Goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Big surprise.

[jimmy olsen]

This seems to afflict any large organization, religion, politics, sports, etc.

[The Brain]

The Atlantic? Is the article fact-checked, or did they just let a nutcase loose on the typewriter?

[Valmy]

Christian religions and Pedophilia. Goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Big surprise.

Particularly one as cultish and extreme as Jehova's Witnesses. I had no idea how horrifying that group was before this story put them on my radar.

This seems to afflict any large organization, religion, politics, sports, etc.

I don't know man. These guys take it to another level.

[grumbler]

Particularly one as cultish and extreme as Jehova's Witnesses. I had no idea how horrifying that group was before this story put them on my radar.

My parents became JWs late in life, so I've met a lot of JWs and spent some time in their churches, and didn't see anything "horrifying."  Now, some of their beliefs are bizarre, to be sure (they give blood so that it can be stored and given back to them in medical emergencies, for instance, and don't accept even serum transfusion), but they aren't any more bizarre than stuff like transubstantiation, IMO.

I don't know man. These guys take it to another level.

I don't know, man.  Lots of religions have beliefs that are at that level, it seems to me.  The secrecy bits sound ominous until you read about the secrecy practiced by churches like the Catholic Church and the Mormons. 

Of course, all of the elements of this story are about unsubstantiated claims.  It seems to me that the JWs are more stupid than evil in their treatment of claims of child abuse.  Why collect this information if you aren't going to do anything with it?

[garbon]

My parents became JWs late in life

How did that come about, if you don't mind me asking?

[Maximus]

This seems to afflict any large organization, religion, politics, sports, etc.

Doesn't have to be a large organization, just repressed and/or secretive.

[Admiral Yi]

Doesn't have to be a large organization, just repressed and/or secretive.

Probably helps to have some kids around too.

[viper37]

The Atlantic? Is the article fact-checked, or did they just let a nutcase loose on the typewriter?

It's not the first time this is reported.  The scale is different though.

[viper37]

Christian religions and Pedophilia. Goes together like peanut butter and jelly. Big surprise.

Particularly one as cultish and extreme as Jehova's Witnesses. I had no idea how horrifying that group was before this story put them on my radar.

This seems to afflict any large organization, religion, politics, sports, etc.

I don't know man. These guys take it to another level.

That is true on all count.  My friend's mom used to beat him as a kid "to let the demon out".  It stopped only when he was old enough to take the belt in his hand

[garbon]

The Atlantic? Is the article fact-checked, or did they just let a nutcase loose on the typewriter?

It's not the first time this is reported.  The scale is different though.

From the article it seems like this is the atlantic doing a followup on what was news in 2018.

[grumbler]

How did that come about, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm not 100% sure.  My mother was Methodist and my father Catholic before they converted.  It may have just been the strong sense of community in their JW congregation.  People came to help my parents all the time, and my mom made food for other members quite often.  I long ago stopped talking religion with them, though.

[Valmy]

My parents became JWs late in life, so I've met a lot of JWs and spent some time in their churches, and didn't see anything "horrifying."  Now, some of their beliefs are bizarre, to be sure (they give blood so that it can be stored and given back to them in medical emergencies, for instance, and don't accept even serum transfusion), but they aren't any more bizarre than stuff like transubstantiation, IMO.

Their level of social control they force on their members is really extreme. They actively discourage you from getting an education, from pursuing a career, or really anything except full devotion to their group. They refuse to allow abusive wives from leaving their husbands, basically sort of divorce is forbidden. They use intense social control through their barbaric disfellowshipping and shunning practices. This directly leads to suicide and depression and homelessness and all sorts of social ills.

And yes they systemically cover up child sexual abuse across many countries in the world and refuse to cooperate with "Satan's system" to do anything about it.

And I have no even addressed their beliefs. I guess the fact they fantasize about global genocide of everybody is a little weird but hey that is just scratching the surface. But hey weird beliefs are not the issue at all. I mean sure they might glorify mass earthly slaughter but hey it is not like they are going to do it.

I don't know, man.  Lots of religions have beliefs that are at that level, it seems to me.  The secrecy bits sound ominous until you read about the secrecy practiced by churches like the Catholic Church and the Mormons.

Whataboutism.

[Eddie Teach]

I'll take forum buzzwords for 600, Alex.