UNITED STATES
Patheos
November 9, 2017
By Hemant Mehta
Last year, an Australian commission found that the Jehovah’s Witnesses were turning a blind eye to serious problems within their ranks. The Royal Commission’s report said kids were not “adequately protected from the risk of sexual abuse” in the organization.
And just last month, in Canada, a $66 million class action lawsuit was filed against the Witnesses by victims who said the religious group not only failed to prevent abuse but didn’t do much even after it was reported.
Part of the problem is the Watchtower Society’s own policies, like the “Two-Witness rule,” which says church elders shouldn’t take seriously a victim’s account of abuse unless another person witnessed it… even though the only other person around may have been the abuser himself.
In many cases, the accused abusers aren’t disciplined in any meaningful way. Sometimes they remain in the organization, giving them an opportunity to strike again. It’s all too similar to the problems that have long plagued the Catholic Church.
You would think that members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses would be appalled by all this. That they would demand reforms from the inside. That at least some people would leave the religion in protest.
But, unlike the Catholic Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses really live in a bubble where they’re insulated from outside criticism. They’re taught to avoid critics. They’re told that ex-Witnesses are notoriously litigious. The policy of disfellowshipping says Witnesses shouldn’t have any interactions with ex-Witnesses, even if they’re family members.
That makes it very hard to let members know about the awful things being done by the Watchtower Society, what critics are saying about them, and why. It’s not like their church elders are going to talk about it. And like Donald Trump writing off all criticism of him as “fake news,” Witnesses are likely to think any lawsuits against their church are being filed by “enemies” trying to persecute them.
The problem isn’t that no one is telling them the truth. The problem is that Witnesses are predisposed not to listen to the critics.
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