Letter Number One
June 2002
To All Bodies of Elders of Jehovah's Witnesses
A seven-page letter from the Branch Office in Patterson, NY (Feb 15th 2002) was sent to "ALL BODIES OF ELDERS IN THE UNITED STATES." However, you will be aware from scripture that *all* older men are implicated. (1 Peter 5:1-4) Therefore, we highlight the pertinent words of the final sentence:
"Please be assured of our continual prayers in YOUR
behalf as YOU carry out YOUR
weighty responsibility to shepherd the flock of God entrusted to YOUR
care."
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Why Is the Governing Body Focusing On "Responsibility" At This Time?
All Jehovah's Witnesses know that the organisation is undergoing intense media scrutiny at present and the "sheep" are being disturbed. What are the facts? We cite just a few:
1) In the USA two multiple murders among Witness families in Oregon have been widely reported.
2) In Scotland, UK, Alison Cousins has courageously spoken of the years of sexual abuse by her Witness father. This was reported in Woman's Own (March 25th 2002) under "Church of Shame." It also exposed a shameful cover-up attempt by local elders.
3) Dateline (American current affairs program) has been seen on both sides of the Atlantic. It focused on the prevalence of child molestation within the organisation. Sincere current Witnesses spoke out freely; they constrasted the ideal from the Society's public relations department, with the stark, horrific reality that exists in the congregations!
4) In the UK, the BBC has seen incriminating secret letters from the Society instructing you to keep quiet about paedophiles in your congregations. You are aware of this directive. Therefore, cliches about "keeping the congregation clean" sound rather hollow when what is unclean is "swept under the carpet." This is causing hitherto loyal supporters to leave in disgust and if they "blow the whistle" they are hastily dispatched from your ranks (Jesus was a "whistle blower." Look what they did to him!)
5) The Guardian of October 2001 (UK newspaper) exposed a glaring act of hypocrisy by the Society. In 1992 they joined the United Nations Organisation! Details are obtainable direct from the UNO. The Society has drawn up a standard response. (see Organisation book, page 151)
6) In France, the Society owes huge sums in unpaid taxes and penalties. Add that to the escalating legal costs and damages they face around the world, and the total is astronomical! Their charity status is also under threat. But what about YOUR status with God?
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Goodness or Righteousness: Which Will YOU follow?
If your child were sick during the night you would promptly do something about it. You wouldn't simply turn over and say, "Jehovah will sort it out!" Or, if you only suspected your house was being burgled, you'd call the police ... and they'd come wouldn't they? Imagine them saying, "Sorry! We can't do anything without at least two eye-witnesses." Yet this exactly illustrates the Society's policy! But what is the policy in YOUR congregation? To simply "follow orders" even when they come from those that you trust, is to actually shirk the responsibility that you have committed yourself to. To illustrate, when the Titanic was sinking some of the stewards tried to stop third class passengers from escaping via the first class area. That's what happens when one thoughtlessly "follows company orders." Precious lives are at stake!
You often quote from Matthew 18:16 in support of your "two eye-witnesses" policy. But please read the rest of Jesus' words in that chapter and compare the relative values he puts on "goodness" as opposed to "righteousness". You have repeatedly been taught that the problems Jesus was focusing on were not criminal ones but minor things between brothers. Quite true! So, to place the horrific acts that paedophiles inflict on their child victims into this category, apart from being a flagrant distortion of scripture, is despicable. It reduces such evil to the commonplace and is tantamount to abusing the child yet again! In kindness and love we urge you:
Have goodness as your master and righteousness as your slave. (Please read Ezekiel Ch. 34)
For further information see: www.silentlambs.org