Group Says Lawsuit Settlements 'Bittersweet'
By Cynthia Williams
WSMV
May 10, 2007
http://www.wsmv.com/news/13298256/detail.html
Nashville, Tenn. — A group was in Nashville Thursday to show support for those who claim they've been abused by some Jehovah's Witnesses members.
Lawsuits have recently been settled in some cases, but not to the satisfaction of the group, Silent Lambs.
The group met with local resistance from Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Woodbine.
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| Group Protests Religion Members After Abuse Settlements |
For six years, the Kentucky-based organization has offered support to people accusing Jehovah's Witness church members of abuse.
In March, more than one dozen settlements were reached in molestation cases, but the agreements came with gag orders attached.
"We find this bittersweet. On one hand, we're glad a few victims are finally getting some financial help. But on the other hand, we're sad and worried because they've essentially — they have been forced to give up their rights," said founder of Silent Lambs Bill Bolen.
Bowen's group has criticized the Jehovah's Witnesses' policy that if an accused abuser denies the charge, two credible witnesses are required to establish guilt — due to literal application of such Bible verses as Deuteronomy 19:15 ("only on the evidence of two witnesses, or of three witnesses, shall a charge be sustained").
If two witnesses are lacking, the accused is deemed innocent, charges remain confidential and — silentlambs says — parents who warn others are subject to disfellowshipping for slander.
Disfellowshipping is an extreme penalty that means a total cutoff of relationships by family members, friends and business associates who are Witnesses.
There are about 1 million Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States, and followers are known for distributing Awake! and Watchtower magazines door-to-door.
Victims of abuse from various faiths spoke at the presentation.
"When I was around 8 years old, I was molested by a teenager who was a member of my church, the Christian Gospel Temple," said Jennifer Beta.
"There are thousands of us out there and thousands of children who need our help right now," said Angelica Taylor.
According to Silent Lambs, Jehovah's Witnesses encourage abuse by not reporting allegations to police and choosing to handle individual cases internally.
The Jehovah's Witnesses headquarters in Brooklyn was supposed to send a faxed response Thursday but had not done so by deadline.
Contact: cwilliams@wsmv.com
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