Silentlambs Manifesto

by Bill Bowen

The following are the basic reasons I feel the Watchtower has moral and ethical problems when dealing with child molesters.

Closed society, the WT Organization is a closed society that thinks everyone outside the organization is a part of Satan’s world. Satan’s world will be destroyed when the end of time comes and this includes everyone who does not become a part of the Watchtower. They use the scripture in 1 John that states, “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” This, in addition to other scriptures reinforce the JW mentality that anytime you go outside the organization, the help you obtain is being guided ultimately by Satan and you should be distrustful of what they offer in any way. 

Elder Arrangement, the elders are pointed to as being shepherds of the flock. The flock being everyone not an elder in the congregation. This thought is repeated time and again in all writings of the WT. Nothing outside the shepherd arrangement is pointed to as a source that could override in anyway anything an elder gives as direction. What an elder says is considered the final authority. If you were to go against an elder’s direction it could be considered apostasy. Example; If an elder advised you not to go to a certain therapist, if you disobeyed, you would be placed under sanction. This means being called a bad example. A bad example cannot auxiliary pioneer, have a demonstration part on the meeting. If you in anyway rebelled against this sanction and talked to others about it being unfair. You would be offered counsel to shut up. If the elders had to meet with you on three occasions with this same counsel, you could then be “marked.” “Marked” means you would be informed a warning talk would be given about your actions to the congregation. While your name directly would not be mentioned the actions would and anyone who knew of these actions would not associate with you unless you were at the meeting or out in the field ministry, then they could talk with you. If you continued to speak against the counsel offered by the elders, a judicial committee would be convened with the charge of “loose conduct.” Definition? “A gross disregard of theocratic order.” At this hearing if you did not apologize and say you would never do this again, you would be disfellowshipped. This example offers a classic way it works for anyone who disobeys an elder and the direction he offers. 

Masculine dominated society, women are treated as second class citizens within WT. The can only offer student parts on the stage, one five minute part per week, it can only be offered sitting down with another sister. The only other position a sister can hold is a pioneer. This is a person who puts a set number of hours in the field ministry. Women cannot be elders, ministerial servants, and are generally forbidden from doing any administrative work unless absolutely no men are available to do so. In a simple meeting for field service, if no male is available a sister must wear a head covering to acknowledge headship. A sister is taught to be submissive from birth and never question or in anyway rebel against the direction of men in the congregation. If a sister were to do so she would be labeled a “jezebel influence” and could ultimately be disfellowshipped if she did not submit to headship. 

Home office detachment, the headquarters of the WT is a very closed environment made of policy makers who are older men who by and large have never had children and live an institutional life. They do not cook, clean, pay taxes, drive cars, or have an understanding of life outside an institutional setting. It is difficult for them to comprehend the problems that so many face on a day-to-day basis. The attitude is generally to maintain the status quo and not make large changes or adjustments. They take the attitude, if it is not broke don’t fix it and if it is broke we do not want to know about it. 

The above foundation lays the basis for a pedophile paradise within the organization. We have a much higher rate of child molestation ratio than any mainstream religion that we might be compared to. The basis for coming to this conclusion is the internal rules that allow the pedophile to remain anonymous thus bringing other possible victims into harms way. The internal rules are listed as follows:

1. No publisher may at anytime say negative things about anyone to any other publisher in the congregation. If you have a problem with someone you are instructed to either forget it or approach the offender and attempt to settle the matter. If after two to three attempts with no resolution, the matter is then taken to the elders who will have the final say in the matter. If you do not follow this guideline you can be disfellowshipped for malicious gossip. 

2. If your child is molested the above guideline forces you to remain silent to others in the congregation as to who the pedophile was. You are not allowed to tell anyone, even members of your immediate family or other congregation members whose children may be in danger, no one can be informed who molested your child. 

3. Elders are instructed to maintain absolute confidentiality with any judicial matter. They are forbidden to tell anyone of a pedophile who may reside in the local congregation. The only action that can be taken is a local needs part that would state to watch your children, but nothing would be directly stated that a pedophile was actually in the congregation. The only other action would be for the elders to have a meeting with the pedophile and tell him/her they would monitor their conduct around children. He/she cannot have them at their home for sleepovers nor hold them in their lap or work alone with children in the field ministry. The elders generally only have contact at meetings and in the field ministry. The rest of the time the pedophile is on his/her on. 

There are three actual disciplines a confessed pedophile could experience in the church. 

The “sudden death” for privileges a directive that came about with the Jan 1997 Watchtower. You basically cannot have any privilege within the congregation. 
The judicial committee, which has the authority to disfellowship only if the pedophile is considered unrepentant. Guilt is established by a confession or by the mouth of two witnesses. 

If you reside in a reporting state and a minor is molested the elders could see to it you are reported to the police. 

One, two, or all of these directives may be followed, which are determined by local elders and the WT Legal Department. 

If a person is accused of being a pedophile, and they deny the charge, he/she is considered innocent until proven guilty. This works to the pedophiles advantage as the requirement for two witnesses, means to the same event, not to separate occasions. In the unusual event a pedophile was accused by two children in the same week, it might be considered as a basis for a judicial committee but anything outside of this in the face of a denial will allow the accused pedophile to remain an innocent man. There is a mention by JR Brown of WT PR, of corroborating evidence in addition to one witness. What is corroborating evidence of child molestation? Simply, pictures/video, pregnancy, or DNA evidence. How often do these things come to bear in a case of child molestation? Very seldom. 

The victim is placed in a very negative environment to come forward and relate what happened. The victim is summoned to the back room of the Kingdom Hall and they sit in a room with three to four elders who fire questions about every detail that happened. Where were you touched? How many times? What were the dates of the molestation? What room of the house were you in? What did you not tell anyone sooner? Did you participate in the act of molestation? Did you enjoy the experience? Why did you not cry out or tell the molester to stop? In many cases the pedophile denies the charges and then the victim faces a judicial hearing for confessing to participating in a sexual experience. In some cases the victim has even been disfellowshipped for coming forward. 

The parents of a victim are required to follow the direction of the elders (shepherds) and trust their judgment of the matter. The reproach of the congregation is turned into reproach on God and provides the basis to keep from going to the outside for assistance. 
A confessed or convicted pedophile is allowed anonymity within the WT Organization. When he moves a letter will follow to the new congregation. Only the elders are privy to this information. No one within the congregation would be informed of the pedophiles presence. Even the wives of the elders are not to be given this information. 

An accused pedophile is allowed to move anywhere with no letter to follow. He is viewed as an innocent man with no one being allowed to warn others of the accusations against him. If they were to do so, see above…. 

A convicted pedophile is allowed to go door to door alone and with sisters in the field ministry. He is admonished to not have children in the car. This does not address the children he/she may meet at the door, the yard, or anywhere else he/she may travel in the witness work. A person will never know if the Jehovah’s Witness who stops at their door is a pedophile or not. It is common for those who participate in witnessing to take a coffee break mid-morning. Children are nearly always present unknowing who they on “break” with. Again no directives are offered. 

At Circuit Assemblies and District Conventions confessed pedophiles are allowed to mingle freely with no monitoring among literally hundreds of children. There are no directives offered in a Convention setting. In addition, most motels are filled with unknowing JW families who are never informed of a pedophiles presence in the motel where they are staying, again no directives to monitor the pedophile in this setting. 
Quick/Build, a large gathering of witnesses all over the state to build a new Kingdom Hall in four days. An accused pedophile is free to be used in this program. They will be exposed to many children from all over the state who again have no knowledge that they are around a possible sex offender. 

Elders have absolutely no training on guidance or counseling when it comes to child molestation issues. The 1994 Elders School specifically advised against this stating, “we are spiritual shepherds only.” The admonition was to listen, read a scripture, and say a prayer and that should be sufficient. The attitude was, some things will not be solved till the “new order” and persons with difficulty should learn to endure. The way troubled victims were advised to cope was to read the bible, pray, be regular at church meetings and participate more in the field ministry. 

When victims are not treated and then act out their anger by self-destructive behaviors the elders move quickly to establish judicial committees to disfellowship a person who contaminates the congregation by wrong conduct. The victim is then victimized again, ostracized by family and every friend they have ever known within the closed environment all JWs are indoctrinated to. 

All these things together contribute to the reason I say it is a pedophile paradise within the Watchtower Organization. We recruit troubled persons to be members and accept them in with no questions asked. A pedophile that becomes a witness will be able to move about freely with the benefit of his past being buried with no one knowing. If the pedophile then starts to molest JW children who are taught to submit completely to adult authority, the children are easily intimidated to not say anything for years. If any do come forward, the pedophile simply denies the charge and remains “innocent” from the congregation’s standpoint. If things become uncomfortable for the pedophile, they can simply move and start all over again with a fresh bath of children. Witnesses have absolute trust in one another, it is called a ‘spiritual paradise” in a wicked world. Their children are only allowed to associate with one another. A gathering will only have JW’s in attendance. Any extra circular activity will only feature JW’s with each other. The typical pedophile will invariably have ample opportunity to take advantage of the trust of unknowing fellow members. 

Do other churches operate like this? 

Do other church members have the shepherd dominated mentality JW’s have?

Do other churches allow sex offenders complete anonymity within the church when it is discovered?

Do other churches advise that the minister has the last word when molestation issues arise? 

Do other churches lead members to believe their investigatorial measures are the best way to determine if a person has committed a crime?

Do other churches advise the best way to help a troubled person is to tell them to endure and wait for God’s Kingdom to solve their problems?

Do other churches take a person who is troubled because of molestation, who has begun self-destructive behaviors and disfellowship them, ostracizing them from the people who would be in the best position to help them? 

Do other churches require two witnesses to the actual event of molestation before taking any disciplinary measures?

Do other churches threaten parents of molested children with disfellowshipment if they try to warn other members whose children may be in danger?

Do other churches remove ministers who warn parents of the danger of a certain pedophile molesting their children?

Do other churches provide zero training when it comes to how to direct a molested child to get the help they need?


If you can see no difference between Jehovah’s Witnesses and how other churches handle these matters, then we would be considered to have a similar ratio of child molestations to other churches. If on the other hand, you can see a difference, then you would have to accept a much higher ratio of molestations than mainstream Christianity.

back to Free Minds
back to WatchtowerNews