Jehovah's Witnesses hit with abuse suits -Alleged victims were molested as children, they say
Thursday, July 31, 2003Don Lattin, Chronicle Religion Writer
Eight former members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses have filed lawsuits in three Northern California counties alleging that they were sexually molested as children and that their church covered up the crimes.
The lawsuits against the church and its congregations in Yolo, Napa and Tehama counties seek unspecified damages against two individuals and several organizations affiliated with the religious group.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, famous for promoting its “Watchtower” religious tracts on city streets and door-to-door, is a Christian millenarian sect that arose in the wake of the “Great Disappointment” of the 1840s, when several predictions about the end of the world failed to come to pass.
Members hold different theological views than most Christian churches preach, most notably their denial of the Trinity and their belief that only 144,000 true believers will achieve full sainthood when the world does end.
The allegations against the Jehovah’s Witnesses are similar to those leveled against the Roman Catholic Church in numerous lawsuits filed in California and across the country in recent years.
The legal assault — coordinated and filed last week by the Sacramento law firm of Nolen Saul Brelsford — is the latest action under a new state law that temporarily abolishes the statute of limitations on lawsuits dealing with child abuse cases, making it easier to collect money from churches, schools and other organizations with a history of sexual abuse.
Because they deal with civil law, the lawsuits against Jehovah’s Witnesses are not bound by last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a California law used to prosecute priests and other alleged child molesters accused of decades-old abuse.
3 YOLO PLAINTIFFS
In Yolo County, the lawsuit was brought by Daniel West, 26; Shane Pence, 18; and Amber Pence, 23.
All three plaintiffs say they were molested by Timothy Silva, who led “adolescent book studies” at the Jehovah’s Witnesses congregation in Woodland.
“This sexual predator used his appointed position of leadership and authority over children to gain access to and abuse those children,” the lawsuit states.
Paul Polidoro, the associate general counsel for the Jehovah’s Witnesses, said the staff at the church headquarters in New York had not yet seen the lawsuit and had no comment on the specific allegations.
“The majority of these lawsuits are parishioner-on-parishioner incidents,” Polidoro said.
Silva, who, according to plaintiffs’ attorney William Brelsford, was convicted in 1995 of lewd and lascivious behavior with a minor, could not be reached for comment.
CHILD ABUSE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
“Our local congregations and national organization take child abuse quite seriously,” Polidoro said. “Child abuse allegations are reported to (the) authorities if they occur.”
Not so, the lawsuit charges.
It alleges that church leaders were told that West had been molested from 1991, when he was 13 years old, through 1993.
“Watchtower defendants did not notify authorities nor take any steps to hold (Silva) accountable,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit goes on to charge that the church exacerbated the trauma to West by accusing him “of participating in homosexual activity.”
The complaint also alleges that one of the other plaintiffs, Shane Pence, was 7 years old when Silva “committed continued and repeated sexual battery” on the boy for five years, until 1997.
MOTHER MADE THE REPORT
“His mother reported the abuse to the Watchtower defendants,” the suit states, and were told not to contact the police themselves, that the church would take care of the problem.
“Watchtower defendants did not report the abuse to authorities and took no steps to address it,” the lawsuit charges.
The only other named, living perpetrator in the four lawsuits filed last week is convicted child molester James Henderson of Red Bluff, who, Brelsford said, is alleged to have molested then-15-year-old plaintiff “Tim W.” in 1994.
Daniel Hall, who left the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1992 and now runs a “counter-cult” ministry in Sacramento, said the tightly controlled nature of the sect made it even harder for children and adults to speak out against sexual abuse.
“These children have been living in fear and are just coming out,” said Hall.
Hall is working with another former Jehovah’s Witness, William Bowen, who has an extensive Web site (www.silentlambs.org) devoted to the abuse problem in the sect.
‘INSIDE SOURCES’
Bowen’s Web site, which includes a SilentLambs store selling coffee mugs and T-shirts with the group’s logo, reports that “inside sources” at the headquarters of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York have revealed secret files with the names of 23,720 accused child molesters.
Hall and Bowen will be among the speakers Aug. 8-10 at a weekend conference about cults and sects being held at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Marin County.
Hall described the conference as a “gathering of people who have come out of these groups and become Christians.”
Polidoro said he was insulted by Hall’s ministry and Bowen’s allegations.
“We are a well-established religion that has been in this country for a century,” he said. “It’s somewhat offensive when someone uses the word ‘cult’ to describe your religion.”
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
What profit a man to gain the world and to lose his soul?
Come on everybody, enough already it is time to face reality. Michael Jackson was a human being with special gifts and talents. What he did with them was his choice. He chose to share his life with a world that could only promise money and worship.
So what was the price? Obviously, it was his life. My question is was it worth it? The world was entertained by a genius that maxed out his potential to create unique and one-time displays of songs and dance steps. We heard and watched MJ work magic right before our eyes for years. Not only did he entertain us with his gifts and talents but he also gave us a show of his troubled soul.
Michael Jackson physically transformed his body image from a African American man into a European-looking white man. Why such a huge transformation? Was it to increase acceptance in a diversity world of color where the lighter your flesh the more your acceptance? Who knows? What we do know is he was no longer that little boy who grew up in an African American family from Indiana. He was a new creature. Face it, he was ENTERTAINMENT MATERIAL with a huge price.
With all this being said, I find it disgusting that the media continues to exalt this man and justify his choices to choose less than the best for himself. Until we accept, MJ was a human being, we will never have peace. He like many parents in the world had the responsibility first of all to be a good parent to his children then please self and the world. I am a firm believer if parents would based their choices and decisions on their love and responsibilities to their children, they will head towards best in life for everyone including themselves.
Michael could not do that only because he never came out of the traumas of childhood victimization. One of the major behavior patterns of victimization is becoming your own victimizer. Before he became a parent, he needed to be healed from his own demons. Now, we have three innocent children who are victims continuing the victimizing cycle. Eventually, each one of his children will face these same demons because once the world knows your vulnerability, it will come for you as it came for Michael Jackson…..to love him to death.
No, entertaining the world was not worth the price paid. Please stop the music……let your hope of attention and riches go that some normalcy can persevere enough already.
Please go back to school and get an edu-muh-cation
do some re-search on the jw’s, from the begining and until now and you will find alot of things that are not true.
alot of prophecies that never were fulfilled, they make changes all the time in regards to rules and regulations.
my bible says, the Lord is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Jeus said, I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE, NO MAN COMETH UNTO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM.
he also said, that if you dont KNOW him(Jesus) then you dont know the Father at all.
Jesus came in the diety, as man and as God.
if you believe in God then you believe in miracles.
and Jesus is the TRUE miracle of God.
his blood forgives and has power over satan, the bible says, that the demons tremble at the name of Jesus.
Jesus holds ALL the power.
Jesus was worshiped by man and by angels,
The bible says that EVERY knee shall bow and EVERY tongue will confess, that Jesus is LORD of ALL!
the bible says that there is NO other NAME under heaven and earth that man can be saved and inherit eternal life.
he gives us the Holy Spirit, it is for EVERYONE!
we must be born again, in order to inherit eternal life, and that is through Christ.
born of the spirit.
NO organization can save you or give you eternal life.
the bible says, not by WORKS, lest any man should boast, he should ONLY boast of what Christ has done for him.
he went to the cross and the law was put to death, our sins were nailed to the cross, he paid a big price for us.
the law, meaning works cannot save us.
i will pray that you will find your love and assurance for eternal life through Christ.
he is the ONLY answer.
God bless!
I was raised a JW. When I was 24 years old I read Bill Bowan’s story in the newspaper over the sexual molestations in KH’s. It shocked me to read such an article, but bless that man for coming forward! After that story, I read many books and did a lot of internet research. I have such relief that I am no longer associated with the JW’s.
My family and I attended many different congregations. At each congregation we found the same hurtful, malicious, backstabbing, judgemental misfits. The JW’s are a psycho cult plain and simple.
This is a message to the world. If you want a safe world, our children must be safe. The problem begins within and it is solved within. It can be done. Please listen to the truth about molestation: Click here: http://www.lindawattley26.com/id37.html
I remember that the man came to the Kingdom hall and had a meeting with the Elders but still continued to attend the meetings. My mother informed me that the police were called but for some reason wasn’t arrested. He got to attend each meeting and just stayed in the Study which had glass windows on the right side and was in plain view of the Public speaker and the room had an intercom for him to be able to hear. but it was like that until his death he came in late and left early.
Your story and other boy is just one of many that unfortunately happened/happens within Jehovah’s witnesses organization.
I too left due to a case of abuse that was brought to the attention of the elders and they kept covering it up for 5 years, than I decided that was enough.
You story is not very clear though. You said that the man molested the boy after the game he than run away and called the police, and than you mentioned that nothing was brought to the attention of the local police. I seem to have missed something somewhere. Would you care to explain it a bit better?
Count your blessings that you are out.
I was almost molested as a Child in the JW organization….now any one of you can call me a liar or not But when I was there there was a Man who wanted to take boys out to baseball games and would come over to thier house and try and be sweet to thier mothersand want to be a “father figure” to the younger boys who were missing thier father. I was one of those younger boys who had lost his father at an early age. On a night that a baseball game was going on I was supposed to go to a game with him and another young boy, but something came up and my mother kept me at home. After the game the man molested the other boy and that boy escaped and ran away from him and called the police at a nearby neighbors house. The man who was studing at the time, and was almost about to be baptized, was brought in by the witnesses and sat in the Study portion of our Kingdom Hall and talked to. I remember that nothing was ever brought to the attention of the Local police and he would come in late for the meetings and then leave a little early, but he could still be able to attend the meetings. After I saw this was happening I went to a few Elders and talked to them about it but they would never give me a straight answer and then would tell me that Jehovah will forgive him of his wrong doings. I then turned away from the Kindom Hall and the Witnesses. 3 months this continued and after those 3 months the man was found dead, he had wrote a letter to the brothers and took it to the kindom hall and shot himself in the head. Therefore JW holding Pedophiles is a true statement….I have lived it and still remember those accounts.
Thank You for your time.
Yes every religion has freaks and perverts. The problem is when we are told to go to the elders and not the police. The problem is when the elders tell you that you will be disfellowshipped if you go to the police. The problem is when the elders don’t believe you and disfellowship you for committing fornication with the rapist. The problem is when it is society policy to allow some child abusers to be in positions of trust (ie Minos or elders) as long as NO ONE KNOWS about the past paedophilic conduct! Repentance is enough! Ha!
Is society was sincere in care of children not care of law suits then it would encourage parents to go to police not elders because police investigation can get the “second witness” because DNA can be the second witness, or police investigation uncovering previous victim can also be the second witness. Elders should not be investigating what they can’t possibly do properly.
Please go back to school and get an edu-muh-cation.
While I have never been a member, the high school friend of my ex-wife is a devout JW. Her family never bothered to find out, about them. Since they treat her like garbage, I am pretty sure, they never prayed for him to leave the JWs.
JW ARE ALL COMMUNIST!!! THEY ARE LIKE THE ALQUEDA !!! A BUNCH OF UNEDUCATED FOOLS!!THE CAN ALL GO TO micheal jackson house and live!!!
ed collins
As a senseless woman you also have spoken! My wife was raised a JW (missionary, all the works) and was in there for 30 years, now she is a catholic, I on the other hand after leaving just lost faith in God. So, I ask the same question you did, who has the truth?
Yes, abuse if very difficult to prove, especially if you need 2 witnesses. Now tell me who on his right mind is going to abuse a child in front of 2 witnesses?? Since, I don’t want to waste anymore time with you I will just say: YOUR ARE FULL OF SHIT.
Truth…the truth is that if God had one true organization, it would not be run by pedos and perverts. Truth is how the bible was writtne not how some men changed it to fit their needs and fill their pockets. Truth is that Good is love and the JW organization lacks it from top to bottom. Yes they don’t go to war, but I have seen racist treatment in my hall. You want the truth…seek it out and don’t buy what you hear blindly, like so many of us did.
I understand you concern. I have been a jw for 30 years and sometimes problems happen but jws DO NOT condone any practice of abuse. As you know, over 40,000 jws are disfellowshipped every year. You mean to say that so many are removed and only pediphiles are kept? Abuse is very difficult to prove if one party says it didnt happen. Just direct me to a worldwide org that has no war or racism, as do jws, and you will get a listening ear here. Remember too that most jws have been raised in every religion on earth so we know the difference. I was raised in the lutheran and methodist faith. So, tell me who has the truth then? Keith
I HAVE HEARD AND SEEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN IN THE 47-YEARS I WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CULT. IT IS NO WONDER THERE ARE SO MANY INSIDE THE CULT THAT DO NOT KNOW IT IS A CULT, BECAUSE IF THEY GO ON THE INTERNET EVEN THEIR OWN CHILDREN WILL TURN THEM IN TO THE MIGHTY W.T.B.T.S. THERE WERE THREE PEDOPHILES IN THE CONGREGATION I LEFT, AND THE RANK AND FILE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THEM. I AM NOT HAPPY WITH MYSELF FOR BEING PART OF A CULT ORGANIZATION FOR 47-YEARS. IT IS AMAZING TO ME, LIKE MR. POLIDORO SAYS “WE HAVE BEEN IN THE BUSINESS FOR MANY YEARS”