One of the most frustrating aspects of trying to raise awareness of the harm caused by Watchtower is how little journalists seem to care about serious issues such as shunning and the mishandling of child abuse within the organization.
When you are a Witness you are conditioned to believe that “Satan’s media” is actively seeking to exploit any opportunity to pour scorn on ‘God’s organization’. But if anything, it turns out the opposite is true.
Investigative reporters tend to give Watchtower an extremely wide berth, and even the most clear-cut stories of abuse usually only achieve modest local press exposure.
But it could be that the winds of change are upon us, at least if a new report by Trey Bundy at The Center for Investigative Reporting is any indicator. Trey’s superb 4,500+ word article, posted to the Reveal website, is a hard-hitting expose of Watchtower that leaves no stone unturned when it comes to uncovering the horrendous extent of the organization’s negligence in dealing with known pedophiles.
I spoke to Trey on Skype a number of months ago after being put in touch with him by Barbara Anderson, another of his sources. I was immediately impressed with how committed he was to verifying his facts (not a universal preoccupation among reporters), and trying to gather as much information and as many contacts as possible.
By the time of our second catch-up conversation, Trey knew more about certain aspects of the organization than I did – so you can imagine how excited I am now that the first wave of his work is now in circulation. And I am led to believe more material will follow.
In his Reveal article Trey has done a superb job of summarizing the numerous Jehovah’s Witness child abuse cases that have emerged over the last three years, from Candace Conti to Jose Lopez and pretty much everything in-between, at least from an American perspective.
Trey has even gone to the trouble of posting video depositions (including the following chilling one from Jonathan Kendrick, Candace Conti’s abuser), and damning quotes from body of elders letters (“memos”) that show just how backwards and clandestine the organization is regarding pedophilia.
And if you are anxious for a full rundown of the events surrounding the Candace Conti case, just wait until you listen to the following 20-minute audio-only broadcast!
Featuring interviews with both Candace Conti and Irwin Zalkin, mixed in with document excerpts and courtroom recordings (including snippets from Watchtower’s recent oral argument at the Supreme Court of California), this outstanding piece of journalism is mandatory listening for anyone who wonders how the jury in the Conti case ended up being so unequivocal in its judgment.
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As you may have guessed from my introductory comments, my experiences with the media over my last three years of activism have left me more than a little jaded. I have been particularly frustrated by the disproportionate coverage given to cults like Scientology, over which so many journalists seem to fixate even though it only boasts 50,000 actual devotees compared to some 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses.
But my dealings with Trey Bundy have prevented my faith in investigative journalists from total collapse. I am hopeful that, with the persistence and diligence of individuals like him and his colleagues, Watchtower might finally start to get the notoriety it richly deserves and (most importantly) potential victims of child abuse might be shielded from harm.
Further reading…
- Reveal article on Jehovah’s Witnesses using the 1st amendment to hide child sex abuse claims
- Friendly Atheist article on Trey Bundy’s investigation
- Jehovah’s Witness Report article
- Watchtower appears in court to give oral arguments in appeal against Candace Conti verdict
- Watchtower ordered to pay $13.5 million in sex abuse case as Gerrit Losch fails to testify
- JWsurvey articles on child abuse
Related video…
Wow… Amazing journalism, when listening to those interviews it’s chilling. To think that I was an Elder 12 yrs and under their influence or indoctrination really bothers me.
You make it sound like there is child abuse happening in every congregation. Like you mentioned there are 8 million JWs so how many cases have occurred? You make it sound like it’s disproportionate to the general public. I think your biased hatred for the organization skews your reasoning. Granted it wasn’t handled correctly in many cases but I would venture to guess the amount of cases of child abuse is the same as or even less then any group of people as large as the JWs. Maybe that is why there hasn’t been the media scrutiny you want to see. It appears your whole life is looking for problems with the organization so you are going to find them through your jaundiced eyes. Cheers.
What a fantastically stupid and ignorant comment. Have you bothered to click on the “Child Abuse” tab of this website with its 37 entries? I can promise you they’re not all about one case, or even one country. There is a reason why the problem of child abuse has been called “rampant” among Jehovah’s Witnesses by lawyer Rick Simons. I can assure you my fellow activists and I are not exaggerating the extent of the problem. If anything, we’re not doing it justice.
@Markie,Markie you JAUNDICED person you!! HOW DARE YOU INSULT Cedars for trying to highlight this Problem!! Have you watched the AWFUL EMOTIONAL PAIN & SCARS these Children & Adults will bear for the Rest of THEIR LIVES!!! IT IS THE WAY it has BEEN HANDLED by the Governing Body & ELDERS that is DISGUSTING !!! YOU SICKEN ME Markie!!!
@Markie ! One Case is too Many! I would like to meet with you on a Dark night Alone& have a chat with you & as you need two witnesses to be Disfellowshipped the Elders could do nothing to me as you would be the only witness!!
I am hopeful that, with persistence and dilligence of people like you Lloyd, the Watchtower receives its due reward.x
Why are you not questioning why the policies are allowing this to happen? As someone who was molested and the elders told my mother to be silent and nothing was done or reported, your comment “Granted it wasn’t handled correctly in many cases” is crass and indicates a level of emotional distance that only an indoctrinated fool could make. Your arrogance insults every child who was put through a nightmare of pain. Having a childhood ripped into shreds was bad enough but then being stamped upon by adults who should have stopped and reported child rape is unforgivable. The secondary abuse continues every time one of Jehovah’s Witnesses tries to make excuses or tries to defend what should not be happening. My mother indoctrinated by a set of ever changing beliefs, listened to pathetic elders and went along with the cover up because she wanted to please – she feels guilty – but like you lives in denial. No thought is given by the likes of you to the long term effects experienced by the children sexually molested by your so called brothers. Your comment is an indication an extreme level of ignorance. Go and do some research on the effects of child molestation and find out what safeguarding and accountability means.
Markie the other religions never claimed they are the only inspire from Jehovah, and is the only most cleaned religions, and the ones will be the survivors from Armageddon. The G.B claiming they are directing by Jehovah personally. This is why is so criminal to say this organization is so holy. and the same time they are criminals not only by the human rulers, bat with Gods laws to.
Is really so stupid on you to defending this corrupted organization. you may taking opium daily that is why you are sleeping with the rest of Jehovah witnesses.
John cedars his doing any real human will do. He is helping naïve people to wake to escapee from the corrupted organization witch you support. shame on you. how can you go door to door and promoting satins organization? deceiving unaware people Shame, shame. is so sick.
Ahh, the reversal of fortune:-), like a rolling stone.
@Markie. So YOU RECKON that the CHILD ABUSE isn’t too bad RATIO Wise in Comparison to 8 Million JWs ???? Markie if you are a typical JW ,anyone reading this site will be completely HORRIFIED by your INSENSITIVE Comment & will be Turned off from being Baptised !! Irwin Zalkin reckons there are 1000s of Abuse Cases if not more than the 23,000 already logged on the DATABASE held at BROOKLYN Bethel!!
Finally!
It is about time…
I’m so very sorry you endured that, Freedom.
When these cases are primarily handled internally, victims are silenced by false concern and parents are either too disengaged, ignorant, indoctrinated or complicit, the statistics of how widespread abuse is in the Witness universe just fade away into the woodwork.
@Freedom .My HEART Goes out to YOU! You Make VERY STRONG & VALID Points in your Comment !
@Markie! …READ CAREFULLY Freedoms comment Above & LEARN Something about Your so called wonderful F&D Slave!!
@Jill Enjoyed your comments too! Exactly when these Child Abuse cases are Handled by ELDERS who are Plumbers, Electricians,Gardeners, window cleaners, builders,etc HOW CAN THESE Elders who have never been trained Professionally know what sensitive questions to ask??!
Jill, Thank you. As an adult I went to counselling. That has helped me understand who bears the responsibility and it was not a 9 year old child. Markie is just an ignorant defender of a dying sick organisation. He holds onto a set of beliefs because he has nothing else and because he is also a victim of an organisation that does not allow him/her to feel or think. Such people insult and defend because a child’s life is meaningless to them. If they valued children they would be calling their Governing Body to account. They would be running out of the KH saying we cannot be part of an organisation that allows this to happen. Instead they accuse and vilify. The shame is theirs. The guilt is theirs. The children who are now adults are no longer in fear of such fools and although it is not easy they are naming names and the JW response – like maggots – is to squirm and try to wriggle away. Let them. They have no where to hide now.
I have to agree it is surprising how very limited coverage of the WT abuse scandal and other issues like the splitting up of families by shunning, the negativity towards advanced education, and the mind controlling brain washing techniques used by the WT leadership to keep captive adult and child alike are featured in the media particularly in the UK. I would really like an investigation to be made of the justification in how the WT retains its charity status when all it does spew out the most questionable propaganda to serve its own interests rather than pursuing community interests. The only contribution it can make is the printing and distribution of poorly written magazines and a distortion of the aspects of Christianity. This religion needs to be exposed for what it really is: a parasite living off the work, skills and energy of others but giving nothing in return, enjoying the protection of governments and laws yet denouncing it all as evil and satanic, seeking the provision of medical care but discouraging any pursuit of skills to enable any JW qualifying as a professional medical expert and increasingly becoming a much more reclusive cult unable to cope with being challenged. How good it would be if a team of journalists could expose the degenerate workings of the WT monster.
In the 1980s I attended the same congregation as one of the elders, (Gary Abrahamson) who is being sued in Candice Conti’s abuse case. Elders are blind robots who obey the organization even when it insults their mind to do so. Thank you for this recording. Now I will share what I know with everyone who also knows Gary. Much Thanks.
Cedars-
Isn’t crazy that you can be announced to the entire congregation that your disfellowshipp for perhaps fornication, but an Elder can’t even whisper to a family head to watch out for a certain individual in the congregation.
Cedars-
Isn’t crazy that you can be announced to the entire congregation that your disfellowshippEd, but an Elder can’t even whisper to a family head to watch out for a certain individual in the congregation, or warned to keep your family away from them. This never made any sense to me. And as an Elder I delt with 4 cases during my 12 yrs. Each time I felt the predator was given to much protection, when dealing with the legal department.
My ex was in the Fremont South congregation. She tried to tell me that Ms. Conti was a pathological liar. No chance in her mind that anyone of the borg could be capable of such heinous crimes. And this was from a woman who herself was molested. Smh.
Hopefully this will get as much exposure as possible, and thankfully for the sake of the abused this may help in some way to show that people DO care and others are doing their best to bring this to the attention of the media and this in turn to the world, well done Bundy!!
There has not been any mention in Australia about Conti or other cases, but as Cedars pointed out the Scientology cult gets a lot of publicity, probably because of its wealthy actors, and their exposure in the rag magazines and papers.
All my love to the victims, and Freedom your a brave person and I hope that this will give you some sort of peace.
For Markie= I hope someone can find the article, that I read recently (but cant now) about a UK comparative study that was done between catholic priest serving jail time and JW elders serving jail time for sex abuse as opposed to the amount of members for each religion. If I was to take a chance on who I would trust more. It would be the catholic church. I really do hope someone can find that article and supply a link.
@Alex. Your LOGICAL Analysis is Brilliant of the CRAZY SCREWBALL Reasoning of the Governing Body !!
I can understand Markies point ,while I was a devoted JW ,the organization,the elders,the brothers,etc could do no wrong,anything that went wrong was “Satan” or ” human imperfection” or just needed to be ” left in Jehovah’s hands”
When that’s all you hear you become deaf to anything contradictory,while I was an elder I heard “rumours ” of peadophilia,nothing could ever be pinned down,only once in 40yrs did I know of someone who was charged by the police and prosecuted,that’s because it’s so well covered up by “theocratic procedure”.
In my last elders school which was 2005,when covering the subject of child abuse,one of the things that bothered me was the lack of will displayed in the school to get a charge laid or to pursue law enforcement involvement,even though at the time I was full on JW,it bothered me and I knew something was wrong but couldn’t form it in my mind why.
That’s the only thing I remember from that school 10 yrs ago!talk about indoctrinated!
I read somewhere that the official statistic for peadophiles is 2% of ANY organization,that means there’s around 140 000 in the JW religion,how many are predatory or covert is the hard question.
Freedom,
Thank you for your very enlightening and moving comments.
I have never been able to understand why the WTBTS have the revolting policies in regard to child abuse that they do.
Why a religion that claims to be Christiam would make little children suffer such cruelty and then actively cover up the abuse is beyond me.
Alex,
Myself and many others, including Lloyd, have complained to the Charity Commission. There is an investigation ongoing. Louise Goode, in her great you tube videos under Katie Kitten, provide an address and a reference number for this investigation.
It looks like a chairperson for the Inquiry about child abuse in the UK has been found. I will be writing to the enquiry about the monstrous abuse of children in the WTBTS. I am sure that many of us will do so.
The media will respond to the increasing number of cases brought against the WTBTS. We can all do our part to let the general public know that the goofy religious screwballs who call on their houses are not merely nutters, but are engaged in actively concealing cases of child abuse, and other serious crimes.
Peace be with you, Excelsior!
As an ex jw I never knew pedophiles were allowed to have privileges. I thought they were reported to police and then reinstated and just sat up the back until Armageddon then Jehovah would judge.
This two witness surely is illegal yes???
@Alex, Awsome comment!!.
The issue is not whether there are more cases of child abuse in the JW’s compared to other religions or organisations (as Markie tries to point out) but as others and Cedars have always shown is the major fact that the WT simply does not have the policies in place to deal with the issue, to prevent it and to protect the children.
The WT is simply more interested in hiding it and THAT is the issue that is most concerning and that is why there needs to be more journalist’s who should be swamping all the issue…like Cedars says I too find it baffling and amazing there is not more coverage of this.
I’d also mention that this news piece is amazing in terms of the amount of background info into cases like Candace Conti…I’ve read pretty much all the documents etc but a lot of the info in this news piece is not in public domain…
Let us hope this is the start of more investigative pieces about the WT’s horrible child abuse policies.
I was 35 years Jehovah witnesses and my first time I heard about pedophilia was when the ABC broadcasted Barbara Anderson and the former elder from the silent lamb
Re: Markie,
What else can we expect from a member of a religion who believes ALL who aren’t members (not even other Christians) will (any day now) be cruelly killed by God in a giant blood bath they ENTHUSIASTICALLY look forward to? This number includes children, the disabled, the elderly, charity workers, first responders, teachers, philanthropists, mothers, fathers… And otherwise perfectly decent people. In dehumanizing the enemy, why should they make exception for children? Congrats, Markie, you gave an excellent “witness”.
Markie,
Thank you so much for your comments. You have reminded me why I am not a JW. You represent well the message conveyed by many JWs. And, you have done better than the Governing Body as they have been conspicuously silent on this and many other problems.
Unlike you, I could not replace my conscience and sense of morality and decency with pure and unadulterated obedience. Like many who post here, I could not turn a blind eye to the pain and death the “Organization” doctrines have caused inside and outside of it.
If you are a man, I predict you are well on your way to making advancements. You will make a great MS, or Elder (if you aren’t one already) or shoot for the stars and become a member of the Governing Body. You have the script down pat. The sky’s the limit for you.
All you have to do is continue to strip away any sense of humanity and compassion for the ability to hold the “party line”. I see great things for you. Let me know how that works out for you.
Furthermore………….. this organization shamefully claims exclusive direction from god. Each of these cases is clear evidence to the contrary.
@Strong Haiku !Brilliant comment from you about Markie! I think he could be the NEW ANTHONY MORRIS the FOURTH!!
@yawn & @ Dontknowwheretogo & @ Wild olive. Your comments show really BRILLIANT Insight how the Organisation works & manipulates the mind of the Ordinary JW!!
The ELDERS have NO EXCUSE for knowing the EVIL & HEARTBREAK caused by the Policies on Child Abuse! The 2 witness rule is so STUPID in regard to this ISSUE! The ELDERS are ACCESSORIES to a CRIME!
@Markie
Well I have to say that your comments were coherent and everything was spelled correctly and grammatically correct. Points for that! Usually, anyone who defends the Watchtower Society seems to be as ‘dumb as a stump’ by their weird and hateful writing. Don’t ask me why that is, maybe it is just that to be a “true believer” you cannot be using most of your brain.
I do understand Markie’s reasonings and as someone who was never affected by sexual molestation myself, I could almost agree with this person. Most Witnesses would say the the Organization is full of imperfect people and it is run by the Governing Body who is also imperfect. Since we can all agree on that, then we can finally discuss what some of those “imperfections” are!
The person calling themselves Freedom would be the best person to listen to. They have had their whole life devastated by a sexual predator, and although the Jehovah’s Witnesses never encouraged or condoned this behaviour, they allowed it to continue but their rules to protect their own image. There is no way that God would have allowed this to go on, and I think we can all agree to that, as well.
Pickled Brain made the astute observation that the Elders are tradesmen or other uneducated workers, and there is no shame in that. But would you let a plumber do brain surgery on you or your family? Would you let an electrician diagnose cancer for you? No. They are untrained and unqualified. I know how much this men love to play councillor and judge over others, give wordy talks and prayers and then make lofty predictions just as to how the world events will play out. It is simply stupid to listen to them and to give them the authority they crave. Many of these men would leave the Jehovah’s Witnesses if they lose their privileges and prominace and I’ve seen that very thing happen many times. So how much do they really believe and love God when they are so willing to give up when they don’t get to play Grand PooBah anymore?!?
I do think that there are some ‘good souls’ in this Organization and I feel that there are some in Brooklyn that are trying to take away some of the power from these petty men who place ‘Governing Body Lite’ in their own little Kingdoms, that is in their congregations. They have some age restrictions now, there is no more drama that elevated so many, no more RBC, no more Presiding Overseer, and appointments from the C.O. Probably not nearly enough changes to correct the problems though.
To be honest, I don’t think there were many organizations that knew how to handle sexual cases before, and many still don’t. That can be applied to governments, the military, Boy Scouts, churches and places of employement. But again, if God were directing Jehovah’s Witnesses then they should have been way ahead of this curve.
It is too bad that anyone has had to suffer but I think we should all admit now that Jehovah’s Witnesses are simply stumbling around like everyone else.
Two points – even the Catholic church has had to acknowledge its problem with sexual abuse (1 billion members worldwide) with continued reporting and exposing, JW not far behind( really Markie, do numbers make a difference, I sure hope not, if you have any children) . The amount of members in any given faith should never have a bearing on exposure. I have often commented on this site , and am keenly interested in the info on pedophiles, its because I too, have been sexually abused by a family member who went on to be a VERY RESPECTED elder. Try dealing with that when no one (elders) wants to actually believe it. I recently heard one elder remark to another that “he” (the abuser)was a pillar in the congregation. Oh, I loved to hear that.
Cedars- here in the good old US of A , our Constitution encourages separation of church and state, one reason I suspect , religious organizations (most) are left to their own demise. Curiously though, I just heard the Pope will be visiting the UN when he visits here (so much for church and state)
@JJ,yes exactly,JW ARE NO DIFFERENT TO ANYONE ELSE,they do not have any “special”connection to God just because they throw the name Jehovah around,what’s worse I think from a doctrinal point of view is that true understanding of sin is also not taught which gives the illusion that everyone outside is worse,this true understanding of sin only comes when an individual understands the new covenant and how it actually works,something the GB doesn’t discuss in detail !
@Markie, don’t know if Cedars has a “biased hatred” of the Society but I definitely do have a “biased hatred” of the Society and I will tell you why and it has to do with how the Society covers up abuse of every kind, not just child abuse.
I will tell you what happened in my congregation about 20 years ago and for all I know, this has happened more times in my own congregation, but in that particular instance, I just happened to be friends of the mother of a girl who had been abused by her husband. My friend’s daughter ended up leaving her husband less than a year after they got married, because she was afraid for her life, since her JW husband had tried choking her to death more than one time and the last time my friend’s daughter had gone to the hospital. Her husband choked her to the point that she almost died.
Okay, so my friend’s daugter leaves her abusive JW husband and moved back home with her mom (my friend) and her dad. So, my friend tells me why her daughter left her husband (tried killing her more than once). Guess who got called before the committee for blabbing to me about what that man did to my friend’s daughter??? It was my fr iend who told me what happened to her daughter.
Markie, you said that in the cases that Cedars talked about here, the elders didn’t handle it correctly but you are wrong. The way the elders handled it, is the way the elders are instructed to handle it. My friend’s daughter wasn’t supposed to even tell her own mother what her JW husband had done to her, let alone anyone else. This girl had left her husband and people were curious but this girl was not allowed to tell anybody what happened, on treat of being disciplined. Yes, the guy got disfellowshipped but nobody knew why except me, because her and her mother were under orders not to tell anybody what happened. They were also told not to tell the police because they were told it would reflect bad on Jehovah so they didn’t turn the guy in. Guess what the guy did? My friend’s daughter did divorce him and the guy remarried and with his new wife, they had a baby and he almost killed that baby in a fit of rage.
Do you think the fact that he had such a bad temper and tried to kill my friend’s daughter, that if she had been allowed to report his abuse to the police, that he would have been thrown in prison for attempted murder and he would have had that on his prison record and the next wife could have had at least some warning not to get involved with such a man? That baby is the one who suffered because my friend was not allowed to report to the police what her husband had done to her.
I not only hold our elders responsible for what happened to that baby, but the elders were following orders from the Society and I also hold the Society responsible for what happened to that baby.
I have been associated for 50 years and there’s plenty of Watchtower articles showing that Witnesses aren’t to take other Witnesses to court because it reflects bad on Jehovah. What they really mean, is that it reflects bad on the Organization. Not Jehovah. They don’t give a rat’s ass about Jehovah. It’s their own reputation they want to protect more than anything.
That is why the Society has stayed under the radar all this time. It’s because of the intimidation that all Witnesses have not to report abuse, whether it’s child abuse or wife abuse. If they were allowed to turn these people in, then the scope of the abuse would be noticeable to the media. If all the files were opened, I would hazard a guess that it is a problem in every single congregation.
According to the elders confidential letter. “People today are
proud, greedy and litigious”. Who else could this be referring
to but the innocent young people that have been humiliated,
degraded, and mentally scarred, by sexual molestation
perpetrated by men they were told they could trust.
Proud, Litigious because they’ve had the impertinence to ignore
W,T’s, quasi judicial system and seek justice in a legitimate court
of law. Greedy, because it’s cost this vile org, the thing it values
most, “Money”. Money acquired by exploitation.
Not one crumb of pity or remorse for the suffering of the poor
victims. They are as hard as granite, and are training their
elders up the same way.
I see nothing wrong with making sure of your legal options. However, based on the the 9 fruits of the spirit, any case of child abuse should be reported to the authorities. Let them investigate the matter and the elders can do their part as well. This letter can be considered controversial. I suggest sending a copy of the letter to the senate, along with the state, municipal and federal governments.