Arauna

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2017/mar/09/in-russia-the-persecution-of-jehovahs-witnesses-begins-all-over-again

The European union has been forcing nations to take refugees.  Some smaller countries cannot deal with all the refugees.  The far-left EU government is ignoring any complaints regarding instability.  It is pressing the economies to the hilt.... where must all the money come from to support these people?  Most cannot speak the language and cannot work.  So the opposition  has a fear for the future and now a populist movement is growing to counteract the EU actions - which has banned anyone from saying anything about Islam.  But the EU recently removed Le pen's immunity from prosecution.  She is facing jail time for posting an ISIS photo of a non-believer being beheaded!
It is so bad now in Europe that they are suppressing any negative news regarding this immigration - even though the crime rate of rape (to mention only this one crime) has spiralled uncontrollably high.  Many refugees are not from Iraq and Syria where the war is raging - most from Africa - Somalia, morocco and other African countries as well as Afganistan.  They all have one ideology in common: they are 'superior' to other nations and in the "final days" they must fight to take over the world  - this is if they follow the example of the perfect man - Mohammad - which one can find in the Siri and Hadith  (Qur'an only 26% of the trilogy of books regarding this religion). Mohammad raped many women which were non-believers and took slaves - so this is not viewed as morally wrong in Islam.
Analyses: we are seeing a tide of political entities turning against a major religion of the world because they believe they must lift the sword to fight for their religion - this leads to a situation that is very explosive.  How far we are into the end? it seems to be the beginning of a new tide. Christians are militant too and are starting propaganda against Islam.  The people will easily take up arms.....and get involved in the political issues - they do not understand the term: neutrality.  
 
The coalition against her is too strong -  other parties will form a coalition against Le Pen - she mayl only win some seats.... but it is unpredictable.
Here is a 'true' situation in Sweden -  2017- short  video.   "They say there is peace - where there is no peace"

The European union has been forcing nations to take refugees.  Some smaller countries cannot deal with all the refugees.  The far-left EU government is ignoring any complaints regarding instability.  It is pressing the economies to the hilt.... where must all the money come from to support these people?  Most cannot speak the language and cannot work.  So the opposition  has a fear for the future and now a populist movement is growing to counteract the EU actions - which has banned anyone from saying anything about Islam.  But the EU recently removed Le pen's immunity from prosecution.  She is facing jail time for posting an ISIS photo of a non-believer being beheaded!
It is so bad now in Europe that they are suppressing any negative news regarding this immigration - even though the crime rate of rape (to mention only this one crime) has spiralled uncontrollably high.  Many refugees are not from Iraq and Syria where the war is raging - most from Africa - Somalia, morocco and other African countries as well as Afganistan.  They all have one ideology in common: they are 'superior' to other nations and in the "final days" they must fight to take over the world  - this is if they follow the example of the perfect man - Mohammad - which one can find in the Siri and Hadith  (Qur'an only 26% of the trilogy of books regarding this religion). Mohammad raped many women which were non-believers and took slaves - so this is not viewed as morally wrong in Islam.
Analyses: we are seeing a tide of political entities turning against a major religion of the world because they believe they must lift the sword to fight for their religion - this leads to a situation that is very explosive.  How far we are into the end? it seems to be the beginning of a new tide. Christians are militant too and are starting propaganda against Islam.  The people will easily take up arms.....and get involved in the political issues - they do not understand the term: neutrality.  
 
The coalition against her is too strong -  other parties will form a coalition against Le Pen - she mayl only win some seats.... but it is unpredictable.
Here is a 'true' situation in Sweden -  2017- short  video.   "They say there is peace - where there is no peace"

Do you think a Camel that can go through an eye of a needle? What did it mean in the Bible? What does it mean that Riches may keep us away from gaining life in God's Kingdom?
(Matthew 19:16-24) . . .Now, look! a certain one came up to him and said: “Teacher, what good must I do in order to get everlasting life?” 17 He said to him: “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is that is good. If, though, you want to enter into life, observe the commandments continually.” 18 He said to him: “Which ones?” Jesus said: “Why, You must not murder, You must not commit adultery, You must not steal, You must not bear false witness, 19 Honor [your] father and [your] mother, and, You must love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him: “I have kept all these; what yet am I lacking?” 21 Jesus said to him: “If you want to be perfect, go sell your belongings and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven, and come be my follower.” 22 When the young man heard this saying, he went away grieved, for he was holding many possessions. 23 But Jesus said to his disciples: “Truly I say to YOU that it will be a difficult thing for a rich man to get into the kingdom of the heavens. 24 Again I say to YOU, It is easier for a camel to get through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God.”
Jesus made reference to the camel in an illustrative way. On one occasion he pointed out that it would be easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to get into the Kingdom.
By means of this illustration, not meant to be taken literally, Jesus was pointing out that just as it was not possible for a literal camel to go through the eye of a literal needle it was even less possible for a rich man, while continuing to cling to his riches, to enter into the Kingdom of God.
NEEDLE’S EYE
In an illustration pertaining to entry into the Kingdom, Jesus Christ said: “It is easier for a camel to get through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to get into the kingdom of God.” (Mt 19:24; Mr 10:25) Some have held the needle’s eye to be a small gate through which a camel, if relieved of its load, could pass with difficulty. However, the Greek word for “needle” found at Matthew 19:24 and Mark 10:25 (rha·phis′) is drawn from a verb meaning “sew.” Also, the Greek word appearing in the parallel passage of Luke 18:25 (be·lo′ne) is used to refer to a literal surgical needle. Regarding these Greek terms Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words notes: “The idea of applying ‘the needle’s eye’ to small gates seems to be a modern one; there is no ancient trace of it. The Lord’s object in the statement is to express human impossibility and there is no need to endeavour to soften the difficulty by taking the needle to mean anything more than the ordinary instrument.”—1981, Vol. 3, p. 106.
As a hyperbole, the illustration emphasized how difficult it would be for rich men not simply to begin serving God but actually to enter into the Kingdom.
(1 Timothy 6:17-19) "Give orders to those who are rich in the present system of things not to be high-minded, and to rest their hope, not on uncertain riches, but on God, who furnishes us all things richly for our enjoyment; 18 to work at good, to be rich in fine works, to be liberal, ready to share, 19 safely treasuring up for themselves a fine foundation for the future, in order that they may get a firm hold on the real life." 
www.jw.org

Maybe I should have been much more clear in the beginning.
I feel similar to @Anna in that I was only wanting funny captions..... and look what has happened. Sigh.
We should all try to practice opening new topics when forking a conversation in the future. Or is it that my inner Librarian is just not feeling organized?
Anyways.....

Yes there have been victims - as I said before - in every organization where children are you will find that this happens in secret.  It is heartbreaking.  But because you work in this field you are focusing just on one organization which you seems to dislike.  Please keep in mind this organization has put steps in place to curb this as much as possible and has corrected errors which it has made in the past.... it did not act fast enough to the new laws that were put in place in the first world countries (and only a few countries enforce it). 
I personally know of a case where a young boy had only touched his cousin in an inappropriate place out of curiosity and the father went to a lawyer- who reported it to authorities.  This young boy was put into a reformatory at age 13 with his reputation ruined for the rest of his life.  This is how the law can also overreach.  There are two sides to every story.... and therefore one must acknowledge that human laws are just not sufficient to curb all wickedness..... and bring true justice.
The alternative is to spy on everyone and create a police state situation. And this is the reason I said above that God assures us that there is a future life and all the injustices of the "past" and present" will be dealt with personally by Him. One either believes that God is going to do this  - or not. We cannot help 'all' people who have suffered from this crime BUT.... they are being reached by the Kingdom message.  If their pain is very great they can find consolation and comfort from Jehovah's promises.
Many people only focus only on the 'now - the present'  and not on these promises.  If you are one of these people, I then suggest you start fighting religions where it is part of their religion to allow "thighing"  of young children already at the age of one year (the practice of sex on young children without penetration) - that is, if you really want to accomplish something and clean up all dirty" organizations and sexual crimes on earth.  Become an activist for all the children in Africa who are raped on a daily basis with no-one to stand up for them.  Or focus on religious organizations that are still moving their clergy around even though there now are new laws being put in place to assist them.  Do not focus on the one organization who is really trying to be aware of the problem while not excluding anyone with "repentance" to attend a meeting.  Or are you hardline on this too..." once a criminal - always a criminal" label"?
I personally do not believe that molesters reform easily - but there may be a few who do - and therefore I understand the measures that has been put in place by our organization.
I have told this incident before on this forum: a friend of mine brought a young boy to the meeting without his mother accompanying him. Afterward an elder called her and told her that it was a "fine" thing to bring him but she must not do it again.  She must be cautious and careful because people can turn around and accuse her of child molestation.... A simple act of kindness can turn into a nightmare.
Most people in the organization are "clean" as you said  but Jesus himself said that there would be people within the congregation that will be "enemies" of the congregation and will bring reproach on it through their (secret) behavior. This is why God promises that these will receive their due from Him - all those who do NOT have the mark of survival given by the angel with the "inkhorn" will perish.  This angel is Jesus who is leading the "marking work" - and he knows all things that go on in secret.

There should not have been another thread. You said it too eloquently.
Anna, who starts the now never-ending thread, protests that she did not deliberately start it. Her remarks were shuffled about by the overlords to make it appear as though she started it. How that came about I haven't traced. Who cares? It should have ended with you.
Don't you hate it when you give so much effort to organize points so well as you have done and then find a few days later it is as though you never existed?
I have seen none of the proceedings so I don't really know. I'm not holding my breath. But I am beginning to wonder, just possibly, if Jehovah's organization might emerge from this in the eyes of the authorites as honest, decent, ready to repair and help, and that the negative buzz about them originates from person who have their own agenda.

Yes there have been victims - as I said before - in every organization where children are you will find that this happens in secret.  It is heartbreaking.  But because you work in this field you are focusing just on one organization which you seems to dislike.  Please keep in mind this organization has put steps in place to curb this as much as possible and has corrected errors which it has made in the past.... it did not act fast enough to the new laws that were put in place in the first world countries (and only a few countries enforce it). 
I personally know of a case where a young boy had only touched his cousin in an inappropriate place out of curiosity and the father went to a lawyer- who reported it to authorities.  This young boy was put into a reformatory at age 13 with his reputation ruined for the rest of his life.  This is how the law can also overreach.  There are two sides to every story.... and therefore one must acknowledge that human laws are just not sufficient to curb all wickedness..... and bring true justice.
The alternative is to spy on everyone and create a police state situation. And this is the reason I said above that God assures us that there is a future life and all the injustices of the "past" and present" will be dealt with personally by Him. One either believes that God is going to do this  - or not. We cannot help 'all' people who have suffered from this crime BUT.... they are being reached by the Kingdom message.  If their pain is very great they can find consolation and comfort from Jehovah's promises.
Many people only focus only on the 'now - the present'  and not on these promises.  If you are one of these people, I then suggest you start fighting religions where it is part of their religion to allow "thighing"  of young children already at the age of one year (the practice of sex on young children without penetration) - that is, if you really want to accomplish something and clean up all dirty" organizations and sexual crimes on earth.  Become an activist for all the children in Africa who are raped on a daily basis with no-one to stand up for them.  Or focus on religious organizations that are still moving their clergy around even though there now are new laws being put in place to assist them.  Do not focus on the one organization who is really trying to be aware of the problem while not excluding anyone with "repentance" to attend a meeting.  Or are you hardline on this too..." once a criminal - always a criminal" label"?
I personally do not believe that molesters reform easily - but there may be a few who do - and therefore I understand the measures that has been put in place by our organization.
I have told this incident before on this forum: a friend of mine brought a young boy to the meeting without his mother accompanying him. Afterward an elder called her and told her that it was a "fine" thing to bring him but she must not do it again.  She must be cautious and careful because people can turn around and accuse her of child molestation.... A simple act of kindness can turn into a nightmare.
Most people in the organization are "clean" as you said  but Jesus himself said that there would be people within the congregation that will be "enemies" of the congregation and will bring reproach on it through their (secret) behavior. This is why God promises that these will receive their due from Him - all those who do NOT have the mark of survival given by the angel with the "inkhorn" will perish.  This angel is Jesus who is leading the "marking work" - and he knows all things that go on in secret.

I am not writing this to cause a debate - I'm actually tired of people who have the education to gather a lot of  'information' but have not learnt to think about all sides of an issue and put it in perspective.  They become stuck on the information and then they judge everything on this one-sided information and become belligerent.
1.  Sexual abuse of children is in every organization on earth - wherever there are children. This is why we see government institutions intermittently in the media where children were found to have been abused - the tip of the iceberg - even though the perpetrators know the penalty if caught .  This practice is insidious and 'hidden' and it is hard to pinpoint and it is prevalent amongst  ALL levels of society - judges, doctors, policemen, gardeners. People can also be falsely accused - but one should always act to protect the child.
2. People who react so nasty to religious child abuse (whatever the church or organization) - look back at time with "modern" views. They know that it is not accepted by law -  now - but what about 50 years ago?  Most people do not look at the history of the 'laws' against child abuse.  
3.  Governments are now launching inquiries so they can be seen to be 'doing something about the issue" and trying to understand the issue.  Why only now?  Because decent laws to protect children have only been in place for a relative short period of time - in most first world countries. Children have been suffering for a very long time, long before this overwhelming outcry, cases coming forward, and media attention been given to it in the past 30 years.  Why were governments negligent to bring laws against child sexual abuse for such a long time and why was the media complicit in its silence?
Only 50 years ago - only the first world countries - started to look at this problem.  Before this - society was closed and it was a taboo subject to talk about.  The sixties brought a sexual revolution when people started to talk openly about sex but it took another 15 years before people started to mention this taboo subject in public. I also know that reporters did not write much about the issues regarding this.  Some countries had insufficient laws and procedures which made it impossible to prosecute a child molester.
I was working for a newspaper myself (not an English one) and a case came up where the entire nation was shocked because a child molester had stolen kids and murdered them.  I told my friend, who was a reputable reporter, to use this time of media attention - to bring to the attention of society - that most people could not take a child molester to court because a child could be cross-examined in court.  This meant that even a small child had to become a "victim" a second time by having to face the perpetrator in court and then be cross-examined. Most often a conviction could not be had. The way evidence was collected also did not favor the child.
I know that a law (to protect the child during court proceedings in America) was only ratified as late as 2003.  Consequently - if I were a lawyer in a court case where millions was to be paid out - I will point to finger to the lawmakers (congress) - who were supposed to be the protectors of its people.   If there were not proper laws in place to get a proper conviction - why would an organization put themselves out there and fight the legal system - whatever the organization? 
After all these inquiries (Australia, England) into child abuse and the procedures followed by religious organizations - hopefully these governments will bring in laws to cover the holes still left in the legal system and provide clarity to (religious and other) organizations on proper government procedures to follow when someone is accused of child abuse.
 4.  There are many countries with laws against child abuse - but the age of consent is between 12 - 14 years. Belgium comes to mind (13).  Most pedophiles travel to Thailand and other countries to indulge in pedophilia.  There are many countries across the world with strong laws against child abuse but it is never enforced because child abuse is not viewed as an important issue - they have more pressing problems such as hunger or socio-economic problems.  It is part of daily life in some third world countries.  What this indicates to me is that world-wide organizations, who have children in their midst at any time, have to try to adapt to the many different laws (in many countries - child marriage is still allowed) and cultures regarding this issue.
5.  We expect religious organizations to have 'higher' standards - but in the past no-one spoke of these things and people did not know how to deal with it....with lawmakers and media complicit.  The Watchtower organization has not been perfect but it has adjusted and put the best possible procedures in place for every country (but it will never be fool-proof, perfect or sufficient).  Child molestation is not an easy crime to determine.  One needs experts to examine each case - and even experts can be fooled. 
6. Religious organizations cannot ban people - so child molesters can attend meetings if they wished.  This is why it is important for brothers and sisters to obey instructions to take their own children to the toilet, to let their children only visit with supervision etc. An unbelieving relative like a grand-father can perpetrate this crime (happened to a friend of mine).   So to sum up - parents are responsible for the safety of those in its family unit - and it has never been easy to intervene in family affairs if the father is the perpetrator. This is why it is better that it becomes the government's responsibility!  It seems that governments are now doing enquiries into the procedures of organizations - so they can put proper laws and procedures in place to take up this responsibility in a proper way -  at last!
In the end - it is only Jehovah who will do the final judging of all people who have lived on earth. He is justice personified and he is the one who sees the things that go on in secret. He promises that all suffering will be done away with under his future government and it will not even come to mind of the victim!
I live in Sweden now (who is in denial of all the rapes going on) and I read recently that a case was thrown out of court - a young woman who was raped by six refugees. The reason: she must have consented. My husband made the comment that even a woman who makes her money by this way of life will not consent to violent sexual actions by 6 different men.... but this is where our world is heading now.  No More justice....
 
 

This was supposed to be a light-hearted, humorous 'Caption this pic' thread.
INTREPID TRAVELLER (and others): The child abuse issue is too weighty to have it piggy-backing on a fun thread. I know you have posted elsewhere on the forum about it with those links. Wouldn't it be best to discuss this on a separate thread?
Meanwhile ....
"Bu... *sniff, sob* ... b..ut I want to be a spaceman when I grow up!"

I also try to use logic - especially when talking to atheists or scientists.

"He reasoned with them from the Scriptures."—Acts 17:2.              
The account tells us that while in Thessalonica, Paul preached in the synagogue for three Sabbaths. Does this mean that his visit to the city lasted just three weeks? Not necessarily. 
We do not know how soon after his arrival Paul first went to the synagogue. Further, Paul’s letters disclose that while in Thessalonica, he and his companions worked to support themselves. (1 Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3:7, 8) 
Also, during his stay, Paul twice received provisions from the brothers in Philippi. (Phil. 4:16) So his stay in Thessalonica was likely somewhat longer than three weeks.
Having mustered up boldness to preach, Paul spoke to those assembled in the synagogue. According to his custom, “he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving by references that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying: ‘This is the Christ, this Jesus whom I am publishing to you.’” (Acts 17:2, 3) 
Note that Paul did not seek to stir up the emotions of his listeners; he appealed to their minds. He knew that those who attended the synagogue were familiar with and respected the Scriptures. 
What they lacked was understanding. Paul therefore reasoned, explained, and proved from the Scriptures that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, or Christ.

I am not writing this to cause a debate - I'm actually tired of people who have the education to gather a lot of  'information' but have not learnt to think about all sides of an issue and put it in perspective.  They become stuck on the information and then they judge everything on this one-sided information and become belligerent.
1.  Sexual abuse of children is in every organization on earth - wherever there are children. This is why we see government institutions intermittently in the media where children were found to have been abused - the tip of the iceberg - even though the perpetrators know the penalty if caught .  This practice is insidious and 'hidden' and it is hard to pinpoint and it is prevalent amongst  ALL levels of society - judges, doctors, policemen, gardeners. People can also be falsely accused - but one should always act to protect the child.
2. People who react so nasty to religious child abuse (whatever the church or organization) - look back at time with "modern" views. They know that it is not accepted by law -  now - but what about 50 years ago?  Most people do not look at the history of the 'laws' against child abuse.  
3.  Governments are now launching inquiries so they can be seen to be 'doing something about the issue" and trying to understand the issue.  Why only now?  Because decent laws to protect children have only been in place for a relative short period of time - in most first world countries. Children have been suffering for a very long time, long before this overwhelming outcry, cases coming forward, and media attention been given to it in the past 30 years.  Why were governments negligent to bring laws against child sexual abuse for such a long time and why was the media complicit in its silence?
Only 50 years ago - only the first world countries - started to look at this problem.  Before this - society was closed and it was a taboo subject to talk about.  The sixties brought a sexual revolution when people started to talk openly about sex but it took another 15 years before people started to mention this taboo subject in public. I also know that reporters did not write much about the issues regarding this.  Some countries had insufficient laws and procedures which made it impossible to prosecute a child molester.
I was working for a newspaper myself (not an English one) and a case came up where the entire nation was shocked because a child molester had stolen kids and murdered them.  I told my friend, who was a reputable reporter, to use this time of media attention - to bring to the attention of society - that most people could not take a child molester to court because a child could be cross-examined in court.  This meant that even a small child had to become a "victim" a second time by having to face the perpetrator in court and then be cross-examined. Most often a conviction could not be had. The way evidence was collected also did not favor the child.
I know that a law (to protect the child during court proceedings in America) was only ratified as late as 2003.  Consequently - if I were a lawyer in a court case where millions was to be paid out - I will point to finger to the lawmakers (congress) - who were supposed to be the protectors of its people.   If there were not proper laws in place to get a proper conviction - why would an organization put themselves out there and fight the legal system - whatever the organization? 
After all these inquiries (Australia, England) into child abuse and the procedures followed by religious organizations - hopefully these governments will bring in laws to cover the holes still left in the legal system and provide clarity to (religious and other) organizations on proper government procedures to follow when someone is accused of child abuse.
 4.  There are many countries with laws against child abuse - but the age of consent is between 12 - 14 years. Belgium comes to mind (13).  Most pedophiles travel to Thailand and other countries to indulge in pedophilia.  There are many countries across the world with strong laws against child abuse but it is never enforced because child abuse is not viewed as an important issue - they have more pressing problems such as hunger or socio-economic problems.  It is part of daily life in some third world countries.  What this indicates to me is that world-wide organizations, who have children in their midst at any time, have to try to adapt to the many different laws (in many countries - child marriage is still allowed) and cultures regarding this issue.
5.  We expect religious organizations to have 'higher' standards - but in the past no-one spoke of these things and people did not know how to deal with it....with lawmakers and media complicit.  The Watchtower organization has not been perfect but it has adjusted and put the best possible procedures in place for every country (but it will never be fool-proof, perfect or sufficient).  Child molestation is not an easy crime to determine.  One needs experts to examine each case - and even experts can be fooled. 
6. Religious organizations cannot ban people - so child molesters can attend meetings if they wished.  This is why it is important for brothers and sisters to obey instructions to take their own children to the toilet, to let their children only visit with supervision etc. An unbelieving relative like a grand-father can perpetrate this crime (happened to a friend of mine).   So to sum up - parents are responsible for the safety of those in its family unit - and it has never been easy to intervene in family affairs if the father is the perpetrator. This is why it is better that it becomes the government's responsibility!  It seems that governments are now doing enquiries into the procedures of organizations - so they can put proper laws and procedures in place to take up this responsibility in a proper way -  at last!
In the end - it is only Jehovah who will do the final judging of all people who have lived on earth. He is justice personified and he is the one who sees the things that go on in secret. He promises that all suffering will be done away with under his future government and it will not even come to mind of the victim!
I live in Sweden now (who is in denial of all the rapes going on) and I read recently that a case was thrown out of court - a young woman who was raped by six refugees. The reason: she must have consented. My husband made the comment that even a woman who makes her money by this way of life will not consent to violent sexual actions by 6 different men.... but this is where our world is heading now.  No More justice....
 
 

I am not writing this to cause a debate - I'm actually tired of people who have the education to gather a lot of  'information' but have not learnt to think about all sides of an issue and put it in perspective.  They become stuck on the information and then they judge everything on this one-sided information and become belligerent.
1.  Sexual abuse of children is in every organization on earth - wherever there are children. This is why we see government institutions intermittently in the media where children were found to have been abused - the tip of the iceberg - even though the perpetrators know the penalty if caught .  This practice is insidious and 'hidden' and it is hard to pinpoint and it is prevalent amongst  ALL levels of society - judges, doctors, policemen, gardeners. People can also be falsely accused - but one should always act to protect the child.
2. People who react so nasty to religious child abuse (whatever the church or organization) - look back at time with "modern" views. They know that it is not accepted by law -  now - but what about 50 years ago?  Most people do not look at the history of the 'laws' against child abuse.  
3.  Governments are now launching inquiries so they can be seen to be 'doing something about the issue" and trying to understand the issue.  Why only now?  Because decent laws to protect children have only been in place for a relative short period of time - in most first world countries. Children have been suffering for a very long time, long before this overwhelming outcry, cases coming forward, and media attention been given to it in the past 30 years.  Why were governments negligent to bring laws against child sexual abuse for such a long time and why was the media complicit in its silence?
Only 50 years ago - only the first world countries - started to look at this problem.  Before this - society was closed and it was a taboo subject to talk about.  The sixties brought a sexual revolution when people started to talk openly about sex but it took another 15 years before people started to mention this taboo subject in public. I also know that reporters did not write much about the issues regarding this.  Some countries had insufficient laws and procedures which made it impossible to prosecute a child molester.
I was working for a newspaper myself (not an English one) and a case came up where the entire nation was shocked because a child molester had stolen kids and murdered them.  I told my friend, who was a reputable reporter, to use this time of media attention - to bring to the attention of society - that most people could not take a child molester to court because a child could be cross-examined in court.  This meant that even a small child had to become a "victim" a second time by having to face the perpetrator in court and then be cross-examined. Most often a conviction could not be had. The way evidence was collected also did not favor the child.
I know that a law (to protect the child during court proceedings in America) was only ratified as late as 2003.  Consequently - if I were a lawyer in a court case where millions was to be paid out - I will point to finger to the lawmakers (congress) - who were supposed to be the protectors of its people.   If there were not proper laws in place to get a proper conviction - why would an organization put themselves out there and fight the legal system - whatever the organization? 
After all these inquiries (Australia, England) into child abuse and the procedures followed by religious organizations - hopefully these governments will bring in laws to cover the holes still left in the legal system and provide clarity to (religious and other) organizations on proper government procedures to follow when someone is accused of child abuse.
 4.  There are many countries with laws against child abuse - but the age of consent is between 12 - 14 years. Belgium comes to mind (13).  Most pedophiles travel to Thailand and other countries to indulge in pedophilia.  There are many countries across the world with strong laws against child abuse but it is never enforced because child abuse is not viewed as an important issue - they have more pressing problems such as hunger or socio-economic problems.  It is part of daily life in some third world countries.  What this indicates to me is that world-wide organizations, who have children in their midst at any time, have to try to adapt to the many different laws (in many countries - child marriage is still allowed) and cultures regarding this issue.
5.  We expect religious organizations to have 'higher' standards - but in the past no-one spoke of these things and people did not know how to deal with it....with lawmakers and media complicit.  The Watchtower organization has not been perfect but it has adjusted and put the best possible procedures in place for every country (but it will never be fool-proof, perfect or sufficient).  Child molestation is not an easy crime to determine.  One needs experts to examine each case - and even experts can be fooled. 
6. Religious organizations cannot ban people - so child molesters can attend meetings if they wished.  This is why it is important for brothers and sisters to obey instructions to take their own children to the toilet, to let their children only visit with supervision etc. An unbelieving relative like a grand-father can perpetrate this crime (happened to a friend of mine).   So to sum up - parents are responsible for the safety of those in its family unit - and it has never been easy to intervene in family affairs if the father is the perpetrator. This is why it is better that it becomes the government's responsibility!  It seems that governments are now doing enquiries into the procedures of organizations - so they can put proper laws and procedures in place to take up this responsibility in a proper way -  at last!
In the end - it is only Jehovah who will do the final judging of all people who have lived on earth. He is justice personified and he is the one who sees the things that go on in secret. He promises that all suffering will be done away with under his future government and it will not even come to mind of the victim!
I live in Sweden now (who is in denial of all the rapes going on) and I read recently that a case was thrown out of court - a young woman who was raped by six refugees. The reason: she must have consented. My husband made the comment that even a woman who makes her money by this way of life will not consent to violent sexual actions by 6 different men.... but this is where our world is heading now.  No More justice....
 
 

I am not writing this to cause a debate - I'm actually tired of people who have the education to gather a lot of  'information' but have not learnt to think about all sides of an issue and put it in perspective.  They become stuck on the information and then they judge everything on this one-sided information and become belligerent.
1.  Sexual abuse of children is in every organization on earth - wherever there are children. This is why we see government institutions intermittently in the media where children were found to have been abused - the tip of the iceberg - even though the perpetrators know the penalty if caught .  This practice is insidious and 'hidden' and it is hard to pinpoint and it is prevalent amongst  ALL levels of society - judges, doctors, policemen, gardeners. People can also be falsely accused - but one should always act to protect the child.
2. People who react so nasty to religious child abuse (whatever the church or organization) - look back at time with "modern" views. They know that it is not accepted by law -  now - but what about 50 years ago?  Most people do not look at the history of the 'laws' against child abuse.  
3.  Governments are now launching inquiries so they can be seen to be 'doing something about the issue" and trying to understand the issue.  Why only now?  Because decent laws to protect children have only been in place for a relative short period of time - in most first world countries. Children have been suffering for a very long time, long before this overwhelming outcry, cases coming forward, and media attention been given to it in the past 30 years.  Why were governments negligent to bring laws against child sexual abuse for such a long time and why was the media complicit in its silence?
Only 50 years ago - only the first world countries - started to look at this problem.  Before this - society was closed and it was a taboo subject to talk about.  The sixties brought a sexual revolution when people started to talk openly about sex but it took another 15 years before people started to mention this taboo subject in public. I also know that reporters did not write much about the issues regarding this.  Some countries had insufficient laws and procedures which made it impossible to prosecute a child molester.
I was working for a newspaper myself (not an English one) and a case came up where the entire nation was shocked because a child molester had stolen kids and murdered them.  I told my friend, who was a reputable reporter, to use this time of media attention - to bring to the attention of society - that most people could not take a child molester to court because a child could be cross-examined in court.  This meant that even a small child had to become a "victim" a second time by having to face the perpetrator in court and then be cross-examined. Most often a conviction could not be had. The way evidence was collected also did not favor the child.
I know that a law (to protect the child during court proceedings in America) was only ratified as late as 2003.  Consequently - if I were a lawyer in a court case where millions was to be paid out - I will point to finger to the lawmakers (congress) - who were supposed to be the protectors of its people.   If there were not proper laws in place to get a proper conviction - why would an organization put themselves out there and fight the legal system - whatever the organization? 
After all these inquiries (Australia, England) into child abuse and the procedures followed by religious organizations - hopefully these governments will bring in laws to cover the holes still left in the legal system and provide clarity to (religious and other) organizations on proper government procedures to follow when someone is accused of child abuse.
 4.  There are many countries with laws against child abuse - but the age of consent is between 12 - 14 years. Belgium comes to mind (13).  Most pedophiles travel to Thailand and other countries to indulge in pedophilia.  There are many countries across the world with strong laws against child abuse but it is never enforced because child abuse is not viewed as an important issue - they have more pressing problems such as hunger or socio-economic problems.  It is part of daily life in some third world countries.  What this indicates to me is that world-wide organizations, who have children in their midst at any time, have to try to adapt to the many different laws (in many countries - child marriage is still allowed) and cultures regarding this issue.
5.  We expect religious organizations to have 'higher' standards - but in the past no-one spoke of these things and people did not know how to deal with it....with lawmakers and media complicit.  The Watchtower organization has not been perfect but it has adjusted and put the best possible procedures in place for every country (but it will never be fool-proof, perfect or sufficient).  Child molestation is not an easy crime to determine.  One needs experts to examine each case - and even experts can be fooled. 
6. Religious organizations cannot ban people - so child molesters can attend meetings if they wished.  This is why it is important for brothers and sisters to obey instructions to take their own children to the toilet, to let their children only visit with supervision etc. An unbelieving relative like a grand-father can perpetrate this crime (happened to a friend of mine).   So to sum up - parents are responsible for the safety of those in its family unit - and it has never been easy to intervene in family affairs if the father is the perpetrator. This is why it is better that it becomes the government's responsibility!  It seems that governments are now doing enquiries into the procedures of organizations - so they can put proper laws and procedures in place to take up this responsibility in a proper way -  at last!
In the end - it is only Jehovah who will do the final judging of all people who have lived on earth. He is justice personified and he is the one who sees the things that go on in secret. He promises that all suffering will be done away with under his future government and it will not even come to mind of the victim!
I live in Sweden now (who is in denial of all the rapes going on) and I read recently that a case was thrown out of court - a young woman who was raped by six refugees. The reason: she must have consented. My husband made the comment that even a woman who makes her money by this way of life will not consent to violent sexual actions by 6 different men.... but this is where our world is heading now.  No More justice....
 
 

"No. I am your Father!"
"No! That's not true! That's impossible!"

It will happen long before 2050:  Many Muslim men have 4 wives and between 5 - 8 children with each wife.  In Europe, the Europeans have a negative population growth.  Many Europeans do not marry and live alone with occasional sexual flings.  They are paying the tax for these large expanding families - and Muslims believe that "unbelievers" must support them... with Jizya.... Most believe that they will eventually rule the world....... and Satan may actually use this religion for his purposes.
Within 20 years the upcoming generation of Muslims will be voted into government and we will see changes to laws which may take away your choice of religion and you will have to pay the Jizya tax for being an unbeliever..... or if things get more violent... suffer under islam if one refuses to submit.  It will not be a matter of popularity - but one of submission. Our faith will be tested! 
Movements to this effect are already present in Europe and Canada and laws are being ratified wherein one is not allowed to criticize Islam (it is the only religion which has been singled out for this privilege!).  Islam is not a minority - they are now the most populous on earth and are the largest minorities in many countries.
This is the reason we see that far-right organizations are suddenly gaining so much political traction because people have woken up to this fact..... It is already too late ....... we know the end will come with the worst tribulation ever on the earth!   Things have been set in motion!  False religion (militant Christians of the far right and other far-right organizations) are the same as Islam because of the militant frame of mind.   
Yesterday a large, bearded man came out of his house (we knocked twice and left after receiving no answer). He ran after us in uncontrollable anger and belligerence and shouted for the entire neighborhood to hear: " I am a Muslim and if you knock at my door again I will take a knife and kill you. " ! he repeated this phrase in his anger. We apologized and left.  I knew that he saw us as "weak" because this is how these militant people think....  but I already know that Jehovah is the only one who can clean the earth of all kinds of "beastly" people.... no group of humans can do this.  We need a heavenly army of angels to do this!
False religion (which is showing its true colors) will really be riding the beast!  I saw a clip yesterday that ISIS has given its fighters permission to eat humans - this is not barbaric, it is 'beastly'.  It reminds me of the prophesy in revelation 6, which talks of the pale horse - premature death due to hunger, plagues and "beasts".

It will happen long before 2050:  Many Muslim men have 4 wives and between 5 - 8 children with each wife.  In Europe, the Europeans have a negative population growth.  Many Europeans do not marry and live alone with occasional sexual flings.  They are paying the tax for these large expanding families - and Muslims believe that "unbelievers" must support them... with Jizya.... Most believe that they will eventually rule the world....... and Satan may actually use this religion for his purposes.
Within 20 years the upcoming generation of Muslims will be voted into government and we will see changes to laws which may take away your choice of religion and you will have to pay the Jizya tax for being an unbeliever..... or if things get more violent... suffer under islam if one refuses to submit.  It will not be a matter of popularity - but one of submission. Our faith will be tested! 
Movements to this effect are already present in Europe and Canada and laws are being ratified wherein one is not allowed to criticize Islam (it is the only religion which has been singled out for this privilege!).  Islam is not a minority - they are now the most populous on earth and are the largest minorities in many countries.
This is the reason we see that far-right organizations are suddenly gaining so much political traction because people have woken up to this fact..... It is already too late ....... we know the end will come with the worst tribulation ever on the earth!   Things have been set in motion!  False religion (militant Christians of the far right and other far-right organizations) are the same as Islam because of the militant frame of mind.   
Yesterday a large, bearded man came out of his house (we knocked twice and left after receiving no answer). He ran after us in uncontrollable anger and belligerence and shouted for the entire neighborhood to hear: " I am a Muslim and if you knock at my door again I will take a knife and kill you. " ! he repeated this phrase in his anger. We apologized and left.  I knew that he saw us as "weak" because this is how these militant people think....  but I already know that Jehovah is the only one who can clean the earth of all kinds of "beastly" people.... no group of humans can do this.  We need a heavenly army of angels to do this!
False religion (which is showing its true colors) will really be riding the beast!  I saw a clip yesterday that ISIS has given its fighters permission to eat humans - this is not barbaric, it is 'beastly'.  It reminds me of the prophesy in revelation 6, which talks of the pale horse - premature death due to hunger, plagues and "beasts".

Thanks for sharing your experiences Arauna. Most of us from the West have never encountered situations like that and it's good to remember that those who are stricken in some way, does not necessarily mean they have a spiritual need....I am thinking of the refugee situation in Europe, I was there a couple of months ago and saw some very pity full looking families. The friends try bring them hope, but often times they view us like a charity that merely provides materially. This is the kind of reputation the churches have, so this is what they expect from us too....

I totally agree with all statements made above.  I have also had one very needy person (could not read or write from Iraq) who monopolized a lot of my time and later found fault with other sisters who did not do the same..... So I learnt through hard experience that we must focus on  "spiritual enrichment " first.
Because we really care, people can see this and take advantage.  Most other churches only focus on "social injustices" and these type of issues by having food banks etc.   I have had people directly ask me if we have "social assistance" because they think all Christian churches focus only on this.
This charity in itself is wonderful - but these Christians have not been given the job by Jehovah as the "faithful and discreet slave" to dispense spiritual food to the rest of the world. All of us has this important commission as those " who are grabbing the skirt of the Jew".   So I now try to imitate them by being "faithful" and 'discreet' - using good judgment regarding focus (and even your own safety) - in these communities. 
Many of them have been traumatized by war (or the way their society operates) and are truly pitiful - but they have no spiritual need.  Most come from communities where a standard of life (the family gold and how much you can pay for a wife) is important.  So we must learn how they think and learn to distinguish who wants "things" and who truly has a spiritual need. 
I have found some (mostly women) who cannot focus on a study because they have just too many emotional stresses because of extreme poverty. Women tend to show this kind of stress very quickly and some have husbands who beat them etc.  In these cases I have helped them fill out forms to get the appropriate social services. However,  I am very careful to come between a husband and wife because we cannot (by helping) be blamed for things that go wrong afterward - so I give only emotional support in these cases.

Nothing surprises me any more!