Should Religions be Required to Report Accused Sex Offenders in Their Midst?

Question

Several religions, including the Catholic Church and the Jehovah's Witnesses, have had many sex offenders among their priests and other leaders. However, it seems they almost always attempt to hide behind penitant priviledge and do not report these accusations to authorities for investigation. Do you think they should be required to report the accusations; and, should the religion suffer civil or criminal penalties if they do not report?

I have had a couple of direct communications with achtung_heiss (curious handle), wherein he / she infers that my comments "betray your disdain for JWs" and that "You do seem intent on portraying anything and everything about JWs in the worst possible light, and not shy about distorting the truth."
He /she also infers that I have an "agenda" of specifically picking on the Jehovah Witnesses through my question.

Since I presented both the Catholic Church and the Jehovah Witnesses as examples of religions that have refused to voluntarily report accusations of molestation within their ranks (those seem to be the two that I most often hear about in counseling sessions with clients), I am curious if others feel I am "picking on" the Watchtower and not the Catholics; or, indeed, whether I have an agenda of presenting just the Watchtower in the worst possible light.

... or, could I have been posing a neutral question, citing these two groups only because of my clients' experiences...???

I ask this additional question, because achtung_heiss has now quit responding to my questions about why he / she makes this assertion. It seems like he / she did a "hit and run", whereby they attack, then hide.

I am curious, because I am shocked by achtung_heiss's intense defensiveness and groundless accusations.

Are all Jehovah Witnesses that defensive, or is it just this subject matter that makes it seem so? I have not experienced this kind of anger or defensiveness from any other church member or spokesperson of other churches.

Answer 1

Yes, without a doubt! It is turning out to be nothing more than a cover for them. If they don't turn the sex offenders in then the church should be penalized...even better yet, why not make them start paying taxes!

Answer 2

Maybe you were accused of being a sex offender. That is nothing compared to the bigotry and hatred piled on the Catholic Church on the issue. Many ignorant and bigoted people out there in the media and elsewhere run around painting the Catholic Church with a broad brush as being full of pedophiles. Your kids are in TEN TIMES the danger of being abused in a public school than in any Catholic school, but the truth is unimportant to people driven by hate. I don't know what an apposing view is, but I do think the person was merely providing a solid defense of the Catholic Church. If you ask why the Catholic Church shouldn't be investigated itself and not just the abusers found within - I would ask why the police also do not come to your house and do a search warrant for any incriminating items that show you are an avid sex offender. It would make more sense than persecuting an institution that is overwhelmingly good for humanity regardless of your personal religious views.

Answer 3

The key here is that all church's "should" report sex offenders. However, not all do, especially when the offender "confesses" to a church official. Most priests (ie, in the Catholic church) are not allowed to divulge what is said in the confessional, thus making it impossible to report the crime, as you have mentioned. Unfortunately, since many religions feel that God's law is above man's, very little will ever change.

On your side bars: JW's are like any other faith, they want to cover up the transgressions of their leaders and congregations. And yes, they are fiercely loyal to their members. As an ex-JW, I can tell you that there was an Elder in our congregation who molested several young girls. Upon being found out, he apologized to the Elders, not to the victims, promised to never do it again, and after 6 months of "penance" was given his position as Elder back. Within a year, he was molesting again. I don't honestly know what ever happened to him, but I do know he was never charged with a crime. I believe he was moved to another congregation.

However, let me state, that this is simply one case that I am personally aware of (yes, I do have first hand knowledge of this case, so please do not tell me that it's hearsay). That being said, we can all state how many cases from the Catholic Church we've heard from the news, as well as from other Christian churches; most recently Reverend Ted Haggard and I'm sure many others. Sexual depravity is not limited to one or two faiths and should not be pigeonholed as such.

Answer 4

I feel that ANYONE who preys on children must be punished, and STOPPED, anyone who hides this knowledge deserves the same.
That said I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I often see people mentioning the "Molesters" "being hidden" within the walls of Kingdom Halls. This is most annoying as I cannot think of a SINGLE person who offers a shred of proof. I have heard of a report on Dateline? that talked about someone who purported to being molested. As I understand it it airred once. This was around the same time that various "news" shows were being revealed as having made up info.
I saw one "news" item, made by VH1(A definite source for reliable info) about Michael Jackson. It was a horrific smear job. I waited to see if they offered ANY proof or honest statements. They did not. They had a supposed former Witness on who made vauge lies. Case in point, he said that Michael was rased with a book that said he should not tell if he was molested(I do not remember exact wording). The book in question was released earlier the year of the documentary. How is it that this book is the one Michael was raised reading? The information the "Witness" mentioned is not in the anywhere in the book.
Does corruption happen?? You bet. Should it be reported?? Yes. Do we?? Yes. Is Achtung_Hiess a Witness, who knows. I personally do not know this person, however during a couple communiques he/she refused to say one way or another. I have confronted several on here who said they were Witnesses but proved they were not. Quite a few have come clean. Please NEVER assume that something someone types online is the truth. Hope this helps.

Most "Witnesses" on here do not cut and paste. I myself just recently learned how, for a PSP I was trying to sell.

If I am giving a short quote sometimes I paste, but this is rare. Anyone who looks in my answers will see.

Answer 5

In response to your initial question, yes they should be required.

The views of the Jehovah's Witnesses is that their 1st priority is the safety of the victim, 2nd is the hopeful rehabilitation of the offender, and 3rd to report to secular authorities.

I know some will balk at police being 3rd in line. The point I want to make clear is that they ARE in line and ARE contacted.

As to defensiveness of one of our brothers, I have seen a few questions that "attack or insult" Catholics.

I answer 5-10 questions a day in regards to Jehovah's Witnesses. Some can be inquisitive or "neutral" like this one. But on the average, most of the questions I answer are filled with hate and disgust. I try to answer calmly (and backspace often). After a while it gets to you. That is probably the case with our brother achtung_heiss.

Answer 6

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I do not c&p in my answers. These types of crimes are reported to the police and you're right, they NEED to be, no matter what religion. A man that is ACCUSED of this action (guilty or not) can never be an elder or hold any privileges in the Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses ever again.

Answer 7

They should definitely report sex offenders and there should be the same legal penalties for them as it would be for anyone else.
Besides legal issues, I don't know how they keep their Church Insurance. Our Church Insurance requires that we do back- ground checks on everybody that works with children and have education programs in place for all volunteer workers. Church leaders should never hide behind religious privilege, if anything we should be held to higher standards than anyone else.

Answer 8

Okay, in answer to your question, all organizations, either religious or otherwise should report all sin and crimes.
If someone steals the tithing would you call the police? You should. But you would "save face" so to speak if you could deal with it quietly.
It has been prophesied that the churches will destroy themselves. We don't need to do it. All "false religion" as many of you put it will rot away and then at the last day be accountable for your own sins.
You can see it happening today with the church full of old grandmas. Other churches, while physically clean are as filthy as the cesspools of hell in their teachings.

These people who get away with sin and crime will be judged by Jesus Christ and they will be judged fairly.
They may get away with it in this earthly life, but NEVER in the afterlife.
And in reply to your additional details, yes, most JW are like this. No mind of their own, all they can do is copy and paste from the watchtower website. I am not attacking the church, just the fact that none of the members can seem to speak for themselves.

Answer 9

The premise of this so-called "question" is demonstrably false, and shamefully dishonest. No unbiased authority has pretended that the handling of abuse is at all comparable between Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics.

Catholicism refused to remove the priesthood from serial abusers, even after the priest's record showed decades of repeated offenses. By contrast, anti-Witness critics complain that Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to EXCOMMUNICATE an accused Witness on a SINGLE ACCUSATION (although JWs can and do remove an eldership based on a single accusation).


As a people, Jehovah's Witnesses are disgusted and repulsed by abuse, and are relieved when secular law enforcement officials successfully investigate, prosecute, and punish any criminal who engages in these terrible crimes.

Jehovah's Witnesses fully understand that their role as a religion is in providing comfort to the victim and her family, sharing relevant bible warnings with the congregation and specific potential victims, extolling Christian peaceableness and righteousness, and eventually perhaps in counseling a repentant sinner.

Government workers such as police and prosecutors are generally empowered to pursue criminal matters. Jehovah's Witnesses always work in obedience to secular law and deference to the personal decisions of victims (and their families, where practical). Jehovah's Witness ministers do not investigate criminal matters, leaving such matters to law enforcement authorities.

An unrepentant baptized Jehovah's Witness who is found guilty of a secular crime is likely to be disfellowshipped (or "excommunicated", although Witnesses do not use this latter term). However, a sin against God's supreme authority is clearly a different matter from a sin against secular superior authorities. The standards for criminal conviction and forced religious disassociation will never be identical.


This so-called "question" is almost certainly not sincere, but rather is intended as a slanderous assault on Jehovah's Witnesses. Interestingly, such "hatred" should be expected by true Christians in this time of the end, and it actually helps identify Jehovah's Witnesses as Christ's true disciples:

(John 15:19) If you were part of the world, the world would be fond of what is its own. Now because you are no part of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, on this account the world hates you.

(2 Timothy 4:3-5) For there will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories. You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.

Answer 10

Absolutely,priests,preachers any religions should be forced to report sex offenders.These people(if you can call them that)that abuse and take advantage of children needs to be dealt with in the harshest way.People have a tendency because they are priests,preachers or whoever put them on a pedestal and need to realize they are people and some not very good ones.If the church knew and didnt report it they should be dissolved and the leaders punished