This article is the second response to a talk given by David Splane in the Saturday afternoon session of the “Powerful by Faith” Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Comments in my first response can be viewed in the article “Does Not the Ear Test Out Words?“
After misapplying the statement in Job to get his audience to avoid listening and evaluating information critical of the organization, (testing out words) Splane now tries to legitimize what he has just said by saying that paying attention to what the words mean is another way to test out words.
If a media outlet reports that a person has been charged or is being investigated, is that clever wording to avoid a lawsuit or factual reporting? If a newspaper reported that someone was convicted or put in jail can the newspaper be faulted for reporting that the person was found guilty? Where is the clever wording? It is true that just because a person was convicted or put in jail that does not prove that in every case he is guilty. On occasion there is a miscarriage of justice and an innocent person suffers undeservedly. However, is this not rather the exception than the rule? It all depends on the available facts and evidence relevant to the case that has been brought to light. Sometimes decisions are reversed when new evidence comes to light. As a matter of fact, the members of the governing body appeal to this very principle for themselves. When errors in scriptural interpretation are exposed and corrections are made, the excuse that God has provided “new light” is used as a get out of jail free card so that they can completely exonerate themselves from guilt or the need to apologize. It was not their fault because it was just not God’s time to reveal it to them. (Pr. 4:18)
Does Splane want us to believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses are never ever guilty of committing a crime? Why then are thousands disfellowshipped each year? Are none of their offenses criminal? How does one determine the facts? On the other hand it should be obvious that just because a person is declared an apostate by men does not mean that he is guilty. Yet that is precisely what David Splane is doing in this talk by placing that label on anyone that criticizes the organization or any of its policies. And disfellowshipping someone for disagreeing with a scriptural interpretation of the governing body, especially when that interpretation is later adjusted, is in effect the delivering of a very cruel and unjust spiritual death sentence.
By the way, is David Splane giving complete information? Were the young brothers in South Korea really convicted and jailed for refusing to kill someone? Note how the Watchtower society itself reports on the situation:
“South Korea continues to imprison young brothers because of their Christian neutrality. Each month about 45 young brothers are convicted and sentenced to one and a half years in prison. As a result, about 750 brothers are currently suffering imprisonment in Korea. This is the largest number of Jehovah’s Witnesses imprisoned for their faith in any country of the world. Since 1950, some 17,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been sentenced to a total of more than 32,000 years of prison time.
In 2012, the authorities stepped up their repression of Witness conscientious objectors by sentencing to prison terms—for the first time—individuals who conscientiously objected to their call-up as reservists. In the past, these individuals were only fined for refusing reservist military training. Because there are several reservist call-ups over the years, those who object to reservist duty will face multiple trials. For example, in November 2011, Ho-jeong Son was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment. Then, in June 2012, he was again tried and this time sentenced to six months’ imprisonment. He was detained immediately after the second trial and released on bail after 29 days, pending the outcome of his appeal. He now faces a prison sentence of 14 months.
On several occasions, the United Nations Human Rights Committee has condemned South Korea for violating the right to freedom of conscience. New applications are currently pending before this Committee and before the South Korean Constitutional Court in an attempt to resolve the matter. (2013 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses pgs. 40-41)
So they were not handed weapons and ordered to kill someone. Rather it was for refusing to receive military training. But saying refusing to kill someone has more of an emotional impact on his audience.
After sowing seeds of doubt and mistrust for the entire judicial system he then asks the question: “Is it wrong to settle a matter before it goes to trial? Is it scriptural? He then refers to Jesus words in the Sermon on the Mount:
“Be quick to settle matters with your legal opponent, while you are with him on the way there, so that somehow the opponent may not turn you over to the judge, and the judge to the court attendant, and you get thrown into prison. 26 I say to you for a fact, you will certainly not come out of there until you have paid over your last small coin. (Matthew 5:25, 26)
Obviously, since Jesus encouraged it, there is nothing wrong with settling a matter out of court. But this is another example of scripture twisting in order to support his point. David Splane provides nothing more than pure speculation to get around the obvious fact that the reason Jesus is giving for settling a matter out of court is to be quick about admitting one’s guilt so as to avoid a worse scenario. Once again, he contradicts a previous application in the Watchtower:
“Jesus further urged his hearers to avoid delay in rectifying grievances, saying: “Be about settling matters quickly with the one complaining against you at law, while you are with him on the way there.”—Matt. 5:25a.
‘While with the complainant on the way to court’ the offender should vigorously exert himself toward settling the matter out of court. If the offending one were to admit his mistake, express sorrow and indicate a desire to make restitution, likely the one complaining would be inclined to show mercy, perhaps even agreeing to terms that the offender could meet without undue hardship.
Giving a practical reason for such quick settlement of matters, Jesus stated: “That somehow the complainant may not turn you over to the judge, and the judge to the court attendant, and you get thrown into prison.”—Matt. 5:25b.
Once the case got to court, if the defendant was proved guilty and could not pay his debt, the judge might hand him over to a “court attendant.” This official would, in turn, throw the guilty individual into prison. (The Watchtower May 1, 1978 pg. 30)
But why is this subject about settling out of court being raised? Has the organization been sued and had to settle out of court? Yes.[1]
Splane would argue that settling out of court in this case did not mean that the Watchtower society was guilty. Yet when the news reports about sexual abuse allegations in the Catholic Church does the Watchtower caution its readers from jumping to the conclusion that settling out of court is an admission of guilt? No.
The following is just one of many articles printed in the Awake magazine:
“Victims of Pedophile Priests Speak Out
“DURING the past decade, some 400 Roman Catholic priests have been reported to church or civil authorities for sexual abuse of children,” according to U.S.News & World Report. Recently, a national gathering of survivors of such abuse was held near Chicago, Illinois. Many spoke openly of how they had been victimized by pedophile priests.
But NCR (National Catholic Reporter) notes that speakers sounded another theme repeatedly throughout the conference: “The first abuse is sexual; the second and more painful, is psychological.” This second abuse occurs when the church refuses to listen to victims of abuse, fails to take their accusations seriously, and moves only to protect the offending priests. “Fairly or unfairly,” NCR reports, “they portrayed Catholic clergy as belonging to an unhealthy and misguided group more bent on preserving privilege and power than in serving lay needs.” Several speakers made ominous comparisons to the Reformation, which split the church wide open in the 16th century.
According to Richard Sipe, a former priest turned psychotherapist and expert on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, all this institutional denial reveals “a deep, desperate and knowing personal involvement in the problem.” He added: “The church knows and has known for a long time a great deal about the sexual activity of its priests. It has looked the other way, tolerated, covered up and simply lied about the broad spectrum of sexual activity of its priests.” [Bold mine]
Not surprisingly, then, many abuse survivors are suing the church. NCR quotes one attorney who specializes in such cases as saying that there are pedophile-priest cases in each of the church’s 188 dioceses in the United States. He says that out-of-court settlements have run as high as $300,000 per case. U.S.News & World Report says that such suits have already cost the church $400,000,000, a figure that could surge to $1 billion by the year 2000. And the Canadian Press reported recently that some 2,000 survivors of childhood sexual abuse in 22 church-run orphanages and mental institutions in Quebec are suing six religious orders for $1.4 billion in damages.
Interestingly, though, the aforementioned U.S. attorney, who represents 150 victims of pedophile priests in 23 states, says that he has never yet had a client who was eager to go to court. Each one first tried to seek justice “within the pastoral context of the church.” NCR concludes: “Survivors go to the courts, it appears, not as a first resort, but as a last resort.” (Awake April 8, 1993 pg. 31)
Yet David Splane would have us believe that if the media reports on such a case involving Jehovah’s Witnesses that the media cannot be trusted. But why would the society take funds dedicated to the expansion of kingdom interests and use them to pay a child sexual abuse victim in an undisclosed out of court settlement if they were not guilty?
Child sexual abuse allegations are a growing problem for the Watchtower society as more and more countries are reporting how such cases have been mishandled.
Is it possible that all of these media reports are apostate driven lies? What do you think?
[1] Jehovah’s Witnesses to settle sex-abuse case | San Diego Reader