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Paragraph 15 (p. 140) of Chapter 14 of “Bible Teach” states, “As this world becomes ever more wicked, children need parents who will protect them from people who seek to harm them, such as sexual predators.”

Here, you have a choice to make. You can either let that statement pass or you can engage the Witnesses on a very explosive subject.

If you decide you should discuss the topic, you can tell the Witnesses that you are greatly concerned about this issue.

A couple of years ago, I raised this issue with a Watchtower elder who was stationed at a literature cart. He assured me that he would report any allegations of sexual assault or abuse of children to the police.

If Witnesses give you a similar answer, ask them if they are familiar with the testimony and findings of the Australian Royal Commission regarding many religious groups including the Watchtower organization.

Ask them how many sexual abuse complaints they think Jehovah’s Witness children made against other Jehovah’s Witnesses from 1950 to 2016.

The answer is 1,006!

Ask them how many of those complaints they think the Watchtower reported to police or other secular authorities. The Commission finding (p. 61 of its report) states, “Although the position is not clear in relation to a few files, there is otherwise no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation having reported to police or other secular authority a single one of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse recorded in the case files held by Watchtower Australia.”

The report also contains 10 pages of “Problematic Policies, Procedures and Practices” which the Commission believes contribute to the problem.

I would ask them to read the entire report.

If they decline on the grounds that the Watchtower is often the subject of lies and persecution, I would ask:

• Lies by whom? Jehovah’s Witness children against other Jehovah’s Witnesses? Reports subpoenaed from Watchtower records?
• Do you believe the Royal Commission was also lying about or persecuting the other religions it found to have bad practices?
• How does your attitude square with the statement in paragraph 15 that “children need parents who will protect them from people who seek to harm them, such as sexual predators”?
• With this track record, how do you know your own children are being protected?
• Don’t you care enough about this to even read the report?
• Don’t you think that reflects badly on the name of Jehovah?

Paragraphs 17-18 (pp. 141-142) both state that God wants children to obey their parents. A footnote says, “Only if a parent asked a child to break God’s law would it be right for the child to disobey.”

Ask the Witnesses to give some examples.

Ask them specifically what a child should do if their father instructs them to attend, say, a Baptist church with him. Would that be considered asking them to break God’s law?

Paragraph 19 (p. 142) says “How vital it is… that children not keep company with wrongdoers!… Jacob’s daughter Dinah kept company with those who did not worship Jehovah, and this led to a lot of trouble.”

Ask them what that means.

For example, are all non-Jehovah’s Witnesses “bad association”?

What cautions do they give their children about such relationships and friendships?

Next week we will move on to Chapter 15 of “Bible Teach”—“Worship That God Approves.”