Corruption and Dishonesty

Do you have integrity?

Corruption and Dishonesty

Recently the president of CNN resigned in disgrace after it was discovered he had a consensual affair with an employee.  A president brags about numerous affairs and sexual assault while being defended by thousands of followers as a divine leader.  So many contrasts in this day and age it leaves one to ask, “What is corruption and dishonesty and does it make a difference when finding people we can trust?  

The answer to that question apparently has hundreds of different opinions. The murky part seems to be, if a person does some very good things, does that make the bad things go away? For example, there is JWorg a massive publishing religion. They do many good things like bring people together and giving them a purpose. Donating thousands of hours of work to build Kingdoms Halls, repair members homes hit by disasters. They provide entertaining videos and have huge conventions where members meet and get to fellowship. Anywhere in the world there are members, if you get into a problem, you have friends to help you. 

Is not that a fantastic amount of good? 

But then, they require their members to shield pedophiles and routinely put children in harms way.  They support the abuse of women, using scripture to tell them to pray and be a better wife so ‘he’ won’t hit you next time. 

So that is bad, right? 

When I left the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses these bad things made me ask myself a simple question. “If the leadership could care less about women and children’s safety, then what does that say about them truly caring for any of their members? How could I continue to be a part of administration and support people that allow these policies?

That was the day I resigned as an elder and eventually over time, as I refused to be silent about the abuse of children, was disfellowshipped for my efforts. When I spoke out publicly on the abuse to media over a ten year period, tens of thousands of members left the organization over these very same principles. My work has fostered thousands of videos on the abuses of the organization and empowered thousands more to make the ethical and moral decision that was right for their families and often at great cost to their families within the organization.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are routinely taught to live a double life and about everyone does to varying degrees. My second life was “R” rated movies. I always loved movies and no one was going to tell me what a could and could not watch. Even at Bethel, I recall sneaking out to see a movie that would have gotten me in trouble. Now I know others have had much greater double lives than me. At Bethel we were told of a new member that went to 42nd street and picked up a prostitute and was promptly sent home when he got caught. We just shook our heads in disbelief! Why was that a shock? Well to be at Bethel you were supposed to be a clean person that was highly recommended and willing to conform to the code of conduct given there. Yet there were those that did not, just like me, to varying degrees. Was I corrupt and dishonest? I do not think of myself as such, but I would have no doubt been in trouble if I was caught. Now if I went to 42nd street? That would have been a different story.  

The point is this, hundreds of thousands of JWs have left the organization when in good conscience they could no longer tolerate corruption and dishonesty and they left because it was the moral and ethical thing to do. Then there were others that got caught doing something in their double life and were subsequently thrown out, because they could not live by the imposed rules. 

Which bring us to the XJW community. Many circulate or become leaders and have followings as well as followers that choose to see only the good and viciously defend those leaders if they are caught or take actions that are dishonest and unethical. It is kind of like talking with a Jehovah’s Witness about the failings of the organization, they immediately shut down and get very angry defending the organization. You see, this is deep programming and so many xjws fail to break that programming.  As an example, several years ago it was brought to my attention that Ray Franz actually authored the two-eye witness policy when it came to the abuse of children. With a sense of irony, I posted on a forum that it was curious, that the organization would so vehemently defend a policy actually written by their greatest apostate. Well as you can guess it created a furor of Franz defenders. I actually called Franz to clarify and make peace. Franz stated to me and publicly that he never once, as a member of the Governing Body and Service Committee ever handled or knew of a single case of child abuse in the organization. Now, do you believe that? If so, why would he write about it in the OR Book? Franz went on after that phone call, to go on that forum, and say he continued to support the two witness principle when it came to the abuse of children and he openly insulted the current abuse survivors that were coming forward. This is all documented on the Silentlambs website. 

Now there is no question Mr. Franz wrote a great book that has helped thousands of people to see the corruption and dishonesty of JWorg, but does that make him above the principles that define corruption and dishonesty. I have documented proof that Mr. Franz was involved in a major child abuse scandal when he was on the Service Committee.  Why would he be dishonest about that? The fact he was dishonest about that, could call into question other observations he may have had. Yet his followers are relentless and continue to attack Silentlambs down to this day.

This bring us back to the original question. If a person does good things is it OK for them to be dishonest and corrupt and you to give them your approval? If it is OK, then why did you ever leave Jehovah’s Witnesses? Why not just stay in and keep all your family and friends and when you see some thing bad just get mad and defend it as being imperfect and not such a bad thing after all. It would seem to save a lot of grief and stress, for if you leave the organization and go through all that trouble and then why find yourself acting in the same way toward xjws?  

What a waste.   

I have personally found many leaders in the XJW community to be corrupt and dishonest. There have been immoral behavior with fellow xjws, financial scams, misrepresentation of the history of Silentlambs, vicious attacks to challenge credibility and misdirect others, profiteering off xjws making promises of legal justice, self promotion at the expense of abuse survivors, those that pretend to support the abuse movement for power and financial gain.  After experiencing their unethical behavior I have simply had to distance myself and my family from them. As you go through life you will find it is better to keep your guard up against people that do dishonest things. As a friend of mine once said, “Great people do not surround themselves with snakes.” So I look at the person and then they people they use or hang around with. Often when you do, you see if they are corrupt or dishonest. I left the xjw forums in 2003 and wrote a piece about the dishonesty and corruptions going on. I did not want any abuse survivor who was following Silentlambs to experience further abuse within the environment of the forum. If you want information about the abuse issue come to Silentlambs there are over ten thousands pages and over one hundred videos on the topic and you will not be taken advantage of or lied to.    

Finally you might sum it all up with this. One bad thing can wipe out all the good things you may have accomplished.  Call it a bad day, the religion, your upbringing, abuse, the results are still the same. Need an example? Go out and murder someone after leading an exemplary life, see what happens. The area that should be of greatest concern is when a person pretends to do good things while hurting others. Whether it be a wife and children, or a person you never may have met in the end that would seem to define dishonesty and corruption. If you find yourself in the position of defending someone like that then consider the possibility of going back to Jehovah’s Witnesses because in the big picture it is really the same thing.  By your actions you are enabling those people to continue.  And they will continue. 

It reminds me of a scripture, Romans 16:17-18 it says:

“17 I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

Isn’t that scripture really about dishonesty and corruption? When a person you believe in or follow does something against the very conscience and moral code you carry within, then you may not wish to be their defenders and instead just distance yourself from them. Seems like pretty wise advice. No need to attack, just move on with your life and be a little wiser as to whom you trust next time.

So to any reading this be careful who you trust. If they have a blog, channel, TV show, Website, or something to sell, learn to watch them for a while, before you allow them to dominate your life and change your perceptions. Corruption and dishonesty are not easily discovered and when it is, don’t allow that person to make a fool out of you. Whether they are the president of CNN or the president of the United States, honesty and integrity will never tolerate dishonesty and corruption and you have to decide what your conscience will allow.