Claims that Jehovah’s Witnesses hide child sexual abuse from secular authorities have surfaced again in England. The Daily Mail reported last week that Ian Pheasey, a 54-year-old Jehovah’s Witness, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for choking young girls for sexual gratification in the 1990s. Prosecutor Nicholas Taplow said that Pheasey’s victims were told to […]
Category: Religion
Major and minor religious organizations and their impact on society
Posted inHidden Abuse Under the Watchtower, Inside the Newsroom
Reveal mixtape: The best of 2015
Need something to listen to during this holiday season? Now’s the perfect time to check out our show, “Reveal,” public radio’s new investigative reporting show and podcast.
Jehovah’s Witnesses leaders say they don’t protect sexual abusers
In the face of evidence that the Jehovah’s Witnesses organization in Australia failed to report more than 1,000 allegations of child sexual abuse, the religion’s leaders say they’re doing a great job of protecting children. The response comes from a 141-page document filed by the Witnesses to an Australian government commission investigating rampant child sexual […]
Posted inHidden Abuse Under the Watchtower, Inside the Newsroom, Left for Dead, Oil and Mining, Opiates, Rape on the Night Shift, Religion, Returning Home to Battle
Curl up with Reveal’s top #longreads from 2015
Check out five pieces of our best long-form writing from 2015, as selected by Reveal’s staff.
How Jehovah’s Witness leaders are responding to child abuse scrutiny
A Portuguese news documentary released in October was yet another report from across the globe to detail the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ policy of not reporting child abusers to law enforcement. As in other media reports, top officials refused to speak to the journalists who produced it.
Jehovah’s Witnesses shield child sex abusers from police, report says
Jehovah’s Witnesses policies allow child sexual abusers to operate within their congregations without fear that they will be reported to police, according to a new report published by the Australian government.
Posted inReligion, Religion and Government
Modern-day witch trials: Law enforcement target Mexican folk religion
Santa Muerte, the goddess of death, is worshipped by millions of Mexican Catholics. But law enforcement agencies are going after believers, claiming that there is a link between the popular folk religion and the narcotics trade.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Hidden Abuse Under the Watchtower, Religion
Jehovah’s Witnesses can hide the truth in court to protect religion
Under the “theocratic warfare” doctrine, Jehovah’s Witnesses are allowed to hide the truth from anyone outside of the religion – including in legal matters such as child sexual abuse cases – if doing so protects the organization.
Posted inReligion, Religion and Government
Internal struggles at US mosques seep into secular courts
Historically, the Muslim American community has kept its disputes private. But as the number of mosques increases and Muslims integrate with mainstream America, conflicts are seeping into secular courts from California to Texas and Florida.
Posted inImmigration, Religion and Government
Embattled school board under fire again after leader’s divisive rant
Hundreds of parents are calling for the resignation of the vice president of a Southern California school board, which already has drawn a lawsuit over proselytizing from the dais, after he railed against gay marriage, adoptions by gay couples and immigration during a public meeting.