When he began attending another Kingdom Hall in Oregon, he discovered a similar pattern. They will do anything to protect Jehovah's Witnesses. The Watchtower Society is loath to admit wrongdoing of any sort. Because they portray themselves as being Jehovah's sole mouthpiece to mankind, they have sought to present themselves as being above question. Whitney believes many child molesters make their way into Witness congregations.
Pedophiles know that any confession they make is concealed.
The Witnesses don't want to bring shame to their name. Witness spokesman Brown says that the incidence of pedophilia is no worse in his religion than in others, but he admits that some elders have not reported suspicions of abuse. In 38 states, the law requires clergy and other professionals to report physical and sexual abuse of children. Some critics argue that even in the 22 states that do not require clergy members to report, Witness elders do not qualify for such a privilege because most are neither professionally trained nor paid employees of the organization. Internal policies vary among American religious groups.