80 International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation ■ Vol. 1, No. 1, 2020
sexual encounters, has been documented in
the various first-person accounts by former
wives who left and testified against their
leader/husband (Kent, 2006 Musser, 2013
Wall, 2008). Similarly, in the Alamo Christian
Ministries cult, Tony Alamo “married” girls as
young as age 11 years (see “Alamo Christian
Ministries” Schriver, 2018). After many years of
attempting to prosecute the offenders, two
members of the Blackmore family have recently
been convicted in these cases of child brides
(Krugel, 2017). Tony Alamo was also sentenced
to 175 years in prison with no possibility of parole
(Schriver, 2018).
Before we conclude this discussion of the
FLDS, we acknowledge the phenomenon of
the Lost Boys. When a young man reaches a
marriageable age, he is sent away from the
community so as not to be competition for the
older men. Raised in these same
communities, these youth lack the education
and skills to survive in mainstream society.
Another example of the value conflict
between religion and human rights occurs
among the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a
transnational group with headquarters in the
United States but with members throughout
the world. As of 2017, the church claimed
more than 100,000 active congregations in
240 countries (Watchtower Bible and Tract
Society of Pennsylvania, 2018). Their CSA
rule, known as “the two witness rule,” was
recently brought under scrutiny by the Royal
Commission in the United Kingdom and
declared “outdated.” This rule requires that
“there must be two witnesses to an incident
of abuse” (“Facts About Jehovah’s
Witnesses,” 2017, para. 7), which not only
demonstrate the obsolescence of the rule
(devised more than 2,000 years ago) but also
reflects the psychological naiveté of the
4 The Watchtower claims that according to scripture, they cannot
take action against an abuser when only one witness (the abused)
makes an accusation, on the grounds that doing so would be in
conflict with Bible principles requiring two witnesses to an act of
church. In 2002, the “rule” was updated,
allowing action to be taken if there are two
separate accusations against the same person
(“Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses,” 2017).
However, most CSA victims, no matter what
the environment, are reluctant to come
forward for many reasons. The perpetrator
often threatens bodily harm to the victim
and/or the victim’s family and warns that
they would not be believed anyway. If that is
the case in the general population, how much
more so for a child socialized to believe that
the elder who is abusing her has been
sanctioned by Jehovah himself ?4
In the past 60 years, thousands of allegations
have been leveled against elders of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses church worldwide, yet
no reports have been filed with legal
authorities (Australian Associated Press,
2015 “Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses,”
2017). Although the organization claims that
it handles these matters internally, officials
within the organization reveal that the church
covers up the allegations. Efforts to help the
victims have been made by former Jehovah’s
Witnesses who have left because of this
travesty. For example, Bill Bowen runs the
website silentlambs.com, a forum for these
survivors to expose the abuses and to heal.
Barbara Anderson (Anderson &Kelly,
2018), a researcher who worked at Jehovah’s
Witness headquarters in Brooklyn, New
York (the Watchtower), also became
frustrated and outraged by the inaction of the
church and left after 40 years. She, too, runs
a website and has become an outspoken critic
of the church’s policies. A ray of hope for
justice for these survivors came in 2012 when
a case was brought by one such survivor.
Candace Conti won the largest jury verdict of
religious sexual abuse in the United States by
wrongdoing (http://www.silentlambs.org/twowitnessrule.htm). An
amendment to this rule allows action when two independent
accusations have been made against the same accuser (“Facts About
Jehovah’s Witnesses,” 2017).
sexual encounters, has been documented in
the various first-person accounts by former
wives who left and testified against their
leader/husband (Kent, 2006 Musser, 2013
Wall, 2008). Similarly, in the Alamo Christian
Ministries cult, Tony Alamo “married” girls as
young as age 11 years (see “Alamo Christian
Ministries” Schriver, 2018). After many years of
attempting to prosecute the offenders, two
members of the Blackmore family have recently
been convicted in these cases of child brides
(Krugel, 2017). Tony Alamo was also sentenced
to 175 years in prison with no possibility of parole
(Schriver, 2018).
Before we conclude this discussion of the
FLDS, we acknowledge the phenomenon of
the Lost Boys. When a young man reaches a
marriageable age, he is sent away from the
community so as not to be competition for the
older men. Raised in these same
communities, these youth lack the education
and skills to survive in mainstream society.
Another example of the value conflict
between religion and human rights occurs
among the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a
transnational group with headquarters in the
United States but with members throughout
the world. As of 2017, the church claimed
more than 100,000 active congregations in
240 countries (Watchtower Bible and Tract
Society of Pennsylvania, 2018). Their CSA
rule, known as “the two witness rule,” was
recently brought under scrutiny by the Royal
Commission in the United Kingdom and
declared “outdated.” This rule requires that
“there must be two witnesses to an incident
of abuse” (“Facts About Jehovah’s
Witnesses,” 2017, para. 7), which not only
demonstrate the obsolescence of the rule
(devised more than 2,000 years ago) but also
reflects the psychological naiveté of the
4 The Watchtower claims that according to scripture, they cannot
take action against an abuser when only one witness (the abused)
makes an accusation, on the grounds that doing so would be in
conflict with Bible principles requiring two witnesses to an act of
church. In 2002, the “rule” was updated,
allowing action to be taken if there are two
separate accusations against the same person
(“Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses,” 2017).
However, most CSA victims, no matter what
the environment, are reluctant to come
forward for many reasons. The perpetrator
often threatens bodily harm to the victim
and/or the victim’s family and warns that
they would not be believed anyway. If that is
the case in the general population, how much
more so for a child socialized to believe that
the elder who is abusing her has been
sanctioned by Jehovah himself ?4
In the past 60 years, thousands of allegations
have been leveled against elders of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses church worldwide, yet
no reports have been filed with legal
authorities (Australian Associated Press,
2015 “Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses,”
2017). Although the organization claims that
it handles these matters internally, officials
within the organization reveal that the church
covers up the allegations. Efforts to help the
victims have been made by former Jehovah’s
Witnesses who have left because of this
travesty. For example, Bill Bowen runs the
website silentlambs.com, a forum for these
survivors to expose the abuses and to heal.
Barbara Anderson (Anderson &Kelly,
2018), a researcher who worked at Jehovah’s
Witness headquarters in Brooklyn, New
York (the Watchtower), also became
frustrated and outraged by the inaction of the
church and left after 40 years. She, too, runs
a website and has become an outspoken critic
of the church’s policies. A ray of hope for
justice for these survivors came in 2012 when
a case was brought by one such survivor.
Candace Conti won the largest jury verdict of
religious sexual abuse in the United States by
wrongdoing (http://www.silentlambs.org/twowitnessrule.htm). An
amendment to this rule allows action when two independent
accusations have been made against the same accuser (“Facts About
Jehovah’s Witnesses,” 2017).
