Abuse in Care inquiry: Jehovah's Witness appeal dismissed

Paul H

Paul H

Well-known member

Abuse in Care inquiry: Jehovah's Witness appeal dismissed​

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A legal bid by the Jehovah's Witness church challenging a ruling by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

At the Wellington court in March, the church appealed a High Court ruling that dismissed its claim to be excluded from the investigation.

Lawyer Sarah Jerebine disputed the decision to broaden the scope of the inquiry from institutional care to trust-based relationships.

She said the amendment was unlawful because it went beyond the original purpose of the inquiry.

The Jehovah's Witness church maintains it should be exempt because it did not run institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people.

The legal team representing the government and the commission argued extending the scope of the inquiry was not unusual.

Andrew Butler KC said expanding the scope had benefited victims and was intended to allow survivors of any faith to come forward.

In the Court of Appeal's judgment, Justice Cooke said the court did not accept the appellant's arguments.

He said the commission was entitled to pursue the lines of inquiry that it did.

"The only theoretical possibility that then remains would be an argument that the commission had acted unlawfully when initially obtaining information [from the Jehovah's Witnesses] prior to the amendment, and that this material cannot now be used by the commission in the report.

"However, Ms Jerebine confirmed that no argument to that effect is advanced by the Jehovah's Witnesses."

As for the second argument, Justice Cooke said the fact the church had argued its case in court twice showed its right to justice had not been taken away.

He said the court did not accept the claim that the Crown had targeted the faith.

"Rather, it is the Jehovah's Witnesses who have sought to single themselves out as a group who should be excluded from scrutiny by the inquiry, and they have done so notwithstanding the evidence of abuse committed by members of the church."

The argument has been dismissed and the church must pay the government the costs for a standard appeal.
 
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8: “There is an appointed time for everything, A time for every activity under the heavens: A time for birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted; A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up; A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to wail and a time to dance; A time to throw stones away and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away; A time to rip apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak; A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.”
 
Paul H said:

Abuse in Care inquiry: Jehovah's Witness appeal dismissed​

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A legal bid by the Jehovah's Witness church challenging a ruling by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal.

At the Wellington court in March, the church appealed a High Court ruling that dismissed its claim to be excluded from the investigation.

Lawyer Sarah Jerebine disputed the decision to broaden the scope of the inquiry from institutional care to trust-based relationships.

She said the amendment was unlawful because it went beyond the original purpose of the inquiry.

The Jehovah's Witness church maintains it should be exempt because it did not run institutions that cared for children or vulnerable people.

The legal team representing the government and the commission argued extending the scope of the inquiry was not unusual.

Andrew Butler KC said expanding the scope had benefited victims and was intended to allow survivors of any faith to come forward.

In the Court of Appeal's judgment, Justice Cooke said the court did not accept the appellant's arguments.

He said the commission was entitled to pursue the lines of inquiry that it did.

"The only theoretical possibility that then remains would be an argument that the commission had acted unlawfully when initially obtaining information [from the Jehovah's Witnesses] prior to the amendment, and that this material cannot now be used by the commission in the report.

"However, Ms Jerebine confirmed that no argument to that effect is advanced by the Jehovah's Witnesses."

As for the second argument, Justice Cooke said the fact the church had argued its case in court twice showed its right to justice had not been taken away.

He said the court did not accept the claim that the Crown had targeted the faith.

"Rather, it is the Jehovah's Witnesses who have sought to single themselves out as a group who should be excluded from scrutiny by the inquiry, and they have done so notwithstanding the evidence of abuse committed by members of the church."

The argument has been dismissed and the church must pay the government the costs for a standard appeal.
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This is outrageous! I wish they’d stop attaching Jehovah’s name to themselves. They’ve brought so much reproach on Jehovah.
 
Ms_ladyblue said:
This is outrageous! I wish they’d stop attaching Jehovah’s name to themselves. They’ve brought so much reproach on Jehovah.
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Jeremías 23:16 Esto es lo que ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: “No escuchen las palabras de los profetas que les están profetizando. Están haciendo que ustedes se hagan vanos. La visión de su propio corazón es lo que hablan.⁠.⁠. no de la boca de Jehová.17 Vez tras vez están diciendo a los que me son irrespetuosos: ‘Jehová ha hablado: “Paz es lo que llegarán a tener”’. Y [a] todos los que van andando en la terquedad de su corazón les han dicho: ‘Ninguna calamidad vendrá sobre ustedes’. 18 Pues, ¿quién se ha parado en el grupo íntimo de Jehová para que viera y oyera su palabra? ¿Quién ha prestado atención a su palabra para que la oyera? 19 ¡Miren! La tempestad de viento de Jehová, furia misma, ciertamente saldrá, sí, una tormenta en remolino.Sobre la cabeza de los inicuos se remolinará. 20 La cólera de Jehová no se volverá atrás hasta que él haya llevado a cabo+ y hasta que haya realizado las ideas de su corazón.
En la parte final de los días ustedes darán su consideración a ello con entendimiento.
 
Ana said:
Jeremías 23:16 Esto es lo que ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: “No escuchen las palabras de los profetas que les están profetizando. Están haciendo que ustedes se hagan vanos. La visión de su propio corazón es lo que hablan.⁠.⁠. no de la boca de Jehová.17 Vez tras vez están diciendo a los que me son irrespetuosos: ‘Jehová ha hablado: “Paz es lo que llegarán a tener”’. Y [a] todos los que van andando en la terquedad de su corazón les han dicho: ‘Ninguna calamidad vendrá sobre ustedes’. 18 Pues, ¿quién se ha parado en el grupo íntimo de Jehová para que viera y oyera su palabra? ¿Quién ha prestado atención a su palabra para que la oyera? 19 ¡Miren! La tempestad de viento de Jehová, furia misma, ciertamente saldrá, sí, una tormenta en remolino.Sobre la cabeza de los inicuos se remolinará. 20 La cólera de Jehová no se volverá atrás hasta que él haya llevado a cabo+ y hasta que haya realizado las ideas de su corazón.
En la parte final de los días ustedes darán su consideración a ello con entendimiento.
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Translation: Jeremiah 23:16 This is what the Lord of armies has said: "Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are making you vain. The vision of their own heart is what they speak.⁠.⁠. not from Jehovah's mouth.17 Time after time they are saying to those who are disrespectful to me: 'Jehovah has spoken: 'Peace is what they will come to have''. And [to] all those who are walking in the stubbornness of their heart have said to them: 'No calamity will come upon you'. 18 So who stood in the intimate group of Jehovah to see and hear his word? Who has paid attention to his word so that he would hear it? 19 Look! The wind storm of Jehovah, fury itself, will certainly come out, yes, a whirlwind storm. On the heads of the wicked will swirl. 20 Jehovah's wrath will not go back until he has carried out+ and until he has realised the ideas of his heart.

In the final part of the days you will give your consideration to it with understanding.
 
Ana said:
Jeremías 23:16 Esto es lo que ha dicho Jehová de los ejércitos: “No escuchen las palabras de los profetas que les están profetizando. Están haciendo que ustedes se hagan vanos. La visión de su propio corazón es lo que hablan.⁠.⁠. no de la boca de Jehová.17 Vez tras vez están diciendo a los que me son irrespetuosos: ‘Jehová ha hablado: “Paz es lo que llegarán a tener”’. Y [a] todos los que van andando en la terquedad de su corazón les han dicho: ‘Ninguna calamidad vendrá sobre ustedes’. 18 Pues, ¿quién se ha parado en el grupo íntimo de Jehová para que viera y oyera su palabra? ¿Quién ha prestado atención a su palabra para que la oyera? 19 ¡Miren! La tempestad de viento de Jehová, furia misma, ciertamente saldrá, sí, una tormenta en remolino.Sobre la cabeza de los inicuos se remolinará. 20 La cólera de Jehová no se volverá atrás hasta que él haya llevado a cabo+ y hasta que haya realizado las ideas de su corazón.
En la parte final de los días ustedes darán su consideración a ello con entendimiento.
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I love the last part of that scripture, Jeremiah 23:20b: “…In the final part of the days you will clearly understand this.”
 
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