A royal commission has heard that Jehovah's Witnesses rely on a biblical text, which also recommends the stoning of adulterous women, when it comes to judging child sex abusers in their midst.
But in the case of child abusers, the Book of Deuteronomy rule about needing two witnesses to a wrongdoing is applied, which in effect means it is highly unlikely the allegation against the abuser will be proved.
The Book of Deuteronomy is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible, and of the Jewish Torah and sets out rules and laws based on Moses' teachings before the Israelites entered the Promised Land.
At the national hearing into how the theocratic church handles allegations of child sex abuse, Elder John de Rooy on Monday quoted Deuteronomy.
"No single witness may convict another for any error or any sin he may commit. On the testimony of two witnesses rules, or on the testimony of three witnesses the matter should be established."
Chair of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Peter McClellan pointed out that the ancient biblical text had some other fairly strong rules, including a murderer being executed and an adulterous woman stoned.
"Do the Jehovah's Witnesses accept those statements as appropriate today?" Justice McClellan asked.
Mr de Rooy: "Your honour, no, we can't kill someone for adultery or stone people to death, but under the Christian arrangement we can disfellowship (shun) people for these things, which really, if they want to make things right with God, they have got to then change to have that relationship back."
Justice McClellan asked if the Jehovah's Witnesses thought the appropriate punishment today for murderers was that they be put to death.
Mr de Rooy said the church's position was that whatever country they were in makes the law on that.
Justice McClellan: That would override the Bible dictate in that respect?
Mr De Rooy: "We do not have the right to take someone's life ourselves."
He agreed in this situation the civil law had the right to override the biblical injunction.
The commission has been hearing how Jehovah's Witness congregations in Queensland and Western Australia failed to act on reports of child sex abuse because of biblical rules.
Not one of 1006 cases of child abuse allegations recorded in Jehovah's Witness Australia documents since 1950 was reported to police.
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