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Silence of the Lambs: Are Protestants concealing a Catholic-size sexual abuse scandal?
New Republic ^ | June 2017 | Kathryn Joyce

Posted on 08/19/2018 4:28:27 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege

Over the past five years, in fact, it has become increasingly clear—even to some conservative Christians—that fundamentalist churches face a widespread epidemic of sexual abuse and institutional denial that could ultimately involve more victims than the pedophilia scandal in the Catholic Church. In 2012, an investigation at Bob Jones University, known as the “fortress of fundamentalism,” revealed that the school had systematically covered up allegations of sexual assault and counseled victims to forgive their attackers. Sovereign Grace, a network of “neo-Calvinist” churches, has been facing multiple allegations of child molestation and sexual abuse. In 2014, a New Republic investigation found that school officials at Patrick Henry College, a popular destination for Christian homeschoolers, had routinely responded to rape and harassment claims by treating perpetrators with impunity, discouraging women from going to the police, and blaming them for dressing immodestly.

Allegations of sexual misconduct have also engulfed four of fundamentalism’s most venerated patriarchs. Doug Phillips, a prominent leader of the Christian homeschooling movement, was forced to step down in 2013 from his nationwide ministry, Vision Forum, after he was sued by a former nanny who claimed he groomed her as a teenager to be his “personal sex object.” The following year, Bill Gothard, founder of the influential Institute in Basic Life Principles, resigned amid more than 30 allegations of sexual harassment and molestation by former staffers, interns, and volunteers. In the first case to cross over into the cultural mainstream, Josh Dugger, the beloved eldest son of reality TV’s favorite fundamentalist family, fell into disgrace in 2015 with the revelation that he had molested five underage girls, including four of his sisters. And this July, the chief of another fundamentalist reality-TV clan, Toby Willis, is scheduled to stand trial on four counts of child rape.

(Excerpt) Read more at newrepublic.com ...


TOPICS: Religion; Society
KEYWORDS: butthurtcatholic; deflection; donttouchmymonk; evangelical; protestant; sexabuse
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This burgeoning crisis of abuse has received far less attention than the well-documented scandal that rocked the Catholic Church. That’s in part because the evangelical and fundamentalist world, unlike the Catholic hierarchy, is diverse and fractious, composed of thousands of far-flung denominations, ministries, parachurch groups, and missions like ABWE. Among Christian evangelicals, there is no central church authority to investigate, punish, or reform. Groups like ABWE answer only to themselves.
1 posted on 08/19/2018 4:28:27 PM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
I'm guessing Islam, Hindus and Buddhists have a problem too.
2 posted on 08/19/2018 4:34:09 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

When you see a placard on United Methodists Church that trans and gays are welcome, you know that at least one of them is molesting the kids and nothing is done about it out of PC. It is the placard protection.


3 posted on 08/19/2018 4:34:58 PM PDT by JudgemAll (Democrats Fed. job-security Whorocracy & hate:hypocrites must be gay like us or be tested/crucified)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Desperate attempts to smear Christians as sexual abusers, not the secular leftists who fund the Democrats.

The article was ludicrous in innuendo and conflation.


4 posted on 08/19/2018 4:37:18 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Only Christians have that problem. Moslems, Hindus, and Buddhists can do whatever they want to children, and it is acceptable.


5 posted on 08/19/2018 4:41:28 PM PDT by yawningotter
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

“Are Protestants concealing a Catholic-size sexual abuse scandal?”

The strange logic seems to be, that given he could highlight one sordid event, then it applies to the entire Protestant body, since it is happening to the entire Catholic body.

Yes, it is safe to assume that it is happening somewhere, but that does not mean it is happening everywhere.

I have heard of a few cases, and when it breaks, it is publicized, it is over and the culprits aren’t moved to a new location where they can continue their routines.


6 posted on 08/19/2018 4:45:57 PM PDT by odawg
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To: odawg

It’s a shame that the deliberate infiltration of the Catholic Church, and probably Protestant ones as well, isn’t better know. they deliberately flooded seminaries with queers and commies starting in the thirties. Today, we are reaping the fruits.


7 posted on 08/19/2018 4:52:30 PM PDT by moonhawk (My Basket of Deplorable is Irredeemably mired in the Swamp of Crazy.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“I’m guessing Islam, Hindus and Buddhists have a problem too.”

Any institution where families are deferential to a religious authority, this will be an issue.

Of varying degrees, but always present.

Evil men flock to the role. They know in early adolescence that’s the place to be. Often because that’s where THEY first encountered it.

All with the facade of religion.

That’s why good men must hunt them down and kill them.


8 posted on 08/19/2018 4:54:03 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Re: “I’m guessing Islam, Hindus and Buddhists have a problem, too.”

Unless they have big insurance policies or billionaire donors, the “Tort Entrepreneurs” will not even notice.


9 posted on 08/19/2018 4:55:40 PM PDT by zeestephen
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To: Mariner

In every case. However slight.


10 posted on 08/19/2018 4:56:35 PM PDT by Mariner (War Criminal #18)
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To: ifinnegan

Sadly, sexual abuse happens in so many areas of society.

Based in their logic here, we could indict all of our public schools, and sports organizations such as little league baseball.

We’ve heard many cases of abuse coming from teachers and sports team coaches in recent years.

And sadly, a huge number of such cases come from within families.


11 posted on 08/19/2018 4:56:58 PM PDT by Dilbert San Diego
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To: odawg

In the public school system it is called “passing the trash”. The current contract is not renewed and the teacher skulks off to a new district with a clean record.


12 posted on 08/19/2018 4:58:07 PM PDT by Valpal1
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To: Dilbert San Diego

Yes. It happens anywhere.

Yet, the fact is that the progressive left has championed it in our lifetime.

These are two articles from Germany that chronicle this aspect of progressive thought. It was not specific to Germany but was true here as well.

“The Sexual Revolution and Children
How the Left Took Things Too Far
Germany’s left has its own tales of abuse. One of the goals of the German 1968 movement was the sexual liberation of children. For some, this meant overcoming all sexual inhibitions, creating a climate in which even pedophilia was considered progressive.”

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/the-sexual-revolution-and-children-how-the-left-took-things-too-far-a-702679.html

“Shadows from the Past
Pedophile Links Haunt Green Party
In the 1980s, some members of Germany’s Green Party advocated the legalization of sex with minors. Now the party wants to come to terms with this dark chapter via an independent review of internal documents — some of which show that the influence of pedophiles on the young party was much stronger than previously thought.”

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/past-pedophile-links-haunt-german-green-party-a-899544.html

Overt sexual abuse is no longer openly advocated but the sexualization of youth that is endemic today is the remnant of this and the Trojan horse.


13 posted on 08/19/2018 5:10:17 PM PDT by ifinnegan (Democrats kill babies and harvest their organs to sell)
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To: odawg
Ah, yes, Grasshopper.

But the Protestants are allowed and encouraged to marry: many Evangelical women will throw themselves at the Music Minister (muh godly badboy bass player) or the Pastor (alpha male of group).

And, for the nonce, the article is conflating child rape, ephebophilia (e.g. Altar Boys), and ordinary Bill Clinton rape / Donald Trump "they'll let you grab them...") in a desperate attempt to deflect from what is coming down the pike.

14 posted on 08/19/2018 5:15:08 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

LOL! The media still has never reported on the boy sex slaves the Taliban have.


15 posted on 08/19/2018 5:16:55 PM PDT by montag813
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Check out the stories about the special Kingdom of Tibet and what the Buddhist Priests were doing to the young boys...Right up until the Chinese invaded. The guy children were kidnapped from their families. If the guy kids resisted the slavery of the Buddhist compound, they would be beaten, and or raped. If they continued to resist, the aforementioned processes would continue. Further resistance would lead to death. Yeah, that was the wonderful kingdom of Tibet. Each and every person should be allowed to defend themselves. Freedom requires self-defense.


16 posted on 08/19/2018 5:18:34 PM PDT by Trumpet 1 (US Constitution is my guide.)
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To: Valpal1

“The current contract is not renewed and the teacher skulks off to a new district with a clean record.”

You must be unaware of how school districts, from sheer terror caused by liability, bend over backwards to vet their teachers. Potential candidates are finger printed, which are then sent in, and teachers have to sign over all rights to privacy pertaining to criminal records and credit scores.

We see all the time the pictures of teachers in the news who have been arrested. That cannot be hidden away. Their teaching career is over.


17 posted on 08/19/2018 5:19:39 PM PDT by odawg
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To: CondoleezzaProtege
I personally think that EVERY organized religion has a dark, hidden side in terms of child abuse. There are increasing investigations that this is a very common problem among rabbis in the Jewish community, too.
18 posted on 08/19/2018 5:20:30 PM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's Economic Cure)
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To: CondoleezzaProtege

Catholic priest abuses baby at baptism!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cFRTKY1urU4


19 posted on 08/19/2018 5:43:01 PM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion
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To: grey_whiskers

Classy of you to bring the President into this.


20 posted on 08/19/2018 5:43:48 PM PDT by miss marmelstein
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