It is not sexual misconduct, rather it is sexual assault, that Catholic priests were accused of in the John Jay Study. The topic isn't "who's accused of sexual misconduct", it's "who's accused of committing a felony against a minor".
Of course, when we make this argument, ignorami (often the same ignormai who blamed the problem on our disiplines and/or theology) then said that we were “keeeping score,” or trying to deflect attention from the sins of our clergy, or trying to say that non-Catholics are worse than Catholics. This sort of thing is of the variety “damned if you do and damned if you don't.”
Should I consider the intentional conflation of "statutory rape" with "sexual misconduct" to be deflecting attention? Damn straight I do, skippy. The John Jay study speaks of 4% of Catholic clergy (mostly priests ordained between 1950 and 1979) who were accused of raping underage male parishioners. Let's get back to your post now, to see a prime example of how this deflection is pitched to the masses:
...in fact, the Church is correct. The clergy from non-Catholic Christian denominations commit inappropriate sexual improprieties at rates which appear to exceed that of Catholic priests. I saw one study that showed that 38% of Protestant clergy had inappropriate sexual relations with their congregants, and fully 12% of these relationships had been consummated in sexual intercourse.
The John Jay study (or at least the American Catholic-hosted story on it) does not speak of simply "relations" and "intercourse" but rather of rape and assault and felonies and crimes. But for argument's sake, let's take apart your statistics anyway, and see where they lead us:
one study that showed that 38% of Protestant clergy had inappropriate sexual relations with their congregants, and fully 12% of these relationships had been consummated in sexual intercourse. To start, we have 38% of Protestant clergy have engaged in inappropriate sexual relations. How are "inappropriate sexual relations" defined? Guess what? They're not. We know what it isn't, however - sexual intercourse. How do we know? Because only 12% of the 38% have engaged in actual intercourse!
So 88% had some kind of undefined "sexual relationship" that did not include intercourse. But check out what those percentages hide! To break it down:
Out of 100% of all Protestant clergy,4.6% are accused of inappropriate sexual intercourse, but are not accused of statutory rape or sexual assault. So what was that line again? Ah yes, here it is:
- 95.5% have not engaged in sexual intercourse inappropriately (62% not accused plus 88% of 38% accused)
--- 62% stand not accused of any inappropriate sexual relations (100%-38%)
--- 38% stand accused of inappropriate sexual relations
---- 4.6% stand accused of inappropriate sexual intercourse (12% of 38%)
in fact, the Church is correct. The clergy from non-Catholic Christian denominations commit inappropriate sexual improprieties at rates which appear to exceed that of Catholic priests.
Of the 38% of all Protestant clergy being accused of some level of inappropriate sexual contact, only 4.6% have engaged in actual sexual intercourse outside of marriage. And none of them of rape.
If the Catholic apologist were really comparing apples to apples, the real statistics would speak of Protestant clergy accused of criminal sexual contact with minors, or would adjust the John Jay study's four percent upwards to include inappropriate but otherwise legal sexual relations. But the Catholic apologist does no such thing. They start with John Jay's 4%, move on to Protestantism's 38%, and leave the reader thinking that 4% "statutory rape" is comparable to 38% "inappropriate relations".
Sometimes you have to keep score, to tell when the other side is moving the goalposts on you.
The priests identified as accused in the John Jay study committed offenses ranging from outright rape to inappropriate touching. Especially with older adolescents, “sexual assault” doesn't quite properly describe all these cases.
Thus, “sexual misconduct” better fits the entire range of accusations.
“So 88% had some kind of undefined ‘sexual relationship’ that did not include intercourse.”
You misread what I wrote. Of the pastors responding to the survey, 12% admitted to sexual intercourse. 38% admitted to at least some inappropriate sexual behavior. Not 12% of the 38%. Twelve percent of all the pastors who completed the survey.
So, your little trick of multiplying 12% by 38% is inaccurate.
“If the Catholic apologist were really comparing apples to apples, the real statistics would speak of Protestant clergy accused of criminal sexual contact with minors,...”
Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that Protestant powers-that-be have the guts to do what the Catholic hierarchy did, in paying someone to find out the extent of the problem in our Church.
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