Where is the Outrage? (protestant pedophiles)

stop baptist predators ^ | 01-01-2011 | staff

[bronxville]

So many Baptist clergy could not possibly get away with so much abuse unless many others were complicit in turning a blind eye. Why do Baptist leaders tolerate the presence of ministerial colleagues who sexually abuse the young and vulnerable? Why do people in the pews not rise up and demand that their leaders be held accountable? Where's the outrage?

Why don't people at Bellevue Baptist in Memphis demand the resignation of Pastor Steve Gaines, who admittedly kept quiet about a staff minister's sexual abuse of a kid?

Why don't people at Trinity Baptist demand the resignation of Pastor Tom Messer, about whom there is significant evidence that he knew of a minister's serial sexual abuse of kids?

Why do so many people act as though clergy-abuse cover-ups are no big deal?

In my own case, the church finally made a written apology, but only after first threatening me and then seeking a secrecy agreement and finally being forced into an apology by a lawsuit. An apology extracted in a lawsuit (and handed off by their attorney) doesn’t carry the feeling of any genuine remorse, but it does constitute an acknowledgement of the truth. Their ministerial staff knew all along that this man had molested me as a kid. Yet, they tried every means possible to avoid owning up to that truth. And they didn’t bother to warn people in the pews of other congegations - people whose kids were at risk.

The apology was arrived at only after hours of hammering out the language in a court-ordered mediation session. “Churches should respond with righteous outrage and anger at such crimes against kids committed by church leaders they trust,” says the church. Well gee....doesn't that sound nice? But where is that outrage?

Even now, has anything changed? Have any of those who covered up and kept quiet about the abuse been held accountable?

The church’s music minister, James A. Moore, knew about it for 30 years and kept quiet. He was apparently content to leave countless other kids at risk. Yet, he is still the church’s music minister. Where’s the outrage?

The pastor of the church, Sam Underwood, is a man who was himself reported on allegations of sexually abusing a congregant. He showed his style of leadership when he shepherded the church to respond to my report of child molestation by having the church’s attorney threaten to sue me and insult my family (as though the fact that I grew up with a father who still suffered post-WWII combat trauma could somehow make the psychological injury of a minister’s sexual abuse not such a big deal). Even if church members see no need for accountability as to the adult congregant’s abuse report (presumably because they accept the deacons’ view that it was mere “sexual misconduct”), that would still leave a lack of accountability for Underwood’s failure of appropriate leadership when confronted with a substantiated report about one of the church's ministers who had sexually abused a minor. Yet, the man who chose hostility rather than compassion is still the pastor. The man who chose to threaten a child molestation victim rather than to protect others is still the pastor. The man who attempted to compel secrecy rather than reach out to other victims is still the pastor. Where is there any accountability. Where are there any consequences for such awful and immoral behavior? Where’s the outrage?

And what about the leaders at the Baptist General Convention of Texas? Was anyone there outraged at the fact that their long-time attorney threatened to sue a clergy abuse victim even when the abuse was readily substantiated? It certainly doesn’t appear that way. Where is the outrage?

And what about the fact that he tried to compel secrecy by pushing a confidentiality agreement while leaving the perpetrator in the pulpit? Were BGCT leaders bothered by that? Apparently not. In an even more recent case involving the same BGCT attorney, a secrecy agreement was used once again, while the perpetrator was allowed to remain in the pulpit. (Of course, most of the time, when a secrecy agreement is used, you'll never hear about it at all -- that's the whole point of it.) Where’s the outrage?

And what about the fact that a man with a substantiated report of having sexually molested a kid was still standing in the pulpit of a Florida mega-church talking about his children’s ministry even after 18 Baptist leaders had been informed? Those men are still in leadership positions. Where is there any accountability for the willing blindness of Baptist leaders who leave kids in harm’s way for clergy predators? Where is the outrage?

It is easy enough to look at the perpetrators and say therein lies the problem. But what about all the enablers? What about the many leaders who turn a blind eye and allow clergy molesters to move on to other churches where they find fresh new prey? Where is the outrage?

[Prince of Space]

You did make that post at 4 A.M., us "hyenas" were probably in our dens asleep.

Actually, no. The night of the thread in question, when the subject was "Abuse by Catholic Priests," they worked around the clock bashing the Catholic Church. Now when the story involves sexual abuse by protestant clergy, the hyenas suddenly need their beauty sleep.

Nice try, but no dice. Their outrage is selective, and their target is the Catholic Church.

Mrs. Prince of Space

[boatbums]

Thank you. I pray you all do as well!

My favorite Resurrection verses:

1 Corinthians 15:13-20 (King James Version)

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

[bronxville]

“Sin is common to all men.. the difference is there is not cover up.. not moving sex offenders around to give them new hunting grounds..no payoffs by some hierarchy to cover their butts.. the sin starts in the pants of a young man and then goes all the way to Rome

The greatest sin of Rome is that knowing who the offenders are and what they did they spent millions covering it up

what’s done in the dark will be brought to the light””

I can well understand your confusion considering the amount of threads about the CC and pediphilia on this forum. You obviously saw the word pediphilia in the title of the thread and went into your standard “Rome” autopilot response mode lecture ...BUT... there’s a twist in this thread because it’s not all about the Catholic Church. THIS thread is about pedophilia in Protestant Churches. Please read the initial thread followed by the statistics which were garnered by Baptists and Insurance Companies - both sources admit there are more. Please also note that “Rome” comes in last in the stats.

PS: If the documented sources are insufficient there’s lots more info. Personally I didn’t (and don’t) see the need to pile it on...so to speak.

[Mad Dawg]

not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.

This is why ladies used to talk about "putting my face on," right?

[bronxville]

Thanks for not “knocking it off” and being there to educate the ignorant a few days ago. I haven’t noticed them on this thread - perhaps two... Three threads on pediphilia in the CC within a two day period on the forums yet nothing in the MSM? It was obviously a happy Easter from leftists, sorry, in this case better make it “religious” leftists. We have a few in my own Church. They know nothing about the Holy Bible therefore must use copy and paste from Q&A sites in discussions. I notice they run in packs - packs have a leader...

Happy Easter buccaneer,

bronxville :)

[fatima]

Guys it’s Easter.Can’t we pick this up on Monday.It’s Easter.

[Mad Dawg]

If I live to a ripe olf age and die in the fulness of years, that's one of the passages I would like read at my obsequies. Let's just talk a little about the Xtian doctrine of death a little bit. Everybody's going to lauch at allthe stuff about what a swell guy I was. Lets talk about the resurrection gift to sinners for a change.

Um,Christ is risen, gang!

[bronxville]

Christ has Died,

Christ has Risen,

Christ will come again.

God bless all here,

bronxville xxoo

[Gene Eric]

Ditto, bronxville.

[buccaneer81]

My pleasure, bronxville. A happy Easter to you as well.

[boatbums]

This is why ladies used to talk about "putting my face on," right?

Well, yeah, so? ;o)

Actually, I'm at the point in my life where I CAN go out without "my face". It is SO liberating!

[wolfcreek]

If you think about it, some religions have greater access to our children than others. (the ones who have religious schools and day cares for example)

These are where you would likely find the most pedophiles per congregation.

[skr]

The MSM attacks the Catholic Church through the vows of celibacy and the breaking of such in the sexual abuse of children and the decades of cover-up; it attacks Protestants, most particularly Evangelicals, through the marriage vows and the breaking of such in adulterous and homosexual affairs. This gives the godless media two ways to attack Believers.

Catholicism is centralized, Protestants much less so—this makes the Catholic Church an easy target as an entity, particularly when a decades-long cover-up was revealed. OTOH, since it’s more complicated to attack the variety of denominational heads, Evangelicals, grouped together despite major doctrinal differences, are usually all portrayed as kooks or snake-oil salesmen.

Any religion can have pedophiles, adulterers and homosexuals in the clergy, vows of celibacy or of marital devotion notwithstanding. Before our religious preferences make us wallow in victim-hood, we should remember that it is a blessing to be persecuted for our Lord and Savior and that our best “revenge” against the persecutors is to pray for them.

[Natural Law]

"Compare the stats!"

I don't care to compare the stats. There are no winners. No sane person can equate the deviant actions of fallen away sinners with the doctrines and dogmas of any Church nor does any Church endorse those actions.

[bronxville]

True, but it’s been done and very frequently on this forum, this was a response, acceptable or not.