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To: OWK
The 2 of whom I speak, "revealed their sexuality" to young boys.

How did you come to "know" this? Not meant to be a contentious question. Did the young boys come to you? How did you ascertain the truthfulness of the claim?

Just curious.

56 posted on 09/10/2001 5:44:17 PM PDT by SwimmingUpstream
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To: SwimmingUpstream
How did you come to "know" this? Not meant to be a contentious question. Did the young boys come to you? How did you ascertain the truthfulness of the claim?

In one instance, my sister (a health professional) came across the information, and asked my advice. We went to church officials who shipped the offender out of state. Not sure what his ultimate fate was.

The other case was in a religious summer camp in which I happened to be a camper. I was perhaps 10 or 11 years old. On day 2 of my summer camp experience, 2 of the counselors/clergy, decided it was time to play a game of "catch the naked counselor" in the woods. I declined. I left the camp, walked about 15 miles to a telephone, and tearfully reported the incident to my parents. They came to get me, and reported the incident to police and to camp officials. Nothing came of it. About ten years later, one of those same clergymen/counselors was arrested for the homosexual abuse of children, after one of his victims put a bullet through his skull. Apparently the toll of six consecutive years of sexual abuse for the summer took it's toll on this young man. The dead boy's brother (who was also abused by the same man) testified against him, and he was ultimately imprisoned for his crime.

Unfortunately, my experience has been that the church does not take this issue anywhere near as seriously as it needs to. Offenders are generally shuffled from place to place, rather than dealt with. If news accounts are any indication, my experience is not unusual.

In any case, THAT is how I ascertained the "truthfullness" of this claim.

Is that satisfactory?

59 posted on 09/10/2001 6:05:51 PM PDT by OWK
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