Problem of Rampant Sexual Abuse Among Protestant Clergy

Reformation.com ^

[big'ol_freeper]

Special Bulletin

Welcome! Catholic sex scandals dominate the news. Are we next?

A sample of our own scandals is below:

ALL denominations - 313 instances

Baptist Ministers - 59 instances

"Bible" Church Ministers (fundamentalist/evangelical) - 150 instances

Episcopalean Ministers - 31 instances

Lutheran Ministers - 23 instances

Methodist Ministers - 25 instances

Presbyterian Ministers - 10 instances

various Church Ministers - 13 instances

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[Enlightiator]

We are all Christians, and we need to stop finger-pointing, and stick together!

Sorry, not bashing Catholics, I like them myself, having attended the Catholic Church on occassion in years past. Also have attended Presbyterian PCA, Methodist, and Baptist. What I protested in this thread is the infilitration of the Catholic Church clergy by those who do not follow the way of Christ, Paul, John, and the rest. I protest those who say that homosexuality is "ok" and that its ok for a priest to be "gay."

You do make good points though, and I also have protested other bad behavior, including my own on rare occassions, lol.

Have a nice day.

[F16Fighter]

"Rampamt"?? What a load of horse dung -- this headline can't begin to be taken seriously.

Something tells me the homosexual/pedophilia lobby needs a smokescreen.

[F.J. Mitchell]

It seems to me, after reading several of your responses, that exposing abusers is more offensve to you than the fact that the abuse is going on in the first place.

Whether it is your church, my church or somebody elses church-when it begins to cover up and protect leaders who are practicing and condoning acts that Satan himself would be proud of, it has lost it's way.

What are you defending and why are you defending it?

[F.J. Mitchell]

Sure, the Media is anti-christian, regardless of denomionation, but why are we condemning those who expose the sins of the church, rather than the sins themselves? The Church is supposed to be the light of the world! Totally illuminated in a world of eternal night, every scar and mole on the face of the church, will stand exposed. The mission of the church is to intensify the light and remove it's flaws-not dim the light.

THe media is doing what the media is supposed to do, though it's reason for doing so may be biased. THe mission of the Church is to clean up it's act to the point that the more the exposure the more God is Glorified.

[dsutah]

Oh do I? Well I'd suggest you take another look at the
part in the Bible that talks about the 'Pharisee and the
Publican', you know, where the Pharisee says keeps
saying something like he's so glad he is not a sinner like
that other guy. Well you're beginning to sound a lot like
that Pharisee! Think about it! I don't know who you think
you are. But you're certainly no holier than I!

[F.J. Mitchell]

I believe I agree with that.

[F.J. Mitchell]

"But you're certainly no Holier than I."

Now that is very Phariseesque.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

why are we condemning those who expose the sins of the church, rather than the sins themselves?

My main point, as I am sure you noticed, was to condemn our Christian brothers, who glory in the suffering of other Christians, and seek secular advantage from it. Their arrogance, pride, and hypocrisy are sins, and I was urging Catholics not to indulge in such sins when the attacks of our common enemies are again directed at faithful Protestants, as is already starting to happen.

[Enlightiator]

OK, thanks. Here's a link to the actual Christian Science Monitor article itself, I found it interesting but very worthy of extreme scepticism:

Sex abuse spans spectrum of churches

Note that this was a survey, there were absolutely no actual "70 reported cases per week" documented, this was an extrapolation of a survey conducted of about 1000 churches nationwide. This survey included anyone involved in any way with the church, even MEMBERS, NOT JUST CLERGY. The survey was stated to NOT be scientifically random in the article. This survey covered a variety of church denominations, including the Catholic Church. (I also don't think the survey differentiated between child sexual abuse and adult sexual abuse, but its not clear).

Reading the article closely, most of the survey responses concerning sexual abuse (~1% reporting such in the 2001 survey), the article states:

Volunteers are more likely than clergy or paid staff to be abusers. Perhaps more startling, children at churches are accused of sexual abuse as often as are clergy and staff. In 1999, for example, 42 percent of alleged child abusers were volunteers – about 25 percent were paid staff members (including clergy) and 25 percent were other children.

Here's the most telling bit of information in the article concerning this "survey":

The peak year for allegations was 1994, with 3 percent of churches reporting an allegation of sexual misconduct compared with just 0.1 percent in 2000. But 2001 data, indicates a swing back to the 1 percent level, still significantly less than the 1993 figures, Cobble says.

Such varied survey results prove only one thing - that the survey is highly inaccurate. Theres just no way that a scientifically sound survey on church sexual misconduct would have results that vary from 0.1 percent to 1 percent in a single year! Any information extrapolated from such a survey, such as "70 reports per week", is erroneous and meaningless.

[Enlightiator]

''My research of cases over the past 20 years indicates no evidence whatever that Catholic or other celibate clergy are any more likely to be involved in misconduct or abuse than clergy of any other denomination - or indeed, than nonclergy,'' Per your own source.

Nope. I posted the whole article, to be read as a whole. Your selected "quote" by one individual in the article put in for "balance" doesn't agree with the overall conclusions of the article. This guy is YOUR source, and he's wrong. Read the article again It says:

The Archdiocese of Boston says at least 80 priests have been accused of child sexual abuse over the last 50 years, and scholars say as many as 2,000 priests have been accused nationwide.

By contrast, Protestant and non-Christian denominations have had so few reported cases that their leaders can generally count them on one hand.

But I digress. :)

[Enlightiator]

Admition of the problem is the fist step to recovery. Don't be an Ostrich. Repeat after me..."all religious denominations have a problem with sexual abuse not just the papists".

LOL, good one, I missed it till now. Ok, all religous institutions have a problem with abuse, sexual and otherwise, although not as severe as the Catholic Church, its bad. Happy? Its the best I could do.

Now lets try you ...repeat after me........ "We in the Catholic Church have one serious problem with homosexuals using the Church as a haven and the priesthood as a means to abuse boys...and we better do something about it SOON or the Catholic Church will be no more and the work of Christ will be left to others..." Try it. The truth will set you free ...

[Enlightiator]

big'ol, has it dawned on you yet that your list of links is so bad, that the first example of sexual abuse in "Baptist Ministers- 59 Instances" was actually a CATHOLIC PRIEST? Sheesh. Coffee's on, wake up, lol...

[Hila]

You're right, where there is less adherence to the Scriptures, there is greater multitude of sin. The Roman church has soooo much to account to before the One True Holy Father.

[peteram]

The Catholic church does not necessarily adhere to Scripture as their one source of authority

Do you have data to back up this statement? (And I don't mean the slanted jibberish that the lamestream press puts out either)

[Avoiding_Sulla]

General,

Your arguments and motives for them are understandable to me, but often not compelling enough for others, especially the more atheistic of those with a libertarian bent or with those who otherwise are susceptible to or find joy in this secular divisiveness.

Perhaps your efforts would be aided by linking your arguments to one of my observations you and I have batted around a bit and see if it doesn't strike a harmony.

Those who seek the further weakening of our great republic are more well aware of what missing elements helped bring down the Roman Republic than are many FReepers, and certainly among the ones with whom you are in discussion here.

You also are wishful if not hopeful of an American rebirth that would make us worthy. You are as knowledgable as I in this department, and so could readily buttress your case in this manner when you enter these discussions -- which you do far more frequently than I.

The attempts by power seekers to fatally wound one of the pillars of our republic (that the Roman Republic did not have and the Empire adopted too late) is quite transparent to us. It certainly can't hurt to make it clear to more FReepers.

[Mo1]

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[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

others, especially the more atheistic of those with a libertarian bent or with those who otherwise are susceptible to or find joy in this secular divisiveness. Perhaps your efforts would be aided by linking your arguments to one of my observations you and I have batted around a bit and see if it doesn't strike a harmony.

I think I did this in some of my later posts, but I think that this particular thread is being dominated by fellow Christians, whose hatred of Catholics is greater than their love of Christ, rather than libertarians or atheists. I may be wrong about this of course.

[pgkdan]

The Catholic church does not necessarily adhere to Scripture as their one source of authority. Too many traditions for that to happen.

Yes, and many of those traditions are hundreds of years older than the Bible. The Catholic Church was around for 400 years before the Canon of Athanasius was recognized as the New Testament.