The Not So Secret Rapture

reformed.org ^ | W. Fred Rice

[topcat54]

Evangelical book catalogs promote books such as Planet Earth: The Final Chapter, The Great Escape, and the Left Behind series. Bumper stickers warn us that the vehicle’s occupants may disappear at any moment. It is clear that there is a preoccupation with the idea of a secret rapture. Perhaps this has become more pronounced recently due to the expectation of a new millennium and the fears regarding potential Y2K problems. Perhaps psychologically people are especially receptive to the idea of an imminent, secret rapture at the present time. Additionally, many Christians are not aware that any other position relative to the second coming of Jesus Christ exists. Even in Reformed circles there are numerous people reading these books. Many of these people are unaware that this viewpoint conflicts with Scripture and Reformed Theology.

[Quix]

I just figured there was so much syrup being slopped all over you from Mother Mary’s Sweetness jar

that you could stand a hosing off. Wouldn’t want layers of those sharp crystals forming all over you.

Then they’d likely accuse you of stealing their sugar! LOL.

[1000 silverlings]

did they dissolve the churches and run away?

[Judith Anne]

Here’s a forum for proddie sex abuse.

http://snapsurvivorsnetwork.yuku.com/forums/35

[Judith Anne]

Information is at the link.

[Judith Anne]

Keep reading.

[Judith Anne]

Here’s another interesting link:

http://news.exchristian.net/2006/12/clergy-sex-abuse-widespread-across.html

The regional SNAP office in Texas has made a similar request. Brown says that confidentiality allows ministers who have molested children or had extramarital affairs to move undetected from one church to another and prey on unsuspecting congregations.

In an article posted on the Baptist Standard Web site last March, Jan Daehnert, then an interim director with the Baptist convention, said the convention takes acts of sexual misconduct seriously and tries to prevent them. He said that the list remains confidential in large part to protect the identity of victims. *******************

So, confidentiality protects the identity of the victims? WRONG! It protects the identity of the perpetrators and the churches FIRST. The truth must come out.

[metmom]

Your comment in this post.....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2657209/posts?page=1394#1394

Stated (copied and pasted) “Non-denominational churches are the worst for child abuse, because they form and dissolve with no formal organization to take responsibility when crimes occur, and they do occur. Criminal pastors flee to other states, take up different work or live off what they stole, leaving behind girlfriends and boy “friends” of all ages. “

The link you provided demonstrates no such thing.

Try again.

[Grizzled Bear]

Seems the “youth pastor” (Bible college grad, all the right credentials) was diddling some of the youngsters from youth group during off hours. Arrest, newspaper reports, pictures, the whole works.

If the Church covered it up and moved him to another location, with a new bunch of kids to abuse, you'd have an arguement.

[metmom]

In addition, I find this woman’s comment most interesting....

“Iowa-based Guide One Center for Risk Management, which insures more than 40,000 congregations, also said Catholic churches are not considered a greater risk or charged higher premiums.

“Our claims experience shows this happens evenly across denominations,” said spokeswoman Melanie Stonewall.”

*******************************************************************************

So, the Catholic church is apparently insured against stuff like this. So, then why all the whining about the Catholic church paying out these lawsuits and how churches are closing because the donations from its parishioners is going to pay out lawsuits?

What’s the story here? Are they insured or not?

If they are insured, why are people portraying the Catholic church as paying out of its own pocket?

If they’re not insured, how can these statements have any validity?

[1000 silverlings]

No doubt you can spend the rest of your life unearthing sex scandals in whichever religion and denomination you want to. There is a biblical format in place to deal with sinful and criminal behavior, set up by that loony (in your words) Paul.

Fundamental independent churches practice it, and then we hear tales of the horror of anectdotal Baptist churches, somewhere in the south/midwest actually discipling someone and the indignant lawsuits that result.

There is a reason that Christ said he'll purify the church and start with the pastors and work His way down. People are sinners. We see it in the bible, time after time, the Kings sin, Kohenim sin, the Levites sin, everyone can sin. It seems to be a condition of mankind.

[metmom]

The data on the Protestant clergy tends to focus on sexual abuse in general, not on sexual abuse of children. Thus, strict comparisons cannot always be made. But there are some comparative data available on the subject of child sexual molestation, and what has been reported is quite revealing.

So, where is it?

The examples given in the following statistics doesn't address sexual contact with children, so their comment was meaningless and still unsupported.

[Judith Anne]

It’s nothing to me if you (plura) want to ignore the information I’ve gathered. There are other, intelligent readers who will fully understand the posts.

And I see no reason to get into any prolonged discussion with either of you, previous experience doesn’t show any interest in the truth from your (plural) side.

[metmom]

Lots of suggestions and innuendos.

I have no use for people who treat *charged* as if it were *convicted*.

[1000 silverlings]

Unlike Catholics we can choose the church we attend and actively resist this behavior in our church. We dont have to wait years for the pope to do something

[Quix]

INDEED.

WELL PUT.

[topcat54]

That church did it right.

Well, not exactly. Seems this fellow was youth pastor at another church where he was caught with his hand in the youth group cookie jar. They called it "inappropriate contact" with a minor. He was arrested and pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct. The church dismissed him. It’s not clear when the church found out about his activities. So this guy takes a job with another church, the one I mentioned in the previous post. The first church tells the second church to keep an eye on this fellow. So what does the second church do? You guessed it; they gave him a leadership job in charge of teenage boys. No background check was performed. So Mr. Youth Group starts plying the young men with gifts. Next thing you know he’s in the news again for inappropriately touching a boy he met at the church.

[Judith Anne]

I have no use for people who treat *charged* as if it were *convicted*.

It apparently doesn't seem to bother you if the ones "charged" are Catholic.

[Judith Anne]

I thought they put them in prison immediately.

[topcat54]

Ping to 1436

[1000 silverlings]

This is baloney. Nowadays anybody can be sued for anything, and an employer who reveals information about an employee that prevents that employee from getting another job, can be held liable and sued. The onus is on these churches, and schools, whatever organization it is, to do a background check on people.