- Protecting an Abuser: Leaders of a Minnesota church didn’t report a parishioner to police though they knew he’d sexually abused girls for years and had been told reporting it was their duty.
- Forgive and Forget: Church leaders held meetings where children were told to forgive the man who sexually abused them and forget the abuse. If they spoke of it, the sin would be theirs.
- Missed Opportunities: Prosecutors had at least one opportunity to intervene but hoped educating church leaders about their duties would encourage them to cooperate with authorities.
Fuck all religions
One of the priests at the Catholic school/church I went to was a family friend.
Years later it came out that he had been abusing an altar boy who was just 1 grade behind me. I’d see this kid all the time.
When my mom told me he had been arrested and why, she said “But don’t tell anyone” - because he was “a friend”.
I said bullshit - I’m telling everybody I see.
He’s in prison forever now but that poor kid…and that’s just the one I know about.
In front of the girl, her father and Bruckelmyer, Massie asked her for forgiveness. Looming over her, the three men wept. Then the girl’s dad and preacher allowed the man who had been sexually abusing her since kindergarten to hug her.
In accordance with one of the core tenets of their church, the matter was resolved. It was forgiven. It should now be forgotten. If she spoke of it again, she would be guilty of having an unforgiving heart and the sins would become hers.
What is this shit?
Gaslighting. It’s gaslighting the poor girl into obedience. Never be afraid to name names of anyone who threatens, tries, or does abuse you. The “sin” is theirs and will always be theirs, and if you remain silent they are free to sin again and ask forgiveness.
That’s organized religion.
I’ll preface this with that I’m not a believing Christian, I don’t even believe in God. But I grew up with religious grand-parents and also had religious education since childhood from talking to our town priest at various summer camps that were organized and supervised by the church. I was that weird kid that always asked too many questions.
It’s one of those attempts at bible-thumping that is just abhorrent and completely wrong.
In Christian belief (more strongly held to by catholic branches of Christianity), Jesus endured torture, insults and death and in return, he only wished for salvation for everyone (including the people insulting, torturing and killing him). Jesus did this because he knew that the only entity that is allowed to judge you is God and God will judge you when you die and by enduring the atrocities committed against him, he showed faith in God’s fair judgement.
Technically, that means that seeking revenge or justice for a crime committed against you is equal to not trusting in God to judge your perpetrator(s) fairly in afterlife and as such is not living the example that Jesus gave. Instead, you should forgive and pray and hope that your abuser will understand and repent his wrongdoings.
It does however not transfer their sin onto you, you are committing a different sin in doing so, so they keep their sin of being a childfucker, so what these kooks are saying is baloney. It’s also entirely unchristian to demand absolution from anyone but God and it’s a sin doing so. As a victim, it’s also allowed to think about and voice your anger and frustration of crimes committed against you, you should just not act upon your anger irrationally. Suing somebody for damages is not irrational, telling them to fuck off and never come near you ever again is not irrational, so they are plainly wrong.
Too that, I would say seek retribution and let God sort them out. If it’s good for the gander, it’s good for the goose.
Uber Christian bull shit
Once again, not a drag queen.
Never is.
They don’t like drag queens because the drag queens might teach their kids to be literate.
I wouldn’t say never, after all Rudy Giuliani has done drag, and there was that time he got caught in a hotel room with someone he thought was 15 and his hand down his pants.
Don’t forget when members of IDF cross-dressed, and went into a hospital to kill some people.
I don’t think cross dressing a few times qualifies him to be a drag queen any more than changing a headlight makes someone a mechanic.
Happens all the time. Especially the more fundamentalist you get.
The Laestadian sect from my neck of the woods are big on forgiveness. If I had a quarter for every time this story has surfaced, I’d have a nice mixed bag of beers for the weekend. I might get alcohol poisoning if I had a quarter for all the stories that never surfaced.
Are church leaders mandated reporters in Minnesota?
What does that even mean?
Mandated reporters are people that are legally required to report abuse or suspected abuse. Teachers, social workers, physicians, etc.
Are they anywhere?
If repenting to a priest isn’t good enough in all cases, the idea of always being redeemable to enter heaven crumbles. They can’t have that. No shit they aren’t reporting. They’d lose subscribers.
