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Southern Baptists approve sex abuse proposals


Rocky
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — More than 8,000 members of the Southern Baptist Convention met in Anaheim, Calif., [click this link to read the entire news story for no charge bcuz I subscribe] on Tuesday and responded to the shocking findings of an independent investigation into the handling of sex abuse cases by passing a recommendation to create a database to track sex abusers and a formal group to handle sex abuse accusations going forward. Members of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination also elected rural Texas pastor Bart Barber the next president of the convention.

In May, Southern Baptist leaders published a report detailing a years-long coverup of sex abuse within their denomination. For 15 years, the report alleged, leaders said they were not able to compile a database of sex abuse offenders — while they were secretly keeping a list of their own. The same week they released their report, they also released the list, which consisted of hundreds of names of alleged abusers, including many convicted of sex abuse crimes. [...]
 

Rachael Denhollander, an attorney, survivor and advocate who is advising the SBC on its abuse reform measures, said Tuesday the denomination has made progress but still has a long way to go. [Denhollander is the former Michigan State gymnast who first contacted newspaper reporters about the team doctor who had been abusing female athletes for years. That former physician is in prison, and to the best of my knowledge, the warden has forever misplaced the keys to his cell]

“It’s 10 years behind everyone else on its understanding of abuse, of best standards,” she said. “I am seeing shifts but I don’t want to downplay the reality that they’re a decade behind.” 

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Thanks for this, Rocky. It's hard to tell if this is a victory, though it seems like a baby step in the right direction. Publishing that database is huge, but so is concealing it for years. It's like pulling teeth to hold accountable anyone in this country who can get themselves called reverend.

I live in the heart of Southern Baptist country at the buckle of the Bible Belt. None of this surprises me. And Southern Baptists aren't the only ones guilty of this type of widespread, systemic abuse in the Church.

Sex crimes against children or the disenfranchised is partly about sex, but it's completely about power and control. These cases are especially sinister because they are executed by those in positions of authority who claim to know God or his word better than anyone else. This sad song has been on repeat for thousands of years. 

Edited by Nathan_Jr
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1 hour ago, Nathan_Jr said:

I live in the heart of Southern Baptist country at the buckle of the Bible Belt. None of this surprises me. And Southern Baptists aren't the only ones guilty of this type of widespread, systemic abuse in the Church.

How true.

Of course, my immediate thought was that TWI should take a lesson and publish the names of its clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

But it's really a problem in any and likely every organization with the kind of structure that promotes obedience to those in charge without giving followers adequate rights to confront. That's how and why Wierwille and Martindale and who knows how many others got away with it.

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5 hours ago, Rocky said:

How true.

Of course, my immediate thought was that TWI should take a lesson and publish the names of its clergy who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

But it's really a problem in any and likely every organization with the kind of structure that promotes obedience to those in charge without giving followers adequate rights to confront. That's how and why Wierwille and Martindale and who knows how many others got away with it.

The Boy Scouts have been under scrutiny for child abuse for sometime now. A Girl Scout in New York has also filed abuse charges. Organizations demanding obedience to their policies and leaders are like a magnet to pedaphiles. 

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