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flyingfish
Guest
Forgiven is not the same as welcomed into the community. Jesus might have said to forgive rapists, but I doubt he meant at the cost of putting safety at risk.
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Doc_Keele
Guest
It’s funny how people make exceptions for the sin they find worse than any other. It’s not Biblical.
And what risk is this guy? Is he engaging in risky behavious? Is he complying with his registration requirements? I don’t know, but we have no evidence to the contrary. You’re making a bogeyman out of him. Moral panic.
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flyingfish
Guest
It has nothing to do with how bad the sin is, but the statistics that rapists (specifically of children) are highly likely to do it again.
It’s not about forgiveness or what he did, it’s about protecting oneself
Assuming he is a rapist, if he just had consensual sex with someone he wasn’t supposed to do it with it’s different.
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Doc_Keele
Guest
Like I say, you’re perpetuating the myth, the statistics do not show that at all.
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Kilo1Mike21
Guest
There are several ways to think about this…
Some of you have stated that once a sex offender, always a sex offender……that may be true but it doesn’t mean ALL will offend again. As Jesus once said, He who has no sin….
To be safe, you tell your children about him, you keep track of your children (a rare occurrence these days….not saying that you don’t……
Now for those who are thinking what right do I have to say all this……I am a retired police officer who has dealt with this situation quite a bit. I have a 15 YO daughter and have a sex offender living in our sub division and 25 registered within two miles…….this is one guy that has made his presence known to you; how many are living very near you that you don’t know about……one should be concerned about what you don’t know rather than the “known”…
My $.02
- What if he had said nothing and just lived peaceably among you. He is a great neighbor, ensured that he didn’t associate with your children (you thought he just didn’t like kids), helped you when you had car trouble, shoveled snow off the sidewalk, helped you carry groceries/furniture/whatever in when your hands were full, attended your church regularly, and then one day he died suddenly and you found out he was sex offender. Would all those good thoughts about him go out the window?
Some of you have stated that once a sex offender, always a sex offender……that may be true but it doesn’t mean ALL will offend again. As Jesus once said, He who has no sin….
To be safe, you tell your children about him, you keep track of your children (a rare occurrence these days….not saying that you don’t……
Now for those who are thinking what right do I have to say all this……I am a retired police officer who has dealt with this situation quite a bit. I have a 15 YO daughter and have a sex offender living in our sub division and 25 registered within two miles…….this is one guy that has made his presence known to you; how many are living very near you that you don’t know about……one should be concerned about what you don’t know rather than the “known”…
My $.02
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Doc_Keele
Guest
Also, the experience in Canada is that sex offenders reoffend least when supported by the community, rather than the “flaming torches and pitchforks” approach favoured by at least some here. But don’t let reality affect your position, nor Christian compassion.
Whatever happened to the notion of “there go I but for the grace of God?”
Whatever happened to the notion of “there go I but for the grace of God?”
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jmcrae
Guest
If we’d said okay, go ahead, then you’d be all over us with “Hey, looky, everybody, here’s how all those pedophile priests got away with it!!”It’s fascinating to see how the Christian traits of forgiveness come through in the last post…oops that’s from an atheist!
guess some people don’t understand that Jesus sat with publicans, probably the sex offenders of their day?
if we treat registered sex offenders like lepers (and Jesus healed lepers), what kind of Christians are we? or are we Pharisees?
We just can’t win for losing, can we?
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jmcrae
Guest
Isn’t that how all those pedophile priests got away with it? Bishops forgiving them and giving them second, third, and fourth chances?
By the way, I don’t see anybody here advocating for flaming torches and pitchforks - merely that he move to an adults-only building, and away from where children live and play.
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tr1strev
Guest
WHAT WAS HE CONVICTED OF!?! Has this been answered yet? That goes to the essence of the entire discussion.
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hellopeople
Guest
Exactly. If he was convicted of raping a 12 year old boy, and my son was 12 I would want him out of there for sure. You have to forgive people BUT you also have to look out for the safety (and innocence) of children. It has been shown that these people cannot really be cured and a great majority of them are repeat offenders. I know that I wouldn’t want this man around my child if he was previously convicted of raping a child. I would never forgive myself if I vouched for the guy and he ended up raping my son. Nor would the judicial system forgive me for the things I might do to him afterward (not that I believe violence would be right in that situation, but no one is perfect and it is doubtful that many people would be able to control themselves if given the opportunity to inflict violence on the rapist of their child.)
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KostyaJMJ
Guest
I really do feel sorry for pedophiles. I know many of them suffer a great deal from the desires and compulsions that they experience against their wills and most have no intention of ever hurting a child. That doesn’t change the fact that they are dangerous predators that have no place around children. If his crime had anything to do with a child I don’t want him anywhere around where I live.
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whm
Guest
A convicted felon does not have the same rights and freedoms as other citizens. If he is being evicted, the landlord must have a good case. Evictions can be tough to get in some locations. Reading between the lines, my guess is that he may not have disclosed his status on his rental application. Having a sex offender in an apartment complex is a landlord’s worst nightmare.
If it were simply a 18.001 year old having sex with a teenage girlfriend 20 years ago, he could produce the court records and convince his neighbors himself. He shouldn’t put you in that position. A least some states have lessor levels of sex offenders and even drop people off the list after a number of years (IL comes to mind).
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ALLGIRLS
Guest
The priests weren’t convicted, that’s the difference. This guy was arrested, convicted, did his time, and is following the laws regarding registration. Nobody’s trying to “cover up” anything w/ regard to his crime. If the priests had been convicted and imprisoned, they also would have gotten out eventually, and even defrocked, would have had to live somewhere too. As much as everyone wants sex offenders executed or imprisoned for life, that just doesn’t happen in this country. We have to live with them, and, like, the retired officer stated (sorry, can’t remember your name), it’s better that we know about them. I’m a former probation and parole officer, btw, so I also have experience w/ sex offenders.Isn’t that how all those pedophile priests got away with it? Bishops forgiving them and giving them second, third, and fourth chances?
By the way, I don’t see anybody here advocating for flaming torches and pitchforks - merely that he move to an adults-only building, and away from where children live and play.
In Christ,
Ellen
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Milt
Guest
If he was an 18 year old convicted of statutory rape he most likely would not still be in a recovery program after 14 years.
How can you forgive someone that has not committed an offense against you? You can’t, so forgiveness is a moot point in this particular case.
The real issue here is compassion, which can be given in any number of ways without diluting the safety measures for potential victims.
This guy has to live somewhere, and making him move to another area is merely shuffling the problem off on someone else.
Like the cop and parole officer have stated knowing who and what he is will have more effect.
On a side note I spent ten years caring for the children that were victims of sexual predators.
How can you forgive someone that has not committed an offense against you? You can’t, so forgiveness is a moot point in this particular case.
The real issue here is compassion, which can be given in any number of ways without diluting the safety measures for potential victims.
This guy has to live somewhere, and making him move to another area is merely shuffling the problem off on someone else.
Like the cop and parole officer have stated knowing who and what he is will have more effect.
On a side note I spent ten years caring for the children that were victims of sexual predators.
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Doc_Keele
Guest
The offence was 14 years ago, but was the conviction?
It’s perfectly to achieve safety without the flaming torches and pitchforks. This bogeyman lurking in the bushes really doesn’t exist. And if he did, what if he wasn’t on the register? Or was a family member or friend like the majority of child abusers?
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Milt
Guest
True, but we are all just speculating at this point since we have few details.
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Newbie2
Guest
OP,
You did your job by defending him to the Landlord; the Landlord must now make up his mind on what to do.
I agree that it’s difficult to make a call on this without knowing exactly what he did and with whom.
You did your job by defending him to the Landlord; the Landlord must now make up his mind on what to do.
I agree that it’s difficult to make a call on this without knowing exactly what he did and with whom.
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Rence
Guest
I’m quite sure may of the folk here on CAF find me to be very liberal (though I guess that’s a matter of opinion), but I wouldn’t want a registered sex offender living near me either. The problem is, there is no “cure”, and the statistics are against him. I completely agree that there is a vast difference between a true sex offender and someone such as a 17 year old having relations with a 16 year old. That would make the difference for me.
If I were in that position, I was ask him for the details of his conviction. If he was one of those kids who was having consensual relations with someone a tad younger than him, I would ask him if I could share that with the landlord and others to sort of … lobby?..for him. But if he was a true sex offender, I would not. If people are uncomfortable being around a registered sex offender, that kind of goes with the consequences of being a sex offender. And they have good reason. We do have a responsiblity to protect others, including children. There is no evidence to support “curing” sex offenders. In fact, the evidence suggests otherwise. Perhaps your energy would be best spent helping him find a place to live where there are no children? How can we point our fingers at the clergy and demand they take more responsible action to protect our children when we don’t live up to the same standard?
If I were in that position, I was ask him for the details of his conviction. If he was one of those kids who was having consensual relations with someone a tad younger than him, I would ask him if I could share that with the landlord and others to sort of … lobby?..for him. But if he was a true sex offender, I would not. If people are uncomfortable being around a registered sex offender, that kind of goes with the consequences of being a sex offender. And they have good reason. We do have a responsiblity to protect others, including children. There is no evidence to support “curing” sex offenders. In fact, the evidence suggests otherwise. Perhaps your energy would be best spent helping him find a place to live where there are no children? How can we point our fingers at the clergy and demand they take more responsible action to protect our children when we don’t live up to the same standard?
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Catholic1954
Guest
Get his case number and look it up. You can read the trial transcripts for yourself and then know if he was caught peeing on the beach at 2:00am or was convicted of molesting his girlfriend’s six year old over a period of time, or broke into a neighbor’s home and raped the elderly occupant. The children must be protected, but if he is not guilty of harming children, he should be given the benefit of the doubt. Get the real facts (not just his story) and then make a reasonable decision.
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H_Opey
Guest
NO.
Do not get in the middle of it. Don’t do it.
Especially if you do not know what his conviction was (or you haven’t stated).
Find out for yourself what he was convicted of, surely you know his name and yes, we are to be kind, but we can not be so gullible to know that child molesters have a high rate of offending again. If he is a child molester, tell your kids to keep away, don’t even be friendly. He does not need the temptation. Also, if you are looking at a real child molestor, just know one thing. They can be very good as deceiving you and manipulating you. Just know this.
Do not get in the middle of it. Don’t do it.
Especially if you do not know what his conviction was (or you haven’t stated).
Find out for yourself what he was convicted of, surely you know his name and yes, we are to be kind, but we can not be so gullible to know that child molesters have a high rate of offending again. If he is a child molester, tell your kids to keep away, don’t even be friendly. He does not need the temptation. Also, if you are looking at a real child molestor, just know one thing. They can be very good as deceiving you and manipulating you. Just know this.
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