The NY Times, the abuse crisis, and the war against celibacy

[JimG]

The Times piles on.

The Times, the Abuse Crisis, and the War Against Celibacy - Crisis Magazine

 

[ATraveller]

It disturbs and enrages me anyone could use atrocities to push their agenda, especially those who claim to be impartial, fair-minded journalists. Sex is their god and they have this idiotic and factually wrong analogy of people being cans of soda that eventually explode if they don’t release their urges.

If they really cared for survivors of abuse, they’d realise the problem is the pattern of cover-ups and refusal to take claims seriously. The nepotism and favouritism. The abuse of power. The distortion of what forgiveness means. The refusal to alert others of individuals who shouldn’t be near vulnerable individuals. These are what survivors and real experts are saying and want to be addressed.

I also take issue with people who say homosexuality is the driver of abuse in the Catholic Church. Yes, 80% of the victims are male but looking at the Southern Baptist cases, it’s the reverse. Do we blame heterosexuality? Of course not. Again, let’s address the real problems, which were cited in the second paragraph.

In the Southern Baptist story, some have used it as an excuse to push for women pastors, similar to what has happened in the Catholic Church.

This is an informative Twitter thread from a survivor of abuse:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1098599773559554053

 

[ATraveller]

This is an informative Twitter thread from a survivor of abuse:

The relevant part of the thread copied and pasted:

1. Taking advantage of a tragedy in order to push a social or political agenda is tacky. You want female pastors? That’s fine. But you chould join a church that ordains women. However, when you join that church, don’t be shocked when you find abuse there too. It’s everywhere.

1. Abuse is evil. Abuse happens in churches when evil people go unchecked and good people are either unaware or negligent. The way to counter abuse then is to increase awareness, accountability, and sound biblical teaching. People with a healthy awe of God despise abuse.

1. The idea, “Had women been involved abuse wouldn’t happen,” is nonsense. There were women involved. They may not have been pastors, but they were there. My abuse was hushed up by … wait for it … women. Giving female abuse enablers titles isn’t going to change what they are.

4.A. Abusers don’t become evil overnight. They take a smaller sin (often lust) and they feed it until it grows into a massive, complex, all-consuming depravity. They’ve had a multitude of opportunities to repent or get help. They chose not to.

4.B. Abusers were likely already nurturing their sin before they graduated high school. Becoming a pastor in a predominately male-lead church didn’t make them this way. They were evil, they sought out a vulnerable congregation, wormed their way into authority, and chose to sin.

I’m reminded of those who said, “If catholic priests weren’t celibate they wouldn’t abuse little boys.” I’m not catholic and prefer my pastors to be married, but there are plenty of unmarried people who don’t abuse kids. Singleness doesn’t cause pedophilia. Stop implying it does.

Off the top of my head I know of survivors abused in Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Calvary Chapel, Pentacostal, Catholic, Baptist, and indie churches. This is not an exclusively #SBC problem. Don’t let your guard down. Where there are people, there is evil.

 

[Gabika50]

RE: "Off the top of my head I know of survivors abused in Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian, Methodist, Calvary Chapel, Pentacostal, Catholic, Baptist, and indie churches. " But of all of these, the Catholics make the longest press. The abuse by hundreds of Southern Baptists was a media flash in the pan that came as quick as it went.