What’s with Christians and raping children?
The religion itself has nothing to do with it. It’s the position that attracts the abusers. A pastor is a person that members will implicitly trust to be a good person. They won’t even think twice about leaving their children with them. It never occurs to them that a pastor could lie about that just like anyone else.
For an abuser, faking piousness in exchange for direct unfiltered access to your preferred victims is an easy choice. Heck, you’re even paid to do it.
I disagree that religion has nothing to do with it. Religion is the vehicle used for these people to molest children, and religion often protects them when they’re found out.
Religious institutions do an absurdly terrible job of governing themselves, or background checks, etc.
They’re the reason so much of this is allowed to keep happening.
Ah yes, I see the “Religion is bad! Religion enables child rapists! Abolish religion!” crowd is out.
Religion is not the issue, religion is the window dressing to the actual issue, it’s institutions protecting themselves.
Let’s take a trip down “Holy shit, these institutions are terrible” memory lane.
Our first stop is Jimmy Savlie and the BBC. Fairly confident in saying that the BBC is not a religious institution.
Next up, the Boy Scouts of America sex abuse cases, while the Boy Scouts of America had some religious trappings, as an organization it was never truly about religion.
Let’s not forget Larry Nasser and USA Gymnastics. Fairly sure that USA Gymnastics isn’t a religious intuition.
Fourth stop is Jerry Sandusky and their history of child sex assault.
Hockey Canada had a massive sexual assault scandal involving youth players sexual assaulting females.
The Trouble Teen industry has a long history of abusing children. While some companies/associations may have religious connotations, the industry as whole is not religious.
To round out the list: we have Judge Rotenberg Educational Centre Inc, were disabled children were tortured; Dr. John Money, who wanted to test gender identity and sexual orientation on twins by forcing one twin to grow up as a different gender; finally, there is Dr. Peter Neuauer, who spilt up twins and triplets without telling anyone to test nature vs nurture. The kicker to Dr. Neuauer, the results of the extremely unethical study are locked up at Yale until October 25, 2026 because “feared that public opinion would be against the study, and declined to publish it.”
Every one of these examples are all about powerful institutions, caring about protecting themselves. When it comes to religion and abuse, everyone mistakes the forest for the trees.
All hierarchies facilitate abuse. Theism is the ultimate hierarchy. When you have large congregations of people that fall in line under a hierarchy, those at the top will abuse those beneath them.
Another headline omitting the relevant trump connection
I mean, I posted about that the day before
Repeat the headline, don’t interpret.
Actual headline from independent was, “Texas Megachurch pastor who sat on Trump faith board resigns after admitting molesting girl, 12, in the 1980s”
You left out her age and trump mention. So why didn’t you just title that as headline? Also, why not change it now? This is Lemmy, you have that option.
I don’t change headlines. I use the original
You did here. You’re being asked to change it back after weirdly omitting her age as a preteen minor and his obvious connection to trump.
You do realize sites change headlines?
You do realize you could change it to match if that’s the case?
And you do realize that you’re also arguing two opposing points and embarrassing yourself?
I normally change my headlines when someone points out they’ve been updated. But I’ve never actually had someone get so rude and accusatory about it, so no thanks
So… that’s an admission. He can be charged?
Texas, show us how much you care about protecting kids…
I think they already showed us at Uvalde.
Another pastoral pedophile. The church has controlled people through demonizing human sexuality, and kids are at the bottom of the pecking order.
Makes sense that he was Trump’s spiritual advisor.
I assume he was also Epstein’s spiritual advisor.
*Religious advisor, ain’t nothing spiritual about a man who follows dogma and I’m tired of people confusing spirituality with religon
Two piles of the same bullshit.
Are you an athiest ?
There’s a reason I hate both religous people and athiests and part of it is because religous people follow dogma and athiests act like assholes towards people they view as beneath them and insert themselves in academia where they don’t belong
Both religous people and athiests have a holier-then-thou attitude
The word is ‘atheist’, you got the e and i mixed up.
I have not acted like an asshole, I have just pointed out facts, while the other called religion cancer. How am I the supposed asshole? Not giving in to bad arguments is not “acting like an asshole.”
I also do not view anyone beneath me, that’s a mean insinuation and most likely the beginning of a fabulous strawman.
insert themselves in academia where they don’t belong
What would that be an what does that have to do with anything I wrote?
I hate both religous people and athiests
Hating people is a bad thing.
Nah, they’re different, religion is a cancer, spirituality can give people a sense of belonging or being part of something bigger than themselves. Eat some mushrooms and tell me they’re the same thing lol.
Spirituality, even more than religion, is some broadly used word for all kinds of stuff like healing crystals, zodiac signs etc. A sense of belonging can come from many things, that doesn’t make it true or good per se. What you are describing is drug use. Spirituality may sound better for you, but it’s just bullshit for drug use. I’m not judging, but it is what it is.
I’m sorry you feel that way.
A better inner-life (a more spiritual outlook) is actually key part of recovery from drugs and mental illness and can ignore god completely. Drugs can help experience it but aren’t necessary, my mushroom comment was a bit tongue-in-cheek but they have been used for millenia as a shortcut or aid to shamans and medicine men. To write off multiple cultures experiences as “just drug use” is incredibly dismissive and arrogant.
A better inner-life is possible without intermixing it with intangible hocus pocus. Calling something “spiritual” or retracting to it beeing “culture” is often used as protection against criticism and I see you do it here. Something can be culture and still be criticized or called out for what it actually is. Slavery has been part of pretty much every culture at some point. Would you call me arrogant when I say it’s still inhumane and criminal behaviour? And thats what I do. It’s been culture for centuries, but all the time, it was also “taking drugs, feeling like beeing part of something bigger charged with magical thinking”.
edit: All you say about spirituality can be said about religion. It helps people and gives them purpose and has been culture for thousands of years. Yet, you say
religion is a cancer
Isn’t that way more disrespectful, dismissive and arrogant that what I am doing? Whats your measure here?
They’re different, but not opposite. It’s like comparing height and colour.
