Sex abuse spans spectrum of churches

[Bernard]

Sex abuse spans spectrum of churches

 

April 5, 2002

• By Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Despite headlines focusing on the priest pedophile problem in the Roman Catholic Church, most American churches being hit with child sexual-abuse allegations are Protestant, and most of the alleged abusers are not clergy or staff, but church volunteers.

These are findings from national surveys by Christian Ministry Resources (CMR), a tax and legal-advice publisher serving more than 75,000 congregations and 1,000 denominational agencies nationwide.

CMR's annual surveys of about 1,000 churches nationwide have asked about sexual abuse since 1993. They're a remarkable window on a problem that lurked largely in the shadows of public awareness until the Catholic scandals arose.

The surveys suggest that over the past decade, the pace of child-abuse allegations against American churches has averaged 70 a week. The surveys registered a slight downward trend in reported abuse starting in 1997, possibly a result of the introduction of preventive measures by churches.

"I think the CMR numbers are striking, yet quite reasonable," says Anson Shupe, anIndiana University professor who's written books about church abuse. "To me it says Protestants are less reluctant to come forward because they don't put their clergy on as high a pedestal as Catholics do with their priests."

Dr. Shupe suggests the 70 allegations-per-week figure actually could be higher, because underreporting is common. He discovered this in 1998 while going door to door in Dallas-Ft. Worth communities where he asked 1,607 families if they'd experienced abuse from those within their church. Nearly 4 percent said they had been victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Child sexual abuse was part of that, but not broken out, he says.

 

James Cobble, executive director of CMR, who oversees the survey, says the data show that child sex-abuse happens broadly across all denominations and that clergy aren't the major offenders.

"The Catholics have gotten all the attention from the media, but this problem is even greater with the Protestant churches simply because of their far larger numbers," he says.

Of the 350,000 churches in the US, 19,500 5 percent are Roman Catholic. Catholic churches represent a slightly smaller minority of churches in the CMR surveys which aren't scientifically random, but "representative" demographic samples of churches, Dr. Cobble explains.

Since 1993, on average about 1 percent of the surveyed churches reported abuse allegations annually. That means on average, about 3,500 allegations annually, or nearly 70 per among the predominantly Protestant group, Cobble says.

 

 

Sex abuse spans spectrum of churches

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Despite headlines focusing on the priest pedophile problem in the Roman Catholic Church, most American churches being hit with child sexual-abuse a

 

[Bernard]

Southern Baptist leaders ‘stonewalled’ sex abuse victims, scathing report says

Survivors who reported abuse to executive committee were ‘ignored’ as leaders were ‘singularly focused on avoiding liability’

                                                       

 

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, America’s largest Protestant denomination, stonewalled and denigrated survivors of clergy sex abuse over almost two decades while seeking to protect their own reputations, according to a scathing 288-page investigative report issued Sunday.

 

Southern Baptist leaders ‘stonewalled’ sex abuse victims, scathing report says | Christianity | The Guardian

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Survivors who reported abuse to executive committee were ‘ignored’ as leaders were ‘singularly focused on avoiding liability’

 

[Bernard]

After sex-abuse scandal, protesters demand change on Nobel literature prize board

 

         

• By David Keyton and Jan M. Olsen Associated Press

April 20, 2018|STOCKHOLM

Thousands of protesters called Thursday for the resignation of the secretive board that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature after a sex-abuse scandal linked to the prestigious Swedish academy forced the ouster of its first-ever woman head and tarnished the reputation of the coveted prize.

 

After sex-abuse scandal, protesters demand change on Nobel literature prize board

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Sara Danius was the first woman to lead the secretive board that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her removal from the academy, amid criticism from male members for her handling of...

 

[Bernard]

Church of England 'colluded' to hide sex abuse, archbishop says

 

• By Sylvia Hui Associated Press

June 22, 2017|LONDON

The Church of England "colluded" with and helped to hide the long-term sexual abuse of young men by one of its former bishops, the head of the church said Thursday.

Church of England 'colluded' to hide sex abuse, archbishop says

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Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby apologized to the sexual assault victims of ex-bishop Peter Ball. The Church of England helped to hide the abuse, enabling the bishop's return to ministry...

 

[Bernard]

Is there more sexual abuse in the Protestant Churches than the Catholic Church?

It seems that every month a Catholic diocese somewhere in the country releases a list of credibly accused predator priests that rivals the list originally put forth by the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team. The Catholic church seems to have a near monopoly on child sexual abuse in religious settings. But looks can be deceiving, and it appears that child sexual abuse in Protestant churches is actually more common.

It is extremely hard to know the exact rates of child sexual abuse in any institution, especially since it takes survivors, on average 21 years before they start talking about their abuse*. But churches, like all other corporate entities that work with the public, have insurance, and there are only a few insurance providers who insure churches. These three companies, in 2007, said they receive about 260 reports of sexual abuse per year from Protestant churches, and about 228 from Catholic churches.

Why does abuse within the Catholic church seem to be so much more common? There are several reasons for that.

 

Is there more sexual abuse in the Protestant Churches than the Catholic Church?

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Is the Protestant world teetering on the edge of a sex abuse scandal similar to the one that had rocked the Catholic Church?

 

[Bernard]

Ceo život slušam protestante da je glavni krivac za pedofiliju u katoličkoj crkvi celibat. Vreme je da zamene jutarnju kafu, tu bljutavu splačinu neka zamene sa nekom kvalitetnom i ukusnom kafom!

[Bernard]

Billy Graham's Grandson Says Protestants Abuse Kids Just Like Catholics

 

Basyle "Boz" Tchividjian is shining a spotlight on the sexual abuse of children in Protestant churches—a scandal he says may be larger than that of the Catholic Church.

                                       

 

                                           

 

Billy Graham's Grandson Says Protestants Abuse Kids Just Like Catholics

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Basyle "Boz" Tchividjian is shining a spotlight on the sexual abuse of children in Protestant churches—a scandal he says may be larger than that of the Catholic Church.

[Bernard]

Child sexual abuse is not just a Catholic problem

Third is the problem of silent bystanders. "Among the disturbing truth that surfaced in 'Spotlight' was the deafening silence that surrounded the sexual abuse of children that had permeated inside the Church in epidemic proportions." However, "the same deadly silence permeates inside many Protestant institutions." Pastors will preach on all kinds of social ills, but studiously avoid the topic of child sexual abuse.

Catholics should take no joy whatsoever in Tschivividjian's assessment. One child sexually abused in any tradition is one child too many. But it does put the Catholic situation into useful perspective. However, Catholics do not have to work less at the prevention of child abuse, but continue the stringent measures to protect children and bring offenders to justice.

Child sexual abuse is not just a Catholic problem

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The movie “Spotlight” (which I saw last week, and thought remarkably fair—not at all expressive of the familiar media attacks on the Catholic Church) has again opened up...