Who are the "groomers"?

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Jose Fly
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Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Jose Fly »

On Sunday, a report summarizing an independent investigation into sexual abuse in US Southern Baptist churches was released. The investigation uncovered some very disturbing details:
1. Top leaders repeatedly tried to bury sex abuse claims and lied about what they could do

The report describes how key Southern Baptist leaders engaged in a pattern of ignoring, stonewalling and even “vilifying” sex abuse survivors. The report details multiple instances when Southern Baptist leaders shot down requests by survivors and other concerned members to maintain a database of abusers. Publicly, the leaders said they couldn’t because of “church polity,” or the denomination’s decentralized structure. But the report found that their attorneys had advised them that they could keep such a list and that the leaders did so in secret.

2. A former SBC president was considered “credibly accused” of sexual assault

3. Unheeded warnings went on for decades

The report also described a series of instances when leaders ignored warnings by sex abuse survivors and advocates. In 2016, a person called to report a pastor’s involvement in abuse of her mother. According to the report, a staff member for the Executive Committee asked Boto, “Do I call this lady back? I suspect no.” No documents indicate a follow-up response, the report said.

4. Leaders seemed to put concern over potential litigation over people’s safety

Southern Baptist leaders appeared to value avoiding lawsuits over preventing sexual abuse, according to the report, which stated, “it is striking that many reform efforts were met with resistance, typically due to concerns over incurring legal liability.” For example, based on outside counsel, leaders recommended removing the word “crisis” when referring to sex abuse.
When we put this together with similar problems in the Catholic Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Mormon Church, it's quite apparent that US Christianity has a widespread and long-running problem with sexual abuse and covering it up.

As horrific as all that is, it's particularly galling given recent efforts by Christians across the US to paint LGBTQs as either abusers themselves or "groomers" (people who manipulate and prepare victims for abuse). From they way they tell it, transgender people are constantly lurking in bathrooms, ready to assault unsuspecting children and women, and LGBTQ teachers and school officials are "grooming" students to become future victims. From that hateful and bigoted position they seek to use the force of government to relegate LGBTQs to second-class status.

Yet in reality, children are at far greater risk from being abused in Christian settings! And when that becomes apparent, Christians take deliberate steps to not only cover it up, but demonize the victims and protect the abusers!

So what's going on here? Is this sick and hateful people projecting their own faults onto others? Is it a case of "every accusation is really a confession"? Something else? All of the above?
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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This is among the worst things I've ever seen. A pastor tries to confess to "committing adultery" to his congregation, and asks them to forgive him. But then the person with whom he "committed adultery" goes up on the stage and tells the whole story.....she was 16 years old when he first had sex with her. And what happens next is absolutely bizarre. The pastor returns to the stage, admits that what she said is true, then makes it all about himself by repeating "I'm asking for your forgiveness" over and over, while not focusing one bit on his victim. Then, to top it all off, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the congregation goes up to the front, surrounds the pastor/predator, hugs him, lays hands on him, and prays for him. Again...nothing for his victim.

You can see the video by CLICKING HERE.

I have no words for this, other than to just say....these people are sick. And if you are curious how or why sex abuse in Christian churches is so commonly covered up, you just saw your answer on video.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Purple Knight »

Jose Fly wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 5:06 pm This is among the worst things I've ever seen. A pastor tries to confess to "committing adultery" to his congregation, and asks them to forgive him. But then the person with whom he "committed adultery" goes up on the stage and tells the whole story.....she was 16 years old when he first had sex with her. And what happens next is absolutely bizarre. The pastor returns to the stage, admits that what she said is true, then makes it all about himself by repeating "I'm asking for your forgiveness" over and over, while not focusing one bit on his victim. Then, to top it all off, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the congregation goes up to the front, surrounds the pastor/predator, hugs him, lays hands on him, and prays for him. Again...nothing for his victim.

You can see the video by CLICKING HERE.

I have no words for this, other than to just say....these people are sick. And if you are curious how or why sex abuse in Christian churches is so commonly covered up, you just saw your answer on video.
This is absolutely perfectly exemplary of the fundamental problem I have with Christian forgiveness: It's no longer about what you did or your victim. At all. You don't sin against the child you rape - you sin against God and the child doesn't figure into it at all except that God doesn't want him raped.

This contrasts with what I believe pretty sharply. I don't think the congregation can forgive this man because he didn't do it to them. I would call it hubris to think they can, to push the girl out of the picture and make a big show about forgiving him for it... but my ego is like a black hole and I know hubris. This is not hubris. This is something else... something sick. I don't think it has a name. But it's not that they're indulging themselves. It's that they're ignoring the act which they then pretend to forgive... but how can they forgive it... when they're outright ignoring it?

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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Jose Fly »

I won't post the videos, but the recent spate of Christian preachers and their followers advocating for the arrest and execution of LGBTQs, merely for being who they are, is alarming. Plus the incidents in Idaho and California, where violent right-wing are starting to show up to LGBTQ events specifically to commit violence and/or harass people....well, lets just say things have taken a rather ugly and dangerous turn.

And it's all being done under the banner of Christianity, which makes the label "The American Taliban" fairly accurate.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Aetixintro »

[Replying to Jose Fly in post #1]

At least the Christians care for morality along with other religious people. Satanists do not, perhaps they groom. Atheists unlike Humanists don't care for morality (or they would have been Humanists), perhaps they groom.
Sure, there are some hypocrites among the religious, but other groups are only rotten apples and they celebrate it too! :(
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Miles »

Aetixintro wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 6:20 pm [Replying to Jose Fly in post #1]

At least the Christians care for morality along with other religious people. Satanists do not, perhaps they groom. Atheists unlike Humanists don't care for morality
Sure they do. In fact, many atheists are quite moral. Heck, most hold themselves more moral than the Christian god who condones slavery (Leviticus 25:44-46 ), calls for the execution of practicing male homosexuals (Leviticus 20:13), and sees nothing wrong with killing innocent children and infants. (1 Samuel 15:2-3)

Nice guy we're told, but hardly moral.

(or they would have been Humanists),
Believe it or not but Humanists are not defined by their sense of morality.


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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Jose Fly »

Aetixintro wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 6:20 pm [Replying to Jose Fly in post #1]

At least the Christians care for morality along with other religious people. Satanists do not, perhaps they groom. Atheists unlike Humanists don't care for morality (or they would have been Humanists), perhaps they groom.
Sure, there are some hypocrites among the religious, but other groups are only rotten apples and they celebrate it too! :(
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Huh? How does any of that relate to the topic of this thread? The only way it seems to is that you're basically running cover for the Christians who are advocating for the executions of LGBTQs. I hope that's not the case.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Diogenes »

Jose Fly wrote: Fri May 27, 2022 5:06 pmThen, to top it all off, about 1/4 to 1/2 of the congregation goes up to the front, surrounds the pastor/predator, hugs him, lays hands on him, and prays for him.
This is typical behavior among evangelicals, particularly when it benefits one of their leaders.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

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Post by Diogenes »

Aetixintro wrote: Thu Jun 23, 2022 6:20 pm Atheists unlike Humanists don't care for morality....
This false claim isn't just demonstrably wrong; it slanders an entire group.
Analysis of the results suggests that theists are more inclined than atheists to endorse moral values that promote group cohesion. Meanwhile, atheists are more likely to judge the morality of an action based on its consequences. However, atheists and theists appear to align on moral values related to protecting vulnerable individuals....
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 143306.htm

This study perfectly explains half the congregation rushing to support their sexual predator pastor (promoting group cohesion by supporting their leader) while not protecting the vulnerable victim he abused.
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