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"?

Post #31

Post by Jose Fly »

Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:46 am
Jose Fly wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 11:16 pm [Replying to Difflugia in post #24]
Have you seen Jim Bakker's buckets of food? :shock:
I have. I actually collect weird religious crap. I used to intentionally get myself on mailing lists in order to get the little prayer rugs and vials of anointing oil. I won't spend more than a few bucks and won't buy from televangelists in any case, but I know the buckets of dehydrated stuff. A lot of the free stuff by mail has dried up thanks to the lucrative and infinitely more scalable internet, but I occasionally stumble upon a new piece and take the opportunity to look through and admire the collection.

My favorites are Catholic scapulars, prayer cards, and those saint medallions with the little piece of "third class relic" glued to the back. I also like the Santeria versions of novena candles to the Aztec and Mayan gods. I've also hit the age where nobody thinks it's weird if I walk into a Catholic church and fill a fancy little bottle with holy water. I like the tiny shot-sized liquor bottles from expensive liquors for that.
Well, I'd say that's a weird collection ya got there, but then I'm reminded of the fact that I used to collect Chick Tracts and those strange Christian Archie comics, so I'm hardly one to talk.
My reference to Ted Haggard and buying junk was actually meant as a crude joke. As the guy that bought meth from a male prostitute, he was colloquially "buying junk" in at least two different ways. Maybe nobody else went there.
Ah, I see now. Nope, I didn't catch that! I'm gettin' slow as I creep towards retirement. ;)
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #32

Post by Difflugia »

Jose Fly wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 11:54 amWell, I'd say that's a weird collection ya got there, but then I'm reminded of the fact that I used to collect Chick Tracts and those strange Christian Archie comics, so I'm hardly one to talk.
I was always tempted to buy one of the collections that came with a free display rack. Those were also the days when I was toying with buying and restoring one or two old video game cabinets, but then I ended up married. In my mind's eye, video games and fundamentalist kitsch went much better with a bachelor pad, so I stuck to smaller things that could more easily be kept out of sight.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #33

Post by Jose Fly »

Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:14 pm I was always tempted to buy one of the collections that came with a free display rack.
Chick tracts or Christian Archie comics? I let my collections of both go once it was all available online.
Those were also the days when I was toying with buying and restoring one or two old video game cabinets, but then I ended up married. In my mind's eye, video games and fundamentalist kitsch went much better with a bachelor pad, so I stuck to smaller things that could more easily be kept out of sight.
LOL...I can relate. I used to have all sorts of mounted fish, sports memorabilia, and rock posters.....then I got married and it quickly became apparent that that stuff wasn't going in the house. ;)
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #34

Post by Difflugia »

Jose Fly wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:20 pm
Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:14 pm I was always tempted to buy one of the collections that came with a free display rack.
Chick tracts or Christian Archie comics? I let my collections of both go once it was all available online.
Chick tracts. There used to be a large assortment that was something like fifteen each of forty different tracts for around $80 and it came with a full-size rotating rack. I think it was available until Jack Chick himself died, but now they just have a small tabletop version.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #35

Post by Jose Fly »

Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:26 pm
Jose Fly wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:20 pm
Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:14 pm I was always tempted to buy one of the collections that came with a free display rack.
Chick tracts or Christian Archie comics? I let my collections of both go once it was all available online.
Chick tracts. There used to be a large assortment that was something like fifteen each of forty different tracts for around $80 and it came with a full-size rotating rack. I think it was available until Jack Chick himself died, but now they just have a small tabletop version.
Wow, I've never seen a display like that. I've only seen Chick tracts at church or in random places Christians would leave them (bus stops, libraries, bathrooms).

As hateful and bigoted as they are, they have a kitschy quality that I find hilarious (as do the Christian Archie comics). I'm sure you've noticed that my avatar is from "Big Daddy", one of my favorites.
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #36

Post by Difflugia »

The Wayback Machine remembers.

Image

Chick Track Rack
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #37

Post by Tcg »

Difflugia wrote: Fri Jul 29, 2022 12:31 pm The Wayback Machine remembers.

Image

Chick Track Rack
Back in my Bible College days, I had a very modest collection of tracks. Chick's were usually the most outrageous although I was handed a track from the "Children of God" once that detailed "Flirty Fishing." That was pretty creepy. I no longer have any of them.


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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #38

Post by Jose Fly »

Pastor of anti-gay Alabama church gets 10-year prison sentence for molesting young boys

"A former Alabama pastor who admitted to having inappropriate relationships with young boys has been handed a lengthy prison sentence, News19 reports.

John Thomas Martin pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree sexual abuse back in June 23. He was sentenced to serve 10 years on each count...

...As the New York Daily News pointed out in 2019, the church where Martin was lead pastor, Lighthouse Baptist Church in Florence, Alabama, is an extremely socially conservative church that encourages men to “dress in shirts and ties, while our ladies wear modest skirts and dresses.”

“We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman. We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex,” the church’s website states.
"
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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #39

Post by Tcg »

[Replying to Jose Fly in post #38]

It's astonishing isn't it. I suspect, though may be wrong, that the average lady or man sitting in the pew abides by these rules. But the dude at the top does whatever he desires to do. Secretly of course. Like they are above the rules. It reminds me of Nixon. He said something like, anything a president does is legal. Scratch your way to the top and the rules no longer apply to you.


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Re: Who are the "groomers"?

Post #40

Post by Jose Fly »

Tcg wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 3:49 pm It's astonishing isn't it. I suspect, though may be wrong, that the average lady or man sitting in the pew abides by these rules.
In my experiences, not necessarily. From what I've seen, church-goers have affairs, dalliances, and infidelities about as much as any other group of people.
But the dude at the top does whatever he desires to do. Secretly of course. Like they are above the rules. It reminds me of Nixon. He said something like, anything a president does is legal. Scratch your way to the top and the rules no longer apply to you
Yep, such is the nature of extremely hierarchal and authoritarian institutions. Throw in some patriarchy and well.....you get exactly what you describe....the dude at the top does whatever he wants.
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