The CAM scandal links and assorted other topics thread

[flyingnorm]

It seems like everyone agrees that Jeriah Mast had significant issues that led to his abuse of vulnerable children in Ohio and in Haiti. I have yet to hear anybody say what he did was good. However some people suggest that what he did was not very bad. An idea I personally find repulsive.

The current discussion centers around the degree of culpability of CAM as an organization.

Its a difficult but important discussion. Ohio has defined degrees of culpability. It might be helpful to review the different degrees. CAM leadership might vary individually in their degree of culpability.

At the end of the day, we are not the judge and jury in a civil court. However, as believers we are called to excersize discernment.

http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2901.22#:~:te ... exist.[url]

[I Timothy]

CAM... will pay for a white man to go to a black county, allow him to rape black men and then use funds to cover his tracks.

I don't believe it is true that CAM allows employees to rape black men. It is dissallowed.
I don't believe it is true that they are using funds to cover his tracks, nor is this their intent.

CAM leaders have taken responsibility for what happened, have taken leadership responsibility away from those who had responsibility at the time, are increasing accountability procedures, and are doing more thorough references on prospective employees.

CAM executives knowingly allowed a molester to be in their employ.
CAM used $420,000 of their funds as payments to make this go away.

"A person acts knowingly, regardless of purpose, when the person is aware that the person's conduct will probably cause a certain result or will probably be of a certain nature. A person has knowledge of circumstances when the person is aware that such circumstances probably exist. When knowledge of the existence of a particular fact is an element of an offense, such knowledge is established if a person subjectively believes that there is a high probability of its existence and fails to make inquiry or acts with a conscious purpose to avoid learning the fact." From the Ohio website linked above.

[Ernie]

CAM executives knowingly allowed a molester to be in their employ.
CAM used $420,000 of their funds as payments to make this go away.

Both of these statements are opinions/perspectives/conclusions. They are not facts.
Everyone is free to draw their own opinions/perspectives/conclusions, but I think it is important to distinguish between opinions/perspectives/conclusions and facts.

It is a fact that Jeriah did very wrong things and sinned greatly. It is a fact that some CAM leaders could have been more diligent in their screening process. It is a fact that some CAM leaders are at least partially responsible for the sins of Jeriah against others. It is a fact that God's people should make restitution to the best of their ability.
These are things we can say for certain. I'm sure there are other facts that could be added to this list.

By God's grace, I would want to make the same clear distinction between fact and opinions/perspectives/conclusions, even if the guilty persons were my enemies and were seeking to work against me.

[Aurien]

A Christian nonprofit has stated that two managers knew for years that an employee had confessed to a history of sexual offenses against minors but still allowed him to serve their organization as a missionary to Haiti.

Jeriah Mast, 38, from Millersburg, Ohio was indicted in a Holmes County court on July 3 with seven felony charges of gross sexual imposition and seven misdemeanor charges of sexual imposition.

Those crimes, which according to court documents allegedly involved children under the ages of 16 and some under 13, took place in Ohio between 1998 and 2008, Holmes County Prosecutor Sean Warner said. Mast pleaded not guilty to all charges, his lawyer John Johnson Jr. told NBC News.

Mast also faces allegations of sexually abusing minors during his time serving Christian Aid Ministries in Haiti, according to the Berlin, Ohio-based nonprofit.

“It is already well known that our former employee, Jeriah Mast, has confessed to molesting boys while working for our organization in Haiti,” Christian Aid Ministries' board of directors wrote in an open letter on June 17.

Christian Aid Ministries said in the same letter that two managers at the organization had known about Mast's behavior since 2013, when he had admitted to Christian Aid Ministries staff to "sexual activity" with boys under the age of 18 "that had taken place several years prior in Haiti," Robert Flores, an attorney representing Christian Aid Ministries, told NBC News.

I was not aware that Jeriah Mast made any prior admissions about abuse taking place in Haiti. Did he actually, or is was NBC simply careless in their quote?

If you mean any admissions prior to 2013 then I don't know the answer to that. 2013 is approximately when Harold Herr, and subsequently Eli and Paul Weaver, were made aware of Jeriah abusing some boys. In Harold Herr's conversation with Trudy Metzger he says that one of the victims spoke up to Steve Simmons in 2013 about the abuse committed by Jeriah. Harold says that “I told Jeriah very plainly, this is very serious. If you’re really repenting, you need to go back to these boys’ fathers and confess and ask forgiveness. And I went along with him to do that.” So in 2013 Jeriah at least sort of confessed to what he did to the boys who spoke up at that time. Based on Jeriah's statements to authorities before his sentencing in Ohio last year, he was still downplaying the abuse he committed in Haiti, so it's very likely that he would have tried to downplay it in 2013 as well.

This is part of the letter that Paul and Eli sent to fellow missionaries in Haiti after news of Jeriah's crimes became widespread in 2019.

In 2013 Jeriah confessed that he had homosexual involvement with four youth in Haiti several years prior. After his confession and restitution, we met with him to verify his repentance, brokenness, and present walk. We then allowed him to return to Haiti, believing that everything had been resolved. Looking back, we realize we should have asked more questions, gotten more details of what took place, and reported the matter to legal authorities.

[I Timothy]

CAM executives knowingly allowed a molester to be in their employ.
CAM used $420,000 of their funds as payments to make this go away.

Both of these statements are opinions/perspectives/conclusions. They are not facts.
Everyone is free to draw their own opinions/perspectives/conclusions, but I think it is important to distinguish between opinions/perspectives/conclusions and facts.

It is a fact that Jeriah did very wrong things and sinned greatly. It is a fact that some CAM leaders could have been more diligent in their screening process. It is a fact that some CAM leaders are at least partially responsible for the sins of Jeriah against others. It is a fact that God's people should make restitution to the best of their ability.
These are things we can say for certain. I'm sure there are other facts that could be added to this list.

By God's grace, I would want to make the same clear distinction between fact and opinions/perspectives/conclusions, even if the guilty persons were my enemies and were seeking to work against me.

These were facts and not opinions. CAM released a statement on May 28 saying they used their funds to pay $420,000 to make this go away. And Paul and Eli Weaver both have admitted knowingly letting JM continue in Haiti. These are facts. It was not a screening issue. There are things that happened while employed with CAM and a CAM VP and executive committee member, 2 out of the 4 highest compensated individuals according to their IRS filings, failed to take proper action.

If someone is going to make the argument that CAM as organization if innocent, then they need to make JM, Eli and Paul Weaver pay in full the $420,000 from their personal funds. Otherwise CAM is admitting lack of institutional controls and the organization needs sanctions and defunded.

[steve-in-kville]

CAM executives knowingly allowed a molester to be in their employ.
CAM used $420,000 of their funds as payments to make this go away.

Both of these statements are opinions/perspectives/conclusions. They are not facts.
Everyone is free to draw their own opinions/perspectives/conclusions, but I think it is important to distinguish between opinions/perspectives/conclusions and facts.

Normally I agree with you, Ernie. But this one has me scratching my head a little. Its too easy to blow off things we don't like as "alternative facts."

[GaryK]

These were facts and not opinions. CAM released a statement on May 28 saying they used their funds to pay $420,000 to make this go away.

In past months, we have continued to respond to the needs of other victims who have come forward. To date, CAM has provided $420,000 to help with housing, funding small business startups, relocation to other places, vocational training, and restitution. Ultimately we are working to ensure that the victims of abuse will receive the help they need to live productive lives. At this time, funds to respond to the abuse situation have been taken from interest money generated from cash reserves and no funds designated for programs have been impacted.

This is the statement from CAM. How is it factual that CAM said they used their funds "to make this go away"? That is not what they say in their statement. Assuming something from a statement does not make it factual.

[steve-in-kville]

Any problem that can be solved with money is no longer a problem, but an expense.

Bonus points for anyone who knows where that came from without looking it up

[DrWojo]

Is anyone familiar with this: https://christianaidministries.org/cate ... e-program/? I recently heard that CAM is thinking about sending one of their future batches of these CASP enrollees to Haiti. Interesting. Will they stop at anything when it comes to trying to build credibility to their crumbling facade? Clearly they don’t mind putting these white volunteers at the risk of being targeted by angry Haitians, or is that supposed to be part of their ‘nonresistance field training’?

[ken_sylvania]

I was not aware that Jeriah Mast made any prior admissions about abuse taking place in Haiti. Did he actually, or is was NBC simply careless in their quote?

If you mean any admissions prior to 2013 then I don't know the answer to that. 2013 is approximately when Harold Herr, and subsequently Eli and Paul Weaver, were made aware of Jeriah abusing some boys. In Harold Herr's conversation with Trudy Metzger he says that one of the victims spoke up to Steve Simmons in 2013 about the abuse committed by Jeriah. Harold says that “I told Jeriah very plainly, this is very serious. If you’re really repenting, you need to go back to these boys’ fathers and confess and ask forgiveness. And I went along with him to do that.” So in 2013 Jeriah at least sort of confessed to what he did to the boys who spoke up at that time. Based on Jeriah's statements to authorities before his sentencing in Ohio last year, he was still downplaying the abuse he committed in Haiti, so it's very likely that he would have tried to downplay it in 2013 as well.

This is part of the letter that Paul and Eli sent to fellow missionaries in Haiti after news of Jeriah's crimes became widespread in 2019.

In 2013 Jeriah confessed that he had homosexual involvement with four youth in Haiti several years prior. After his confession and restitution, we met with him to verify his repentance, brokenness, and present walk. We then allowed him to return to Haiti, believing that everything had been resolved. Looking back, we realize we should have asked more questions, gotten more details of what took place, and reported the matter to legal authorities.

Thank you for the clarification.