What they wore

[Sliceitup]

Don't apologize. I am sorry this happened to your daughter and the pain your family must have gone through.

Its never really over. We're still experiencing the ripple effects. We've learned to live with a new reality, for sure

A coworker just told me that a movie producer is working with A Better Way to make a documentary on this. Has anyone else heard this?

If the documentary is about abuse in the anabaptist world, is the end goal to pressure anabaptists to reform their ways or what? What is the end goal when the people it is about won't even watch it?

If the absue is as rampant as it seems from all the recent attention, I truly am rethinking with whom I am publicly identifying. (Yes, yes the first defense is it happens every where.....in a church setting that goes out of their way to identify differently than the world, you would think the least they could do is not mess with their little kids....)

There is currently an official study that will give us a much better sense of how bad the situation is. We really need this information because I’m not sure how else people will start taking it seriously.

[Sliceitup]

Don't apologize. I am sorry this happened to your daughter and the pain your family must have gone through.

Its never really over. We're still experiencing the ripple effects. We've learned to live with a new reality, for sure

A coworker just told me that a movie producer is working with A Better Way to make a documentary on this. Has anyone else heard this?

Yes, there is a documentary being made.

[Josh]

Also the idea that there are religious answers to what is a behavioral problem and sickness.

Most of us do indeed believe there are "religious" answers to sin.

[RZehr]

Its never really over. We're still experiencing the ripple effects. We've learned to live with a new reality, for sure

A coworker just told me that a movie producer is working with A Better Way to make a documentary on this. Has anyone else heard this?

If the documentary is about abuse in the anabaptist world, is the end goal to pressure anabaptists to reform their ways or what? What is the end goal when the people it is about won't even watch it?

If the absue is as rampant as it seems from all the recent attention, I truly am rethinking with whom I am publicly identifying. (Yes, yes the first defense is it happens every where.....in a church setting that goes out of their way to identify differently than the world, you would think the least they could do is not mess with their little kids....)

There is currently an official study that will give us a much better sense of how bad the situation is. We really need this information because I’m not sure how else people will start taking it seriously.

Is an official study and a movie/documentary the same thing in your mind? Because they are wildly different things in my mind.

[Sliceitup]

[/quote]
Is an official study and a movie/documentary the same thing in your mind? Because they are wildly different things in my mind.
[/quote]

No, the two aren’t remotely close to the same thing. Not sure where you got that idea.

[Ken]

Also the idea that there are religious answers to what is a behavioral problem and sickness.

Most of us do indeed believe there are "religious" answers to sin.

I'm talking about examples such as the Catholic Church which thought they could deal with the problem of pedophile priests religiously by simply having them confess and do penance in private and then recycled them back into new parishes, rather than dealing with the problem as the crime and psychological disorder that it actually was. It turned out that the Catholic church was horrendously wrong about that notion.

[Sudsy]

Perhaps the root problem is whether these perpetrators have ever been born again or if the local church is preaching of this terrible sinning. What one tries to get away with in secret will all be exposed some day when we are judged. Some preaching on how we can't hide our sinning from God should have an affect on a believer who is not convicted of their secret sinning.

[Soloist]

Perhaps the root problem is whether these perpetrators have ever been born again or if the local church is preaching of this terrible sinning. What one tries to get away with in secret will all be exposed some day when we are judged. Some preaching on how we can't hide our sinning from God should have an affect on a believer who is not convicted of their secret sinning.

People are not content with the promise of God's coming judgement. They want something done before that. Also I can understand the desire to prevent repeat sin but I'm not convinced that any psychology or human reasoning can fix the problem. If a person truly repents and desires to change, perhaps then you can help them but the difference between someone truly repentant and not can't be measured by tears and emotion... as have deceived many.
If you believe an alcoholic can go back to having a glass and not get drunk, then you could believe these problems can be corrected. Logically we can see the possibility but most would be skeptical.

[Ernie]

Also the idea that there are religious answers to what is a behavioral problem and sickness.

What part of this problem, in your mind, is simply behavioral health/sickness and what is the place of religion on this topic?

[Ken]

Also the idea that there are religious answers to what is a behavioral problem and sickness.

What part of this problem, in your mind, is simply behavioral health/sickness and what is the place of religion on this topic?

Pedophilia and child abuse is far more than just a sin. It is also a horrible crime and often a psychological sickness as well. That makes it different from say the sins of envy, greed, or sloth or other largely victimless sins.

I think it is naïve and wrong-headed for church leaders to think they can deal with pedophiles like Jeriah Mast or the many pedophile priests in the Catholic church by simply ministering to them in secret and covering the whole thing up. When they are, in fact, criminals with actual victims and often mentally ill and disturbed in ways that ordinary ministers and church leaders are completely ill-equipped to deal with. That path has lead us to where we are today. We don't expect ministers without surgical training to conduct neurosurgery on parishioners who have physical brain damage. I'm not sure why we expect they are equipped to deal with equally complex psychological problems without psychological training either. And many hardened abusers and pedophiles are frankly probably beyond treatment.

That doesn't mean there isn't also a role for religion in dealing with and treating pedophiles and other serial abusers. Of course there is. There is a role for religion in helping all criminals and convicts. Which is why we have prison ministries. But it isn't a substitute for the criminal justice system and proper psychological care and treatment where appropriate.