The CAM scandal links and assorted other topics thread

[mike]

https://splash4ripples.com/2020/01/26/a ... riHaBLF5E0


Update on HH allegations & CAM/LL response

Daniel Herr's letter reflects the attitude of a person who has succeeded in overcoming a terrible abuse situation with his own character solidly intact. I am very sorry for what he experienced and I can understand why he would experience consternation at seeing his father work as a missionary.

I am unclear why this was never taken to the proper civil authorities when it happened, or afterward, when so many people knew.

I struggle to understand how a parent can sexually abuse his or her own child.

[hillperson]

According to Trudy the statue of limitations has passed. That is if I read the scenario right.

Quite obviously the conservative leaders chose to believe Harold’s story rather than his families. I really think we should start being more aware of the narcissists among us. One early indicator that something wasn’t right was his failed marriage. It is seldom that one party carries all the blame when a marriage fails. And then if children are complaining of sexual abuse please listen no matter how charming their daddy is....

[ABC 123]

In Charity affiliate churches, I have witnessed teenagers about roasted alive for yielding to temptation. The purity doctrine is industrial strength there in all situations except for rape and child molesting.

[Dan Z]

Even a man like this, deplorable and pitiful as he may be, never stops being a beloved child of God. These detestable wrongs can't be undone, but healing might still begin to happen. I pray that before he dies his heart breaks for what he has done - and I also pray that the dear children he abused can someday know remorse from him.

I'm curious as to why you would describe him as a beloved child of God. John 3:16 says God loved the whole world but only those who are born again are called children of God. 1 John 3:10 says,

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

David Smucker's deeds would definitely seem to be those of someone who is not a child of God. I could only see calling him a beloved child of God if you (or anyone else) believes in "Once saved, always saved" and believes that Mr. Smucker was saved sometime in the past.

Hi Aurien - actually I called David Smucker "a beloved child of God" in the following sense:

• 1) According to scripture God is the father of all (Eph. 4) and the creator of all things (John 1, Col 1, Psalm 24, etc.), and -
  
  2) God's love is not exclusive, and is extended to the whole world (John 3, 2 Peter 3, Matt 5, etc.), including even those in sin and rebellion who don't deserve it (Rom 5, 1 John 4).

Regarding David Smucker's eternal state and his relationship with God, I simply pray that David takes responsibility for his detestable actions, repents of the evil he has committed against these innocents, and seeks forgiveness from both God and his victims for what he has done.

When it comes to people like David Smucker, we follow Christ's lead - the love Jesus calls us to extends to neighbor and enemy, victim and perpetrator - it's hard no doubt, but "we love because He first loved us."

[Dan Z]

So sad. Thank you Dan Herr for being willing to air this...I can only imagine the trauma the mother went through. Surely the time is now for sackcloth and ashes.

Yes - sackcloth and ashes indeed! Our hearts must break deeply over things like this in our midst.

What a burden Dan Herr and TruthSeeker and the children of Reamstown and others have had to carry all these years - their appeals falling again and again on deaf ears. May the truth finally set you all free.

[Josh]

In Charity affiliate churches, I have witnessed teenagers about roasted alive for yielding to temptation. The purity doctrine is industrial strength there in all situations except for rape and child molesting.

This probably should go in another thread, but I’ve observed the same thing - what’s the deal here?

[ABC 123]

In Charity affiliate churches, I have witnessed teenagers about roasted alive for yielding to temptation. The purity doctrine is industrial strength there in all situations except for rape and child molesting.

This probably should go in another thread, but I’ve observed the same thing - what’s the deal here?

I have tried to ignore it for years. Surely I have been mistaken. Turns out gut instinct was true all along.

[Grace]

So sad. Thank you Dan Herr for being willing to air this...I can only imagine the trauma the mother went through. Surely the time is now for sackcloth and ashes.

Agreed. And once again, we have yet another example in a CA setting where the man's word took precedence over the woman's voice. And why was that and why is it still the case in CA churches? I agree with the concept that men are to be the leader's in the church and in the home. However, has it been taken to an extreme, where we silence the voices of the women, making it easier for these types of perversions by men, to be dismissed? But I suppose that would be a whole other thread.

[temporal1]

So sad. Thank you Dan Herr for being willing to air this...I can only imagine the trauma the mother went through. Surely the time is now for sackcloth and ashes.

Agreed. And once again, we have yet another example in a CA setting where the man's word took precedence over the woman's voice. And why was that and why is it still the case in CA churches? I agree with the concept that men are to be the leader's in the church and in the home. However, has it been taken to an extreme, where we silence the voices of the women, making it easier for these types of perversions by men, to be dismissed? But I suppose that would be a whole other thread.

i am so touched by Daniel Herr’s words, i started a thread - thinking of victims.
(when the focus is on our Lord’s ultimate victory, male-female-child, other distinctions, fade.)

i’m not sure if i found good words for the purpose. i hope so.
the way it’s received will reflect that, one way or another.

1 Corinthians 15-57: Victory
http://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php ... 674#p78674

If Daniel Herr ever sees the thread, i hope he will approve.
His experience is touching, but, he is not a god or idol. Sometimes we confuse. i’m sure he would not want that.

[Aurien]

https://splash4ripples.com/2020/01/26/a ... riHaBLF5E0


Update on HH allegations & CAM/LL response

Daniel Herr's letter reflects the attitude of a person who has succeeded in overcoming a terrible abuse situation with his own character solidly intact. I am very sorry for what he experienced and I can understand why he would experience consternation at seeing his father work as a missionary.

I am unclear why this was never taken to the proper civil authorities when it happened, or afterward, when so many people knew.

I struggle to understand how a parent can sexually abuse his or her own child.

I can't speak with certainty for Dan Herr or any other of Harold Herr's (alleged) victims but I know that it takes quite a few victims a good while to come to terms with has happened to them and to find the courage to talk to anyone about it much less report it to the authorities. If I remember correctly there was a study done on the average age that victims disclose sexual abuse and it was most often when they were adults. I'm thinking the average age for disclosing was around 40 but I'd have to see if I could find that study again to be sure of that. According to the timeline in Trudy's January 12th post, a victim (Dan if I'm reading correctly) sent copies of a letter disclosing the abuse to both Children and Youth Services and the Ephrata State Police as well as to others. I don't know how old Dan was in 1990 or if the statute of limitations was up at that time but he most definitely tried to do something 30 years ago.

As to why it was never taken to the authorities by those who were made aware of the allegations, there could be a number of reasons. The most common ones seem to be that people either don't believe the allegations, or believe that something happened but think that the abuser is sorry and would never do anything like that again. People also want to protect their reputations, apparently not realizing that when the truth does come out that reputations will be more damaged than if they had been open and honest to begin with. Last but not least are those who don't report allegations because they too have the skeletons of sexual abuse in their closets.