Religous double standard.

[antryg]

Usually when the media refers to a Christian school, they are refering to a school run by a Protestant group. If it is a Catholic school it is referred to as such. Since the teachers in most (not all) Catholic schools are nuns or lay sisters; I'm sure that the article would have stated that as well. In this case I feel confident in saying that this is not a case of the Catholic Church having a double standard in cover ups.
Since so many in this forum who post on religious topics state that they are not Christian I would like to point out a few things. (1)Christians are saved by grace. In other words it is an action of God's love and forgiveness that humans respond to. (2) Christians are not perfect. Those who act like they are perfect are wrong and seriously lacking in humility and understanding in who God is and who they are. (3) Just because Christians fail to reach/attain/or even try to attain the ideals that Christianity espouses; that does not invalidate the faith.
This is a horrible incident that unfortunately happens to often. All of us should work to see that this type of thing doesn't happen again. But we must also realize that these things don't only happen among /with Christians. Yes, sometimes such acts are done by people who say they are Christian. They may really be wolves in sheep clothing. Predators working their way into a "safe" enviroment to perform evil acts. Sometimes it really is done by someone who is Christian. Sometimes these acts are done by aetheists yet we don't start pogroms to get rid of all the "evil godless" people.
I would ask that all forum members keep an open mind and not make sweeping judgments such as "Hitler was a Christian and killed millions so I could never be a Christian."

[Harkoliar]

well to put it back on topic:

i agree what hunter said about the priest... AND isnt the priest suppose to help both person who was hurt by the act as well as the person who did in the first place.. also what happened to priest-client confidentiality. that is why i dont really give my worst confessions, unless necessary, to the preist.

[Jafin]

Good post antryg [img]smile.gif[/img]

As antryg pointed out, the media tends to state that a christian school is generally a protestant/non-denominational one while one that is catholic is reported as such so my feeling here is the same as antryg's in that it is non-denominational which hasn't gotten much attention regarding pedophiles.

This is a sick crime and it's really a shame for that boy involved. I mean, even if he was consenting he doesn't realize the implications nor was he really ready I think. Later on he's going to regret it, if he had a choice in the matter, and if he didn't consent I'm sure there's some emotional scarring. That woman should be locked away for the rest of her sorry life. People like that are just sick, perverted, and mentally deranged.

Something else that occurred to me as I was writing this regarding a slightly different religious double standard... Why is it that matters regarding pedophilia in a church don't get publicized (as far as I've seen) when it's not a christian church? It seems like, for whatever reason, christians are getting blacklisted as sicko's while no others are getting named. Granted, there are pedophiles in the christian community, whether they're really christian or not, but I can guarantee that there are others in any of the different faiths, major or minor. It seems like my faith is just getting degraded and bashed in the public eye left and right and causing christians to be named hypocrites and sexists because of the mistakes of a very few. It seems very unfair and prejudiced to me. Just a thought.

-Jafin

[Yorick]

Originally posted by ladyzekke: Well yes, it seems most molestors are not women, that is a bit on the rare side. But the later effect could turn said molested boy into someone who hates women (you guys picture an ugly woman and not some sexy teacher if you must lol, how would you feel then?) [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I know a woman who was molested as a young girl by an older woman.

[DragonMage]

I agree with LadyZ on this one. NOW, if it had been a man, I feel he'd have been fired and reported as well.

With all the negative publicity lately with the Catholic priests, they would have been hard-pressed to hide this no matter what sex the perpetrator was. Also, it's less likely the 'Christian' school could just transfer an offender to another school as they are rarely interconnected as the Catholic parishes are.

And yes, there was a big convention to decide what to do with Catholic priests who are sex offenders, but I don't know what the outcome of that was at this time.

Also, Harkolair, I have, myself, heard of females getting pregnant as young as 9 (confirmed), but also heard once (unconfirmed) of a 5-year old girl who apparently 'matured' VERY early (hormonal/chemical imbalance in her little body) and got pregnant by a family member who molested her. I'd have to do some research to find that story again....

Yorick: was this woman molested by an older woman when she was a child?? And was the older woman a teacher or are you getting into the 'general' child molestation issue here? If so, I know of a situation north of me wherein a girl's mother divorced and took up with another woman. Said 'other woman' then molested her 4-year-old daughter...

Originally posted by Lord of Alcohol: Geeze I had a few female teachers that I wanted too...............Miss Woodrell where are you??????? And I was only in 3rd grade hee. Would I consider myself molested..............NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOO but it may be guy thing [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Probably a GUY thing, really, I have yet to meet a woman who could really understnad the concept you just mentioned [img]smile.gif[/img] .

Ladies, I know every person is different, and that you cannot generalize on something this serious. It needs to be prohibeted yes, It is like A.J. Said, it really is about power and control.

I will also say that I think that the reason "boys" don't report it as often as "girls" do is not because the boy in question "feels he has to be strong" but is due in fact that he is excstatic about being able to explore the urges he is feeling at that age. In other words, he is probably just having too much fun.

Im not saying its an absolute fact, but it is a supposition that seems to really get rejected out of hand just because it is ..not... tasteful? or PC. or whatever.

I am also NOT promoting any such activity. I am merely speculating on thought processes. If I found out my son were being molested by a teacher, you can bet I would be in her face.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Hunter,

I have to say that I'm disappointed in you with this thread. You have chosen to "alter" your looks far outside the "societal norm" - yet you get angry when people "judge you" based on your appearance rather than getting to know you as a person.

But then you turn right around and lump ALL Christian denominations into one big melting pot and condemn ALL of them over the actions of a few. You also claim a "double standard" based on a current event as compared to actions that occurred over several years.

For the actions of this school to truly be a "double standard" - THEY would have had to have "transferred" one of THEIR priests/preachers after it was discovered he was having "illicit relations" with young children. That has NOT happened and you have nothing to justify your claim that it would happen.

The Catholic church is the only denomination I know of that has such a "structured heirarchy" and system of "placing" priests in different parishes. It is also one of the few denominations where priests are considered somewhat "untouchable" by the congregation. I can only guess that this is because the priest "intervenes" to God on behalf of the followers. In the Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Pentacostal faiths...each member believes they can communicate DIRECTLY with God themselves, so we don't NEED the priest to "intervene" for us.

Likewise, if a preacher in one of these denominations WERE to molest children in the church, you can believe the congregation would give him the boot in very short order and the parents would most likely be seeking criminal charges. I'll concede that this doesn't happen everytime and that pedophiles DO exist in other denominations. I know one IW member who left Christianity because her preacher made sexual advances towards her and her parents refused to believe her. The preacher FINALLY confessed his guilt many years later...but the damage was already done. Still, this was a failing of the person's parent's not the church or denomination itself. As far as I know, they were not aware of his actions...and they certainly didn't "shuffle him off to Buffalo" when they found out. The church leaders probably never "investigated" the incident, but that was mainly because the person's own parents refused to believe the incident occurred.

I'm not saying other denominations are spotless, but I AM saying that your generalized statement of a "double standard" is WAY off base.

As some of the others have pointed out, the teacher's conviction may well be the result of the very scandals you mentioned. The public is much more aware that priests and preachers are not infallible or unreproachable - and churches ARE adopting a "zero tolerance" policy for such issues.

[The Hunter of Jahanna]

But then you turn right around and lump ALL Christian denominations into one big melting pot and condemn ALL of them over the actions of a few. You also claim a "double standard" based on a current event as compared to actions that occurred over several years.

I am not condeming anyone. I am just saying that if the church is going to shuffle the men around then they should extend the same courtesy to the women. Last I heard the church was paying all of the attorney fees for the priests involved in the molestation of children. I wonder if they will be paying this womens attorney and court fees?? My real bone of contention is how the men in the church seem to get the royal treatment while everyone else gets treated like a second class citizen.Also, since every denomination follows the same bible that would make them all pretty much the same in my book. Unless they have all rewritten the bible to follow their own economic ends. I mean its like swing set building instructions. No matter how many people read them you still end up with a swing set at the end of the day.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by The Hunter of Jahanna: quote: But then you turn right around and lump ALL Christian denominations into one big melting pot and condemn ALL of them over the actions of a few. You also claim a "double standard" based on a current event as compared to actions that occurred over several years.

I am not condeming anyone. I am just saying that if the church is going to shuffle the men around then they should extend the same courtesy to the women. Last I heard the church was paying all of the attorney fees for the priests involved in the molestation of children. I wonder if they will be paying this womens attorney and court fees?? My real bone of contention is how the men in the church seem to get the royal treatment while everyone else gets treated like a second class citizen.Also, since every denomination follows the same bible that would make them all pretty much the same in my book. Unless they have all rewritten the bible to follow their own economic ends. I mean its like swing set building instructions. No matter how many people read them you still end up with a swing set at the end of the day.[/QUOTE]We all follow the same Bible, but different denominations have vastly different doctrines.

The Catholics believe that only the priest can intervene directly with God That's my understanding anyway - if any Catholics want to correct that assumption, please feel free. No offense is meant and none will be taken.

I have a friend who is in the Lutheran seminary. According to him, everybody - including ALL other "Christian" denominations and even the "mainstream" Lutherans - are ALL on the Fastrack to Hell.

Still, the primary issue here is the treatment of the Catholic priests vs the treatment of this female teacher - so I'll focus on that.

Most Christian denominations do not have the type of heirarchy found in Catholic churches. Baptists, Lutherans, and all the rest DO "assign" pastors to certain churches, usually away from their hometown. HOWEVER, unlike in the Catholic church, the congregations in the other denominations have every right to "kick a preacher out of their church" if they don't like him.

As I said before, the Catholic church is the ONLY denomination where this practice has been found to be widespread and ongoing...and where there is documentation that the "sins of the priest" have been "covered up" by the church leaders.

You may not think you're comparing apples to oranges, but you are. There are major differences in the structure of different denominations, and the Catholics are pretty much unique in their set-up.

[Lord Starshadow]

Originally posted by The Hunter of Jahanna: Also, since every denomination follows the same bible that would make them all pretty much the same in my book.

Just because they all follow the same bible doesn't mean everything exactly the same. For an example outside of religion, let's take the US. The US has the Constitution (with all the national laws and such) which everyone follows. But the various states have their own rules too, such as education standards, and other laws. The Christian religion is the same way. The bible would be like the Constitution, and the various denominations would be like the states, each with their own rules.

Just thought this might help.