Why is it that Religious leaders seem to be some of the biggest sexual offenders it's really disheartening

Question

You see it in almost all denominations of Christianity, from Catholics to Evangelicals, and then we have the audacity to call out other that we see as immoral. As a Christian, this kills me inside

Answer 1

Finally, someone who understands. You have very good insight.

Answer 2

Well generally they're not, but just the fact that they claim to be Christian brings it into the forefront. Most people don't realize things like, more children get molested by teachers in public school than by Priests, but because a few (and really its only a few) people have charged Priests with molestation, the rest of the world wants to pick at the specks in the eye of Christianity than to look at the log in the eye of the godless. If an Atheist does something wrong, and we all know they do.... we aren't allowed to think its a mark against Atheism because that would be prejudice and hateful and we would of course be bigots then. But, a professed Christian screws up and we're all guilty... how does that work?

But as for the ministers who get busted for everything, they really should have tried not to protest so much. When you make yourself a public figure, especially a controversial one, you WILL be brought down.

Answer 3

It's because Christianity has an image as being anti-sex....no premarital sex, no being gay, no sex at all except with your spouse. Now, I don't know if this is actually what all Christians believe is the right way to live....but this is what the general public thinks Christians believe.

So, it seems like sex is absolutely the worst thing a person can do...and then a religious leader (someone who's allowed to go around telling other people not to have sex) gets caught doing it...the sh!t hits the fan BECAUSE they made such a big deal about sex being bad. If they hadn't said a word about sex beforehand, nobody would care.

Answer 4

You can imagine how it makes us atheists feel, then. We have to sit here and watch these children been tormented by the "leaders" of what we see is an ill-guided attempt at doing what's "right" and "good." If one atheist, or communist or homosexual were to do something like that, you better believe that, merely because they're from marginalized groups, they will be hung out to dry.

The reason these people get away with it is _because_ they're men of the cloth. It's not a coincidence. If these men are closest to their god, and everyone worships that god, imagine what it would mean...

*xors

Answer 5

I think that when someone who has represented themselves as being of high moral character (clergyman, government official, etc.) is caught doing something immoral it gets a lot more attention than if Joe Schmoe had done the same things.

I think what happens is that the person gets stuck in a situation where they have to put up a front to protect their income, their social status, etc. and compartmentalizes their bad behavior.

Answer 6

I have come to believe that the rampant sexual abuses within organised religion are a direct result of the church doctrines regarding the sexual behaviour of it's representatives. they are taught (no - ordered/obligated) to refrain from sexual contact. by repressing the natural human need for sexual contact, they actually make it more attractive (forbidden fruit). As the repression become chronic it eventually 'leaks out' into behaviour.

the flipside is that - perhaps - sexual abusers are attracted to church as a 'cover' for their behaviour.

I could go on and on, but won't

Answer 7

Well, it's actually pretty simple:
Most of the religions where this happens, the leaders aren't aloud to be with women!

Not that that's an excuse but it does seem to be a very logical reason to me. (still can't get passed why they're little boys half the time though)

Answer 8

Because theism has a high correlation with anti-social, dysfunctional, and criminal behavior.

A recent study in the ‘Journal of Religion & Society’ (Cross-National Correlations of Quantifiable Societal Health with Popular Religiosity and Secularism in the Prosperous Democracies by Gregory S. Paul, Volume 7 (2005) http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2005/2005-11.html) found that:

“higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion in the prosperous democracies”

The US is the most religious country among all developed nations. In fact, the US is most similar to 2nd- and 3rd –world nations. Religious conviction in America is more similar nations that produce radical Islamic terrorists than it is to the developed secular democracies of the world.

Over the past 100 years (coincidental with the scientific/industrial revolutions), the importance of religion has become less important in every developed nation except the United States.

Over that same time period, the least-religious (most-secular) nations have experienced
dramatic reductions in:

oHomicide rates,
orates of adolescent gonorrhea,
oadolescent and adult syphilis infection rates,
oearly adolescent pregnancy and birth,

while in America the situation is reversed, and just keeps getting worse.

In summary, the author states:

o“Increasing adolescent abortion rates show positive correlation with increasing belief and worship of a creator, and negative correlation with increasing non-theism and acceptance of evolution.”

o“In general, higher rates of belief in and worship of a creator correlate with higher rates of homicide, juvenile and early adult mortality, STD infection rates, teen pregnancy, and abortion.”

The same pattern holds true within the United States, as well. When compared against the more secular northeastern US, the most pro-religion and anti-evolution regions in America (the south and mid-west) have higher rates of:

oHomicide,
oMortality,
oSTDs
oyouth pregnancy, and
omarital and related problems.


According to the National School Safety Center (NSSC), over the last 20 years there have been more mass student murders in the US than in all of the other secular developed nations of the world – combined.

The study concludes with a severe negative judgment of the effects of religiosity on American life and society:

o“The United States is almost always the most dysfunctional of the developed democracies, sometimes spectacularly so”.

Answer 9

Sexual Offenders end up in the same place regardless of their social class. God does not care if they are a king or a peasant! He will punish them without distinction.

Answer 10

Let me tell you somthing man, the worst people in society are religious. Look at a jail and see how many people are religious, most of them. Look at Bill Gates and Warren Buffet the two richest men in the word, they are athesist. They are also donating ALL of their money to help the less fortunte. Religion is for morons.

Answer 11

this is why the terachers do not teach the accountability orders given to Christians from the beginning. People just do not understand we need others loving help in order to continue growing.

(Mat 18, letters to TIM)