Integrity of Religious Organisations?

Question

Many organisations have failed to report allegations of child abuse and other serious crimes within their ranks to the police. Instead they have dealt with matters in house, sometimes with disastrous results. This is presumably because the consequences of bad publicity are uppermost in the leader's minds. In view of what they claim to stand for, how do adherents come to terms with this and stay with them?

Answer 1

I had an argument with a Jehovah's Witness recently - an elder in the local congregation has been jailed for child sex crimes, and I asked how they could possibly justify protecting such a person.
The rather weak defence was based on a biblical exhortation not to bear witness against your brother. Apparently they take this as meaning no JW should co-operate with secular authorities in investigating another.
But what struck me throughout the whole exchange was the reluctance to condemn the man or acknowledge that his crimes were that serious!

Answer 2

Aren't most complaints made by the victim and not the organization?

Me thinks you speak of the Catholic Church and there is nothing that anyone can do about that but leave the church if they are offended by the actions of their priests, and they should be offended.

I think the problem is the victim does not want to take it to the police, they would prefer to be paid off by the R.C.C. I don't keep up with these things that much, but it seems like I have read of at least one, and maybe more, where the person making the charges did it after consulting a shrink who took them through regression and explored the events of their past. In those cases I tend to ignore the charges since it is easy for someone to plant these ideas in the mind of a patient by auto-suggestion.

All this said, it is hard to find out all this information about a member of your organization until after the fact unless they have a rap sheet. If you trust someone who betrays that trust you should report it to the proper authorities and throw the bums out.

grace2u

Answer 3

I think that very few members of religious organisations spend time thinking it through rationally.
Many are incapable as membership of a religious organisation is far more common amongst the poorly educated. Many simply benefit from being involved - gaining respect of the community etc.

Answer 4

I had a short discussion with one Catholic about the priest scandal. He denied that there was abuse in the church. He said the media was out to destroy them. I think he believed it.
I have to think they stay by denying it took place or saying it was just a couple of people involved in the abuse and they're gone, and then pointing the finger and saying "It is not just our church, yours did too."

Answer 5

The Lord will always expose sin in due time............any time these things have happened, they have come to the surface.

This is true not only for organizations.....but for followers of Christ as well.

Forgiveness is always first & foremost.........and a time of restoration.....if the person is willing to pay the price & repent.

Answer 6

Most of them live by threats of the church and friends leaving them, there's a lot of pressure on them. I know of a group where every one will stop talking to you, and always your threatened with God is going to kill you.

Answer 7

intergrity and religion do not go together. they preach to young children for crying out loud! at that age you would belive anything, thus making it seem like brainwashing.

Answer 8

Because it's much easier to stay with them than to think for themselves.

Answer 9

Going to Heaven?

Yes?

Sure?

Yes!!

Then you may do as you like and get away with it!

Answer 10

They stand for their god and God told them to do so.