Child Sexual Abuse Occurs in Many Settings - Not Just Religious Organizations [View all]

Those who decry it, decry it wherever it occurs. For example, the Boy Scouts of America have had to change their policies and practices after revelations of such abuse and cover-ups of that abuse. The publicity forced them to do so. Other non-profits have had to do the same thing, or even disband completely, after such horrors and cover-ups were exposed.

But, this is the Religion Group on DU. So we focus on religious groups here. The Roman Catholic Church is in the news for the widespread, worldwide sexual abuse of children by priests and the cover-up that has gone on for at least decades. The lawsuits derived from that have bankrupted several dioceses and archdioceses of that organization. People post stories about it here in the Religion Group. People who post such things want to see changes in the underlying hierarchy that has allowed such abuses to continue and spread.

The Southern Baptist Convention is also seeing the exposure of similar abuses within its churches and similar cover-ups. People post stories about that here, too. The hope is that exposure will lead to change.

The goal is to put a stop to it. That's my goal, and that's the goal of almost everyone here. It has to do with religion, so we talk about it here. We don't compare such abuse in religious organizations with similar abuse in secular organizations, because this is the Religion Group. That does not mean that we are ignoring similar abuse elsewhere. But those secular organizations have nothing to do with religion, which is the topic here.

From time to time, someone will try to derail discussions of child sexual abuse in religious organizations by pointing at secular organization that have similar problems. Often, such distractions from the discussion are designed to shift attention away from the fact that a religious organization is doing a terrible thing. People try to say, "But, what about this other group...it happens there...why are you talking about that church organization and not the other group.?"

Why? Because this is the Religion Group. That's why? And because it doesn't matter if similar abuses take place in other organizations. That does not in any way excuse a church organization. Not in any way. Change is the goal. Putting an end to the abuse is the goal. Exposure of that terrible abuse and the covering up of it is the method.

The only way to stop such horrors is to expose them. Public awareness leads to public shaming of such organizations and to the eventual changes that stop the cycle.

Whataboutism does nothing except to divert from the discussion. Ever. Public condemnation of such abuses and the secrecy that helps to spread it leads to changes that reduce the number of children who are harmed. What about that?