Mormon sexual abuse

[_Suasponte]

In 2004, a former high priest, David Henry Herget, who was a convicted level-1 sex offender in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, was restored to his priesthood status by the Lynnwood Stake High Council and by a General Authority from Salt Lake, who actually performed the restoration of the Priesthood blessings. Very few people in the ward knew that this man was a pedophile, and the ward and stake leaders did not tell the general membership about this person's criminal history.

In 2005, Herget, after gaining access to the ward children, committed 13 counts of child rape on young boys in the Mountlake Terrace Ward, and one of the victims told the parents. Herget was subsequently arrested, sent to the Snohomish County Jail, and committed suicide while incarcerated.

Currently, I see a significant lack of discernment by, supposedly, inspired church leaders. New sexual abuse lawsuits against the church are popping-up all the time around the nation, and it seems that no general authority, bishop, stake president, elders' quorum president, etc, holding, supposedly, the same power that the Apostle Peter held, is capable of discerning evil the way that Peter discerned the lies of Annanias and his wife Saphrie, as recorded in the Book of Acts.

If the Church continues to ordain a lay clergy, hundreds-of-thousands of men to the LDS high Priesthood without, either, discernment or criminal background checks, it is asking for more pedophiles to be placed in positions where they can harm children.

[_Fence Sitter]

You realize you are asking the Church to do a background check on every male 18 and older in the church?

[_just me]

Women abuse too. So do people under the age of 18.

There have been a couple of LDS women recently in the news who had sex with 14 year old boys. I'm sure they didn't have prior criminal records. I have a BFF who was abused when she was a little girl by a teenager.

The BEST thing we can do is arm our children with information and confidence. The best thing we can do as parents is make sure our children know that they can talk to us about sexual things and that they will not be shamed. They need to be taught how to handle different situations that might crop up.

There are websites set up where parents can go to look up registered sex offenders. Parents need to access this database and inform themselves. I did it when I was in my old neighborhood, but failed to do it for my new one. We found out just a couple weeks ago that a RSO was living in our neighborhood near a friend of my child.

I personally do agree with background checks for all bishopric members, stake presidency members, scouting and primary workers. Whenever I have had a job working with children I have always had to have a background check.

[_Suasponte]

The worth of a small child, or any child, is great in the eyes of God. If there is no real discernment, and the church is more like a corporation than an ecclesiastical organization, criminal background checks will be necessary to ensure that wolves don't enter into the flocks.

If employers can almost instantly check the citizenship status of potential employees, there should be a database for the Church to use to quickly check for criminal backgrounds, since criminality is a public concern. Yet, that will only weed out the convicted pedophiles from the wards. The Mormon men and women who are closet, unconvicted, pedophiles, and have never been caught in the act, or accused, are dangerous entities.

The true Church of Jesus Christ should possess the Almighty's power to discern the evil that lurks in a person's heart and mind, and the spiritual and temporal needs of its members. It shouldn't be a matter of whether a bishop or stake president is praying enough, or has enough faith. If that man is, supposedly, equipped, or ordained, with the same power of God that the ancient apostles had, he should receive the power of discernment, especially when it involves the safety of one his flock.

[_Fence Sitter]

How would a background check on the leadership only have prevent a member from doing something like this? The OP is implying that the leadership should have foreseen the problem. Why not just blame God for not stopping the problem to begin with?

[_just me]

How would a background check on the leadership only have prevent a member from doing something like this? The OP is implying that the leadership should have foreseen the problem. Why not just blame God for not stopping the problem to begin with?

This. Nobody has special abilities to know in advance who is a child molester or rapist. Often it is the people who seem the nicest and most incapable of that kind of crime who are the perpetrators.

The church is just as unable to predict crime as all the rest of the religious organizations.

[_Suasponte]

If you review the claims of Joseph Smith, that angels and gods appeared to him, that he received power from God to perform miracles, and that he actually performed miracles, then to expect that someone, having the same power and authority as Joseph Smith, would have discernment to know a person is lying about his, or her, reason for being in the church is not that outrageous. What are the claims of the Mormon missionaries to people they are teaching? Aren't they saying that God's power is again on the earth, the same way it was in the 1st Century? That miracles, gifts of healing, and all of the wonderful things that Apostle Peter could do are today manifested by latter-day apostles and prophets?

In the Book of Acts, in the Bible, it says that after the deaths of Ananias and his wife Saphari, the Holy ghost was manifested on the people who were living under the authority of the apostles, through the awesome power of the apostles, and those they appointed, such as Stephen, Phillip, and others mentioned in the Book of Acts.

If the Mormon Church is the only true church on the earth today, then the powers of God, which the Mormon Brethren claim are present today, are manifested by the men who are overseers of the wards and stakes. Hence, God would be with those men, if they are truly called and empowered by deity, as he was with the ancient apostles and their representatives. Prescience and discernment were two of those godly powers. If these powers are not present, then the Mormon Church is just like any other secular organization in terms of membership. There has to be other means of determining who, among the elect, are wolves.

[_Jersey Girl]

While background checks are not a fail safe method of ensuring the safety of a child, they should be done in ANY organization for ANY person's over the age of 18 who interact with children on a regular basis, be it on a volunteer or paid basis.

Period.

It takes Wal Mart 15 minutes to do a state background check at the freaking register for someone who is purchasing a gun.

Background checks can be done via the FBI and your state Bureau of Investigation. I recommend both.

Make the members pay for their own background checks.

[_jon]

If you review the claims of Joseph Smith, that angels and gods appeared to him, that he received power from God to perform miracles, and that he actually performed miracles, then to expect that someone, having the same power and authority as Joseph Smith, would have discernment to know a person is lying about his, or her, reason for being in the church is not that outrageous. What are the claims of the Mormon missionaries to people they are teaching? Aren't they saying that God's power is again on the earth, the same way it was in the 1st Century? That miracles, gifts of healing, and all of the wonderful things that Apostle Peter could do are today manifested by latter-day apostles and prophets?

In the Book of Acts, in the Bible, it says that after the deaths of Ananias and his wife Saphari, the Holy ghost was manifested on the people who were living under the authority of the apostles, through the awesome power of the apostles, and those they appointed, such as Stephen, Phillip, and others mentioned in the Book of Acts.

If the Mormon Church is the only true church on the earth today, then the powers of God, which the Mormon Brethren claim are present today, are manifested by the men who are overseers of the wards and stakes. Hence, God would be with those men, if they are truly called and empowered by deity, as he was with the ancient apostles and their representatives. Prescience and discernment were two of those godly powers. If these powers are not present, then the Mormon Church is just like any other secular organization in terms of membership. There has to be other means of determining who, among the elect, are wolves.

The apologetic on this one would be that at the time of appointment the men were worthy and so the Leaders acted appropriately. Of course after that point in time Free Agency and temptation kick in and the Leaders cannot be held responsible for an individuals actions.

I can see that point, however, the Church does appoint people into positions of perceived power and authority which, in my eyes, gives them as an organization responsibility and a duty of care for the people over whom they have been appointed.
I believe the Church see's it that way too because generally tehy will pay lots of money to settle such cases out of court and quietly.

[_Jonah]

Currently, I see a significant lack of discernment by, supposedly, inspired church leaders.

Inspired church leaders have no special, magical, "power of discernment". No more than you or I. None. Zip. Nada. Nothing. End of story.