Confidential confession works for the truly penitent child sex abusers

[drumdude]

The church, through their Deseret news butt boy journalist, Tad Walch, just doubled down on the institutional practice of not reporting child sex abuse when they have an option but not an obligation to.

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/8/19 ... buse-cases

Naturally Daniel approves, and relayed this link on his blog.

[Dr Exiled]

These assholes know no bounds. It's obvious that the system they set up, Kirton McConckie hotline, is to have an early warning system that allows them to cover up the more egregious cases, that threaten the reputation of the Church Fund.

[Marcus]

...Latter-day Saints policy differs slightly from some faiths. The church also holds confessions to be confidential, but Latter-day Saint leaders are instructed to report a confession of child abuse immediately if a report would “prevent life-threatening harm or serious injury and there is not time to seek guidance” from the church’s abuse helpline....

wow. a brand new variation.

[Dr Moore]

Doubling down on failure is generally not an exceptional long term strategy.

It does work on no certain parlor games of chance, assuming a bottomless pocketbook and a house willing to honor any sized bet.

[Marcus]

Mormons trying to justify their help line:

The handbook offers the exception to calling the help line when, telling leaders to report abuse to authorities immediately if the victim’s life is in danger or serious injury is imminent. “In such cases, the duty to protect others is more important than the duty of confidentiality. Leaders should contact civil authorities immediately,” the handbook says.

Absent a help line, at least one website on Jewish law advises rabbis that they “would be well advised to consult with their personal attorneys in dealing with any situation in which the issues of confidentiality and privilege arise.”

that last sentence, in the article from which they quote it, has a footnote [11] after the phrase "personal attorneys." here is the content of footnote 11:

[footnote 11] Rabbis should be mindful that the attorney of a congregant or a congregant who happens to be an attorney but have not retained by the Rabbi as his personal attorney, are not bound to represent the Rabbi and his interests.

so the Mormon article follows mopologetic techniques of twisting the truth by leaving out pertinent information. Footnote 11 clearly points out that in consulting with an attorney, unless they are designated as the Rabbi's personal attorney, they are not bound to represent the Rabbi and his interests.

in other words, the lds help line is not intended to represent the caller and their interests, and by extension not the victims and their interests, but rather the lds church.

can these defenders of the lds church be any more despicable?

[Marcus]

a couple of excerpts from a great sltrib editorial today:

Whether one accepts the Associated Press version of a horrific case of prolonged sexual abuse known to officials of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or believes the church’s own version of events, this is fact:

Two LDS bishops in Arizona had a chance to call the police or social services to respond to a clear pattern of abuse committed by a father against his two young daughters. And they didn’t.

The counselors and attorneys working for the church’s “help line” had a chance to urge the local leaders to pick up a phone. Or to make the call themselves. And they didn’t.

The fine legal point on which the church has hung its public defense is that the relevant law in Arizona — the one that requires anyone with knowledge of child abuse or neglect to report it to appropriate legal authorities — has a loophole that makes it legal for religious leaders to keep to themselves any knowledge they gain in private confessionals or counseling sessions with members of their faith.

<snipped>

Most of us, even in a highly sexualized culture created by advertising and popular media, intuitively feel a middle-aged man asking a teenage girl about her sexual thoughts, urges and behavior is creepy in the extreme. Yet, when one of the LDS Church’s former bishops launched a very public campaign to change church policy on such matters, they excommunicated him.

Officially, of course, the LDS Church is horrified at all cases of child abuse and wants all such cases to be dealt with in whatever way most benefits the victims. Those claims ring hollow, though, when the institution’s help line is run out of the church’s risk management division, and involves attorneys whose first allegiance is to the church, not victims.

It is time for the LDS Church to tell its members and clergy about a new “help line” they can call when they are made aware of ongoing instances of sexual abuse of children.

It’s called 911.

By The Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/editoria ... e-members/

[Doctor CamNC4Me]

Here here, Marcus. I’m so disgusted by this one that I can’t really separate the people from the organization any more. Something got rewired in me, and now I hold the individuals accountable for this - if they stay in that cult that means they’re ok with this.

Funny how so many of these people believe groomers are everywhere, but it’s literally in their own house of worship. I’m so over saying and thinking the individuals are great, bUt iT’s ThE iNsTiTuTiOn that needs mending.

No! No more!

It’s the people that aren’t ok, otherwise they’d have left by now or have changed the institution to reflect their values. Period! It’s the people that comprise, aid, and abet this bull****.

They’re one and the same.

- Doc

[Chap]

It’s the people that aren’t ok, otherwise they’d have left by now or have changed the institution to reflect their values.

In the end, I think that anybody who wants to be treated as a person in their own right must accept responsibility for the faults of any institution that they are free to leave but in which they choose to remain.

Same goes for Catholics, Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Buddhists and all the rest.

[Rivendale]

Here here, Marcus. I’m so disgusted by this one that I can’t really separate the people from the organization any more. Something got rewired in me, and now I hold the individuals accountable for this - if they stay in that cult that means they’re ok with this.

Funny how so many of these people believe groomers are everywhere, but it’s literally in their own house of worship. I’m so over saying and thinking the individuals are great, bUt iT’s ThE iNsTiTuTiOn that needs mending.

No! No more!

It’s the people that aren’t ok, otherwise they’d have left by now or have changed the institution to reflect their values. Period! It’s the people that comprise, aid, and abet this bull****.

They’re one and the same.

- Doc

Cafeteria Mormonism is a form of kissing Hanks ass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaFZQBb2srM

[Philo Sofee]

The church, through their Deseret news butt boy journalist, Tad Walch, just doubled down on the institutional practice of not reporting child sex abuse when they have an option but not an obligation to.

https://www.deseret.com/faith/2022/8/19 ... buse-cases

Naturally Daniel approves, and relayed this link on his blog.

Well it is the immoral who support the immoral, so this is no surprise.