tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post5873669015301425629..comments2023-11-02T07:25:45.884-05:00Comments on Mormanity - a blog for those interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: When a Victim of Abuse Cries For Help: The Perspective Needed to Be a Modern Good SamaritanJeff Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-14452032496639707182018-04-02T14:17:24.639-05:002018-04-02T14:17:24.639-05:00I'm glad you're well and not bitter. I...I'm glad you're well and not bitter. I'm grateful that you've been blessed. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-5462888934682873332018-03-31T08:28:29.976-05:002018-03-31T08:28:29.976-05:00Making a comment anonymously here (for obvious rea...Making a comment anonymously here (for obvious reasons). There is a lot that is true in this. I was someone who had false accusations of abuse made about me -- I don't know how common they are in general, but in at least my case they were false. The Stake President took her seriously and I was excommunicated as a result.<br /><br />Years later now, having been rebaptized and reunited with the Church I am in an ongoing process of gaining perspective. But what struck me in this post is the idea that an accusation, whether true or false, is a sign that someone is in serious danger. If true, the accuser has been horribly hurt by the abuse. If false, as in my case, that is likely a sign that the person has been horribly hurt by other abuse and is making an accusation against a 'safer' target (that's what happened to me -- she was actually abused by someone she remained frightened of so the accusations were made against me). But it seems very certain that anyone making such an accusation is injured in some way -- even if not by the accused.<br /><br />I wouldn't go as far as to say to believe all women (I have a well-founded reluctance to that position), but I do agree that if someone is making accusations of abuse that is a desperate cry for help from someone seriously hurting. Whether true or not, they need to be seriously considered and whatever resources are available need to be brought to their aid.<br /><br />And having been through the process, I can testify both that leaders should be careful both not to punish those falsely accused (it was a painful experience, to say the least) and that the Lord will walk hand in hand with those who are falsely accused and make things right in the end (He has blessed me in ridiculous measure with the experience).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-13591748643335614462018-03-29T12:31:05.284-05:002018-03-29T12:31:05.284-05:00The Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation has very ...The Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation has very little in common with Mormon worthiness interviews. <br /><br />For one thing, Reconciliation is a completely voluntary thing. A Catholic confesses when and what he or she feels they need to. For another, there is no probing. A priest listens to what a Catholic wants to share as briefly stated or in detail as the confessed deems appropriate. A priest would <i>never</i> ask a child if they had masturbated and would <i>never</i> draw out details. Never, <i>never</i>, NEVER. <br /><br />Secondly, just as a Catholic attends Mass in any congregation of their choice, a Catholic confesses to any priest they care to whether that is someone that they know and who knows them or another priest to whom they are completely anonymous. The absolution is complete in any case. And the Catholic has <i>every</i> expectation that what they discuss in a confessional goes no farther than that small booth. A priest does not go home and discuss it with his wife who just mentions it to one Relief Society member who just happens to mention it to...<br /><br />Finally, the sacrament of Reconciliation does not conclude with shame or with anyone being barred from full participation in the church. Reconciliation means precisely that. Once confessed, being absolved and performing and act of reparation or a penance a Catholic is free to participate in any other sacrament or activity of the church. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-34189654994711507392018-03-28T19:32:59.566-05:002018-03-28T19:32:59.566-05:00Thank you for sharing this, and your previous post...Thank you for sharing this, and your previous post.Ender2knoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-56225909732046024312018-03-28T11:01:50.218-05:002018-03-28T11:01:50.218-05:00... I wonder if what Mormon is trying to articulat...<i>... I wonder if what Mormon is trying to articulate is not that the victims have had their purity taken from them but their power.</i><br /><br />Call me crazy, Joseph, but I would argue that <i>purity</i> and <i>virtue</i> mean purity and virtue. It seems to me that you're engaging in the rankest kind of revisionism, merely to make the text comport with modern values.<br /><br />Jeff, I too think the new policy is welcome, though I can't resist adding that it is obviously a belated concession to secular progress (as is so often the case with the church --- e.g., black people and the priesthood). One would expect prophets of God to be ahead of the curve rather than behind, but here they are, playing catch-up once again.<br /><br />I should also add that "worthiness interviews" remind me of the Catholic practice of confession. Just another way in which the LDS Church has converged with the Great and Abominable Church.<br /><br />-- OKAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-45205313869895030752018-03-27T16:47:04.214-05:002018-03-27T16:47:04.214-05:00Thanks, Joseph. Yes, the new policy adjustments an...Thanks, Joseph. Yes, the new policy adjustments and other steps announced are welcome changes. I hope units and families will take steps to discuss these and strengthen their own awareness of the risks we face and the steps we can take to keep our members and friends safe in a world where predators exist. Jeff Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-7190088837531960292018-03-27T12:06:35.870-05:002018-03-27T12:06:35.870-05:00Knowing the careful and deliberate way the First p...Knowing the careful and deliberate way the First presidency councils on all matters this has probably been in the works for some time.<br />https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013999/lds-first-presidency-letter-directs-leaders-to-review-teach-policies-on-preventing-responding-to-sex-abuse.html<br /><br />One of the things that keeps coming up in these contexts is how devastating abuse, especially sexual abuse, is too the sense of self-worth and courage of the victim. I know that Moroni 9:9 has gotten a lot of criticism from people who see it as being used as justification for victim blaming, but I wonder if what Mormon is trying to articulate is not that the victims have had their purity taken from them but their power.<br /><br />Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07636740926033505057noreply@blogger.com