Hey, hey -- let's find all the dirt we can to post. As a former high school teacher, I can tell you that several men on our staff were accused (Spanish teacher, science teacher, English teacher, coach). The men underwent "staff leave" during the process -- and much emotional turmoil. In every case at our school, the students confessed that they were angry about grades or other issues -- and the men were restored to their jobs. We did have a woman at another high school who was accused and convicted of molesting a young gal.

In today's world, children -- and especially young gals -- are finding out about the power of their spoken word to cause attention and turmoil. Yes, some is true -- and some is not.

I would rather see the report of convictions -- rather than add to these persons' emotional turmoil with a full-blown SpectrumLand report of the accusations for Spectrumites to discuss in a public forum.

Have a little class SpectrumLand. And, there are maybe hundreds of these accusations reporter each day across the U.S. But, with SpectrumLand's agenda, only the two Adventists are spotlighted as accused??

Jody ;)

Have a little 'class' yourself, Jody. It seems to me that your negative reaction here is at least driven in part by your general dislike for Spectrum. Such derisive terms like 'SpectrumLand' - as if there is some odd country inhabited here. Using terms like 'dirt' and 'have a little class'. These people were arrested. That makes it newsworthy. Police, not gossipers, brought these charges and this has been reported in the secular news. Nowhere was it suggested they were guilty. And as for Adventists spotlighted? This is a site focused on Adventism. Should we instead report on Jehovah's Witnesses or Buddhists? But in your mind Spectrum is somehow classless for doing this?

I think you have a deeper anger than this frivolous complaint.

This is almost a daily occurrence in any large city: teachers or coaches accused of sex crimes. It is a real hazard for any teacher, as once accused, he is considered guilty. A child (under 18) can, and often falsely accuses a teacher and destroys a reputation for life. I know of a teacher so falsely accused, and the police publicly alleged in the newspapers and all the TV stations of this accusation of rape without ever interrogating either of the principals! Later, when the police questioned the girl, she confessed to having lied in naming the teacher because the perpetrator was a dangerous gang member! The police never apologized and almost ruined that teacher's professional career!

Yes, crimes against minors is a terrible thing, but accusations are easily made and very difficult to determine actual guilt. In this case, words do kill.

I hadn't heard of these incidents. If it had been a Catholic school and priests were involved it would have been national news. Also some Adventists, and others, would have immediately used it to attack Catholicism. To those people I would like to ask the following questions:

1. How did celibacy cause this to happen?
2. They were not obliged to celibacy you say? Then how can you claim that celibacy in Catholicism causes child abuse when it occurs among non-celibates?
3. Does this prove that Adventism is a false religion that bears evil fruits?
4. No? Then how can you claim that the same incidents show that Catholicism is a false religion?
5. Since there is also evidence that the Adventist church and institutions have covered up abuse in the past does that show that they are false?
6. No? Then how can you say that of the Catholic Church?

Does all of this embarrass Adventists and make them defensive? Do you like it when others use such incidents to tar and blacken your entire religion? Does that seem unfair to you? Then why do you do it to Catholics?

I am open to apologies from those who have used our scandals as a means to attack and "evangelize" us. You know who you are.

On a separate note it is to Spectrum's credit that they reported the incidents and that many here have not used similar scandals to attack Catholicism. Maybe we can learn from each others mistakes.

On the flip side, there are an awful lot of cases that go unreported too. When I was at an SDA boarding academy, there was a teacher having sex with one of my classmates. She never reported it. I can think of all sorts of cases of sexual harassment that don't go farther than unwelcome comments and advances that aren't reported (I can speak first hand on that accord at both the high school and college level.) I would guess that most schools have a teacher or two that the girls know to stay away from. Or depending on their own needs, know to gravitate towards. They just don't talk about it with adults.

I would add that this is hardly unique to religious schools. It is rampant everywhere. Way more is going on than is being reported.

Really? Spectrumland?

You'd expect to hear that sort of puerile jeering from school kids, but not from grown-ups. I'm sort of at a loss.

I'm also at a loss when it comes to the tendency to dismiss allegations and arrests as merely the results of girls' baseless accusations. While I am aware that in some cases people do make false charges, it is also the case that untold numbers of Adventist leaders commit crimes against children, teens, and even adults with impunity precisely because of our unwillingness to take charges seriously.

History suggests that we should be hesitant to rush to judgments either way, but should let due process and the justice system do their thing.

I'm with Elaine and Judy on this one. As a teacher, I can say that the spoken word can kill a career. It is so important to protect yourself from anything that can be deemed or misinterpreted as inappropriate. I've seen lives nearly ruined and reputations definitely ruined by false allegations made from a ticked off student.

Let's be honest. Our courts say 'Innocent until proven guilty', but we all know that is just not true with the media and those influenced by the media. ANY accusation or report automatically tarnishes the person's reputation whether guilty or not.

Most of us are so media influenced that, at least on a surface level, we already assume whatever someone is charged with MUST be true, or is probably true or their names wouldn't be in the papers or on TV. We roll our eyes at the usual protests of 'not guilty' or 'I didn't do what they are saying', telling ourselves in our hearts that 'that is what someone guilty would say anyway'. Then we let the courts decide or final judgement. Most of the time we judge people committed of crimes 'guilty until proven innocent', or 'guilty until confirmed guilty'.

It is unfortunate that there are many cases of abuse and sexual molestation going on in our schools but in many cases of alleged abuse accusations, any hint of it, even if it is proven to have no merit, can destroy one's teaching career in a heartbeat.

One should be very very careful about charges of sexual abuse against teachers. Yes it happens, but today's young people are not above holding teachers as sexual hostages. The charges are headline news. The retractions are on page eight. The current rage is for the teenager to be the aggressor and then the tattletail. Or they make it up out of whole cloth.

Teacher sexual aggression does occur. But teengage hostage taking is about 3 or 4 to 1.

These charges need, require, very careful investigation and due process with full application of the law of the Chruch and the State.

As a parent of three chrildren, three grandchildren, and theee great grand children--this issue is current with me.
Particularly since one child is within 5 year of retirement for teaching highschool history and economics and is Chair of his section of the faculty. He is very wise to the ways of the sexually aggressive failing students.

These issues are not for the headlines or the blog threads. They need to be under wraps until firm data, time, dates, places, and action are all spelled out and verified as well as the personal history of each party to the incident.

Sexual explotation makes up at least 505 of the after nine TV drama's. Teenage watching makes up twice as much time as homework. So what can one expect?

In American jurisprudence one is considered innocent until proven guilt. Let us pary that due process will prevail and justice will be done. Tom

@Jody.

I'd just like to reaffirm what Rich and Jared wrote. Making some sort of sweeping generalization about what we do here lowers the level of discourse that the majority of our community appreciates.

Let's be clear here. This is reporting on reporting on a police arrest of two similar cases. Spectrum actually does not report on every accusation (and even conviction) that comes along.

Every once in awhile there are news intersections that stand out and we do our best - as laity with day jobs - to keep our community informed while providing them with a place to publicly reflect.

Instead of thoughtful reflection in this public space, it's disappointing to see an anecdote-based complaint that whips between anger at the messenger and cheap emoticon-inflected snark.

Remember: your experience doesn't obviate the information value to someone else.

It's good to know how things worked out for you, but don't miss the fact that while there are plenty of false accusations, as Beth notes, there are also plenty of true ones as well.

We trust our Spectrum community to reflect responsibly. Your comment seems to imply that you don't. That's an unfortunate mistake.

Tom

You wrote that these things should be kept "under wraps until firm data, time, dates, places, and action are all spelled out and verified as well as the personal history of each party to the incident."

They ARE. That's what the police do before they get an arrest warrant. If the police are routinely arresting innocent people they should be investigated and their procedures fixed. Complain to the cops about needless arrests.

Its not constitutional to keep things "under wraps" until a conviction unless a judge issues a gag order.

At the SDA academy I attended we had 2 out of about 20 teachers that ended up running off with female students. One was our class sponsor and he hit on a lot of girls in our class. Just a matter of time before someone fell for it. Who knows if/how many girls he deflowered before divorcing his wife and leaving town with the "young thing".

keafan

Yes police arrest on a duly issued warrant. But even then the arrestee is presumed innocent until proving guilty. The arrest citation is only repsumptive evidence. In American jurisprudence that shall be no rush to judgment. Too many lives and careers have been ruined. If guilty, I urge the full application of the penal law. Tom

P.S. in my 84 years, I have seen more cases of abuse than i care to share. That does not change due process one bit!!!!!

That includes administrative hidding of the truth. For shame.

Tom

Psh. Jody has zero credibility with me. Anyone who hates Spectrum as much as she claims to would not even be here reading the material, let alone bothering to take the time to comment. What does that say about her? Maybe, like someone with a morbid interest in a bloody car accident site, she cannot help but continue to watch even while feigning disgust with the whole thing.

Just like Statler and Waldorph from the Muppets sitting in their balcony of self-righteousness, she mocks, heckles and jeers the site and its participants with nothing productive or of substance to offer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statler_and_Waldorf

Drive-by hit and run potshots from the conservative brigade are par for the course for every discussion forum I have been on. Spectrum has proven no exception.

I would just point out that Jody could be a male or female name, and I don't think that this Jody has identified himself/herself one way or the other, for what it's worth.

I only wish it were true that allegations are made public only after an arrest warrant is issued. That is not always the case. In the case I related, the allegations were made to the media BEFORE any interrogation. It would have been better for the accused had there been a charge and arrest, as then he could have sued the police department for false accusation and arrest.

A similar incident occurred in Southern California when a teacher was accused, booked and released, and then sued and won for over $1.4 million dollars, and $200 k against the police officers involved. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to sue the police, as few attorneys wish to buck the "blue line." Usually, the accused simply must "suck it up."

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Like it or not, this is what's is happening in real life. I admire Spectrum for reporting and staying current. If Spectrum only published people's theories and speculations about "life", then it would truly be a land unto itself :)

I have to say, I can see the point of those wanting to protect the rights and careers of those falsely accused.

But I've also been on the other side: in a small, independent boarding academy, our principle molested my sister and three other girls in one school year, and the next summer ran away with and married my roommate.

There was absolutely nothing done about it. All of the parents were asked not to go to the police, the girls were made to feel they were in the wrong for allowing it to happen, and the molester is now a youth leader at his church in another state.

Looking back, my sister didn't even speak up until she had grown up and was a mother herself. My parents would have taken it to the police, whether the independent ministry leaders wanted them to or not. I'm proud of them for that.

While it may be running the risk of ruining someone's career, some peoples' careers are better off in other areas. Our children and youth are our future, and if we don't protect them, who will?

Don't know the people involved here, or the truth about these particular situations, so will refrain from comment. But it does lead me this observation:

Teaching junior high or high school, especially in today's world, has to be the hardest job ever. It is grueling, thankless, and in some situations dangerous. You're not only fighting to get information and values into the minds of the children, but you're competing with an enormously engrossing and morally bankrupt modern culture, and sometimes have to also suffer attack from angry, ungrateful parents who think their children deserve grades they haven't earned, or don't deserve punishments they have earned.

People who not only stick with it but do well at it are heros in my book. I think good teachers should be paid more than brain surgeons, surely more than CEO's of failing financial institutions—more than just about anyone else, for what they give to the lives of young people. A few do bad things—they're human, after all—but those who do this job well receive my deepest admiration.

Loren Seibold

Fr. Jim

Go and read the report that came out a couple of months ago of what was going on in the Irish institutions

/Bevin

Bevin,
You are exactly the person who needs to answer the questions I posted. Especially the one that says if Catholicism is false because of such scandals then is Adventism wrong for the same reason. That log in your eye must hurt.

1. How did celibacy cause this to happen?
2. They were not obliged to celibacy you say? Then how can you claim that celibacy in Catholicism causes child abuse when it occurs among non-celibates?

No, I don't think celibacy specifically causes child abuse. Instead celibacy filters out a significant number of candidates, resulting in a higher frequency of potential child abusers - and other sexual orientations - in the resulting filtered sample.

3. Does this prove that Adventism is a false religion that bears evil fruits?

Christian denominations - Catholic and Adventist - have a organizational bias towards believing what they want to believe, and thus failing to detect evil in their midst.

4. No? Then how can you claim that the same incidents show that Catholicism is a false religion?
5. Since there is also evidence that the Adventist church and institutions have covered up abuse in the past does that show that they are false?
6. No? Then how can you say that of the Catholic Church?

Both SDA'ism and Catholicism have problems. All organized religions have problems. The very act of organizing it causes it to have problems. The larger the organization, the more it grabs power to itself and the more evil it does trying to preserve that power.

There is a reason there is only one woman in Revelation, pure at the beginning of the tale, a harlot in the middle, and purified at the end.

/Bevin

Bevin, the fact is that the percentage of abusers is the same. One could argue that Adventists filter out those who do not worship on Saturday, thereby resulting in a higher frequency of abusers. You tacitly admit that the Adventist church fails to discover evil in its midst. Therefore it is a false religion? Right? So your idea is that religion should have no organization and therefore that would end all abuse? So abuse is caused by organizing? It is fascinating to see where your ideology forces you to go, like with your view of the woman in Revelation. Nice job of basically side stepping the questions.

Fr. Jim

Sin is sin regardless of creed or institutional affiliation.

I agree with you, that man's concept of God falls far short of the reality.

We should be open to the voice of God, not the foibles of man or his institutions. My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and Righteousness. Tom

Tom, my main point is very similar and you are not one of the people I am talking about. People are people and sin is no respecter of persons. I strongly object to those who use our scandals to label us as evil, but then ignore the implications of their own scandals. Bevin here is trying to do precisely that. It also shows that they care nothing for the children. The children are just fodder in their anti-Catholic crusade. That is appalling.

repeat
create straw man
attack it
until opposition is bored

/Bevin

Fr. Jim

Thanks. Sorry for the likes of bevin and hansen, what a weight of hate they must carry. Tom

Why would a No-Popery Adventist want to quarrel with a Catholic like Fr. Jim over sexual morals? If a 98-pound weakling wants to squabble with Mike Tyson, he doesn't propose a boxing match, does he? After all, Catholic theology gives them reason to object to sexual shennigans; Adventists have nothing, so they fall back on prejudice and politically correct whining. The Adventist will lose, every time.

And by the way, where are Spectrum's pro-choice people? Where are the No To Prop 8 people? If pro-choice principles support abortion and sodomy, why don't they support Rodriquez and his frolic with an (evidently) eagerly consenting girl? Fr. Jim can find something in his theology that tells him why Rodriguez was morally wrong (assuming for a moment the Spectrum's salacious reporting is factually correct) but our Adventist professors and preachers can only flounder.

I repeat: prejudice and politically correctness don't cut it.

Keep it up, Fr. Jim.

The rush to judgment is endemic almost as fast as the leap to conclusions.

An arrest means there is probably cause. It is the start of the criminal justice due process.

But no, two giant institutions are put on the line for target practice.

Only recently did Roman remove the condemnation of the Jews for killing Jesus.

He died for each one of us. I hope it doesn't take as long to resolve the two incidents in question fairly and justly.

Then let us discuss the problems of boarding schools etc.

Of course in the meantime we can always write about the evils of the latter Day Saints. Or how vulnerable men in public office are to sexual exploitation!

Of course there is alway politics. Question: Why are the Republicans so upset because of a stolen election in Iran when just nine years ago they stole one themselves? Tom
Tom

Fr Jim.

Celebacy and sexuality are somewhat related, hence filtering for one could plausibly affect the other.

I am not aware of a similar relationship between worshipping on the Sabbath and sexuality. Perhaps you would care to point to a statistical study that shows some interesting correlation I was not previously aware of?

/Bevin

Tom, the intercession removed from the old Good Friday service was not exactly a condemnation of "Christ killers." That being said I believe it is possible to move beyond old disputes and forge new relationships between religious groups.

Bevin, actually there is no study that shows a correlation between celibacy and child abuse either. Yet that hasn't stopped you. Perhaps you could explain why there is child abuse like this going on in your Adventist church? That is the topic of the article. Doesn't it concern you as an Adventist? The folks at Spectrum seem concerned.

This strikes me as an astonishingly unproductive discussion. I'd guess it highly unlikely that you will convince one another.

Ever tried on-line chess? At least here you'd have a clear winner.

Rev. Seibold,
In a way I was conducting an experiment to see how some would react to scandals of this kind in their own church. I wondered if they would react differently if it was not a Catholic scandal. They did. That is why I know you are correct and that nothing will convince them. Certainly I am not convinced by one standard for Catholics and another for everyone else. I guess if this were chess it would be checkmate.

As a SDA pastor (in Portugal) I've always believed to be immoral to judge other churches and/or denominations by sins theirs members would commit! There is sin in ALL churches, including mine!

The focal point should never be to emphasize the sins that occur in that or that church, but if the church considers some practice a sin or not! Pedophilia, homosexuality, adultery, incest are sins both for Catholics and Adventists!

Let's uphold God's moral Law and, at the same time, be compassionate for those who have fallen in sin, because this is the Gospel of Jesus Christ - be compassionate for sinners in order to rehabilitate them with the grace and forgiveness Christ imparts to all who recognize their sins!

The lead story, is a very sad story from every aspect.
Parents, children, school, church, society. It must grieve the heart of God.

Why on earth would anyone try to make any kind of institutitional case out of a tragic event. I just hope and pray that American Jurisprudence can equitably resolve the issue. Under American law, the accused are considered innocent until convicted under due process in a court of law.

Even then, there are rights of appeal.

Where sin doth abound, Grace does much more abound.

What an apportunity for churchmen and women of every hue to come together and support the families, the schools, the principals in the tragic event.

I have been a juror on a capital case. The jury cannot discuss any aspect of the case until each side rests their case and the judge charges the jury.

This should apply to Roman Catholic and Seventh-day Adventist communities as well.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone!

The posted story should be a quieting lesson for us all.
Tom

And now a third story, in which another Adventist, a church elder, solicits sex from a 13 year old boy.

Fr Jim,

If you really were just conducting an experiment, you could have picked a better test group. The fact that our church has its share of bigoted, narrow minded, apologists is nothing new to most Spectrum readers. I don’t feel I’m going out on too big a limb here to state that most churches probably have a similar percentage. What I would be interested in hearing is what your church is doing to prevent the problem. Our church, at least as late as 2006 when I retired as an SDA teacher, has done basically nothing. During our annual teachers retreat in the summer of 2005, the subject was addressed by a risk management attorney from the General Conference. He basically asked any teacher who felt like they might possess pedophilic urges to voluntarily retire before they hurt a child. Good advice I suppose, but it really didn’t address the larger problem.

One of the advantages to a parochial education is the special bond that is often formed between student and teacher. Many of these friendships become lifetime relationships. However, the intimate nature of the relationship can often lead to compromising positions that need never occur. It is my observation that the overwhelming majority of parochial teachers and clergy enter the field out of a genuine desire to serve the Lord by serving his children. Many naively lead themselves into compromising positions without even realizing it. Training is available to help avoid these situations, yet most teachers never even consider it could happen to them. Simple things such as never meeting behind closed doors without another adult, never riding alone in a car, never disciplining a student without another adult present could prevent a lot of misery. I raised this subject to my principal, conference and union education secretaries and the GC risk management attorney and they all agreed it would be beneficial, but no one to my knowledge has ever come up with a formal program to avoid the potentially dangerous situations that lead to compromise and heartache.

As far as the actual predatory pedophiles, I have no good answers. I know they exist and I know my church has covered for them and paid dearly for it. When I consider their actions, I must admit my first instincts are in no way Christian. I suppose I’ll leave the punitive functions to the courts. They can’t mess it up anymore than the church has.

I do enjoy your posts and am glad you regularly contribute.

I would say if anything we have gone overboard in our response. Some here have mentioned a concern for due process and I would have to say that sometimes we do not give a fair right of defense to the accused. Right now the Church is so gun shy that sometimes it treats accusations as convictions.

That said our response has been huge. All seminarians and clergy are finger printed and undergo a complete background check. In addition all seminarians undergo a full psychological battery of tests and examinations. They are evaluated at least a dozen times before ordination. All volunteers undergo background checks. All diocesan papers and every church has information posted. Training sessions are mandatory for everyone and are updated constantly. Every year there is a review of every diocese and parish to test compliance. Anyone found guilty of one offense is dismissed from the clerical state or if a layperson is fired. All State laws on reporting must be obeyed. Also the Church conducts research to determine causes and possible dangers. There are also policies on never being alone with a child, not having children in the rectory, and boundary issues.

Last year I believe there were only 10 new offenses reported. Some will always slip through no matter what you do. But I think we are doing everything humanly possible. Your child is safer in church then in school nowadays.

Fr. Jim

Thanks for the informative response. I agree that no church or secular organization will ever weed out all of the offenders, but it sounds as though your church is at least trying to stay ahead of the game. I hope some of our officials are reading. Naivete is an unacceptable policy.

Peace be with you

as the wife of an Adventist pastor, and daughter for former Adventist academy teachers, i am very aware that there are many sadly unreported instances of abuse - either sexual or violent, perpetrated by leaders/teachers/members/spouses etc - that have happened in churches and schools. there are also many false accusations i've been aware of, where disgruntled students/parishioners/colleagues knew that the best way to wreak revenge on the target of their anger was to express an accusation.

culture has shifted, in my personal opinion. a few decades ago, any hint of sexual or moral impurity in the reputation of a woman would mark her for life with a scar from which she could never recover while men were forgiven almost any indiscretion. today, it is the other way around. women can bounce back from nearly any reputation or indiscretion, but the slightest hint of impropriety - false or true - will put a man out of work and out of friends for the rest of his life.

it is for this very reason that my husband will never meet with any woman alone for any purpose - bible study, counseling or anything else. nor will he drive any youth or young adult of either gender anywhere without other adults in his company or at least an actual group of kids. he does not meet with people of either gender without having the blinds on his windows wide open, and the door left ajar, and he prefers public settings like restaurants over office meetings in general.

there will always come times when church leaders or teachers must make delicate leadership decisions that are guaranteed to leave at least some of their church or class dissatisfied. wise and well-intentioned leaders will proactively do all that they can to eliminate any opportunity for accusation. and with a little insight and forethought, they can make their policies of never being alone with anyone very clear.

leaders/teachers/pastors who would never dream of exploiting someone else shouldn't find it too difficult to put basic protective policies into place, if it really matters to them. but so many of the innocent ones are too busy to bother, or too trusting of people in general to believe that a false accusation could ever happen to them. and the offenders are left free to exploit the opportunities that arise from everyone else's laxity.

What pedophile priests have done is horrible, but I can't find it in my nature to single them out. I know too much about what has gone on in my own church. Not just pastors, but everywhere. Human beings are broken. There are no perfect people, no ideal lives, and many more shameful secrets than people realize. We've got to keep trying to protect one another. It is human nature to want to cover up our shame. That started in the Garden of Eden. I've heard the argument that eating the fruit of the tree was a circumlocution for sex. Don't know, but sex is surely one of the great sources of shame among us.

Loren

It is true that unjust allegations can tarnish an innocent person´s life. But that is more of a cultural problem, it is in society´s member, not in the law.
A credible accusation must be examined.

I know of several professors and ministers in a major SDA university that had relationships while married, or had homosexual pronography found at their office computer by an intern (confirming several accusations of hom. molestation)...
yet they where covered up due to having friends in the right places....

I believe we are called to do what is right and just... under G-d´s law not under the wishes to maintain the status quo. Otherwise SDA slides further from what it was supposed to be....

Thanks, Spectrum, for your attempt to report the good and the bad. What I want to know is this...

What to do about students attending Adventist institutions initiating sexual advances, intentionally and deliberately.

I've known of numerous students, like at Florida Adventist academy, a female basketball player, initiated and approached the coach, who was held culpable. Now she's attending an Adventist college, attempting the same... She certainly is her mother's child...

What can be done when standards and values aren't being taught in the home to begin with?

May the Lord come soon...

What about SDA teachers who do not uphold/respect/practice boundaries as outlined by their Handbooks, contracts and such?

There is currently an Adventist chaplain, who had several indiscretions, including an incident at SAA with a student while he was a bible teacher there. But, because of his "draw," all was hushed...

Talk about hypocrisy, no? He now gives "marital counseling"? Give me a break... Can't put the blame on the students, teachers or schools.

Responsibility needs to be given and returned to the parents.

I only scanned the comments here, and what I saw was enough to make me want to throw up.

I was sadistically raped and sodomized in my church at the age of 7, 8, and probably 9, by a youth with an "alleged" (use of the word alleged is on advice of my lawyer, as the church has threatened to sue me, a childhood victim, for talking about certain things) juvenile court mandate requiring he not be around children. He raped many, many, many children in the 3-4 years he attended and worked for the East Salem Seventh-day Adventist church.

When he was finally caught red-handed sadistically raping a severely disabled child at the Oregon School for the blind in 1994, I suspect he had raped about 50-60 children. He denied raping me, and I can assure everyone here that he most certainly DID. The investigators for my case found others whom the perpetrator had not confessed to, and denied raping/molesting.

The pastors "allegedly" knew of the "alleged" mandate at the very least from October 1993 onwards. This accusation is based on the testimony of several church members saying the pastors told them of the juvenile court mandate at this time. The pastors vigorously denied ever knowing of any investigation until the perpetrator was caught in 1994. This seems unlikely as investigators came to my house and left a card for my mother and father in September 1993, and my mother specifically spoke with the investigator about his discussion with the pastors at the time, as she had heard rumours that they were not cooperating and defended them--they were close family friends.

I sued at the age of 23, and as a result have since been told by the secretary of my ex-church that "we do not talk to people who sue us."

Okay. Fine by me, just goes to further my opinion that they're cruel, unkind, unethical jerks who allow babies and people I love to be raped and otherwise horribly hurt. The church pretending to be righteous at this point is hysterically funny and unfunny all at once.

Innocent until proven guilty is a legal method used so that the government does not imprison innocents, it is not wise to use that method as a gauge for allowing individuals access and authority to our defenseless children.

I'm sure you'll say I'm bitter and unspiritual for discussing this in public. I don't think I'm the issue here, I'm not the one perjuring myself and holding myself up as righteous and the way to God, and how I further my healing or don't further my healing is certainly not something I'm going to trust this unkind crowd with, that's something I discuss with my therapist.

Go ahead, start ripping me to pieces. I've got my coffee ready, and laugh-mode on. No use crying when I can laugh. Have at me, I know you think I'm evil for speaking out and getting raped, and not healing in ten seconds magically with Jesus's holy hands. So sorry I got raped. I promise I won't get raped in the church again. Wouldn't dream of it.

I too like Michelle just scanned this stuff.
First of all...i think it's unfair to attach an individual's acts to their respective affiliations. Most Adventists get seriously annoyed if not pissed off when one of them does something like this that makes the entire group as a whole look bad. The same for Catholics. Adventist don't hate Catholics and i couldn't imagine using some priest story to bring down their faith.
Next that guy with all the questions at the beginning...
1.I don't think God intended us to be celibate and celibacy is a gift...ere go apostle Paul.
2. Celibacy probably doesn't cause child abuse, fallible humans do.
3. No this doesn't prove Adventism is false. Don't see how this can be said when EVERY "religion" has these problems.
4. I don't know anyone who uses child abuse to claim Catholicism is false...SDA's believe the Papacy is a false system of worship(Daniel/Revelation)
5. Everybody lies. Catholics cover they're behinds too.
6. Should we delve into the Papacy's dark history where people die?
In any case, there are always at least two side to a "religion".. those who just take on the name and do whatever, and those who take on the name and actually live to it. I have no quarrel with Catholics, there are a lot of good Catholics people and i really wouldn't mind if my room in heaven was next to John Paul II.

Adventists have their own internal problems. As much as this story affects me,(I was Litten's 7th grade student at one time) this story is minuscule to the people that are willing to cause rifts and schism within the church.
And did Litten do what he is accused of doing? I absolutely think so...i never got the "Jesus is with this man" vibe from him.
Even in University, this mess happens. A teacher was just forced to resign last semester because some girl claimed she was "sexually harassed" which in my opinion is bull.
Again, I'm not out to bash Catholicism, I'm just saying that respective Christian religions don't have much to do with promoting child abuse by any means seeing as morality set forth by God doesn't condone such abhorring behavior.

Tre, Adventist's do use scandals as a way of attacking Catholics. They have done it to me repeatedly. It is the first or last thing that comes up in a debate. Either they use it as an opener to set the tone or they use it when they lose the argument as a trump card or to change the subject. It is all too common. It is unfair and I would like it to stop.
Fr. Jim

I think it's time for these things to come out in the open. It's only fair and right for parents and children to be warned. They need to know that no person in authority has the right to take advantage of them. Chidren need to know they have boundaries early, and that includes the right to tell on anyone who would even suggest inappropriate behavior with them. For decades, the guilty have been protected, and the victims have not had a voice. These things have been kept secret, and those who wanted to speak out have been threatened. That's largely why these things continue. Instead of the victims being forced to keep quiet and carry shame for the rest of their lives, let's stop hiding the truth and let the perpetrators carry their own shame.

If a teacher is innocent, he or she need not be afraid. If a teacher is wise, he or she will discourage even the appearance of evil with a student. Don't put yourselves in compromising situations. If a student acts inappropriately, you have the responsibility to notify your superiors and the student's parents immediately. You are the authority figure; you are in charge. You are older and probably bigger(men especially), so unless the student carries a deadly weapon, you cannot be forced to kiss, fondle, or have sex with him or her. You cannot be forced to rape or molest a minor. It's almost laughable, but I don't say that to be funny. There are many who still believe these things are the child's or teenager's fault.

I was raped by my math teacher my junior year at an Adventist academy in 1985. (I know of at least 5 more similar instances at that same academy since then.) The only thing more frightening than being raped was being bullied by the school and church authorities when I told what had happened. How was I bullied? First of all, a 100 lb. teenage girl is no match for the teacher, the school principal, two pastors, a youth pastor, an evangelist, and the conference president, who were all grown men. On top of that, I was given Bible verses and Ellen White quotations that told me it was wrong to criticize the leadership, sue the brethren, or lift up my hand against the Lord's anointed. I was told that according to Scripture, I needed two or three witnesses in order to make a valid accusation. I was also warned that if I brought to light what had been done to me, I would bring the time of trouble upon the church ahead of time. Adventists will be able to find the quotes I refer to. The scare tactics worked, because I had a Dark Ages mindset that if I bucked the authority of my church, I would be excommunicated and burned...or at least suffer the seven last plagues. Now that's pretty scary! Just in case I've been misunderstood, I'm talking about ADVENTISM, not Catholicism. So, to the Catholics who have been slammed because of the evil deeds done by your leaders, you are not alone anymore! To the Adventists who still believe you have a message for the rest of the world, perhaps you will want to clean your house before inviting company. Are you really any safer than the churches you so freely call, "Babylon"?

Michelle,

I just read your post. I'm disgusted that you are being forced not to speak. The church that told me it was wrong to sue the brethren is actually threatening to sue you? WOW! They couldn't convince you that you'd get the plagues for being a traitor, so they'll take you to court instead!

Fear is a common weapon used by sex offenders. Child molesters threaten little children with severe punishment for telling on them. If the abusers are the parents, their children are told that they will have to live with mean people if they tell, because mommy and daddy will have to go to jail. Rapists may use weapons or threaten to have the victim's relatives killed if she or he goes to the police. A person could lose a job for reporting harassment at work, or life could at least be made very uncomfortable. Religious organizations have threatened persecution and loss of salvation for those who would bring these perversions to light. What the church is doing to you is simply the norm in sexual abuse.

I wish you the best!

I don't believe the religion of anyone has anything to do with their morals or standards of behavior. There's good, bad, and indifferent in EVERY religion. You see, life is like farming. All the plants grow together. When the farmer reaps the crop some of the unwanted gets mixed in with the good. The separating takes place at a particular point in time. Until then, they all have to stay together until they are separated, one at a time.

After all, who are we to judge anyone? Many innocent people have been convicted and put to death. The truth will come out one day. Maybe soon, maybe later, but it does come out. Only two people know exactly what the truth is. The accused and the accuser. Both families (the accused and the accuser) are hurting at the moment and my prayers are for both of them.

Jim,
I know exactly what you're talking about. So I won't disprove what you say.
Unfortunately, the SDA's you are speaking of probably don't have a real understanding of what they're talking about.

Catholic people are not the enemy, the system is. If we believed it was some other religion, we would focus on the system, not the people.

The SDA church as a whole doesn't attack Catholics, most of us try our very best to explain what we believe without making it sound like we want people to think Catholics are evil people.

So I don't think you can say that the few SDA's you've met means that the whole SDA church attacks Catholics just as i don't think that a few priests means all of Catholicism is into sodomy and such.