Woman claims she was abused at Pleasant Hill Adventist Academy

[Felix Florimon]

so that having a sermon about true sex would be

hard to present.....

dgrimm60

I fully agree with you; this is something Jesus experienced when he talked about marriage:

Mathew 19: 10-12 NIV

The disciples said to him, "If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry." Jesus replied, "Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

Even the Apostle Paul (in 1 Corinthians 7:6-9 NCV) felt that the issue of marriage and sex was so difficult for us to handle that he recommended the following:

“Now for those who are not married and for the widows I say this: It is good for them to stay unmarried as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry. It is better to marry than to burn with sexual desire.”

FF

[Danikapat]

Hello. I am new to the board. I have a child going to this school. I was worried when I read about this just today. Should I be worried about the way this was handled by the NCC?

I really like my experience with this school so far. I was told this teacher was there less than a year.

Do you think it's odd that this woman is coming forward 15 years later? I'm not saying this didn't happen, but it look suspicious waiting for so long to say anything.

[Guest]

Hi Danikapat, Welcome to the board. I am sorry I am not really familiar with this.

[Danikapat]

So, as I was doing more reasearch about this incident, I came across a comment the attorney for this woman said. He claims from his epxerience, the SDA church tends to not report allegations of abuse to law enforcement. The attorney's name is Kelly Clark...anyway...I dont' kwow what to think.

Thanks for the welcome, Richard.

[Guest]

It was public knowledge when he was 'transfered'

You're right Stan, they don't usually change. The transferring sounds like what the catholic church did with all those pervert priests.

[bonnie]

Hello. I am new to the board. I have a child going to this school. I was worried when I read about this just today. Should I be worried about the way this was handled by the NCC?

I really like my experience with this school so far. I was told this teacher was there less than a year.

Do you think it's odd that this woman is coming forward 15 years later? I'm not saying this didn't happen, but it look suspicious waiting for so long to say anything.

Many come forward years later. Some never do. Contrary to what many believe having others know and the publicity is the last thing a victim wants

[bonnie]

So, as I was doing more reasearch about this incident, I came across a comment the attorney for this woman said. He claims from his epxerience, the SDA church tends to not report allegations of abuse to law enforcement. The attorney's name is Kelly Clark...anyway...I dont' kwow what to think.

Thanks for the welcome, Richard.

Up until recently this has been true. Numerous lawsuits have enlightened them to the tremendous cost related to their silence and cover ups.

It has slowly gotten better but not enough,fast enough

[Danikapat]

Bonnie, do you have children? If so, did/do they attend SDA school? Should this be a reason for a parent to take their child out of SDA school? Do you think this type of thing occurs just as often in public school?

[Danikapat]

Bonnie, BTW, I love your slogan at the end of your signature line...:)

[bonnie]

Bonnie, do you have children? If so, did/do they attend SDA school? Should this be a reason for a parent to take their child out of SDA school? Do you think this type of thing occurs just as often in public school?

Yes,I have four sons. They went thru our schools including academy. I now have grandchildren in our schools. I would not have pulled mine out and would not want my grandchildren pulled out,but want them well armed.

It happens in public school but I don't think the school starts to circle the wagons when it is reported.

You need to be frank with your kids,age appropriate, and let them know that no matter what, they can come and tell you, even if it is just a touch,if they are not quite sure.That you will beyond a doubt stand behind them.

[Gregory Matthews]

Bonnie siad:

Quote:

Up until recently this has been true. Numerous lawsuits have enlightened them to the tremendous cost related to their silence and cover ups.

It has slowly gotten better but not enough,fast enough.

For those who do not know:

1) The issues may involve adults as well as children.

2) Bonnies adult son filed a lawsuit that after several years of litigation set a new standard for church responsibility.

3) At an earlier time Bonnie established a sebsite, popularly known as SNT (It is now defunct.) where abused women could discuss and share.

[Gerr]

Sex was first in God’s mind when our Creator decided to create Adam and Eve.

[Stan]

Why so long Gerry?

[phkrause]

good one Stan.

pk

[Danikapat]

ok, back to the main topic. I am really trying to get some feedback about this issue. For those of you who have kids in SDA school, would you consider taking them out because of this? It was 15 years ago, but would you investigate how the school handled it and go from there?

[Gregory Matthews]

Bonnie, do you have children? If so, did/do they attend SDA school? Should this be a reason for a parent to take their child out of SDA school? Do you think this type of thing occurs just as often in public school?

1) There is no reason to take a child out of school for an incident that happened 15 years earlier if:

a) The alleged Perp. was not associated with the school now.

The school had an adaquate program to screen people who worked

wiht the children.

2) It would be appropriate to work with the school and Conference to see that an adaquate process was in place to screen the people who worked with the children.

3) If it was determined that the school employeed a person formerlly charged with abusing children, then the parent should take the child out of school.

4) The issue is not how often it occurs. The issue is: What is the danger to my child and what do I need to do to protec my child?

[Gerr]

Why so long Gerry?

I used to think about it more often, but you know how it is, Stan, when a man gets to a certain age, he begins to have memory lapses!!!

[Woody]

Lapses? Gerry? Never.

[bonnie]

The poster seems to have some serious concerns over a very serious non funny topic. Probably does not care how many times people think of sex.

[Stan]

Sometimes these serious moments do get lost.

Sometimes, when someone is a victim finds out years later that the perp was moved around they relive the whole thing.

I support her to do that.

BUT am thinking she is going after the wrong people, she should check out if the folks who hired her new what was going on and hired him anyway. Just my opinion, nothing more.

[bonnie]

Sometimes these serious moments do get lost.

Sometimes, when someone is a victim finds out years later that the perp was moved around they relive the whole thing.

I support her to do that.

BUT am thinking she is going after the wrong people, she should check out if the folks who hired her new what was going on and hired him anyway. Just my opinion, nothing more.

What prompts many to action is the realization that years later he/she abuser is still in the employ of the denomination. Wondering how many that have been in the intervening years. Many victims begin to understand how they have been impacted as a victim even if "no one knew" and want it to stop

Going back thru the many layers that have protected the predator is really not possible. Even if it were,the denomination does everything to wear down and crush the victim. It takes all they have to get thru one litigation

[Danikapat]

Thank you Bonnie, I do have some serious concerns about the original topic here, and I think it went off-topic a little bit.

Bonnie, are you saying the SDA church will crush the victim even when there's proof against the pedophile?

[bonnie]

Thank you Bonnie, I do have some serious concerns about the original topic here, and I think it went off-topic a little bit.

Bonnie, are you saying the SDA church will crush the victim even when there's proof against the pedophile?

Yes,that does happen. It was the way most of these cases were treated until the last decade. It has gotten a bit better because of the victims saying no more,and the numerous lawsuits against the denomination.

The internet in a large part has been responsible I think. before most victims felt they were the only one.Now victims connect quickly via the internet.

The victims get treated pretty quickly to "turn the other cheek" "forgive" "don't bring bad PR to the church,you know what EW says about that"

Stan spelled it out pretty clear......

By 1996 when the transfer took place to Reno the church had know that these people do not change, it was unacceptable.

That conference president hiring his pervert friend was just wrong. He is now the president of the Southern California Conference.

These people do not change they only get better at their"craft".

I still feel before we make the progress we should have made years ago is the people responsible for this man being employed should be pay the piper along with the pedophile/predator.

The president of the Southern California Conference should should be terminated. He won't be.

If the ones "holding the coats" of the predator had to pay it would come to an end pretty quickly. They themselves usually get transferred,many times it seems a promotion.

The conference president in my son's case was very quickly transferred with a promotion. He should have lost his credentials as surely as the predator pastor,as should four conference presidents before him

This woman has taken a very difficult road,I hope her attorney's have told her just how ugly and drawn out it can get. If she is still a member of the church she will not be kindly treated by many.

Proof of the incidents do not necessarily mean as much as one would think.

My son had an admission of guilt by the predator pastor. He was known through five conferences over thirty years.

No one can really answer as to what you should do. Even with all that has happened I would put my kids in a church school again if possible. I had four boys and thankfully we didn't have to deal with this,but I would make them more aware than they were.

I would discuss with the "school board".Do not be put off by "we will pray about it".

Educate your child without scaring them to death,be vigilant and do not assume this "christian teacher/pastor/pathfinder leader" is as they appear.

I can't even fathom what went wrong in the McPherson family.

Stephan,his wife,boys,his father were members of our church.

It is easy to be on guard with a visibly dysfunctional family,this is a family that never would have been suspected.

This was a picture perfect family in all ways. Stephan and his father were two of the most dynamic speakers I have ever heard.Stephan's wife was just a sweetheart.

They gave a evangelistic series in our church that ran for eight weeks,two nights a week. My boys were 10 and under,they would not let us miss a night.There was no wanting to wander around.They were glued to what these two were saying.

This should have never happened. Those allowing it should be right there with the pedophile explaining to the local church/school why they chose to look the other way.

[Felix Florimon]

[Felix Florimon]

Anything that deviates from God’s plan on how we should deal with other fellow humans is sinful in God’s eyes. I don’t believe that God’s purpose for us is just to banish from existence and disintegrate in the grave after we die. We could be very successful in yanking out sex offenders from our school system. However, if we don’t even try to teach our children to abstain from sexual relationships before they are mature enough; to abstain from sex until they feel able to financially support themselves and when they feel committed to live forever with the other person, when have married couples in which one of them prefers to have secret adulterous physical relationship with another “consenting adult” instead of having a fight when to have or not to have intimate relationship with their own spouse then, after all our bodies have disintegrated in the grave, it would become pointless to have fought to remove SDA leaders from office because at a given time in the past they lacked the wisdom and foresight that would have prevented a sexual deviant from molesting a child in school.