Pedophiles and Sex Offenders in the Church

[LifeHiscost]

Any sin you refuse to let go of can keep you from eternal life,but I don't believe sees the sin of harming a child in such a way as he does others.

If that were so we would not all be "judged according to our works".There would be one blanket reward for sinners

"Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law."James 2:8-11 NLT

It is so easy to say, "They are so much worse a sinner than I, for look what they have done." Sin leads to death of many. The fact that we cannot see how many and who it is that dies, is no more blind than was Adam when he first took of the forbidden fruit. How many child molestations would there have been had Adam refused to take of the forbidden fruit? Of course I forget that he had an excuse.

"The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”"Genesis 3:12 NLT

God blesses!

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

"judged according to our works".

Let's be clear that only the lost are judged by their works.

The Righteous are judged by the works of Jesus for their life would qualify them for Hell otherwise.

That is oh so profound, Woody, and oh so true.

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”"John 8:32 NKJV

"Jesus told them, I am....the truth.... No one can come to the Father except through me."John 14:5 NLT

God blesses!

[LifeHiscost]

Originally Posted By: Sonny

How about just not bringing kids into this world. The most trusted person has a nature that is perverted....You can't trust human nature and you never really know if a person is allowing Christ to have his/her nature.

That is your choice. I happen to consider my kids a blessing that cannot be put into words.

Deciding not to have children because their are those that believe known pedophiles should have acess to them may be or have been your choice.It is not mine

We could always read the Word, pay attention to it's practice in our lives, and then ask God for the protection He has promised in His Word. Lord please keep my children for your use and fulfill Your promise to me.

" “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Matthew 7:7,8 NLT, KJV

God blesses!

[bonnie]

[quote name="LifeHiscost

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.[/quote"]

It is not as simple as favoring one over another. It is about keeping children safe when you can.

There are many people I did not allow to have influence over my boys at a vulnerable age. Those that twisted scripture to suit their needs were among them

Quote:

For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws. For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law."James 2:8-11 NLT

Regardless,God required me as a parent to keep my children from harm where possible.We are not talking about people that have not sinned.There aren't any.We are talking about those that will deliberately and maliciously sin against a innocent child and destroy their life.

Quote:

It is so easy to say, "They are so much worse a sinner than I, for look what they have done." Sin leads to death of many. The fact that we cannot see how many and who it is that dies, is no more blind than was Adam when he first took of the forbidden fruit. How many child molestations would there have been had Adam refused to take of the forbidden fruit? Of course I forget that he had an excuse.

That is not quite what I said tho is it? Sounds quite righteous .My job as a parent was to protect my children regardless of who else may have sinned around them. The question concerning Adam is just a smokescreen. This is the world we live in. We have two level 3 sex offenders that are running on the loose here.No one knows where they are.If they find a child and lolest them I suppose they can say "Adam made them do it" but I don't think that will work.Adam had no more of an excuse than you do someohow making child molestation the fault of the child and parent for not having enough faith or praying in your prescribed manner.

When that fails let's bllame Adam.

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it

[bonnie]

[quote name="LifeHiscost:

That is oh so profound, Woody, and oh so true.

"]"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"John 8:32 NKJV

Jesus told them, I am....the truth.... No one can come to the Father except through me."John 14:5 NLT

God blesses!

[bonnie]

We could always read the Word, pay attention to it's practice in our lives, and then ask God for the protection He has promised in His Word. Lord please keep my children for your use and fulfill Your promise to me.

[LifeHiscost]

Quote:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened."

Seems only those like yourself know how to pray and keep asking.

All those maimed,harmed and sometimes dead chilcren certainly should have learned to pray according to your dictates

Now that it has been made clear in the eyes of some, that to trust that the Word is of little value in obtaining the safety and protection we need, for our children and I hope for ourselves as well, which plan should be pursued that can be depended on to assure present safety and hope for a better future?

“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:27-29 NLT

God blesses!

[bonnie]

ow that it has been made clear in the eyes of some, that to trust that the Word is of little value in obtaining the safety and protection we need, for our children and I hope for ourselves as well, which plan should be pursued that can be depended on to assure present safety and hope for a better future?

Actually what you have made clear is your twisting of what was said.

Prayer does not aalways protect you.Or maybe you are one that it does. Nor does faith.

Both are needed in abundence when prayers for safety are not answered.

[LifeHiscost]

"And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."Matthew 10:28 NKJV

[Sonny]

DO NOT TRUST ME.

So all who use to be pedophiles say "do not trust me"? I doubt it....

[Sonny]

....my freedom, my gun and my money. You can keep "THE CHANGE".'

That's funny....

[bonnie]

Originally Posted By: bonnie

DO NOT TRUST ME.

So all who use to be pedophiles say "do not trust me"? I doubt it....

It matters little what you doubt.Where it came to my children and now my grandchildren I will err on the side of the pedophiles themselves.

A repentent pedophile will tell you not to put him in a position where he can easily offend again

[Amelia]

*GP

Folks, please remain cordial to one another.

[Gail]

I saw a video about this yesterday but couldn't find it just now. But here is an interesting tidbit from a legal expert. Each year this man examines records of court cases that involves churches- I think he said about 14,000. This is what he found for 2009:

Quote:

Top 5 Reasons Churches Wind Up in Court

Current legal trends that can help your church assess its vulnerabilities.

by Richard R. Hammar

For many years, I've closely reviewed litigation involving churches to identify patterns that pastors and leaders can use to assess their own risks and potential vulnerabilities. In 2008, the following five types of cases brought churches to court more than any others:

1. Sexual Abuse of a Minor (15 percent of cases). Sadly, this type of case is typically the No. 1 or No. 2 reason churches wind up in court every year.

2. Property Disputes (13 percent of cases).

3. Zoning (10 percent of cases).

4. Personal Injury (9 percent of cases). This is a Top 4 issue every year.

5. Tax (7 percent of cases).

Based on this ongoing analysis, churches should note the following major risk categories they face and work to evaluate (and to minimize) their own risks:

1. Sexual misconduct. For more resources and help on preventing child sexual abuse, turn to our "Reducing the Risk, 3rd Edition." To learn more about sexual misconduct issues in churches, see Your Church's article and Executive Report.

2. Property. I cover issues of church property law extensively in Volume 2 of "Pastor, Church, & Law, 4th Edition."

3. Employment. I cover employment law issues extensively in Volume 3 of "Pastor, Church, & Law, 4th Edition."

You can also find helpful resources related to employment law on ChurchSafety.com, where I serve as an "expert" advisor: http://www.churchsafety.com/topics/staff/

4. Zoning. Be sure to see my exhaustive coverage of this topic in Volume 3 of "Pastor, Church, & Law, 4th Edition."

5. Personal Injury. For resources that can help with limiting liabilities for incidents of personal injuries on church property, visit ChurchSafety.com (http://www.churchsafety.com/topics/property/) and check out our risk management resources and checklists located here.

Richard Hammar is an attorney, CPA, and best-selling author specializing in legal and tax issues for church and clergy. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he ist he author of more than 100 books, including The Church and Clergy Tax Guide and The Compensation Handbook for Church Staff. He also writes the Church Law & Tax Report, a bimonthly newsletter, and Church Finance Today, a monthly newsletter.

[Sonny]

Pedophiles are the result of the acceptance of sexual permissiveness - adultery; homosexuality; prostitution and a host of other sexual perversions. I don't see society railing against these sins. They are accepted.

[Gail]

Pedophiles are the result of the acceptance of sexual permissiveness - adultery; homosexuality; prostitution and a host of other sexual perversions. I don't see society railing against these sins. They are accepted.

Except that targeting kids runs rampant in environments where those behaviours are prohibited, like in churches.

[CoAspen]

Quote:

Pedophiles are the result of the acceptance of sexual permissiveness - adultery; homosexuality; prostitution and a host of other sexual perversions

And you base this 'statement of fact' on what?

Since one is the result of the others, then all are the result of each other?

?????????????????????

[cardw]

Pedophiles are the result of the acceptance of sexual permissiveness - adultery; homosexuality; prostitution and a host of other sexual perversions. I don't see society railing against these sins. They are accepted.

You can rally against Pedophilia all you want and it won't change pedophiles. It is not curable at this time. It has nothing to do with societal permissiveness.

Pedophilia exists in even the most conservative cultures and I would guess it would be even more aggressive in repressed societies like the Catholic Priesthood and conservative Christian churches. And both report a very high incidence of pedophilia and other sexual predatorial dysfunctions.

That is why, even if someone prays, you don't allow them any time alone with children period.

It should be noted that churches are common places for pedophiles to groom children. And since it is a mental and personality disorder there is all kinds of justification in the mind of the pedophile for what they do. They believe that they "love" children and what they do is "good."

When people spread this ignorance about pedophiles they become part of the problem.

You don't leave children alone with a hungry lion because the nature of the lion is to eat when it is hungry. It is the same way with pedophiles.

You ignore this fact at every child's risk.

[Sonny]

It has nothing to do with societal permissiveness.

[Sonny]

Our problem is not unrighteousness - our problem is ungodliness - i.e., living our little lives without God:

Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 Therefore God gave them over (i.e., He abandoned them) in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things [bTW, humanism worships the intellect - the heart of man] rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen. 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion [sTD]. 28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

[Sonny]

A heart set on love will do no wrong- Confucius

Without God in the life humans can't love - Sonny

[cricket]

Not that any of this recent conversation has to do with the original intent of this thread, but I am curious to know:

Sonny, how old are you? And, do you have children? If so, are any of them daughters?

It will help me to better understand the life perspective you are coming from.

Thanks.

[John317]

Pedophiles are the result of the acceptance of sexual permissiveness - adultery; homosexuality; prostitution and a host of other sexual perversions. I don't see society railing against these sins. They are accepted.

Originally Posted By: cardw

You can rally against Pedophilia all you want and it won't change pedophiles. It is not curable at this time. It has nothing to do with societal permissiveness.

Pedophilia exists in even the most conservative cultures and I would guess it would be even more aggressive in repressed societies like the Catholic Priesthood and conservative Christian churches. And both report a very high incidence of pedophilia and other sexual predatorial dysfunctions.

That is why, even if someone prays, you don't allow them any time alone with children period.

I agree with you to a point. I agree that even if someone who's had this problem prays and appears to be "normal," they shouldn't be allowed to be alone with children because they always pose a risk to the child.

I also agree that pedophilia doesn't occur because of the permissiveness of society, although it does encourage it. It is a well-known fact that pornography encourages immorality, and that includes the desire to have sex with teenagers or other young children. That is what happens when people continually look at pictures of naked children in provocative poses. People go from enjoying the pictures to thinking about having sex with them and then follows the putting of that thought into reality.

When a society says that various forms of immoraltiy are OK, it is encouraging people to act out their immoral desires whether the society realizes it or not. There are serious and practical consequences to a society's saying that God's moral law no longer exists or applies. It is like making a huge gap in the wall surrounding a city that is supposed to keep out the enemy, so that we shouldn't be surprised when the enemy slips in through the gap and makes raids on the innocent.

[bonnie]

Quote:

I agree with you to a point. I agree that even if someone who's had this problem prays and appears to be "normal," they shouldn't be allowed to be alone with children because they always pose a risk to the child.

Chruch is a place where a pedophile has more acess than most because children trust you they see week after week.The pedophile befriends mom and dad,children see them on friendly terms. The pedophile is expert at grooming a young child.They don't grab them and throw them to the ground.They BEFRIEND THEM

Quote:

I also agree that pedophilia doesn't occur because of the permissiveness of society, although it does encourage it. It is a well-known fact that pornography encourages immorality, and that includes the desire to have sex with teenagers or other young children. That is what happens when people continually look at pictures of naked children in provocative poses. People go from enjoying the pictures to thinking about having sex with them and then follows the putting of that thought into reality.

Most that are sexually permissive are not attracted to children.

There were pedophiles long before the internet,TV or easy aces to child porn.

Keep them away from childrem.If they are not or cannot be rehabilitated keep them locked away for life

When a society says that various forms of immoraltiy are OK, it is encouraging people to act out their immoral desires whether the society realizes it or not. There are serious and practical consequences to a society's saying that God's moral law no longer exists or applies. It is like making a huge gap in the wall surrounding a city that is supposed to keep out the enemy, so that we shouldn't be surprised when the enemy slips in through the gap and makes raids on the innocent.

[Gail]

Originally Posted By: Gail

A heart set on love will do no wrong- Confucius

Without God in the life humans can't love - Sonny

... or keep the commandments? At least Confucius could see it... perhaps that is what God was saying all along?