Blasphemy

[Historian]

I'm going to have to agree with Steve here, without knowing any more details. You don't necessarily call the police just because an accusation has been made. Accusations are made all the time without the slightest evidence: I have known personally two men to be falsely accused (one of adultery, and the other pedophilia) who were demonstrably 100% innocent. I myself had my 3rd year at BJU ruined when I discovered someone who had been a close friend had been telling mutual friends, faculty and everyone she could that I was homosexual–her reason for saying this turned out to have not the slightest basis in fact. She didn't even have a "feeling" to go on. As she confessed it to me later, she was trying to ruin my reputation at that school because she was jealous I was more popular among the people in our society than she. People make accusations out of hate, jealousy, desire for attention, to deflect from their own sin. EVERYONE has to be protected: the victims and the accused. Just because many fundy churches protect the abuser at the expense of the victim doesn't mean we can now start crucifying people "just to be on the safe side."

Unless you've got evidence right from the outset, you're destroying a man's ministry and reputation on the basis of "he said, she said." Very few people ever recover from such an accusation, even if they are demonstrated to be innocent. There are always those who will refuse to believe any evidence, and will assume that "he just got away with it." The Bishop here–again, so far as I can tell, and if I'm understanding what has been said–did the right thing by immediately removing the person in question so that he could not harm others should the accusations be proved true, and then looking into the matter to see if there was anything at all to those accusations. If there wasn't, the whole thing could have been dropped without destroying this man's reputation and ministry. If there was, the police could be called and no one was in danger of being further harmed by him until they were. An accusation is not a conviction.

[Tiarali]

The thing is, the police don't go and charge someone without evidence. They go looking for evidence, to find out whether or not there is cause to make a charge.

Churches err on the side of the accused. ALL THE TIME. Oh, we know Brother Bob. He's our mate. He's served our pastor for ten years. He's been ever so helpful with the youth group. No way could he be guilty...

When a minor is involved, you stay the hell out of the situation and CALL THE BLOODY POLICE. Let them decide if it's trumped up or not. YOU'RE not equipped to.

When the alleged victim is an adult, you support them regardless of whether you believe them or not, and help them get to an actual crisis center or something. As far as I am aware, at least here, you can't report a case with an adult as the victim without that adult's consent - but it is immoral to try and discourage them from reporting.

Reporting to the police doesn't in any way, shape or form damage a person's reputation - just shut your damned stupid mouth and don't gossip about it!

[pastor's wife]

Historian, that's terrible that someone did that to you. Those sorts of allegations were going around my daughter's small Christian school too. All those high standards about clothes and music sure didn't do anything to change the unrighteousness of her heart; that takes the Holy Spirit.

You said she confessed to you; did she also go back to those she'd gossiped to and told them the truth?

I wish someone she'd whispered to had had the Christian integrity to tell her that maligning and backbiting were expressly forbidden in Scripture and that she was in sin. Maybe someone did. But my guess is that you're more apt to get rebuked at BJU for walking on the grass than for being a slanderer.

[Darrell]

Quote:You don't necessarily call the police just because an accusation has been made.

You do if the accusation involves a child. Ministers are mandatory reporters in most states. As soon as someone brings forward an accusation of abuse the very next thing you do is pick up the phone and call the police.

The average pastor or church is not equipped to do this kind of investigation on their own.

[JimE]

My doctor knows medicine.
My mechanic knows automobiles.
My pastor knows theology.
My lawyer knows the law.
My detective knows how to determine the facts.
Each is a trained professional. Just as we know that it is not wise to use a hammer to trim our nails, we should always bring in the right expertise to accomplish the task that needs to be done.

[JimE]

The pastor is a servant sheppard. In the parent/child sense, no more than the baby sitter. The pastor is a temporary sheppard there only to fill in the gap when asked by the sheep. When a pastor starts viewing his congregation as his instead of completely God's congregation, trouble arises. The relationship between the pastor and congregation, in this case, is damaged and unhealthy. There are many causes for broken relationships between a pastor and the congregation, this is just one of them.

[Bill]

(07-09-2012 07:07 AM)Darrell Wrote:  

Quote:You don't necessarily call the police just because an accusation has been made.

You do if the accusation involves a child. Ministers are mandatory reporters in most states. As soon as someone brings forward an accusation of abuse the very next thing you do is pick up the phone and call the police.

The average pastor or church is not equipped to do this kind of investigation on their own.

Well said. I'll take this one step further. In my state, if a mandatory reporter (such as teacher, doctor, pastor, police officer, and more) has reason to suspect abuse, to include ab allegation, they must report it under penalty of law.

This means if it is found out that they had information regarding abuses and did not immediately report it, they are criminally liable, as in handcuffs and jail.