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submitted 5 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
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[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 95 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

So… that’s an admission. He can be charged?

Texas, show us how much you care about protecting kids…

[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 51 points 5 months ago

I think they already showed us at Uvalde.

[-] SeaJ@lemm.ee 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

It's probably well past the statue of limitations.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 15 points 5 months ago
[-] Burn_The_Right@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

The statute of limitations does not apply. He's a conservative "leader" in Texas. He ain't gettin' charged.

[-] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago

The statute of limitations only prevent old crimes from being dug up and brought to trial- mostly because at that point it’s hard to prove.

The reality is, this guy absolutely won’t get charged. Because of the pure bias.

Unless… someone were to, I dunno, tell Ken Paxton he did drag on Tuesday nights… but that would be totally unethical; and we really don’t need to play into that bullshit.

[-] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 5 points 5 months ago

That also needlessly furthers their association with child molesters and drag when drag had nothing to do with it.

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[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 69 points 5 months ago

Makes sense that he was Trump's spiritual advisor.

I assume he was also Epstein's spiritual advisor.

[-] x4740N@lemm.ee 6 points 5 months ago

*Religious advisor, ain't nothing spiritual about a man who follows dogma and I'm tired of people confusing spirituality with religon

[-] xtapa@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 5 months ago

Two piles of the same bullshit.

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[-] Got_Bent@lemmy.world 63 points 5 months ago

About ten years ago, I worked for a small firm where most of the partners attended this very church.

One of the reasons I left was that I felt completely out of place as they integrated their religion into the office culture.

When I left, the managing partner would send me handwritten letters for YEARS effectively telling me that while I had chosen damnation for myself, I owed it to my daughter to have the opportunity for salvation by attending this specific gateway Church in Southlake.

If I didn't have so much disdain and bitterness, I'd be tempted to send him this article.

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 37 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I owed it to my daughter

Found why they were so upset you left.

Good thing you did, before something happened to her.

[-] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 16 points 5 months ago

oh my god, the thought didn't occur to me. Fuck fuck fuck

[-] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 6 points 5 months ago

Guess we know what his idea of Salvation is, too.

[-] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 4 points 5 months ago

As my great grandfather used to say, "Its never too late to burry a man under his own skeletons" perhaps if you are feeling a bit vindictive you could do a bit of investigative journalism on em.

[-] brlemworld@lemmy.world 27 points 5 months ago

Write him back about concern about his children getting molested at the church

[-] Papergeist@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago

Do it! And the only hand writing from you say something like "just as I suspected"

[-] RippleEffect@lemm.ee 16 points 5 months ago
[-] wjrii@lemmy.world 11 points 5 months ago

God, I hate Southlake.

I do wish I could go back to hating them just because of their smarmy spoiled football team.

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[-] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 53 points 5 months ago

What’s with Christians and raping children?

[-] halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world 37 points 5 months ago

The religion itself has nothing to do with it. It's the position that attracts the abusers. A pastor is a person that members will implicitly trust to be a good person. They won't even think twice about leaving their children with them. It never occurs to them that a pastor could lie about that just like anyone else.

For an abuser, faking piousness in exchange for direct unfiltered access to your preferred victims is an easy choice. Heck, you're even paid to do it.

[-] Tyfud@lemmy.world 16 points 5 months ago

I disagree that religion has nothing to do with it. Religion is the vehicle used for these people to molest children, and religion often protects them when they're found out.

Religious institutions do an absurdly terrible job of governing themselves, or background checks, etc.

They're the reason so much of this is allowed to keep happening.

[-] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

There's also the power dynamics involved in a spiritual leader having sway over a naive person.

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[-] kamenoko@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 months ago

The more rigid and fundamental the sect is, the more likely children are being abused. Not just kids by the way, women and men as well.

It also applies to all received religion.

[-] ikidd@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

Its easy to understand: they like children and rape, so they put them together to make child rape.

[-] CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world 50 points 5 months ago

What the fuck is wrong with these people? I’ve made it through my entire adulthood without molesting any children…. WITHOUT EVEN TRYING. It’s real easy, the only thing you have to do is not fuck any kids. Do they need to teach that in church or something?

And they think they can still hold some kind of moral authority? What a sick joke.

[-] ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works 33 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Are you a paedophile? No? Then that's why you find it easy.

Not defending this guy or anyone who harms kids, but to try and compare how easy it is for you not to do, to how easy it should be for those who have urges you and I can't even imagine not to do, isn't really productive - it completely ignores the core of the issue - for some people it isn't that easy, and they need serious help, before they cause harm, not for their struggles to be brushed off as something that isn't real because the rest of us don't experience it.

And just to reiterate, this isn't a defence, and those who do harm others should absolutely suffer the consequences, but you're never going to stop that kind of harm from happening again and again if you pretend the problem that causes it doesn't exist.

[-] LimeZest@discuss.tchncs.de 17 points 5 months ago

Well this is a whole community that messed up. His church knew his past and decided to still put him in positions of trust and authority. They could’ve had him do work as a church landscaper or some other non-leadership role if they wanted to still keep him gainfully employed while going through treatment for his issues. Nobody forced the rest of the church leadership to keep him as a minister and pastor when they knew he was capable of abusing a young child for years on end. It is also the responsibility of pedophiles to not put themselves in positions where they have access to children. They might not be able to help their urges, but they can choose not to work around children or share a home with children. There are lots of jobs where children aren’t involved.

[-] ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works 8 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I’ve made it through my entire adulthood without molesting any children…. WITHOUT EVEN TRYING. It’s real easy, the only thing you have to do is not fuck any kids

This is what I am replying to.

None of what you said contradicts anything I've said, the only somewhat relevant point you touched on is

it is also the responsibility of pedophiles to not put themselves in positions where they have access to children. They might not be able to help their urges, but they can choose not to work around children or share a home with children.

Which only brings me back to my original reply - are you a paedophile? No? Then that's why you think it's that easy.

and

to try and compare how easy it is for you not to do, to how easy it should be for those who have urges you and I can’t even imagine not to do, isn’t really productive - it completely ignores the core of the issue - for some people it isn’t that easy, and they need serious help, before they cause harm, not for their struggles to be brushed off as something that isn’t real because the rest of us don’t experience it.

[-] Olhonestjim@lemmy.world 10 points 5 months ago

Hell, the church cultivates pedophilia by fetishizing virginity from an early age. You don't push purity culture without fucking up people mentally.

[-] ShareMySims@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 months ago

True, sadly it's only one of so many contributing/possible factors, and that's the point - we can only ever try to tackle the problem if we look at the whole (admittedly very large and gruesome) picture, not just the focused anger at the individual that we feel when we first hear such things happen. Which is justified, don't get me wrong, but punishing one paedophile won't stop other paedophiles - if it was going to it would have already. Only addressing all of the factors that lead to them feeling the way they do (personally within themselves but also societally, as you point out), so that suitable places for them to turn to for help and treatment can exist, will.

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[-] Feliskatos@lemmy.world 50 points 5 months ago

Another pastoral pedophile. The church has controlled people through demonizing human sexuality, and kids are at the bottom of the pecking order.

Christian Abuse of Children - Bad News About Christianity

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[-] 242@lemmy.cafe 48 points 5 months ago

Huh, so the right wingers who rage and scream about pedophilia and use that demonize anyone who disagrees with them on any issue, with zero facts, are the actual pedophiles? Color me shocked. If you run across a right winger who is freaking out about pedophiles to the point that they've regressed into all caps and are calling you evil while foaming at the mouth.... you're dealing with classic projection.

[-] Ragdoll_X@lemmy.world 33 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I simply must repost these images whenever I get the chance because just looking at the facts always shows how utterly full of shit conservatives are:

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[-] kamenoko@sh.itjust.works 41 points 5 months ago

See you in 10 years after you have a long heart to heart with Christ and he tells you to get back into the ministry and stay molesting children again.

[-] PapaStevesy@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

Nah, he'll be running for office, probably be a close race too.

[-] cmbabul@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Ten years? My dude, he’ll write a book about his “walk through the valley of the shadow of death and redemption through the grace of Christ” and publish it next year

[-] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 30 points 5 months ago

He already quit and came back after two years. My bet is he makes another comeback. Fuck this guy and his enablers.

[-] DarthBueller@lemmy.world 9 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Neusthetic counseling or WTF the fundies call their fake therapy and then he’s fine. They will call him a recovering sex addict (I.E. On the same level as a married man who watches porn, in their usage of the phrase) and who will dissociate when you try to talk to them about what he actually did.

[-] solsangraal@lemmy.zip 24 points 5 months ago

do we have a c/notadragqueen yet..

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[-] CraigeryTheKid@lemm.ee 12 points 5 months ago

so... jail time? or at least a case? or is that so long ago that statute of limitations is involved?

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[-] eestileib@sh.itjust.works 11 points 5 months ago

Surprising absolutely nobody.

[-] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 8 points 5 months ago

But that’s the whole point of going to church

[-] GlendatheGayWitch@lemmy.world 8 points 5 months ago

Another head of the hydra choped off, how many more heads will grow back?

I'm sure the megachurch will still be around, question is how many other churches will spring out of its congregation and how many more victims will they all make.

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[-] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 7 points 5 months ago

Ah yes, I see the "Religion is bad! Religion enables child rapists! Abolish religion!" crowd is out.

Religion is not the issue, religion is the window dressing to the actual issue, it's institutions protecting themselves.

Let's take a trip down "Holy shit, these institutions are terrible" memory lane.

Our first stop is Jimmy Savlie and the BBC. Fairly confident in saying that the BBC is not a religious institution.

Next up, the Boy Scouts of America sex abuse cases, while the Boy Scouts of America had some religious trappings, as an organization it was never truly about religion.

Let's not forget Larry Nasser and USA Gymnastics. Fairly sure that USA Gymnastics isn't a religious intuition.

Fourth stop is Jerry Sandusky and their history of child sex assault.

Hockey Canada had a massive sexual assault scandal involving youth players sexual assaulting females.

The Trouble Teen industry has a long history of abusing children. While some companies/associations may have religious connotations, the industry as whole is not religious.

To round out the list: we have Judge Rotenberg Educational Centre Inc, were disabled children were tortured; Dr. John Money, who wanted to test gender identity and sexual orientation on twins by forcing one twin to grow up as a different gender; finally, there is Dr. Peter Neuauer, who spilt up twins and triplets without telling anyone to test nature vs nurture. The kicker to Dr. Neuauer, the results of the extremely unethical study are locked up at Yale until October 25, 2026 because "feared that public opinion would be against the study, and declined to publish it."

Every one of these examples are all about powerful institutions, caring about protecting themselves. When it comes to religion and abuse, everyone mistakes the forest for the trees.

[-] efstajas@lemmy.world 21 points 5 months ago

That's some dense whataboutism

[-] mint_tamas@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

Are you also a “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” kinda person?

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[-] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 7 points 5 months ago

None but religious institutions lay claim to a divine insight into morality, though.

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[-] Ulrich_the_Old@lemmy.ca 6 points 5 months ago

I thought it was supposed to be drag queens instead of almost 100% christian clergy.

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this post was submitted on 19 Jun 2024
644 points (100.0% liked)

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