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CBN told people to go to a minister first if they suspect child abuse

Christian Dem in NC	print page
Sat Mar 31, 2012 at 01:39:14 PM EST

From at least 1996 until this past week, CBN had a teaching paper on its Website that suggested that if you're a victim of child abuse and molestation, you could feel guilty about what happened because you can somehow "consent" to incest or "allow yourself to be molested." That paper was taken down late Wednesday afternoon, at least in part due to a stink raised by fellow Kossacks and Tree Climbers Roxine and SwedishJewfish. There's still a link to it on this section of CBN's Website, though it goes to a 404 page.

Now why would CBN cave so quickly in response to a protest by a bunch of God-hating libruls? Well, I suspect it may have something to do with this advice to anyone who has discovered abuse has taken place, which was in that paper more or less unchanged for 16 years:

Before you do anything, seek the counsel of a minister. Ask for confidentiality if you desire. And act only when you are sure of God's leading. Be sure you understand the consequences of any action you decide to take. Whatever the Lord shows you to do, remember you can and should intercede in prayer for everyone concerned. Remember that it is not vengeance, but help that is needed.

Anyone who followed this advice would have opened themselves up to a world of legal trouble. In just about every state, certain professionals are required to report suspected child abuse to the child protection agency or the police--no ifs, ands or buts. In 26 of those states, that list includes clergy. And in my state of North Carolina and 19 other states, anyone who suspects abuse is required to report it. If anyone seriously believes that the First Amendment would protect someone who doesn't report child abuse because a minister advised them not to do so, there's a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

This isn't a case of "better late than never" on CBN's part. This teaching paper was online well after people became aware of how traumatic abuse can be. And somebody in Virginia Beach just now figured out that this was a lawsuit waiting to happen? Together with the suggestion that this is somehow the victim's fault, this paper is several times worse than any of the many outrages we've seen from Pat Robertson in the last half century.

As I've said before, there are only two plausible explanations for this outrageous paper being out there for so long--either CBN was too lazy to take it down, or Robertson actually believes that child abuse victims can consent to what happened to them. The latter scenario isn't as ludicrous as it seems at first blush. Not only is 16 years an eon in Internet terms, but we're talking about a guy who thinks people whose spouses have Alzheimer's should just divorce them. A good case can be made for the former, though. At least two Kossacks reported the CBN call-center volunteers with whom they spoke were horrified that this paper was out there and thought it needed to be taken down.

Whatever the case, CBN has some serious explaining to do. And that explanation better end with a full apology--and probably some firings as well.

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CBN told people to go to a minister first if they suspect child abuse | 18 comments (18 topical, 0 hidden)

After thinking a bit (none / 0)

I believe that the dominionists may actually tolerate child abuse, because it falls in with their idea about submission to authority and one's place in the "Great Chain of Being" (a failed concept that is centuries old).

A child fits at the bottom of the human hierarchy in their world. A child is supposed to be obedient, submissive, and not go against what their "superiors" say or do and ALWAYS remember their place (same for anyone in that system). If an adult decides to use a child for pleasure... the child is not supposed to rebel (which is a gigantic sin in their "church"... higher than anything including sex for pleasure or outside of marriage). If an adult physically abuses a child because the child isn't obedient, well, the Bible does permit killing of children/youth for being disobedient (that's what they think - remember what Rushdoony advocated).

I was reading something yesterday... an old post I'd saved about a little girl who was beat to death for not being obedient (Riley Ann Sawyers aka "Baby Grace" who was beaten to death for not saying "please" and "yes, SIR" - she was two years old)! That's an extreme case but not that extreme from the things I've heard and read, but fits in perfectly with this topic.

I've heard many stories of horrific abuse - for instance, with the more fundamental/conservative people down here, a little kid not saying "Yes SIR!" or "Yes, MAM!!!" is almost a terrible crime. People have reported bad beatings and worse for not (in their parents'/church members' eyes) being properly submissive to adults (representing authority). I've even experienced it - parents apologizing to me for their son or daughter calling me "Mr. ___" or by my preferred nickname - they were ashamed that the child or youth was making him or herself "your equal", and then promising punishment to their children or punishing them on the spot (both of which I protested against).

When you mix that with the "Good Christian" tendency towards blaming their victims, then the sort of things (horrific to anyone else) make a bit of sense.

Another point is that they used to teach that you never EVER got the police or government involved. The Bible lays out the way to deal with things... first directly, then involving some significant other person (usually the pastor) if that doesn't work, then involving the whole church if THAT didn't resolve the problem. Of course, the pastors always go with the hierarchal structure. I was physically beaten up by a "Good Christian" employer on the job one time about 33 years ago (for interrupting a conversation about angels), and was able to set up a meeting between the pastor, the employer, and myself. The pastor and the employer weren't concerned about the damage done to me (7 stitches in my lip) - they were more concerned that I wasn't submissive enough to my boss on the job. How damned submissive are you supposed to be anyway? Anyway, I was strictly charged "by the Bible" to not report it or do anything about it, and also the scriptural injunction against suing another Christian was invoked.

The "Go to the church first when there are problems" is ground into people from the beginning. That was one of the results. I'm sure that is also part of the package... can't have the authorities seeing behind the curtain at the abusive hierarchal structure existing in their midst, after all!

by ArchaeoBob on Sun Apr 01, 2012 at 11:25:39 AM EST

A Small Caveat (none / 0)

It is possible - just - to put a less malign construction on what was said. It is a well-established bit of psychology that many victims DO feel complicit in the crimes that has been committed against them. It is also well-known that children, with their limited psychological horizons, feel that the way the world is may well be a result of their behaviour. Children have been known to think their parents' divorce is because they have done something wrong. This makes it particularly easy to manipulate children into feeling that a sexual encounter - particularly when incest is involved - is their responsibility. The phrase from the article is, "if you're a victim of child abuse and molestation, you could feel guilty about what happened because you can somehow "consent" to incest or "allow yourself to be molested."" It only takes a little alteration to make this all too plausible - "if you're a victim of child abuse and molestation, you COULD feel guilty about what happened because you MIGHT THINK OR CAN BE MADE TO THINK THAT YOU HAVE somehow "consented" to incest or "allowed yourself to be molested." It is after all a common justification by those guilty of sexual assault that, "the little tart was asking for it." How easy it is with children to convince them of this lie, and even embed it in their minds so that it continues into adulthood. And with children, you educate them about "bad things" and encourage them to go first to a trusted adult. If they are being abused within the family, then a teacher or a pastor might be the natural place for a child to go. Of course, that in no way excuses a pastor - or a Roman Catholic priest - from trying first to protect the institution and not the child.

by Northumbrian on Thu Apr 05, 2012 at 12:37:31 PM EST

Paragraphs (none / 0)

What I wrote above would be easier to read if my original paragraphing had carried over - I can't see quite how that's done. I tried multiple line spaces, but it didn't work.

by Northumbrian on Thu Apr 05, 2012 at 12:53:54 PM EST
Parent

: paragraphs (5.00 / 1)

Hi, I had to ask about that when I started posting, too. You have to put the break in by command. Typing <.br.> <.br.> but without the periods will give you a new paragraph with a line of space in between. I had to put the periods in to show you what the command looks like. Otherwise it gets read as a command and just shows up as a blank spot!

Now if someone would please explain how to insert a link to another website, I'd really appreciate that. Note to webmaster: a table of basic formatting commands in your FAQ would be really helpful ~ thanks!

by MLouise on Fri Apr 06, 2012 at 10:29:44 AM EST
Parent

Northumbrian is quite right (none / 0)

It is a common phenomenon that children of abuse, particularly sexual abuse, do feel guilty and complicit in having failed to prevent the abuse from happening. So actually I can't find fault with CBN for having said this... Of course this particular aspect of the story is decontextualized so it is difficult to judge if anything more malign was at play in this piece of pastoral advice.
I advise a little caution before jumping to premature conclusions on this one.

by PastorJenni