Christian women report sexual misconduct at church, survey says
[Source]:
More than a quarter of Christian women have experienced sexual harassment and of those, one fourth said it happened in a church or ministry setting, a new study shows.
Self-described “active Christian women” who were surveyed last fall reported personally encountering sexually inappropriate behavior mainly in a non-ministry setting, but up to 25 percent of the employed women said they experienced such behavior in a ministry setting.
NationalChristianPoll.com surveyed the women on such inappropriate behavior as sexual advances, touching or sexual contact, suggestive jokes, glances with sexual overtones and demeaning comments.
The survey noted that under the technical, legal definition of sexual harassment, these behaviors need to occur in an employment setting and they must create either a hostile work environment for the individual enduring the behavior or a situation where a person feels their job is contingent upon continuing to endure the mistreatment. Outside the work environment, inappropriate behavior is referred to as sexual misconduct.
In a ministry setting, 25 percent of the surveyed women said they personally experienced gender discrimination; 19 percent reported demeaning comments; 18 percent reported suggestive jokes; 16 percent said they experienced glances with sexual overtones; 15 percent reported touching or sexual contact; and 14 percent said they experienced a hostile environment.
Such behaviors as suggestive jokes should not be taken lightly, one minister says.
“There is a lot of inappropriate ‘conversation’ being tolerated by women so as not to antagonize men in their workplaces,” said Joy Thornburg Melton, an ordained minister and attorney who currently serves in the United Methodist Church as chief resource officer for PACT (United Methodist Property and Casualty Trust), according to Christianity Today magazine.
Of those who have personally experienced sexual harassment, 50 percent said they avoided the perpetrator, 45 percent ignored it, 38 percent shrugged it off, and 31 percent prayed.
Nearly half said they didn’t report it because they didn’t want to cause controversy. Others didn’t report the inappropriate behavior because of embarrassment (39 percent), they were not sure of the consequences (34 percent), they were not sure they’d be believed (26 percent), and of fear of being told they can’t take a joke or to loosen up (25 percent).
Still, many did take action. Survey results showed that 30 percent confronted the perpetrator, 28 percent reported it to their supervisor, and 21 percent quit their job or position.
Only 1 percent took legal action.
Churches and ministries are advised to adopt a written policy regarding sexual harassment or misconduct.
“We train our bishops and district superintendents and local pastors in what to do when somebody brings a complaint of this nature – how it is to be processed and handled. We want to be able to deal with it openly, honestly, and expeditiously,” Melton said, as reported by Christianity Today.
However, only half of survey respondents said their employers, either in churches or in the secular world, have established policies and 34 percent said they aren’t sure what their employers are doing to reduce the occurrence of harassment or sexual misconduct.
“The church needs to realize that it is composed of imperfect individuals,” said Frank Sommerville, an attorney, according to the magazine. “As a result, it needs to be proactive in preventing harassment by training its leaders on the subject. It also needs to train its employees and volunteers to treat each person with dignity and respect.”
Of the 669 survey respondents, 172 women worked outside the home at the time of the survey or worked outside the home in the last three years and responded that they were harassed by a co-worker or peer, boss or supervisor, customer/client/supplier, or a superior.
LCCC atheists put up ‘gay Jesus’ poster
[Source]:
ELYRIA — Jesus Christ had a homosexual relationship?
Those words, written on a poster above the image of a topless man tenderly kissing Jesus on the neck, angered dozens of students Thursday night at Lorain County Community College.
“We had complaints all day,” said Amanda Lucero, a senior who also works at The Student Connection. “It’s sexually graphic. It’s very suggestive, and it still would be if it were a man and a woman.”
The sign went up about 4 p.m. in College Center student commons as part of Club Awareness Week, along with many other displays advertising student-run extracurricular organizations.
Students stopped to gawk, then grew angry and very vocal about the statement made by the poster.
Campus security guards said offended undergrads voiced complaints for about three straight hours, but the sign remained up because it didn’t present a security issue.
“You can’t portray Jesus like that. He believes in matrimony, that relationships like that should be done inside matrimony,” sophomore Brianna Holland said.
She said she believes homosexuality is wrong because she is a Christian, but she also said she is proud that her religion teaches tolerance and acceptance.
“I have a lot of homosexual friends. I’m not going to tell them they’re going to hell. That’s something they have to take care of between them and God,” Holland said.
Student aide Jessica Hodge said she felt the poster would “pollute the minds” of her children, ages 2 and 5, if they saw it.
“It looks like soft-core pornography,” she said. “I don’t think they’re making a statement at all. They just want to shock everyone.”
A Christian, Hodge said she doesn’t try to force her opinions on others. Questioning religion is fine, but mocking it isn’t, she said.
Lucero said the LCCC student handbook agrees, and pointed out a part of the school code that says, “Harassing any person(s) verbally, in writing, by graphic illustration, or physically, including any abuse, defamatory comments, signs or signals intended to mock or ridicule race, religion, age, sex, color, disability, sexual orientation, or national or ethnic origin” is not allowed.
“In higher education, we certainly respect all viewpoints. There is debate, and there are different perspectives,” Marcia Ballinger, LCCC’s vice president, said. “Controversy on a college campus from students is something that is inherent to free speech.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean she agrees with the message of the poster.
Christopher Burns is the secretary and treasurer of the campus Activists for Atheism club, which put up the poster.
He said it wasn’t intended to mock religion. Instead, the poster was meant to stir debate about Christianity by referencing a passage of the Bible that was allegedly cut out by early Christians.
Burns said most Christians have never heard of the Secret Gospel of Mark, which was found inscribed in a letter by Greek historian Clement of Alexandria. The letter has been disputed for decades and is now lost, with only photographs of the passages remaining for study.
One text from the letter hints that the Bible’s account of Mark’s gospel originally told the tale of Jesus raising a man from the dead and then having an intimate relationship with him, said Aaron Weaver, a senior at LCCC and president of the college atheist club.
“The purpose of the poster is to get students to see something they haven’t seen before,” he said. “The chances are it challenges them to challenge something they thought they knew.”
Sure, the poster was attention-seeking, but ultimately Weaver said he just wanted to create enough buzz to get people debating and thinking about why they believe what they believe.
“I understand that people will be offended. People will sometimes be offended for the most ridiculous of reasons,” he said.
He said his fellow students have the right to practice their religions and to express themselves in any way they choose.
He said he was shocked to learn the college had a policy that bans students from mocking religion, or any idea, for that matter. The policy is a clear violation of the First Amendment, Weaver said.
Sophomore Dejoune Grantham said the poster is libelous and blasphemous, and in her opinion it isn’t protected by the First Amendment.
“I don’t want my children walking through here and seeing that. It’s filthy,” she said.
Another sophomore, Amber Cales, said the poster was in a public place, and it was easily seen by anyone who passed. She said that took away her right as a parent to shield her children from controversial ideas.
She said she also felt the poster was just taking a pot-shot at Christianity instead of protesting all religious expression.
“You know if it was something about Judaism or Islam, it wouldn’t be tolerated,” she said.
A student named Zach Jefferson, who Weaver said is not a member of the atheist group, decided about 7:30 p.m. to take down the poster, but he wouldn’t say why.
Laura Nash, president of the Student Senate, said she wasn’t surprised at the outrage so many students voiced.
She said anyone offended should write a complaint and submit it to the Campus Life Division or campus security.
Weaver said anyone offended by the poster has never read the Bible.
“The Bible is full of gross sexuality, rape, murder. If you’ve read through the Old Testament, you’d be disgusted,” he said.
He said he received permission from Student Life officers to put up the poster but was denied permission to place smaller versions on bulletin boards.
And Weaver said he didn’t just take a shot at Christianity. On Wednesday, he put up a picture of the prophet Mohammed — an act strictly forbidden in the Islamic faith.
He said that about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday, he received a death threat in response to the picture, which read, “With love and missiles.” He took the picture down, turned over the note to campus security officers and went home.
“I put myself at risk, but I do so freely. I don’t let fear or the threat of death stop me from speaking my mind freely,” he said.
Victim’s Speak Out After Bishop Signs Priest Abuse Settlement
[Source]:
KANSAS CITY, MO. – A settlement is now official for 47 victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of their own priests.
The abuse spanned decades in the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese of the Catholic Church.All parties agreed on the global settlement earlier this week. But, late Thursday, it became final when Bishop Robert Finn signed it.
It’s been six years since the victims started filing lawsuits naming 11 Catholic priests and one brother.
The settlement worth $10 million is the first of its kind in the state of Missouri.
One of the attorneys for the victims released a statement after the bishop signed off.
“Not one client entered this process believing that monetary compensation for their decades of pain was possible; each wanted only to protect future generations of Kansas City’s children from the anguish they carry.”
Kenny Landes was abused for five years starting at age 15.
“I don’t know if there will ever really be closure but for six years now I haven’t been really able to do a lot of work in terms of you know moving on and living my life. I feel a sense of relief that this battle is now over…and the church is going to be paying for me to have some therapy or some type of treatment to start dealing with what happened to me and how it’s affected me,” said Landes.
Bishop Finn apologized to the victims which was a term of the settlement. He said he hoped the settlement will allow the healing to begin.
Missouri diocese agrees to $10 million payment on sex abuse lawsuits
[Source] August 22, 2008:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Roman Catholic diocese has tentatively agreed to pay $10 million to settle nearly 50 sexual abuse claims against the diocese and its priests.
In a letter sent to priests with the Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese late Tuesday, Bishop Robert W. Finn said the deal is subject to his approval after he consults with two diocese boards.
“These incidents have been painful for the victims and their families, for priests not involved in these incidents who have served faithfully, and for the whole Church,” Finn wrote. “Based on advice from legal counsel and on prayerful reflection over this most difficult matter, I believe that this settlement, while costly, is a responsible resolution for these individuals and their families and in the best interest of the Diocese.”
Along with the money for the 47 claims, the tentative deal calls for the diocese to meet 19 other conditions, including publicly announcing and acknowledgin4g the wrongfulness of sexual abuse by its priests.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say it is the nonmonetary conditions that make the proposed settlement so important.
“Our clients are trying very hard to right the unrightable wrong,” Rebecca Randles, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said at a news conference Tuesday. “The civil process is not something that is amenable to righting this kind of wrong. But they’re working very hard to try to come to a process where children in the future are protected.”
The deal will settle all current sexual abuse lawsuits pending in Jackson County against the diocese and 12 current or former priests for incidents alleged to have occurred between 1951 and 1992.
The deal has not been finalized, but both sides said they assume it will be. Victims have been in arbitration hearings since Monday to determine how much of the settlement they will receive, and those hearings are expected to continue for about two weeks.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs said they expect Finn to sign off on the settlement on Thursday.
Michael Hunter, 59, of Prairie Village, said he was relieved by the deal, which comes almost 20 years after he told the diocese about abuse he and his younger brother Kevin suffered at the hands of priests.
“I’m glad to see this is settled, but I feel sad, though,” Hunter said. “There were so many people involved, families, good priests, good people in the church who have been hurt by this.”
Hunter said the abuse started in the 1960s when he was 12, while his brother, who died in 1989, was abused over three years in the early 1970s.
Casey Walsh, 44, of Leawood, said he was abused from 1977 to 1981, from the time he was 13 to almost 17, while he was an altar boy. He said he didn’t necessarily know at the time that the abuse was wrong because priests occupied such a high moral standing in his life.
“There was tremendous tragedy here; unspeakable tragedy,” he said.
Like Hunter, Walsh said he left the Catholic church.
Friday’s editorial: Priest abuse settlement
[Source]:
It took years and dozens of lawsuits, but the Catholic Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph has tentatively agreed to a $10 million settlement for 47 people who said they were sexually abused by priests.
In a news conference Wednesday, Bishop Robert W. Finn apologized for the “fully unacceptable behavior that prompted these lawsuits to be brought against the Diocese …” He expressed compassion for the victims and “institutional accountability” for the cases.
It was a long time coming. Assuming the settlement is approved by two diocesan boards, the agreement should help close an ugly chapter in the history of the diocese.
The 47 plaintiffs said they had been molested as youths, mostly from the 1950s to the 1980s.
Some critics said that rather than deal with the problem, the diocese covered up the incidents and moved priests from parish to parish. Priests contacted by The Star in reporting these cases over the years denied the allegations.
At least two of the dozen priests have died. Most have left the priesthood or been barred from performing church-related duties.
The diocese pledged to continue programs to educate church workers and clergy about what’s acceptable. These steps include tougher policies covering priests and others who deal with children, including full compliance with state laws on reporting child abuse. Any priest credibly accused of abuse must be removed pending an investigation.
According to a code of ethics, priests and diocesan leaders are cautioned that any contact with children beyond a handshake “should only occur under appropriate public circumstances.”
It took an inexcusably long period of time for the church to reach this point, but perhaps it may provide some comfort to those whose trust was betrayed at a fragile time in their lives.
Sex Accusations Against Dead Pastor
[Source]:
Everywhere is uncovering new information about rape and molestation accusations against an Earle pastor who was killed in Memphis, including claims of a cover-up by the COGIC church.
Stories about Pastor Ronald Paige’s sexual involvement with teenage boys started surfacing after a confession by his accused killer that aired Tuesday on the cable TV documentary, “First 48″.
In the confession, 21 year-old Andre Harris told Memphis homicide detectives that Paige tried to rape him after taking him in off the street. Harris said he stabbed the 50 year-old pastor while fighting him off.
Since the episode aired, the Memphis Police Department and Eyewitness News Everywhere have been in contact with people who claim Paige was molesting young boys at Earle Church of God in Christ as far back as 1984.
Earley Wallace says Paige tried to fondle her son when he was 15 and she accuses the COGIC church of covering it up. Wallace says she spoke with Jurisdictional Bishop L.T. Walker after her son was assaulted and that nothing was ever done. She thinks if the church had done something, Harris wouldn’t be up for murder and Paige would still be alive. “I don’t think that young man needs to get a whole lot of time for something that could have been avoided,” Wallace says.
Eyewitness News Everywhere has made numerous attempts to get a response from high ranking COGIC officials, including Bishop Walker. So far, the calls have gone unanswered.
Ex-pastor blamed for sex assault
[Source] August 22, 2008:
A FORMER Pentecostal Church pastor is being investigated for an alleged claim of indecent assault against a patient admitted in hospital last week.
Although divisional crime officer northern Luke Rawalai said they have not received a report, police sources said yesterday that a report was lodged and being investigated by a group of Criminal Investigation Department officers in Labasa.
It is understood the patient, a woman in her 40s, was admitted at the women’s ward of the Labasa Hospital with a fractured ankle.
That is when the former church pastor paid her a visit while she was asleep. The former pastor usually visited Labasa Hospital to pray for patients and massage them.
According to police sources, the victim was the last patient the former pastor visited. It is understood that after the former pastor left, the woman woke up and found herself wet and the buttons of her top unbuttoned.
She asked the nurses who visited her last and when being told, shared her experience with them which led to the police complaint. Hospital general manager Dr Samuela Korovou preferred not to comment.
Pastor gets jail time for videotaping girls
[Source 1] August 21, 2008:
BRADENTON — A former youth minister was sentenced this afternoon to 120 days in the Manatee County jail and two years of probation for secretly videotaping girls as they undressed in his homes in Bradenton and Ellenton over a two-year period.
Matthew Porter, 31, was found guilty of nine counts of voyeurism, a misdemeanor. He had admitted to hiding video cameras in his bathroom and bedroom and taping girls between the ages of 12 and 16 changing clothes. Porter was a pastor at Bethel Baptist Church in Bradenton.
Porter, who had sought to avoid jail time, apologized to family members of the victims who attended sentencing in the Manatee County courtroom.
Parents of the victims said their daughters had lost trust in adult men since the video cameras were discovered.
“It has hurt her very bad,” said the mother of one girl. “I saw that she posted on her MySpace page she would never trust a pastor again.”
Manatee County Judge George K. Brown Jr. said he believes Porter is remorseful, but deserved time behind bars for his “very disturbing” actions.
“These folks here are going to be affected by this for the rest of their lives,” Brown told Porter, who has been living with his family in Texas.
As part of his sentence, Porter must receive psychological counseling, must have no unsolicited contact with the victims or church members and may not possess video recording equipment.
[Source 2] Aug. 21, 2008:
Ex-pastor gets four months for voyeurism
BRADENTON – A former youth pastor accused of secretly taping Bible study students changing clothes in his Ellenton home was sentenced today to four months in jail and two years probation.
Matthew C. Porter, 31, of Ellenton, pleaded no contest to nine counts of misdemeanor voyeurism on July 7.
Circuit Judge George Brown issued the sentence at the Manatee County Judicial Center.
Porter resigned from Bethel Baptist Church after admitting he secretly videotaped his students ages 12 to 16, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
The recordings, which took place over a period of two years, show the juveniles undressing and changing in the home, said Assistant State Attorney Erica Arend, head of the Manatee County misdemeanor division.
Prior to Porter’s plea, Brown denied a motion to suppress videotapes and other evidence from the case.
Brown ruled deputies had the right to enter Porter’s home to take DVD, VHS and and video recording equipment while he was out of town last summer.
Brown made his decision after Porter’s attorney, Henry Lee, filed a motion arguing authorities did not have a search warrant or Porter’s permission to enter his home in the 300 block of Sally Lee Drive.
Instead, a housesitter who found the tapes gave deputies consent to enter the home while Porter was in Mexico, Arend said.
Had Brown not allowed jurors to see the tapes, prosecutors mostly likely would have been forced to drop the charges due to a lack of evidence, she said.
Porter had been set to go to trial on the charges July 14.
Ex-Round Rock pastor admits stealing from church
[Source]:
GEORGETOWN — A former pastor in Round Rock faces prison for stealing several hundred thousand dollars from his church.
Donald Roger Clyde pleaded guilty Thursday in Georgetown to two counts of felony theft as part of a plea agreement.
The 49-year-old resigned last year as senior pastor of the Fellowship at Forest Creek Church during the investigation of missing funds.
Prosecutors say Clyde used the money to buy property, boats and go on vacations.
Clyde is free on $400,000 bond, pending sentencing Oct. 2.
Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley says his office is recommending Clyde serve five years in prison, to be followed by 10 years probation.
Bradley told The Associated Press that Clyde has paid restitution of about $350,000 and would face about $450,000 more in restitution.
Round Rock pastor pleads guilty to theft
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Church settles abuse claims including allegations against former Wyo bishop
[Source] August 21, 2008:
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Roman Catholic diocese has tentatively agreed to pay $10 million to settle 47 pending sexual abuse claims against the diocese and 12 of its priests, including former Wyoming Bishop Joseph Hart.
Kansas City-St. Joseph Diocese Bishop Robert W. Finn on Wednesday apologized for the abuse that occurred at the hands of current and former clergy members, and promised that steps are being taken to make sure such abuse never happens again.
“A priest is ordained with the privilege of celebrating the church’s sacraments by nothing less than a holy order,” Finn said at a news conference. “The behaviors attributable to certain priests involved in this matter not only betray those holy orders, but diminish the stature of the faithful and responsible priests who dispatch their ministry effectively and faithfully day in, day out.”
Finn will recommend to the Diocese Tribunal and to the Vatican that the accused priests have their holy orders removed, an action known as laicization, he said.
Hart was among the priests named in the lawsuits. At least five people had sued claiming they had been molested by him when they were children while he was bishop in Wyoming and as a priest in the Diocese of Kansas City.
Hart had repeatedly and adamantly denied the accusations.
“I have been devastated to have been falsely accused in the media, without evidence, of horrible acts, and I fully expect a thorough, unbiased and professional investigation to clear me of any wrongdoing,” Hart said in response to an accusation that was investigated in 2002.
Michael Hunter, 59, alleged that Hart abused his younger brother Kevin in the summer of 1971.
Michael, who lives near Kansas City, said he was relieved that his case has been settled, even though it has been almost 20 years since he told the diocese about abuse he and his younger brother Kevin suffered at the hands of priests.
“I’m glad to see this is settled, but I feel sad, though,” said Hunter, who was abused in 1963
Hunter said he decided to report the abuse after his younger brother died in 1989 at the age of 29, but nobody believed him.
Hart grew up in Kansas City and began serving as a parish priest there in 1956. He was appointed auxiliary bishop of the Cheyenne diocese in 1976 and became head of the diocese in 1978, where he served until his retirement in September 2001. Hart was succeeded by Bishop David Ricken, who recently moved to Green Bay, Wis.
There were two complaints of sexual misconduct against Hart in 1989 and 1992 for alleged incidents involving junior high boys in the early 1970s, but no charges were filed, the Kansas City diocese said in 2002.
In 1993, Hart underwent a psychiatric evaluation in Arizona and was found not to be a threat to himself or others and he returned to Cheyenne, the diocese said.
An attempt to reach Hart’s attorney in Kansas City, Larry Ward, was unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon, as was a phone call to the Catholic pastoral center in Cheyenne.
Along with the money, Finn said the deal calls for the diocese to meet 19 nonmonetary conditions, including publicly announcing and acknowledging the wrongfulness of sexual abuse by its priests.
Finn said the victims must not be stigmatized as the offending priests are brought to justice.
“Although we may apologize for any responsibility the diocese might have had for its insensitivity to conditions that may have created the opportunity for these incidents, we cannot change what may have happened in the past,” the bishop said. “Nor, I must add, should we ever forget it.”
Attorneys for the plaintiffs say it is those nonmonetary conditions that make the proposed settlement so important.
“Our clients are trying very hard to right the unrightable wrong,” plaintiffs’ attorney Rebecca Randles said Tuesday. “The civil process is not something that is amenable to righting this kind of wrong. But they’re working very hard to try to come to a process where children in the future are protected.”
Among the nonmonetary stipulations of the settlement, the diocese will continue providing counseling for the sexual abuse victims; be barred from making job recommendations for any priests who have had sexual abuse lawsuits filed against them; and publicly acknowledge the sexual abuse in media sources.
“Money is such a poor means of exchange for the loss of a soul,” Randles said. “This kind of abuse is an absolute soul killer. There is no amount of money that could ever repay what these people have been through. Never.”
