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In Response

Posted Monday, March 12, 2007

MYTH-BUSTER #1

"The sexual abuse happened a long time ago."

• Past events have present power in our lives. My ordination happened a long time ago, but its effects have power for me as I embody it day by day. In the same way, a traumatic experience such as sexual assault is embodied in the victim and can have lasting power day by day. Sexual misconduct affects the victim, the offender, their personal relationships and the institutions and systems in which they are involved.
• In some cases, it can take victims 20 to 30 years before they remember childhood abuse, and the longer abuse goes on, the longer it can take for the victim to report it.
• Our psyches protect us until we're ready to face trauma. Left unresolved, the victim can experience serial sexual abuse, multiple personalities and other psychological disorders, substance abuse and eating disorders.
• Sexual exploitation by clergy can result in distrust of God and of the church, and parishioners leave the church, disillusioned.

What to do?
Do not minimize the damaging power of sexual misconduct or abuse; know your reporting responsibilities; have a conversation with colleagues about safeguarding members and maintaining boundaries; attend Safe Church Training and take others with you. For more help, contact Barbara Blodgett, local counselors or the Samaritan Counseling Center nearest you.

Food for Thought
"One of the most chilling aspects of working in this field for almost 20 years is the institutional evil I have encountered while addressing clergy misconduct. I have seen just about every expression of denominational polity used to obfuscate the issue, deny its severity, blame the victim, keep the secret, and protect the power of the clergy. I discovered that despite differences in theology, organization, and understanding of mission, the one thing shared by all denominations is desire for self-protection that is based, in part, in patriarchal authority. Such authority is not specifically male, for there are numerous instances of women officials making the same dismal response as their male counterparts. Rather, denominational structures focus on using the power of the system to protect the system, instead of protecting the vulnerable and making a just response to those hurt by religious leaders."

Patricia L. Liberty, in
When a Congregation is Betrayed: Responding to Clergy Misconduct
Beth Ann Gaede, Editor (Foreward by Pamela Cooper White) 2006
Alban Institute Publication, ISBN 1-56699-284-2

This first email was composed by the Rev. Ruth Lawson Kirk, who worked as an investigative caseworker in Child Protective Services in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1979-1983, serving part of that time in the Incest and Sexual Abuse Component. She joins the Rev. Sunny Hallanan and Ms. Barbara Blodgett in helping the diocese comply with the resolution passed in response to the bishop's address on November 11, 2006. Your replies and your partnership are welcome.