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Child Sex Abuse And Atheists

Skwim

Veteran Member
Where is it?

Our news is full of Christian leaders and their followers sexually abusing children, and in great numbers. But as far as I can tell nary a bit news about atheists or agnostics sexually abusing children.

"Investigation Reveals Rampant Sexual Abuse in Southern Baptist Churches"
source

"Pope Francis Admits Priests Sexually Abuse Women, Held Them as Slaves"
source

"Get Shortey (Again): Christian Lawmaker Has to Pay $125K To His Teen Sex Victim"
source

"Texas Catholic Dioceses Disclose 286 Priests Credibly Accused of Child Sex Abuse"
source

"Guy Who Handled Sex Abuse Cases for Vatican Quits After Allegations of Sex Abuse"
source

"Cardinal Claims He “Forgot” That He Knew About a Priest Abusing Kids"

source

"French Cardinal Could Face 3 Years for Failing to Report Abusive Priest"

source

"This is How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Covered Up Abuse by an Elder"

source

"Ex-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Accused of Groping Child During Confession"

source

"Two Gonzaga Admins Resign in Wake of Reports About Predatory Priests on Campus"

source

"Boise Priest Gets 25 Years For Child Porn; Liked Watching a Boy Beaten to Death"
source

"The Catholic Church in Illinois Didn’t Disclose Allegations Against 500+ Priests"
source

Could it be that, for whatever reason, the Christian religion either attracts child sex abusers or turns people into them?

If not, how do you explain such a lopsided difference?

.
 
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lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Where is it?

Our news is full of Christian leaders and some of their followers who have sexually abused children, but as far as I can tell nary a bit news about atheists, or agnostics, sexually abusing children.




Investigation Reveals Rampant Sexual Abuse in Southern Baptist Churches
source

Pope Francis Admits Priests Sexually Abuse Women, Held Them as Slaves
source

Get Shortey (Again): Christian Lawmaker Has to Pay $125K To His Teen Sex Victim
source

Texas Catholic Dioceses Disclose 286 Priests Credibly Accused of Child Sex Abuse
source

Guy Who Handled Sex Abuse Cases for Vatican Quits After Allegations of Sex Abuse
source

Cardinal Claims He “Forgot” That He Knew About a Priest Abusing Kids
source

French Cardinal Could Face 3 Years for Failing to Report Abusive Priest
source

This is How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Covered Up Abuse by an Elder
source

Ex-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Accused of Groping Child During Confession
source

Two Gonzaga Admins Resign in Wake of Reports About Predatory Priests on Campus
source

Boise Priest Gets 25 Years For Child Porn; Liked Watching a Boy Beaten to Death
source

The Catholic Church in Illinois Didn’t Disclose Allegations Against 500+ Priests
source

Atheism is in no way proof against child sex abuse. It's simply not.

I will say that I think some of the churches and organizations you are citing have cultural issues or mandates (eg. no sex) which exacerbate the issues above and beyond what the people involved would do due to their base nature only.

But that's it. And there is nothing to prevent an 'atheist' organisation, whatever that looks like, having cultural issues of this type too.
 

youknowme

Whatever you want me to be.
If they had a normal healthy sex life with other adults maybe this would not happen as much. It is not healthy for them to be so sexually repressed.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
Atheism is in no way proof against child sex abuse. It's simply not.

I will say that I think some of the churches and organizations you are citing have cultural issues or mandates (eg. no sex) which exacerbate the issues above and beyond what the people involved would do due to their base nature only.

But that's it. And there is nothing to prevent an 'atheist' organisation, whatever that looks like, having cultural issues of this type too.
Perhaps the fact that organizing atheists is like herding cats will be our saving grace when it comes to this sort of abuse. Without a strong and almost fanatic following such abuses are much more difficult.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Where is it?

Our news is full of Christian leaders, and some of their followers, sexually abusing children, and in great numbers. But as far as I can tell nary a bit news about atheists or agnostics sexually abusing children.

Investigation Reveals Rampant Sexual Abuse in Southern Baptist Churches
source

Pope Francis Admits Priests Sexually Abuse Women, Held Them as Slaves
source

Get Shortey (Again): Christian Lawmaker Has to Pay $125K To His Teen Sex Victim
source

Texas Catholic Dioceses Disclose 286 Priests Credibly Accused of Child Sex Abuse
source

Guy Who Handled Sex Abuse Cases for Vatican Quits After Allegations of Sex Abuse
source

Cardinal Claims He “Forgot” That He Knew About a Priest Abusing Kids

source

French Cardinal Could Face 3 Years for Failing to Report Abusive Priest

source

This is How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Covered Up Abuse by an Elder

source

Ex-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Accused of Groping Child During Confession

source

Two Gonzaga Admins Resign in Wake of Reports About Predatory Priests on Campus

source

Boise Priest Gets 25 Years For Child Porn; Liked Watching a Boy Beaten to Death
source

The Catholic Church in Illinois Didn’t Disclose Allegations Against 500+ Priests
source
Could it be that, for whatever reason, the Christian religion either attracts child sex abusers or turns people into them?

How do you explain such a lopsided difference?

.
The groups you list have features which wouldn't exist in an atheist organization.
1) They impose sexual repression for religious reasons.
We wouldn't.
2) They are organized, secretive & insular.
Organized atheists?
That would be like herding cats.

I don't claim that atheists are better than believers (although that's possible).
But clergy find themselves in circumstances which foster dysfunctional sexual behavior.
 
Last edited:

Cooky

Veteran Member
Where is it?

Our news is full of Christian leaders and their followers sexually abusing children, and in great numbers. But as far as I can tell nary a bit news about atheists or agnostics sexually abusing children.

"Investigation Reveals Rampant Sexual Abuse in Southern Baptist Churches"
source

"Pope Francis Admits Priests Sexually Abuse Women, Held Them as Slaves"
source

"Get Shortey (Again): Christian Lawmaker Has to Pay $125K To His Teen Sex Victim"
source

"Texas Catholic Dioceses Disclose 286 Priests Credibly Accused of Child Sex Abuse"
source

"Guy Who Handled Sex Abuse Cases for Vatican Quits After Allegations of Sex Abuse"
source

"Cardinal Claims He “Forgot” That He Knew About a Priest Abusing Kids"

source

"French Cardinal Could Face 3 Years for Failing to Report Abusive Priest"

source

"This is How the Jehovah’s Witnesses Covered Up Abuse by an Elder"

source

"Ex-Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick Accused of Groping Child During Confession"

source

"Two Gonzaga Admins Resign in Wake of Reports About Predatory Priests on Campus"

source

"Boise Priest Gets 25 Years For Child Porn; Liked Watching a Boy Beaten to Death"
source

"The Catholic Church in Illinois Didn’t Disclose Allegations Against 500+ Priests"
source

Could it be that, for whatever reason, the Christian religion either attracts child sex abusers or turns people into them?

If not, how do you explain such a lopsided difference?

.

Your argument fails because you show no statistics on sex abuse by atheists.

Sorry to say. But the thread falls flat on it's face.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
But that's it. And there is nothing to prevent an 'atheist' organisation, whatever that looks like, having cultural issues of this type too.
So what's your explanation for why atheists haven't succumbed to them?

.
 
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Cooky

Veteran Member
The groups you list have features which wouldn't exist in an atheist organization.
1) They impose sexual repression for religious reasons.
We lack that motive.
2) They are organized, secretive & insular.
Organized atheists? That would be like herding cats.

I don't claim that atheists are better than believers (although that's possible).
But clergy find themselves in circumstances which foster dysfunctional sexual behavior.

What organizations do atheists have?
 

Cooky

Veteran Member
If they had a normal healthy sex life with other adults maybe this would not happen as much. It is not healthy for them to be so sexually repressed.

Show me your medical evidence that proves your hypothesis. Otherwise, I hope you'll forgive me for dismissing your opinion in this case.
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
So what's your explanation for why atheists haven't succumbed to it?

.

Absence of atheist organisations.
Do you really think teaching, as a profession, is absent of pedophiles? Or that those who do transgress are all religious?

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here, honestly.
 

Cooky

Veteran Member
I don't know.
I used to know of some, but there was nothing even remotely interesting about them.
And so they faded from memory.

And the ones that do exist are probably not very large in number. But when your organization is over 1,000,000 people, the odds of sex crimes occurring increases. It's known as ratios.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
Absence of atheist organisations.
So if atheists had organizations they would be sexually abusing children; however, doesn't this point up a real defect in the Christian religion: they're organized? So to stop child sex abuse among Christians the solution seems quite obvious: disband Christian organizations. They foster child sex abuse.

I'm not sure what point you're trying to make here, honestly.
No point. As I told Landon Caeli; just an observation and a couple questions.
 
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Salvador

RF's Swedenborgian
Show me your medical evidence that proves your hypothesis. Otherwise, I hope you'll forgive me for dismissing your opinion in this case.

"Pedophilia (the sexual abuse of a prepubescent child) among priests is extremely rare, affecting only 0.3% of the entire population of clergy. This figure, cited in the book Pedophiles and Priests by non-Catholic scholar, Philip Jenkins, is from the most comprehensive study to date, which found that only one out of 2,252 priests considered over a thirty-year period was afflicted with pedophilia."

9 Myths about Priestly Pedophilia

"And a major 2004 study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that nearly 10 percent of U.S. public school students reported having been targeted with sexual attention by school employees."

Sexual harassment in education in the United States - Wikipedia

The rate of sexual abuse done to children by priests is lower than the rate of sexual abuse done to children by non-priests. I've made Skwim aware of these statistics, but Skwim is not one who let's the facts get in the way of his smear campaigns against the Church.
 
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