I wanted this seen.

So a local church has ordained an admitted, convicted child molester as a pastor in their church, with cries of “Oh well he won’t be around children.” I ranted about this earlier this week and today I came home to a comment on my blog from one of the church members. Allow me to quote:

Seriously? September 13th, 2009 EditSuch language! And using fabricated scripted FICTIONAL television shows as the basis for your expert knowledge? REALLY? We at the City of Refuge are FULLY AWARE of Mark’s past, and now the world is! So what kind of idiot do you think would leave him alone with children. As a matter of fact, he has EXPRESSLY BEGGED that we NOT leave him alone with children. So it’s vulgar, irresponsible people like you who we have to worry about that would clearly be neglectful enough to leave your child alone with someone whose history you don’t know cover to cover! There is NO NEED to leave your child alone with ANYONE! These are things you teach your child from a VERY early age! It’s a shame so many parents fail at that, and their children resultingly fall prey to this illness!

And to make sure my commenter (who I’m willing to bet thought I wouldn’t approve the message) has a good chance at seeing my response I’m posting it here:

Ma’am, my expert knowledge is based on being molested as a child myself and having family members blatantly tell me I was a wicked, evil child for even suggesting that my father was that kind of a person, because he was the decon of the church, so of course he must be innocent. No matter than twenty years later he was fired from a volunteer position for sexually harassing teenage girls.

My point about Law & Order and CSI is that even they seem to realize that children abused become stuck in a cycle of violence. Unsure of how to deal with the pain of abuse, the guilt of abuse and the later fears that they might have wanted it, or done something to deserve it they either lead lives trying to hide from the pain via addiction, trying to conquer the pain by doling abuse out to others, or punishing themselves for the actions of AN ADULT WHO KNEW BETTER. Very few people ever manage to come to terms with their abuse and live healthy lives, a tragic statistic that is clear even to the the writers of TV crime shows. So why doesn’t a church of adults seem to see this?

It’s not about leaving him alone with children, it’s about putting him in a role of guide and authority to children. This man is no spiritual adviser, he clearly can’t even keep himself from committing vile, evil acts on defenseless children. Pastors and adults lord over children in the Christan faith, and putting a man who has abused children in the past in this position of authority is disgusting.

That you say he begged to not be allowed around children only reinforces my opinion as a man who desperately puts the responsibility for his own actions on the shoulders of others, and who seems to fear his own actions so much, well this is not a man in control. This is not a man who knows he will not offend again.

As for your asinine assumption that vulgarity equals irresponsibility it clearly shows that your priorities are so misplaced that Madam I fear greatly for YOUR children. Before making assumption on my personal life perhaps you ought to do a little research, because I assure you I have a laundry list of people I could refer you to whose opinion of my parenting is best summed up as “If only more parents were like her”.

Finally, ma’am “illness” only gets a person so far. Alcoholics that kill people in DUIs sill go to jail for it. Addicts who steal, still go to jail for it. Mothers who drown their children because of postpartum depression still go to jail for it. And sex addicts who rape still go to jail for it.

The illness is the psychological and chemical workings of the brain. The CRIME is in acting on it, in this case the evidence I know of suggests that this man that you hold so hallowed anally raped a ten year old boy multiple times because he thought it was his right because he wanted to do. He thought it was his right to violate the mind, the body and the life of this child just because the child was present.

Do not dodge the truth of what happened with words like “illness” and by siting bible verses that urge one to forgive sins. The bible says FORGIVE the sinner, not put him in a position of authority over yourself and your children. You would never vote a convicted rapist mayor, or president. Yet in your microcosm of Louisville you have done just that and shame on you.