It's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Mormons meet Evangelicals.

"Purity culture teaches that there are two types of people: those who are sexually “pure,” and those who are “impure.” Some teach one can lose their purity by having sexual thoughts or feelings or making sexual choices outside of a heterosexual marriage. Some even teach you can lose it by inspiring sexual expression in others.

Too often the prestige of a high-ranking perpetrator protects them, as we have seen happen in secular spaces as well, for example with former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, and film producer Harvey Weinstein. However, “prestige” doesn’t quite do justice to the untouchability a religious leader can enjoy in a highly stratified community where it is believed that they have been hand-selected or at least approved by God. Many parishioners see their pastor as the conduit to a higher power and will go to great lengths to protect them even if it means ignoring, blaming and ultimately hurting survivors.

In America, a contributing factor is a strong culture of collective victimhood in the evangelical community. My interviewees and I were taught growing up that evangelicals were the real victims — that the world hated us so much they’d do anything to make us look bad. So, it was our job to represent our community in the best light possible for more people to join us and enter into heaven. The underlying message was clear: a good Christian keeps their mouth shut.

After all, abusers don’t just groom victims, they groom communities, preparing them to rise up and protect them."

This could as easily be happening in anywhere, Utah as it is in the heartland of America's Southern Baptist community.

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/southern-baptist-convention-report-sex-abuse-shines-light-evangelical-culture-ncna970756

OP, you should consider doing a TL:DR on your OT pieces. It's done a lot over on reddit and I think it helps keep the flow flowing. It would possibly help you focus on the message you're trying to convey.

Or not...

Sexual abuse and the purity culture in Mormondom is very much ON topic.

Your lack of reading comprehension doesn't minimize it.

Amyjo Wrote:

>Some teach one can lose their purity by having sexual thoughts

Fascinating research, Amyjo. And that sentence made me think that the cult applies that to men as well as to women, the poor young missionaries enduring bed-sheet checks, for example.

This was a great article showing lots of in-depth thought and empirical research, I intend to go on to read many of the links in the article as well.

Thanks for this, Amyjo!

There is so much of this in the news currently with the MeToo movement. It seems to keep gaining momentum.

The same dynamics at work in the Southern Baptist culture are very similar to that of the Mormon culture.

It's encouraging that instead of turning a blind eye to it, it's become a movement not unlike the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. The churches still have a long way to go to redressing the wrongs.

Until they change the patriarchal system I don't see how they can right the wrongs without confronting them head-on.

I’m wondering how long it will be before the church is forced to pay up for their malfeasance. Practicing psychology without any real training can only go on for so long. If that’s how they want to run their business, they should be on the hook for the therapists needed to correct the damage. Including those needed for recovery from Mormonism.

When pigs fly, right Babylon?!

As things stand the elders of Zion will be in denial until the cows come home.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/2019 07:18AM by Amyjo.