Category Archives: Justice

May 31, 2026 · 1:00 am

The OTHER Church Sex Scandals, Part 3

“Cases of Child Sexual Abuse in the Church” by Christian Seebauer, (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)

We conclude our examination of the numerous sexual abuse scandals in America’s churches and elsewhere.

A Failure of Faith?

These scandals are not isolated incidents.  They represent thousands upon thousands of lives impacted.  The scale of the betrayal is staggering.

Tragically, children make ideal victims.  They are small, vulnerable, powerless, and easily convinced (or coerced) into keeping their abuse secret. 

And the wounds inflicted on children by sexual abuse are not readily visible, though the scars may last a lifetime.

Everywhere the pattern here was the same.  Sin was carried out under the guise of piety. 

When it was uncovered, the predators were deliberately shielded from punishment by manmade institutions that claim to be Christian.  Steps were taken to protect those manmade institutions, rather than the members of the Body of Christ.

This was not a failure of Christianity as a religion, though it undoubtedly resulted in many victims losing their faith.  It was a monumental failure of the manmade institutions established for the very purpose of honoring and protecting that faith.

The Appropriate Christian Response

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles…And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you”(1 Cor. 5: 1-2).

As Christians, we are required to submit to the authority of God, and instructed even to submit to others in the interest of harmony (1 Peter 2: 13 – 3: 37) [1]. 

Justice, however, is a biblical mandate (Isa. 1: 17; Micah 6: 8).  That involves advocating for the oppressed, defending the rights of the weak, and working towards a society that reflects God’s own character [2A][3A].

We are not required to remain silent in the face of evil, and simply endure its consequences.  We are to pursue what meager justice this world has to offer, for justice is a reflection of God’s concern for the vulnerable [3B].

We are to root out sin, confront, and expose it, especially in the church (1 Cor. 5: 4-5; Eph. 5: 11-13) [2B][4].  Immorality defiles the church.

As for forgiveness, that is a personal matter between each victim and abuser, as well as between each victim and God. No church of whatever denomination has the right to pressure a victim into forgiveness.

Forgiveness, in any case, does not preclude prosecution under the law.

—

[1]  Bible.org, “Taking a Second Look at Submission 1 Peter 2: 13 – 3: 37); https://bible.org/seriespage/15-taking-second-look-submission-1-peter-213-37.

[2A and 2B]  BibleHub, “The Role of Justice in Christian Life”, https://biblehub.com/topical/t/the_role_of_justice_in_christian_life.htm.

[3A and 3B]  Inspiration Portal, “Justice and the Bible:  A Christian Perspective on Pursuing Righteousness”, 3/7/25, https://inspirationportal.org/justice-and-the-bible-a-christian-perspective-on-pursuing-righteousness/.

[4]  Got Questions, “How should sin in the church be handled?”, https://www.gotquestions.org/sin-in-the-church.html.

Parts 1 and 2 in this series were posted 5/17 and 5/24/26, respectively.

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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May 17, 2026 · 1:00 am

The OTHER Church Sex Scandals, Part 1

Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, photo by Lucian Foster (1843), Source http://comevisit.com/lds/faq-dld.htm, (Public Domain)

The Roman Catholic Church child sex scandal has received a good deal of press – justifiably so.  But it is by no means the only sex scandal in America’s churches and elsewhere.

Mormon Church

We begin with sexual abuse in the Mormon Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). 

The 17 million members of the Mormon Church value marriage and family above all [1A].  The church has a strict moral code which includes abstaining from alcohol (even caffeine) and premarital sex, while fostering a deep sense of community [1B].  Unfortunately, this outward appearance of virtue hides a dark underbelly.

A culture of secrecy has enabled decades of unchecked sexual abuse [1C].  Institutional protection prioritizes the church’s reputation over the safety of its most vulnerable members [1D].  According to Mormon sexual abuse database Floodlit, at least 4195 reports of abuse have been made [2A]. 

One of the earliest publicized cases involved Joseph Bishop, a former president of the LDS Church’s Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.  Although Bishop was accused of having sexually assaulted a missionary sister in the 1980s, he was allowed to continue in ministry. 

Bishop was never criminally charged because the Statute of Limitations had run.  After the legal deadline for filing rape charges was extended, a civil lawsuit was dismissed by agreement between the plaintiff and the LDS church.  Just days after the release of a trove of documents by a whistleblower website, Bishop finally admitted sexual impropriety in 2018 [1E]. 

Mormon church members who have been convicted of child sexual abuse and/or rape include Jacob Bowers, Scott Bowers (his son), Arvid Oakely, and Gerald Salcido [2B].  Salcido, a former police officer, was excommunicated.  However, the church never informed law enforcement.

Unfortunately, those who point to the fact that the Mormon Church is not a genuinely Christian denomination (with the Book of Mormon contradicting the Bible in many key respects) [3][4], and comfort themselves with the thought that evil like this is only prevalent among non-believers are merely deluding themselves.

Amish Church

Sexual abuse is widely regarded as an open secret in many Amish communities [5A]. 

Some communities have begun supporting victims [5B].  However, guided by the principle of “forgive and forget”, many continue to silence survivors, pressuring them to forgive their abusers publicly, while at the same time discouraging police involvement [5C]. 

One survivor, Lizzie Hershberger, has broken her silence, in the hope of encouraging others to come forward [5D].  Her story is told in a recently released documentary film titled “Keep Quiet and Forgive” [5E][6].  Her book “Behind Blue Curtains” is available on Amazon.

—

[1]  Survivors Rights, “The LDS Church Sexual Abuse Scandal:  A History of Cover-Ups, Betrayal, and the Fight for Justice”, 2/7,25, https://survivorsrights.com/lds-church-sexual-abuse-scandal-coverup/.

[2]  FloodLit, “Sexual Abuse in the Mormon Church”, https://floodlit.org/.

[3]  Bible Ask, “Does the Book of Mormon Contradict the Bible?”, 1/20/17 (updated 11/28/25), https://bibleask.org/does-the-book-of-mormon-contradict-the-bible/.

[4]  Institute for Religious Research, “Contradictions Between the Book of Mormon and the Bible” by Luke Wilson and Robert Bowman Jr., 7/6/11 (updated 12/1/25), https://mit.irr.org/contradictions-between-book-of-mormon-and-bible.

[5A through 5E]  KPBS Public Media, “Independent Lens:  Keep Quiet and Forgive” by Jennifer Robinson, 3/10/26, https://www.kpbs.org/news/2026/03/10/independent-lens-keep-quiet-and-forgive.

[6]  Fillmore County Journal, “Amish Sexual Abuse Survivor Shares Story in PBS Documentary” by Charlene Corson Selbee, 3/23/26, https://fillmorecountyjournal.com/amish-sexual-abuse-survivor-shares-story-in-pbs-documentary/.

Part 2 in this series re: the Anglican, Baptist, and Methodist Churches will be posted next week.

Taxpayer funded sexual harassment settlements involving federal lawmakers totaled $550,000 in recent decades, with the largest settlement for $220,000 made on behalf of Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings (now deceased).

For more information, see https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/previously-unaccounted-for-case-shows-taxpayers-bankrolled-more-than-550000-in-congressional-sexual-harassment-settlements/ar-AA238iVv?ocid=BingNewsSerp,

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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May 10, 2026 · 1:00 am

Coerced Abortion

Hand holding a generic abortion pill pack containing 1 mifepristone and 4 misoprostol, Author plancpillsdotorg (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

Catherine Herring of Texas was unknowingly given the abortion pill seven times by her husband, in his attempt to kill their unborn child [1A][2A].  Thankfully, the baby girl, Josephine, survived.  Tragically, this was not an isolated incident.

Coercion

Forced abortions are employed by men seeking to evade the responsibility of having fathered a child, by parents seeking to avoid social stigma, by child abusers seeking to hide their crimes, and by sex traffickers seeking to eliminate the inconvenience of a pregnancy among their victims [2B].

“Abortion clinics cannot claim to be pro-woman while at the same time allowing the majority of their clients to be pressured into unwanted abortions [5B].”

-David Reardon, PhD

A 2023 peer reviewed study published in the Cureus Journal of Medicine found that nearly 70% of abortions in the United States were unwanted, coerced, and/or inconsistent with the mother’s values [2C][3][4].

That confirms earlier research which indicated over 60% of women who had abortions faced high levels of external pressure to end their pregnancies [5A].

Aftermath

These women afterwards experienced negative emotions, including feelings of loss, grief, and/or sadness about the abortion [5C].  Intrusive thoughts, including flashbacks to the abortion, interfered with their daily lives, work, and relationships [5D].

These findings run counter to the Turnaway Study which had reported a 99% post-abortion satisfaction rate by women, but had a low participation rate and relied on a single query [5E].  It, also, runs counter to the pro-abortion rallying cry “My Body, My Choice”. Continue reading →

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March 1, 2026 · 1:00 am

Baby Trafficking

Pregnant woman, Source https://www.flickr.com/photos/aurimas_m/3423098686/, Author Aurimas Mikalauskas of Paliūniškis, Lithuania (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

WARNING:  Graphic Images

In a joint operation between the United States and Mexico, authorities last year captured Martha Mendez Aguilar, known as “La Diabla” (“The Devil”), the head of a grisly baby trafficking ring called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel [1A].

“[This is an] example of what terrorist cartels will do to diversify their revenue streams and finance operations [1B].”

–Joe Kent, Dir. of National Counterterrorism Center

Pregnant women, often from impoverished circumstances, were lured to remote locations.  Once there, the mothers were murdered, and their organs and infants harvested for sale.  The infants were sold to couples for around $14,000 each.

Tragically, this cartel was not the only one to pursue baby trafficking.

Indonesian police uncovered an international baby trafficking ring believed to have sold at least 25 infants to buyers in Singapore since 2023 [2A].  Using Facebook, WhatApp, and other channels, this syndicate targeted expectant mothers who allegedly did not want to raise their infants.

Delivery costs were covered and a small amount of compensation paid to the mothers.  Then the infants were handed over.

In some cases, infants were actually reserved in the womb for purchasers and housed for as long as a year after birth, while fraudulent birth certificates, parental consent forms, medical records, and immigration documents were prepared.

Desperate Straits

“These clinics or shelters use language that sounds compassionate at first, such as ‘you can give birth and take your baby home’.  But in reality, they offer money and illegally transfer custody of the baby [2B].”

— Ai Rahmayanti, Commissioner of the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI)

Child trafficking cartels are extremely sophisticated, often posing as maternity clinics, orphanages, or shelters which appear to care for vulnerable women and children [2C].

Typically, they target women in desperate straits – those suffering from financial hardship, trapped in debt bondage, abandoned by a spouse or partner, pregnant as the result of sexual violence whether by a partner or stranger, or simply pregnant from a casual sexual relationship [2D].

When manipulation fails, cartels will resort to criminal approaches including direct abduction (whether from hospitals, schools, playgrounds, or other public spaces), and crisis exploitation (natural disasters, civil unrest, or refugee settings) [7A].

Purposes

Infants and children may be trafficked for illegal adoption, prostitution or other sexual abuse, forced marriage, forced organ donation, forced labor or slavery, use in the drug trade, use as beggars, and use as child soldiers [3][4][5].  These can overlap [6]. Continue reading →

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February 15, 2026 · 1:00 am

How Tech Giants Delay Child Abuse and Drug Investigations

US police confirm that Meta and Snapchat (parent company Snap Inc.) routinely delay or reject subpoenas and warrants [1A].  These tech giants frequently fail to provide law enforcement with critical information in a timely manner, and fail to take timely action against unlawful activity on their platforms.

This greatly hinders investigations in child abuse, sex trafficking, and drug cases.

Obtaining a response of any kind may require repeated requests and take weeks or months.  Even then the response is often incomplete.  Warrants have been rejected for technical errors as small as the misplacement of a dash or comma.

“Every day of delay puts a child at risk. It can exacerbate damage and even cost lives. We can’t afford to let the delays continue [1B].”

— Shawnna Hoffman, Chief Exec. of International Center for Missing and Exploited Children

While Meta contends that it produced data in 88% of the nearly 75,000 requests it received from authorities between July and December 2024, the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children has called for clearer rules and faster processes. Continue reading →

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January 18, 2026 · 1:00 am

Chocolate

Chocolate fudge cake, Urban Diner, Edmonton, Canada, Author Mack Male (CC BY-SA 2.0 Generic)

Chocolate is a pure delight.  But there is a bitter truth behind the sweet taste.  Child labor is heavily involved in cocoa product [1][2][3].

Multiple human rights organizations confirm that over 1.5 million children in West Africa work under hazardous conditions to produce cocoa.  Many of these children are the victims of forced labor, human trafficking, and modern slavery.  They are deprived of an education, and exposed to dangerous chemicals and equipment.

This exploitation is ongoing despite the public pledges made by major chocolate companies over the past 20 years to eliminate child labor from their supply chains.  Some of the most recognizable chocolate brands still associated with unethical practices include:  Hershey’s Chocolate; Nestle’s Chocolate (Kit Kat, Butterfinger); Mars Chocolate (M&M’s, Snickers, Twix); Ferrero (Nutella, Kinder); and Mondelez (Toblerone, Cadbury). Continue reading →

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January 4, 2026 · 1:00 am

Literacy, Rousseau, and Unschooling, Part 1

Little Red Schoolhouse, Talbot County, MD, Author Shopkins91, (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported and GNU Free Documentation License)

Unschooling (to be distinguished from homeschooling) is a controversial educational philosophy which has gained rapid popularity online, and allows children to direct their own learning [1][2].  A rosy picture is painted of care-free learning, without pressure, stress, structure, or restrictions.

The assumption is that children pursuing only the subjects which interest them will learn more naturally and easily.  The corollary assumption seems to be that subjects of little immediate interest to them will be of no later use.

Some parents are not even teaching their children to read or write, and are actually proud of that fact.

The Rousseau Connection

Whether its proponents are aware or not, unschooling derives loosely from the writings of an 18th Century philosopher.   In his work Discourse on Inequality, Jean-Jacques Rousseau proposed that human beings in their “natural” state were inherently peaceful, egalitarian, and good.  They had simply been corrupted by civilization.

This idea has great appeal to those who believe wholeheartedly in Darwin’s theory of evolution.  It suggests that a return to Eden is possible, a return to innocence and union with nature.  All we need do is discard the trappings of civilization – trappings like law and formal education.

Unfortunately, this is nonsense, spiritually and otherwise.  Innocence and ignorance are not the same.

Literacy Highlights

Literacy has been prized by civilization for thousands of years [3].  We denote pre-history as such because literacy did not exist.  All knowledge had to be passed down orally. Continue reading →

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December 28, 2025 · 1:00 am

Editing the Human Genome

Double helix of DNA biochemistry, Author brian0918&#153 (PD)

Editing the human genome is no longer beyond the realm of possibility.  To the contrary, it represents the frontier of medicine, promising a golden future without heritable disease or genetic defects.  The question is:  at what cost to human rights?

Human genome editing takes two forms:  somatic genome editing (which modifies non-reproductive cells) and germline genome editing (which modifies reproductive cells, including sperm and egg cells, and can be passed on to future generations) [1A].

Somatic Gene Editing

Somatic gene editing is viewed as less controversial, since it cannot be passed on.  The United States, the United Kingdom, and China have all permitted clinical trials involving somatic editing to treat cancer, sickle cell anemia, and other genetic diseases [1B].

Germline Gene Editing

No country has yet approved germline genetic editing, although twins whose germline had been modified using the genetic cut-copy-paste technology known by the acronym CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) were born in China in 2018 [1C][2A]. 

A majority of the European Union has ratified the Oviedo Convention which prohibits heritable gene editing in humans [1D].  Germany, Canada, and Australia have adopted similar prohibitions [1E].  

There is a strong possibility that these bans will eventually be lifted for therapeutic purposes, though there is no current agreement on what qualifies as “therapeutic”.  There is an equal chance that access to germline genetic editing will at some point be characterized as a legal “right” [6A].

In the United States, law currently prohibits the use of federal funds on human germline gene therapy [2B].  However, there are no protocols or restrictions for human genomic engineering [2C]. 

Recently, a startup named Preventive was identified as attempting to engineer the first genetically modified baby outside China [3].  This is not surprising, since Do-It-Yourself CRISPR kits are actually available online [6B]. Continue reading →

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November 9, 2025 · 1:00 am

Where Are the Children?

“Two Children Abandoned in the Amazon”, Source/Author Raguilar1158, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)

Though much vilified, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to open a dedicated Call Center to assist state and local law enforcement in locating hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied migrant children allowed illegally into the United States under the Biden Administration, children whose condition and whereabouts are now unknown [1]. 

More important than the immigration status of these children is their welfare which has not been adequately tracked, if at all.   Thousands upon thousands of children simply vanished.  

Whistleblowers have since exposed how the vicious scheme worked [2].  Under the auspices of trafficking cartels, children – some younger than 5 years of age, some sedated by melatonin laced gummies – arrived at the border with nothing but a phone number scribbled on their arms or clothing. Continue reading →

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September 28, 2025 · 1:00 am

Passage to Marseille

“Passage to Marseille” film poster, Copyright believed owned by Warner Bros. which produced and distributed the film, Source=http://www.dvdbeaver.com/FILM/DVDReviews25/passage_to_marseille.htm |Portion=All |Low_resolution=Yes |Purpose=Used i

There is an old Humphrey Bogart movie called Passage to Marseille. Set in WWII, the film was released in 1944, when the outcome of the war was still in doubt.  France, at the time, was still under the Vichy government which had collaborated with the Nazis.

The character Bogie plays – a journalist imprisoned for opposing the Nazis, who later becomes an airman fighting them – dies at the end.  But a moving letter written to his young son is read beside his grave.  This is the letter.

“My dear son, today you are five years old, and your father has never seen you.  But someday, in a better world, he will.  I write you of that day. 

Together we walk, hand in hand.  We walk, and we look.  Some of the things we see are wonderful, and some are terrible.  On a green stretch of ground are 10,000 graves, and you feel hatred welling up in your heart.  This was.  But it will never be again. 

The world has been cured since your father treated that terrible abscess on it with iron and fire.  And there were millions of healers who worked with him to make sure there would be no recurrence.  That deadly conflict was waged to decide your future. 

Your friends did not spare themselves, and were ruthless to your foes.  You are the heir of what your father and your friends won for you with their blood.  From their hands you have received the flag of happiness and freedom. 

My son, be the standard bearer of the great age they have made possible.  It would be too tragic if the men of good will should ever be lax or fail again to build a world where youth may love without fear, and where parents may grow old with their children who are men who will be worthy of each other’s faith. 

Take care of your mother, Jean.  I hold you in my arms.  I kiss you both.  May God keep you and love you, as I do.  Good night and au revoir, til our work is finished.  And until I see you remember this:  France lives.  Vive la France!”

We are supposed to have built that better world.  But the sin nature of mankind never changes.  Darkness is again rising.  And evil takes many forms.

For the sake of our children and grandchildren, we must not give up the fight.  It may not require iron and fire of us.  While we have breath, however, we must strive with all our might to teach them right from wrong, and truth from lies.  Flawed as we all are.

Only when Christ returns will the work be finished.

—

[1]  Wikipedia, “Passage to Marseille”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_to_Marseille. 

FOR MORE OF MY ARTICLES ON POVERTY, POLITICS, AND MATTERS OF CONSCIENCE CHECK OUT MY BLOG A LAWYER’S PRAYERS AT: https://alawyersprayers.com

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