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Is the Church a hotbed of child abuse? Compared to what?

Is the Church a hotbed of child abuse? Compared to what?

Last updated on: June 21, 2023 at 5:31 pm by Dan Peterson

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Is the Church a hotbed of child abuse? Compared to what? 2023-06-21T17:31:45-06:00 Dan Peterson

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A view across the River Thames to Westminster Bridge and, behind it, the Houses of Parliament
(Wikimedia Commons public domain)

Some new items have gone up on the website of the Interpreter Foundation:

Conference Talks: Dualism is Dead! Long Live Dualism! presented at the 2016 Second Interpreter Science & Mormonism Symposium: “Body, Brain, Mind, and Spirit” on Saturday, 12 March 2016, by James E. Faulconer

The New Testament in Context Lesson 27: “He Is Risen,” Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20–21

In the 4 June 2023 Come, Follow Me segment of the Interpreter Radio Show, the panel of Martin Tanner, Spencer Kraus, Hales Swift, and Brent Schmidt discussed New Testament lesson 27, “He Is Risen,” covering Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and John 20–21. Their discussion has now been archived and made available to you at your convenience but at no charge. The other segments of the May 28 radio show can be accessed at https://interpreterfoundation.org/interpreter-radio-show-june-4-2023.

The Interpreter Radio Show can be heard Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 PM (MDT), on K-TALK, AM 1640, or you can listen live on the Internet at ktalkmedia.com.

Come, Follow Me — New Testament Study and Teaching Helps: Lesson 27, June 26 — July 2: Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21 — “He Is Risen”

Once again, Jonn Claybaugh generously contributes concise notes to help students and teachers of the “Come, Follow Me” curriculum.

Westminster Bridge and Big Ben, in London (Wikimedia Commons public domain image)

It is a cherished article of faith among certain critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that the chapels and youth programs of the Church are exceptionally dangerous places for young people, and that the leaders of the Church are callously and self-servingly indifferent to such matters. An article by Jennifer Roach suggests that those critics might be . . . well, mistaken: “Latter-day Saint Enigma: Their Unexpected Troop Abuse Rates: Are Latter-day Saints more likely to abuse kids? Through statistical analysis of the BSA abuse case, we have our first data-supported answer to the question.”

A little bit of comparison and comparative data, and a little bit of caution, might be helpful. Certainly, William John Meegan’s 2010 article “A Forgotten Study: Abuse in School 100 Times Worse than by Priests” suggests that that might be true in the case of Catholic clergy, and I expect the same to be true for Latter-day Saints:

In the last several weeks such a quantity of ink has been spilled in newspapers across the globe about the priestly sex abuse scandals, that a casual reader might be forgiven for thinking that Catholic priests are the worst and most common perpetrators of child sex abuse. But according to Charol Shakeshaft, the researcher of a little-remembered 2004 study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, “the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests.”

Westminster Abbey, in London. (Wikimedia CC photo by Paul Farmer)

And now, suddenly, I’m in the mood for a little rummaging around in the Christopher Hitchens Memorial “How Religion Poisons Everything” File™, which never fails to horrify:

“New report names Utah the healthiest state for seniors. Here’s why: The 2023 Senior Report, released by the United Health Foundation in May, determined state rankings by analyzing 52 measures from 22 data sources” (Although they’re not made explicit, it’s scarcely difficult to recognize the links to religion, religious practice, and religious community in this article.)
“On Juneteenth in Memphis, Church and NAACP announce more help to combat infant mortality: Church’s $500,000 donation will help renovate NAACP Memphis Branch for MyBaby4Me meetings, other community functions”
“The Tabernacle Choir Shares Songs of Hope With Thousands in Mexico: A music video, humanitarian outreach, interfaith connections, and three concerts on the first stop of the Choir’s world tour.”
“Medical Training, Computers Enhance Education, and Service in Flooded Communities: Service from Latter-day Saints Around the World”
“Church of Jesus Christ and WaterAid Bring Safe Water to Schools, Communities: Examples in Papua New Guinea and Liberia highlight how the Church and WaterAid are working to change lives”
“Latter-day Saints Continue to Provide Earthquake Relief in Türkiye and Syria”
“Why Latter-day Saints and mainline Protestants have the highest social capital rates: A new AEI report explores how Latter-day Saint doctrine and Protestant cultural relevancy matter”
“Church-Funded Donation to Revive Prosthetics Workshop in Limpopo, South Africa: The more than R6-million donation will up-skill orthotics technicians and enable the centre to produce almost 300 prosthetics next year.”
“The perils of cohabitation and why timing is linked to later divorce: University of Denver researchers say living together before marriage now ‘part of dating culture’”
“They’re the Happiest People in America. We Called Them to Ask Why. Only 12% of respondents in a recent WSJ poll said they were ‘very happy.’ We called to ask what makes them different.”
“Religiosity Reduces Sexual Aggression and Coercion in a Longitudinal Cohort of College Men: Mediating Roles of Peer Norms, Promiscuity, and Pornography” (“Extensive literature suggests that religiosity is a protective factor in reducing a number of deviant behaviors, including sexual aggression. Whereas previous research focused on the role of risky alcohol consumption in mediating the relationship between religiosity and sexual aggression, this study explores the hypothesized meditational paths from religiosity to sexual aggression and technology-based coercive behavior through peer norms, pornography consumption, and promiscuity. Findings from a four-year longitudinal study of male college students suggest that peer norms and promiscuity mediate the relationship between religiosity and both outcome measures, while pornography consumption mediates the relationship between religiosity and technology-based coercive behavior. These findings may inform ongoing practice and future research into possible mechanisms by which problematic sexual behaviors may be influenced.”)

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