The comments reveal the real issue - sexual predation is manifest everywhere. In beating up the Church all the time, the real extent of the problem is hidden and rationisations of why it happens can and are restricted to celebacy, gay repression etc etc.

Married and single doctors, football coaches, state school teachers, police officers, social workers, legal professionals, step-parents, mums and dads are all involved.

All people we wouldn't readily attribute mental illness to and who are involved in this activity with a level of consciousness and responsibilty unlike the genuinely ill.

It just doesn't make sense. The urge to sexually abuse or take advantage of another is just overwhelming for such a large number of the population.

Thank you for your simple insight into a disastrous situation. Thank you to all the people who have answered from their hearts...who have revealed difficult things to reveal. Most of the revelations we have heard in the media do deal with matters happening over twenty years ago. Today, we are told that in churches and in wider society, structures have changed and are continuing to change in order to protect children from those who are more powerful. We need to remain vigilent to love and care for our children and to continue to protect them. Weneed to remain open to and care for those who have been hurt in the past.

RUNNER is on the money here.. if we can have a supreme court justice masterbating at Winyard station while observing males...(public record) then..who knows what the other judges are doing?

Not only them..but every strata of society.

a friend at Gym told me of an attempted abuse by a Priest.

They were at a church/school camp. The priest said ".... do you want to goto the shops?" he said.."sure" and off they went in the Priests car..but not to the shops. Priest asks "... how are you going at school?" he replies "could be better"..Priest "What can we do about that eh?" He says "Don't know".. Priest says"How about you get out of the car.. pull your pants down and I spank you!" he refused and threatened to tell his mother..and after a few more attempts to grope the boy he relented when he was assured the boy would tell his mum.

The same boy was ALSO molested by a non Church person, who happened to be the Footy club MASSEURE! So, it's not just priests, but it IS allll bad.

mykah

That's not a bad list of plausible reasons to explain why it's taken so long for past offences to come to light.
<<The cunning of the perpetrators.
<<The cloud of secrecy, silence and shame.
<<The long, painful process that victims go though to see the past objectively.
<<The deification of the church and its ministers.
<<The lack of interest and support from parents.>>

The last one surprises me more than any other. I can understand it in relation to State Wards and children in foster care or institutions where by definition parents are not in a position even to know let alone take action. But if children in regular families are sexually abused surely their parents would be appalled and angry enought to want to take action against the abuser?

Reality Check,

<<Married and single doctors, football coaches, state school teachers, police officers, social workers, legal professionals, step-parents, mums and dads are all involved. All people we wouldn't readily attribute mental illness to and who are involved in this activity with a level of consciousness and responsibilty unlike the genuinely ill. It just doesn't make sense. The urge to sexually abuse or take advantage of another is just overwhelming for such a large number of the population.>>

Surely you're not proposing that, because sexual abuse of children is sometimes done with a 'level of consciousness', that the perpetrator is not 'genuinely ill'? The vast majority of adults are not predators and, if they do have urges to sexually abuse children, they would seek help. All abusers are mentally ill, surely?.

Runner,

Ki Meekins' book, "Red Tape Rape" illustrates your point about the power of some pedophiles.

Bloods,

At what point in time was sexual abuse of children not a crime?

Hello to huffnpuff. Good to see you're still on the case!

HI TO ALL THE FORGOTTEN AUSTRALIANS

Thanks spikey for the suport ,
just letting you all know im not one for sitting back , ive been trying to get justice for over ten years of which , some olo members are aware of,

i had appealed the courts dissission of 20 september 2006 , of which the court still found in favour of the state and not the victim,

well the appeal was heard on the 18/08/2008 , at sydney supreme banco court room , , the three judges that heard the case are justce beazley, cheif justice spigleman ,and justice handley, at the end of the court session the judges stated that they will reserve their dissission of the case ,
so now i have to wait until the judges come back with their answer to the appeal , when that will be i have no idea as no date was set in the court room for the answer to be returned ,
we are real victims and the state and the courts know this as do the members of parliment and that of the prime minister

yet the courts and goverment are doing nothing and continue to cover up the abuses we victims suffered ,

maybe justcie might be given in my case we can only wait to find out ,

and can only hope the courts find in favour of the victim and not the state that continue to cover up the abuse we suffered
kind regards huffnpuff

Mykah.. wise words.. much deeper than many of your observers realize.

SPIKEY SAID...
Surely you're not proposing that, because sexual abuse of children is sometimes done with a 'level of consciousness', that the perpetrator is not 'genuinely ill'? The vast majority of adults are not predators and, if they do have urges to sexually abuse children, they would seek help. All abusers are mentally ill, surely?.

hooray :)

Sahih Bukhari Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64
Narrated 'Aisha:
that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years (i.e., till his death).

(he was in mid 50s at this time)

Finally Spikey understands by his own admission..why such acts are inherrently 'abuse' .... good.. we are now on the same page.

Having power over people 'spiritually' whether it is by a claim to prophethood..or priesthood.. can easily lead to abuse, and often does.

It did for many priests and it did for many calling themselves 'prophets'

-Joseph Smith
-David Koresh
-Jim Jones
-Mohammad bin Abdullah