Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

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Not Buying It
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Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Not Buying It » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:26 am

https://www.ksl.com/article/46447192/ex ... JPyk2T8npM
A church spokesman said Head was removed from his position after the allegations surfaced.

"Abuse of any kind cannot be tolerated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anyone who engages in such behavior is rightfully subject to criminal prosecution and will also face discipline from the church, including loss of church membership," spokesman Eric Hawkins said Wednesday. "Upon learning of these allegations, we took steps to notify authorities and to support their investigation into this matter. This individual was also immediately removed from any position in the church."
Bullcrap. The whole reason all of this happened is because the Church put a sexual predator in a position where he was meeting with youth alone one-on-one and asking them sexually inappropriate questions - which he was expected to do per Church policy. This is a systematic problem, not some aberrant situation where no one really knows how the guy got access to teenagers. The Church caused this, and the Church bears some of the blame. Yes, Bishop Head made his disgusting choices (this is serious, let's avoid the obvious jokes here), but the Church is the one who created an environment that allowed him to act on his choices.

Why the hell do I belong to an organization that fosters this kind of environment and excommunicates Sam Young for trying to change it?
"The truth is elegantly simple. The lie needs complex apologia. 4 simple words: Joe made it up. It answers everything with the perfect simplicity of Occam's Razor. Every convoluted excuse withers." - Some guy on Reddit called disposazelph

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Hagoth
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Hagoth » Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:04 am

Any idea what calling he was removed from? I got the impression that this happened after he was a bishop but it was hard to be certain from this report.

"Abuse of any kind cannot be tolerated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anyone who engages in such behavior is rightfully subject to criminal prosecution and will also face discipline from the church, including loss of church membership,"

Yeah, except for the hundreds who have been hidden and defended by the church, and whose victims the church has taken action against. I suspect there was a parent threatening to go to the police that moved things along faster in this case.

Interestingly, the only news stories that popped up on a Google search for this were KSL and Deseret News. What do you think that means? It this a "see, we really don't tolerate this kind of thing" statement?
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain

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Not Buying It
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Not Buying It » Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:32 am

Hagoth wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:04 am
Interestingly, the only news stories that popped up on a Google search for this were KSL and Deseret News. What do you think that means? It this a "see, we really don't tolerate this kind of thing" statement?
Yeah, I wonder about that too. Maybe the Church is trying to get out ahead of the story, and made sure KSL and Deseret News got access to it first somehow?
"The truth is elegantly simple. The lie needs complex apologia. 4 simple words: Joe made it up. It answers everything with the perfect simplicity of Occam's Razor. Every convoluted excuse withers." - Some guy on Reddit called disposazelph

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Red Ryder
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Red Ryder » Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:20 pm

Another boy told police that Head would discuss sex "all the time," according to the charges. One night, after a church activity in August of 2017, Head drove the boy home. But when he got to the boy's driveway, he "locked the vehicle doors and stated, 'We have to figure this masturbation thing out. You're not leaving until we figure this out,'" the charges state.
And there it is folks! The church culture allows this to happen over and over and over again.
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Stig
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Stig » Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:53 pm

But, hey, the whole leadership one-on-one worthiness interviews are no big deal, right? Nothing bad comes from establishing that kind of expectation, right?! It's not like it's used for GROOMING for later bad acts, RIGHT?!


[crickets]
“Some say he’s wanted by the CIA and that he sleeps upside down like a Bat. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

“Some say that he lives in a tree, and that his sweat can be used to clean precious metals. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

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Red Ryder
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Red Ryder » Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:05 pm

Stig wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:53 pm
But, hey, the whole leadership one-on-one worthiness interviews are no big deal, right? Nothing bad comes from establishing that kind of expectation, right?! It's not like it's used for GROOMING for later bad acts, RIGHT?!


[crickets]
Did you see Smac97's post over at that other board? He clearly sees this as a problem right up until it's connected to the culture of worthiness interviews. Then suddenly church responsibility ends and a rogue Bishop appears who took things beyond the "established boundaries".

It's disgusting. He's a tool.

http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/713 ... -offenses/

HappyJackWagon takes him to task and he responds pathetically. And it appears you can't copy and paste from that place. Sheesh!!

Essentially they all say "my Bishop doesn't do that...."

Morons!
“It always devolves to Pantaloons. Always.” ~ Fluffy

“I switched baristas” ~ Lady Gaga

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moksha
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by moksha » Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:24 pm

Wonder if this will vindicate Sam Young in the eyes of rank and file Saints (formerly the Mormons)?
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
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Stig
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Stig » Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:49 pm

Red Ryder wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 4:05 pm
Stig wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 3:53 pm
But, hey, the whole leadership one-on-one worthiness interviews are no big deal, right? Nothing bad comes from establishing that kind of expectation, right?! It's not like it's used for GROOMING for later bad acts, RIGHT?!


[crickets]
Did you see Smac97's post over at that other board? He clearly sees this as a problem right up until it's connected to the culture of worthiness interviews. Then suddenly church responsibility ends and a rogue Bishop appears who took things beyond the "established boundaries".

It's disgusting. He's a tool.

http://www.mormondialogue.org/topic/713 ... -offenses/

HappyJackWagon takes him to task and he responds pathetically. And it appears you can't copy and paste from that place. Sheesh!!

Essentially they all say "my Bishop doesn't do that...."

Morons!
Yes, I definitely saw that...I WANTED to respond, but realized I would just get dragged down into another rabbit hole of nonsense and I restrained myself...at least, for now.
“Some say he’s wanted by the CIA and that he sleeps upside down like a Bat. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

“Some say that he lives in a tree, and that his sweat can be used to clean precious metals. All we know is he’s called the Stig.”

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wtfluff
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by wtfluff » Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:06 pm

Not Buying It wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:32 am
Hagoth wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 10:04 am
Interestingly, the only news stories that popped up on a Google search for this were KSL and Deseret News. What do you think that means? It this a "see, we really don't tolerate this kind of thing" statement?
Yeah, I wonder about that too. Maybe the Church is trying to get out ahead of the story, and made sure KSL and Deseret News got access to it first somehow?
Add me to the "wondering" list. KSL would never be "the first" to publish something like this unless there were some underlying reason that's forcing them to do so.
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Just This Guy
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Just This Guy » Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:03 am

I wonder if there is a lawsuit brewing for yet another case of the church harboring a known abuser. To try to head one off by getting ahead of the suit and says "look at us and what we did to kick him out."

Did the church try to cover for him like they have done in other cases and got caught, again?
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Not Buying It
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Not Buying It » Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:36 am

moksha wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:24 pm
Wonder if this will vindicate Sam Young in the eyes of rank and file Saints (formerly the Mormons)?
It should, but in the eyes of most members "Napolean is always right". They also say "I will work harder". And they will continue to say those two things right up until the moment Napolean sends them to the Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler.
"The truth is elegantly simple. The lie needs complex apologia. 4 simple words: Joe made it up. It answers everything with the perfect simplicity of Occam's Razor. Every convoluted excuse withers." - Some guy on Reddit called disposazelph

Thoughtful
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by Thoughtful » Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:16 am

I think the fact that some of the abuse was under the guise of "getting your masturbation habit under control" supports Sam's cause. The problem as Spouseman pointed out is that to faithful LDS, any news article about any wrongdoing in the church is seen as persecution, anti-mormons. They don't even open the article, let alone think critically about it.

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2bizE
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by 2bizE » Fri Dec 14, 2018 12:28 pm

Red Ryder wrote:
Thu Dec 13, 2018 1:20 pm
Another boy told police that Head would discuss sex "all the time," according to the charges. One night, after a church activity in August of 2017, Head drove the boy home. But when he got to the boy's driveway, he "locked the vehicle doors and stated, 'We have to figure this masturbation thing out. You're not leaving until we figure this out,'" the charges state.
And there it is folks! The church culture allows this to happen over and over and over again.
Don't ya love forced 1:1 bishop interviews.
~2bizE

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achilles
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by achilles » Fri Dec 14, 2018 1:25 pm

At some point, the police got involved. We need more of this. No more handling things "in house". We need more families just calling the cops.

I realize the reality can be more complex than just picking up the phone. But I really tire of Bishops and SPs trying to handle real crimes without involving the authorities.
“For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.”

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2bizE
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Re: Former Bishop Accused of Sex Crimes with Boys

Post by 2bizE » Fri Dec 14, 2018 2:46 pm

achilles wrote:
Fri Dec 14, 2018 1:25 pm
At some point, the police got involved. We need more of this. No more handling things "in house". We need more families just calling the cops.

I realize the reality can be more complex than just picking up the phone. But I really tire of Bishops and SPs trying to handle real crimes without involving the authorities.
I speculate that the church had little to do with contacting police.
~2bizE

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