Sam Young’s Crusade continues

[2bizE]

I saw this article on Reddit and thought I would place it here.
It is about a man’s journey to protect children when the church is trying to protect the predator…you’ve heard the story…same story different day.
https://www.postbulletin.com/news/local ... use-issues

[Cnsl1]

Amen

[Hagoth]

What a great article. A couple of things that really caught my attention:

...two local high-ranking church leaders submitted affidavits to the Dodge County Court in defense of Davis... These affidavits contained the same wording as well as, in my opinion, several inaccuracies. I later learned that the affidavits were written by LDS Church attorneys in Utah.

Unfortunately, there are no resources or places within the church that someone could go for help. As I have experienced, people are silenced when they try to speak out.

This article really shines a light on the nasty passive-aggressive behavior of the church, like when they denied him access to his membership account and he had to take them to court to get it back.

His five suggestions to fix the abuse are very reasonable, but I guess the church would prefer to allow children to be abused because changes to policy might look like they're admitting imperfection.

This is also a great reminder that one person's actions can have long-term consequences. I was in the Sam Young march to the COB and I continue to defiantly touch church-owned buildings.

[deacon blues]

I agree with his reasoning here:

I started speaking out when I realized that Davis was a registered sex offender from Utah and, despite this, he was put in a position of authority in our local congregation. This fact raised two concerns:
The LDS Church teaches that church leaders have the "gift of discernment," "inspiration," and "revelation" from God when they make leadership callings. Local church leaders called Michael Adam Davis to be elders quorum president in the Kasson Branch despite Davis being a registered sex offender and having two felony sex abuse convictions in Utah. If these leaders are truly God’s servants (and were called themselves by inspiration), then they should have discerned that Davis was a sex offender before putting him into a leadership position.
And the LDS Church has policies about annotating a person's membership record when they are convicted of a crime, especially child sex abuse. Therefore, either the church leaders in Utah failed to annotate Davis' membership record or the church leaders in Minnesota ignored the annotation. Either way, the LDS Church and its leaders were negligent and should be held responsible for the abuse that happened.

Who would disagree?

[Red Ryder]

It’s furious to think the church doesn’t do the majority of these items already. It really shows the willingness to hide and obfuscate any claims of abuse. Seriously disturbing considering the family nature of the church.

There are five simple changes that the LDS Church can make in order to create a safer place for children within its congregations:

1. Complete criminal background checks on all members serving in any leadership or volunteer position. This simple act could have prevented the abuse case in Kasson.
Follow state-mandated reporter laws. Currently, LDS Church leaders (bishops) are not required to call child protection or law enforcement. Instead, they are instructed to call a special leader abuse hotline, which is answered by LDS Church attorneys.

2. Follow state-mandated reporter laws. Currently, LDS Church leaders (bishops) are not required to call child protection or law enforcement. Instead, they are instructed to call a special leader abuse hotline, which is answered by LDS Church attorneys.

3. End one-on-one worthiness interviews. Children and youth are regularly interviewed by adult male church leaders in private during which very personal and explicit sexual questions are sometimes asked. These one-on-one interviews lay the foundation for children and youth to be desensitized to being alone with adult males and talking about private matters.

4. Discontinue the special leader abuse hotline. LDS Church leaders should be required to call child protection and/or law enforcement whenever there is suspicion of abuse. We should leave it to these experts to investigate cases of abuse. It is very likely that the local leaders called this special help line instead of law enforcement as evidenced by LDS Church attorneys getting involved in the Kasson case.

5. Provide more training to church leaders. All of the leaders within the LDS Church are volunteer lay people who have other full-time jobs. They receive very minimal training about how to handle abuse cases. The LDS Church has sufficient assets to fully fund training, abuse prevention programs, and victim services among other things.
The LDS Church has not been receptive to any of these changes. In fact, members who have advocated for these changes have been excommunicated from the Church (i.e. Sam Young with Protect Every Child ).

[2bizE]

I agree with his reasoning here:

I started speaking out when I realized that Davis was a registered sex offender from Utah and, despite this, he was put in a position of authority in our local congregation. This fact raised two concerns:
The LDS Church teaches that church leaders have the "gift of discernment," "inspiration," and "revelation" from God when they make leadership callings. Local church leaders called Michael Adam Davis to be elders quorum president in the Kasson Branch despite Davis being a registered sex offender and having two felony sex abuse convictions in Utah. If these leaders are truly God’s servants (and were called themselves by inspiration), then they should have discerned that Davis was a sex offender before putting him into a leadership position.
And the LDS Church has policies about annotating a person's membership record when they are convicted of a crime, especially child sex abuse. Therefore, either the church leaders in Utah failed to annotate Davis' membership record or the church leaders in Minnesota ignored the annotation. Either way, the LDS Church and its leaders were negligent and should be held responsible for the abuse that happened.

Who would disagree?

Apparently, the Stake President and church leaders and church attorneys would disagree with this reasonable request.

[moksha]

Siding with the abusers and helping to silence and marginalize the victims is an example of LDS values. That is why members of good conscience are leaving the Church.

[Angel]

6. End support groups, aka abuser enabler groups.

Ugh. I can't.

Growing up his parents ignored it. The neighborhood kids who were hurt, sibling friends who were hurt, ignored, excused, sush.

1st temple marriage, it was her fault not him. She was the plate throwing temper-tantrum spoiled rich girl, not his fault.

2nd temple marriage - she was abused by her dad, already knew how to keep quiet. She's RS president, he serves in the bishopric.

All their kids, spent their whole life ... not knowing any better.

His work turned him in.
This state doesn't release sex offenders. No probation. he will die in jail.

His 2nd wife still visits him.

[blazerb]

It’s furious to think the church doesn’t do the majority of these items already. It really shows the willingness to hide and obfuscate any claims of abuse. Seriously disturbing considering the family nature of the church.

I predict that they will do them. There is probably unanimous support for doing most of them right now (not sure about shutting down the hotline). However, they have to do them in a way that does not look like they are responding to pressure. It's about maintaining the illusion of discernment. While they wait for the cultural conditions to be just right, kids will be hurt and abused. Lives will be ruined. We can see how hollow Holland's call that "people are more important than programs" really is. If they had real authority, they would not be afraid of people thinking that they don't have it.

6. End support groups, aka abuser enabler groups.

Ugh. I can't.

Growing up his parents ignored it. The neighborhood kids who were hurt, sibling friends who were hurt, ignored, excused, sush.

1st temple marriage, it was her fault not him. She was the plate throwing temper-tantrum spoiled rich girl, not his fault.

2nd temple marriage - she was abused by her dad, already knew how to keep quiet. She's RS president, he serves in the bishopric.

All their kids, spent their whole life ... not knowing any better.

His work turned him in.
This state doesn't release sex offenders. No probation. he will die in jail.

His 2nd wife still visits him.

This is so sad.