Recovering Grace has stories of sexual abuse at HQ

[Dhani_C]

I think it's even harder at that 'almost adult' age.

[disclosure to why this hits home: My parents actually did a fairly OK job at giving me the message...but when I was a young adult, just past my teens, I was 'groomed' by a boss (at my dream job, FWIW. *shakes fist*) and his behavior was very much like described in the linked blog. ]

Most of what is described can be 'to innocent' to raise a stink over, it's easily explained away. Not that that makes it OK, but subtle abuses are harder to pin down.

And who the hell does a 17 YO raise it with? They're not fully ready to be under mom and dad's authority on some of these things...

If it was a 10 YO, it'd be easier to go to mom and dad. And a 25 YO probably has the social skills and spine to stand up for herself. But that middle-ground, to 'independent' for mom and dad, with behavior to subtle to necessarily be able to report elsewhere (especially for girls who have been told men's behavior is their fault and that only horrid 'femi-nazis' demand not being treated badly) but not quite sure how to have a 'polite spin' or to be heard as an authority, etc...that's a prime age for abuse.

At that age (I'm in my 20s now), I was just careful to never be alone with any male who I didn't know really well (that was older than me, not anyone my own age). Most of my male teachers in high school (and college as well), kept their doors open when talking to students and some even made it a point to only talk to students in the hallway as a way to protect the students and themselves in case anyone accused them of something. Anytime a male authority figure would want to meet privately somewhere out of sight, I said no thank you.

[Dhani_C]

Because they were girls, and thus, inherently sexually curious and will seek out sexual experiences from a young age. <--- that's their thinking. Which I find appalling.

I'm not nearly as close as I once was to this friend mainly because of this attitude about women. She has two daughters that she still sends to that church and Sunday school.

Frankly, a child that young is not capable of seeking out a sexual experience as they have no idea what it is (not to say that children aren't curious about their bodies, but it's not like they even understand the mechanics of sex at that age). For goodness sake, what happened to the "innocence of children"?

[BravaAmica]

Frankly, a child that young is not capable of seeking out a sexual experience as they have no idea what it is (not to say that children aren't curious about their bodies, but it's not like they even understand the mechanics of sex at that age). For goodness sake, what happened to the "innocence of children"?

What happened to the "innocence of children"? It's become sex-obsessed, just like most other facets of evangelical/fundie culture.

ETA: Yes, I agree 100% that children of that age is incapable of seeking out sex. And it's appalling that the fundie/evangelical culture applies it's obsession with sex to such young children.

[doggie]

This is the least of the horrible things he has done. He screws up whole families and keeps them from becoming good caring educated people. he takes their money shames them and manipulates them generation after generation. he causes parents to keep their children from becoming adults and living independent lives. Now if he is raping them or talking them into sex then that will move to the top.

But overall he is a very nasty person that thinks he is gods prophet or Jesus himself.

[MerryHappy]

On the second sexual harassment article, there is a comment from a young lady named Emily who spells out exactly how Gothard harassed her and from what I can tell, it was fairly recent. She was thirteen when Gothard began paying her special attention.

I run in the X-ATI circles and can tell you that the pro-ATI crowd is not fighting for Gothard on RG for the most part. They are going after Xers on their FB walls when they post links to the articles. They mostly are harping on how people are "taking up others offenses."

They can kiss my ass. What they call "taking up offense" is what I call protecting the helpless. And fuck them And fuck the horses they rode into town on.