This "little light" shines for the many clergy abuse victims whose voices have been silenced. Silenced by shame. Silenced by the false instruction of religious leaders. Silenced by church shunning and bullying. Silenced by church contracts for secrecy. Silenced by suicide. The mission of StopBaptistPredators.org is to break the silence of Baptist clergy sex abuse.
California: Baptist church deacon sentenced for child molestation
He was at the Baptist Church of Cool near Sacramento.
Read more & more
GRACE report details extensive abuse of kids, and cover-up, at mission school in Senegal
The 68-page report >
Missouri: Southern Baptist pastor charged
with child molestation in St. Louis
Read more & more
South Carolina: Baptist pastor arrested
on child sex abuse charges
"It's the third time the convicted felon... has been accused of child-abuse related charges." He had prior claims of using "hernia checks" as a pretense for fondling boys, and prior conviction for bilking religious investors out of millions.
Read more & more
See videos at WCNC & WBTV
To make children safer, Baptists need:
1. A safe and welcoming place for victims to report clergy sex abuse;
2. An objective, professionally-trained panel for responsibly assessing victims' abuse reports; and
3. An efficient means of assuring that assessment information reaches people in the pews -- i.e., a database. |
ABC's 20/20: Preacher Predators
"What surprised us... is how little is being done to stop it."
Part 1 > Part 2 > Part 3 >
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TIME ranks Southern Baptists' rejection of sex-offender database as a top "underreported" news story of 2008
"The lack of hierarchical structure and systematized record-keeping... makes it harder... to track allegations of abuse."
TIME's top 10 story >
Associated Baptist Press > |
Southern Baptists reject sex-abuse database
"Under pressure to fight child sex abuse, the SBC's executive committee said…the denomination should not create its own database to help churches identity predators or establish an office to field abuse claims.” Associated Press >
"Instead of protecting its followers from sexual predators, Nashville's Southern Baptist Convention leaves churches to fend for themselves." Nashville Scene >
"The very fact that Baptist churches are autonomous signals that they need the information that the convention could provide." Tennessean editorial >
"To argue that a list of Southern Baptist ministers who are sexual predators violates the self-government of a local church is illogical." Burleson op-ed >
"Baptists miss an opportunity." Dallas Morning News editorial >
"Holy hypocrisy!" Winson-Salem Journal editorial >
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"The SBC prevaricates by saying ...
... that the creation of a Baptist database would just confuse matters." Marci Hamilton, Princeton law professor
Read more > |
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CALL THE SUICIDE HOT LINE.
If you are having thoughts about suicide,
call
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