"laestadian, apostolic, gay, lgbtq, ex-oalc, ex-llc, llc, oalc, bunner" LEARNING TO LIVE FREE: What Makes Monsters of Men

Sunday, November 03, 2013

What Makes Monsters of Men



At least 130 women and children drugged and sexually assaulted in their own homes, by members of their families and religious community. A community that perpetuates ignorance and unquestioning obedience to the authority of a few men, that places a low value on the human rights of women and children, that socially enforces a doctrine of forgive-and-forget, that values appearances over character, that nurtures a conspiracy of silence, stigma, shame, and lack of accountability . . . sound familiar?

When tradition trumps morality, this is what you get. And as we know all too well, it exists all over the world, not just among a few old-order Mennonites in Bolivia. The only cure is education.

Please share widely.

From the Jezebel article.
Over the course of four years, 130 females of a Mennonite colony in Bolivia reported that they'd woken up with raging headaches, bits of rope in their hair, pain "down below," memory loss, and blood and semen stains on their sheets. For the townsfolk there was no other explanation: a demon was raping their women.
From the Time news report:
The formal indictments list victims ages 8 to 60 years old, including one who is mentally retarded and another who was pregnant and sent into premature labor after allegedly being raped by one of the men — her brother.
. . . entrenched, patriarchal seclusion, say those familiar with such communities, can breed behavioral rot and a culture of cover-up . . .
And finally, these quotes from the lengthy, must-read, Vice article:
Those under the age of 18 named in the lawsuit were brought in for psychological assessment as mandated by Bolivian law, and court documents note that every one of these young girls showed signs of posttraumatic stress and was recommended for long-term counselling – but not one has received any form of therapy since their evaluations. 
. . .  if one woman didn’t want to forgive . . .  he would have simply explained to her that if she didn’t forgive, then God wouldn’t forgive her”.
"In any other society, by elementary school a child knows that if they are being abused they can, at least in theory, go to the police or a teacher or some other authority. But who can these girls go to?” 
“Of course it continued after that,” Agnes said of her father. “He just learned to hide it better.” She told me she doesn’t have faith “in anyone who after one week says they have turned their life around”, before adding, “I have no faith in a system that permits that.”
What can you do, where you're at right now, to help educate children in Laestadian communities?

5 comments:

  1. Well, that was good for a nice Monday afternoon almost-vomit session, I mean, read.
    If I could start a non-profit it would include a secluded location where "ex"es and victims of spiritual abuse could go to recover. I wish I could find someone to donate farming land with housing for these ladies (or survivors) and their kids so that they could be free to live independently, if they wanted. It seems in so many cases the options for them are so severely limited, short of a total life and relocation overhaul along with a complete set of funding and protection, cloak and dagger routine.
    We need to start thinking bigger, cumulatively.
    -Pebbles

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  2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UOk5iyCxws
    Sr. Joan Chittister speaking at the Westminster town hall forum ...saying what pebbles said..among other things. Very interesting. I sat my 14 year old daughter down and we watched it together.
    Unbeliever

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  3. Dang. I need to give this top billing . . . what a powerful video! Thanks for sharing, Unbeliever. I will definitely have my kids and husband watch this.

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  4. Most Biblical warning against sin are skewed towards men...young men in particular. In general men seem to be be more violent and evil than women. Just take a look at your local police blotter. The best preventive medicine is to openly discuss the issue and ensure that there are appropriate safeguards in place. I recall a lot of the young guys...the so-called 'bad boys', snickering over sex jokes and making lewd comments about various gals amongst each other. Yet the 'bad boys' always seemed to have a flock of girls around them. It makes one wonder.....? Old AP

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  5. Yes this does sound all to familiar!

    If there is a someone who has been through this and is reading this right now, i want you to know that there is help out there for your suffering.
    There are people who understand and can help you.
    You are not alone.
    You may think it is your fault. You may be to ashamed to talk about it openly so if you want to talk about it, but you don't want to reveal who you are, you can anonymously email me at myreflectiveview@gmail.com. or i know the founder of this blog could also share resources with you. You could even set up an anonymous email and message your school councilor, teacher, your doctor...
    if you know of others who have been molested or abused please share this with them.
    I know it is all confusing with how we have been taught to forgive and forget but picture this... If a preacher was getting hit over the head with a bat by someone, do you think the preacher would try to stop the person from hitting him again? Of course he would! Do you think the preacher would go to the doctor to get his injuries fixed up? You bet he would! Do you think he would tell the police that he was attached by a madman? I can almost guarantee it! Well, Your injuries should be even more concerning.

    -my view

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