A Canadian woman is asking this very question after a man convicted of sexually assaulting her received glowing support from community leaders during the sentencing phase of his trial.
I almost let this one pass. It seemed trivial when I read it this morning. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that this seemingly small thing, leniency for a convicted sex offender, may actually articulate the problem I have with sex crimes and religious hypocrisy.
Jonas Bouvier appears to have the support of community. He once ran for public office, Is a member of the Tlicho Christian Fellowship, and appears to be "one of the guys". Pastor David Shed's primary concern is for Bouvier's family. The victim is never mentioned.
OK, so Bouvier's wife is sick, Bouvier is the sole provider for his family, and they live in the middle no where. Bouvier's a nice guy with an aling family. It's just that he likes to push the girls around. It's all good fun. I understand the thinking here, and it wrong.
The message Pastor David Shed sends is one which allows predators like Bouvier to escape the consequences of their actions. It would been a more effective message had Shed condemned Bouvier's crime, cast him from the church, and encouraged Bouvier to do his time, seek counseling, and then seek to rejoin the community once the wounds have healed.
Bouvier's wife... perhaps his church community can pitch in to care for her while he is paying the price for assaulting an innocent woman. Is it too much to ask ?
Pastor David Shed cares only for his sheep. The victim is not his concern. He claims to have contacted other members of the church and community leaders before making his recommendation. Only... he did not contacted the victim. He wrote a nice glowing letter of support for the perpetrator instead.
What message do Pastor Shed's actions send? They marginalizes a serious crime, they enable bad behavior, and they heap pain and suffering on the real victim. Great work Pastor Shen, great work.
Source: Sexual assault victim shocked by community leaders' support for attacker
3 comments:
Tlicho Christian Fellowship Pastor David Shed, Behchoko Chief Leon Lafferty, and Monfwi MLA Jackson Lafferty urged the judge not to jail Bouvier because his wife is ill and he is the sole provider for their family.
Though the mans actions were not called for, people, like my father the pastor, have their reasons. Perhaps put yourself in someone elses shoes.Its easy to be the critic.
it is truly unfortunate that the man's wife is sick. It should have no bearing on a just punishment.
Of course "Pastor" Shed would write a glowing recommendation. He himself is a child beater! Check out his record back in Texas! He was reported to the RCMP, but nothing ever happened.
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