Deep Thoughts: Pastor Bendert to remain in jail

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Pastor Bendert to remain in jail

In the absence of any other evidence one must weight the risk to the community when determining if a man accused of a horrible crime should go free. I am happy to see that the judge in the William Bendert case saw the potential for harm and determine the pedopastor should stay in jail.

Concluding that a Lutheran pastor could be a danger to children and himself, a federal magistrate ordered Tuesday that the pastor remain jailed until trial on charges that he offered to be a sex coach for minor girls over the Internet.

Read more: Pastor to remain jailed in sex case

It’s a hard call, especially when the accused has no criminal record. You must weigh the gravity of the crime. Bendert’s crime was potentially life changing if he had been able to teach a young girl the ropes. I wonder in cases like this who his parishioners feel? I imagine that no amount of hot water and soup can cleans the stain from their souls (if they had one!).

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Pedophiles

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Anonymous · 766 weeks ago

I am a parishioner from his church and I believe that his sentence should be very harsh. I even know his wife and daughter but that does not stop me from believing that he shouldn't be behind bars. It drives me crazy that he stood in front of me for so many years as a pastor, preaching me about the bible. Also, we have so many middle-school age girls at the church and the thought of him teaching them during Confirmation is also disgusting. His clean record means nothing. It is so sad because I am questioning my own faith because of his actions.

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