Police don’t investigate sins Pastor Jack Schaap

Sins… let’s call it what it really is. If the police are investigating anything, it is an alleged crime; not a sin. Right pastor John Schaap?

Jack Schaap, 54, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Hammond since 2001, was fired by a deacon board, said Eddie Wilson, director of public relations for the church. 

Wilson said Tuesday church officials didn’t believe anything criminal occurred, but information was turned over to the sheriff’s department “for the sake of transparency and honesty.”

I have my fingers cross with this case. I don’t want this to be another story of abuse. I don’t want to hear that another child was hurt. Please be infidelity or something to do with money. Please…. I am afraid it is something to do with sex though.

“They’re trying to reconcile their marriage,” Wilson said. “The church will move on and begin the process of calling a new pastor.”

The “they” in the quote above is pastor Jack Schaap and his wife Cindy. Reconciliation sounds a lot like the have marital issues to work out.

The First Baptist Church of Hammondis a mega church with 15,000 members. They did the right thing and went public with a press release.

First Baptist Church Pastor Dismissed
Hammond, IN–At this time, we deeply regret the need to announce that First Baptist Church has dismissed our pastor, Dr. Jack Schaap, due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be our pastor. First Baptist Church is in full cooperation with our local authorities in their investigation of this matter. Our church grieves over the need to take this action and the impact it will have on our people. 

We ask that everyone pray for the families involved and pray that the situation will be handled in a Christ honoring manner. We look forward to the days ahead as we continue to service the needs of our surrounding community and the Chicago area. 

For any media-related questions, please contact First Baptist Church spokesman, Eddie Wilson at (219) 945-6475.
Source: First Baptist Church Pastor Dismissed

*** Edited 8/1/2012: Corrected misspelling.
*** Update 8/1/2012: Schaap allegedly had an relationship with a girl that may have been as young as 16. The FBI and local police are investigating. The relationship may have crossed state lines.
*** Update 8/1/2012: Schaap admits to sleeping with an underaged teen. 

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Hypocrisy

Pastor Charles Savage indicted

Pastor Charles Savage is back in trouble again. This time he’s been indicted by the Adams County Grand Jury or the following crimes.

Charles Savage, 68, of Xenia, was indicted on the charge of Sexual Battery (seven counts) and Corruption of a Minor (four counts), felonies of the third degree.

He was charged with a similar crime in September of 2010, but his charges were dropped. I’ve been harassed and threaten by Savage’s supporters for almost two years. I even had to disable comments on my original post. I almost never disable comments. I am happy he’s heading back to court to face justice.

I’ve got a copy of the indictment. It’s chilling. The victim was a child between the age of 13 and 16 and was a not family member, the condition that applies is loco parentis. The indictments read:

Corruption of a minor: Being eighteen years of age or older, did engage in sexual conduct with another, who is not the spouse of he offender, when the offender knows such other person is thirteen years of age or older but less than sixteen years of age, or he offender is reckless in that regards.

Sexual Battery: Did engage in sexual conduct with another, not the spouse of the offender, when the offender si the other person’s natural or adoptive parent, or a s stepparent, or guardian custodian, or person is loco parentis.

I will follow this case closely. Every bit of information I find will be posted here.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Pedophiles

Photo of the day: Mitt and his red umbrellas

Mitt Romney’s crew in Poland at a political rally obscuring a Ron Paul poster with red umbrellas. It evokes communist China. Dumbass.

Technorati Tags: Photos,Politics,Mitt Romney

Is Mitt a twit?

I don’t follow politics here on Deep Thoughts much. My attitude changes once a candidate starts to embarrass our country. Sarah Palin is a good example. There are others politicians who catch my attention. The Republican primary was full of them. Take Mitt Romney for example. I think his behavior during his recent international trip has officially nominated him as a member of the political nutball club. He is embarrassing. I should have posted when he screwed up his visit to England, but his gaff while visiting Israel is too large to pass up. Plus it pissed me off.

Romney on Monday said Israel's GDP per capita, a way to measure wealth, is more than twice that of the Palestinians.

He says the "power of at least culture," in addition to an innovative business climate and the "hand of providence," are the reasons why Israel is so much wealthier.

Source: Romney courts donors before leaving Israel

This is slave-owner thinking. Romney is suggesting that Israeli culture, which includes the suppression of the Palestinian people, is better is better than Palestinian culture because it is backed by God and as a consequence, is wealthier. It’s breathtakingly dumb. And Mitt… that hand of providence, it was wrapped around my tax dollars.

Is Mitt a twit? Yep.

Technorati Tags: Politics,2012 Elections,Mitt Romney

File this one under wtf

Christian ventriloquist Ronald William Brown of Largo, Florida, was arrested for possession of child pornography. But wait, there's more…

Arnett and Brown, via Internet chat, discussed one specific boy at the church whom Brown fantasized about murdering and cannibalizing ("I imagine him wiggling and then going still," commented Brown) and how human flesh tastes when prepared in various ways. They also talked about "snuffing" kids, and how they'd go about it: when Arnett sent Brown a photograph of a strangled three-year-old girl, Brown was enthralled, and said that's how he'd "do" the young parishioner they had discussed earlier.

Read more: Longtime Church Puppeteer Arrested For Harboring Fantasies of Pedophilia, Cannibalism and Murder by Anna Breslaw of Jezebel

I’m actually at a loss for words here; creepy comes to mind, but does not do the case justice.

Hypocrisy, Christians, Pedophiles

Pastor Andrew Jordan charged

Pastor Andrew Jordan was charged with false imprisonment and simple assault. His arrest is pending. Too bad you can’t be charged with gross stupidity. I’m sure Jordan would qualify. He alleged staged a mock abduction of a few kids in an attempt to show them what its like to be persecuted. Guns were used. You can read about it here.

Jordon faces 10 years in prison. His church faces a fine.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Misconduct,WWJD

Marriage rights and WWJD

This post is not what you might think. The Friendly Atheist posted on the odd case of Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson, who were denied the right to marry in a Southern Baptist church because they are black.  Mississippi, is still Mississippi it seems.

Hemant Mehta does a great job of reporting on these types of stories. He captures the shock and outrage of these odd WWJD issues in a friendly way. I usually pass on the stories because I know he will run with them. I’ve changed my mind thought. I plan on posting each one I come across under a new WWJD tag. I think the stories capture the essence of my problem with some Christians. That being, are they really living the values of Jesus? It is when we hear a resounding no roll off our tongues that we see truth. Some believers behave immorally and call it Christianity. They failed the test. Somebody needs to point that out to them. The more of us who point it out, the better. The members and pastor of the First Baptist Church of Crystal Springs have all failed the test. Shame on you Dr. Stan Weatherford.

Technorati Tags: WWJD,Hypocrisy,Christians

Pastor Marukudiyil Velan arrested

A longtime Catholic priest, Marukudiyil Velan was arrested for sexual misconduct  involving a woman and her child. Marukudiyil, or "Father Chris", worked for the Church of the Visitation in Brick.

The priest was charged with one count of criminal sexual contact with the adult woman, one count of criminal sexual contact with the child and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. He is held in the Ocean County Jail in Toms River in lieu of $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option. As a condition of bail, the defendant is prohibited from having any contact with anyone under the age of 18. He was required to surrender his passport and the provisions of “Nicole’s Law’’ were implemented. Nicole's Law permits a victim of a sex offense to obtain a restraining order against the offender.

So… Father Chris allegedly molested a woman AND her child. That's new. I wonder if they rename the garden named after him?

Christian counselors

I have had two conversations with people who provide Christian counseling for members of a church. Both conversations occurred within the last two weeks. The story is simple. Both men talk to people who need help and try to relate whatever issues they have to biblical principles. Both men feel called to do so. By "called" I mean that God told them they should be lay counselors. 

Neither is a qualified professional counselor. One works for a Christian pastor who also does counseling. The other works as a volunteer who talks to people. Both do the counseling in private or semiprivate locations. Both counsel men and women, but not children. 

When I asked what types of problems they were dealing with, depression, addiction, and impulse control issues came up as the top three. When I asked if they were qualified to help people with these types of problems, they both said no, but then claimed it was God's work. I guess that makes it okay. 

I asked for an example of the help they give. For depression it was taking the person back to the bible and a better connection to God. The joy they connect with is supposed to help overcome depression.  Addiction was treated through prayer. I'm serious - read the bible for a man who was so depressed that he could barely function, and prayer for the gambling addict. 

I realize that two conversations do not establish a corrupt process, but damn. These people should not be helping anyone. Their victims need professional help. Why do Christians go to unqualified people for help? It makes no sense. 

Youth Pastor Brandon Hamm arrested

Youth pastor Brandon Lee Hamm does not fit my normal clergy predator profile. He is an openly gay man severing a LGBT church. Yet he stands accused of molesting a child just like all the other Christian pastors. How is this possible? I guess freaks come in all flavors. 

His victim is a boy under the age of 16. It is believed that the abuse started when the boy was 15. The child was not associated with the church. Hamm allegedly hunted for victims on the internet using social media sites. Hamm sounds like a freak. 

Over several weeks, the two exchanged emails and Hamm reportedly sent photographs of his genitals and requested the same. A detective who met Hamm at a prearranged spot reported him having a backpack full of sex toys, lubricant and a cellphone containing child pornography.

Hamm worked as a volunteer pastor at Peninsula MCC church in San Mateo. The church is dedicated to serving the LGBT community. This arrest is a blow to their ministry, but they are handling it openly.

Once again we see the a disturbing pattern. A young man serves his community by day and is a hero of sorts, but by night (or weekend), he attempts to seduce young men. I'm not sure how the two aspects are linked besides calling it a calcuated fraud. Church goers beware. Your youth pastor may have an agenda. Are you sure your church has vetted him properly?

To those of you how site sexual orientation as a primary driving force for abuse, I want to point out that almost all non-catholic cases of clergy sexual abuse involve men, and occasionally women, who identify as hetrosexual. It is very rare for a Christian pastor to self identify as homosexual. This case is one of a handful of cases I have on record that do not fit the pattern. Most pedophiles pastors differ from normal pastors in that they prefer children as sex partners. Sexual orientation does not appear to be a factor unless we consider that most abuse can be attributed to hetrosexual pastors. 

Of course, I also have data which suggests that pedophiles prefer to abuse one gender when abusing children (Unless the abuse if physical). It is common for a pastor who abuses boys to only abuse boys and a pastor who abuses girls to only abuse girls. It is extremely rare to find a pastor who abuse both genders. in a large number of cases, these pastors will be married with kids of their own. Or in the case of the typical 24-year old pedophile youth pastor, single and attracted to 14-year old girls. 

Christian couple torture adopted daughter

I found this on The Barking Atheist. Girl Tortured By Parents Because “The Bible Says”.

Two Georgia parents were released on bond on Thursday after being charged with multiple counts of false imprisonment and cruelty to a child for allegedly holding their fifteen-year-old daughter in a chicken coop and outhouse for several days at a time and electrocuting her with a remote shock collar made for dogs.

I’ve noticed that this type of thing happens a lot when Christians adopt children from Africa. I wonder if that is the case here?

Samuel and Diana Franklin bonded out jail, but lost custody of their adopted daughter until their alleged criminal neglect is resolved.

Via The Raw Story

Diana Franklin was charged with four counts of false imprisonment and 12 counts of cruelty to children. Samuel Franklin also faces charges of 8 counts of false imprisonment and 8 counts of cruelty to children. Both parents were released on bond on Thursday.

I really should keep track of these cases. The case usually has three things in common. 1. Religious fundamentalism. 2. Adopted children. And 3. Homeschooling. It’s like the magic formula for abuse.

Technorati Tags: Homeschooling,Child Abuse,Christians,Fundies

Related articles

• Chicken coop case: Teen allegedly wore a shock collar (wtvm.com)
• Parents arrested, girl allegedly forced to live in chicken coop (wtvm.com)
• Georgia home-schooled girl punished with shock collar because 'the Bible says' (rawstory.com)
• Parents charged with locking girl in outhouse (ajc.com)

Documenting your life

I’ve always had a camera in my hands. Back in the day it was a film camera or a Polaroid. Some of my favorite photos are of my children, nephews and nieces, shot with a Polaroid camera. Hipstamatic comes close to the same experience these days, but with digital photos we tend to file and forget. The experience is not the same. I’m not likely to come across a box of old Hipstamatics while cleaning out the closet.

I came across some Poloroids taken on the set of Blade Runner by actress Sean Young recently (thank you Reddit). Her photos are exactly what I’m writing about. She turned her camera on herself and created a unique set of images that pegs her to a time and place she can now only recall in her memories. I assume the photos serve the same purpose for her as they do for me. Namely, who is that guy leaning over my shoulder? What can I say… I need visual aids. Also… I had forgotten how beautiful Sean Young was in her youth. I tend to think of her as the bad detective in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective.

I use my iPhone in place of my old trusty Polaroid camera these days. At last check I had taken over a thousand photos in the last four months. Here is one of my most recent photos taken at a recent wedding (from my Tumblr feed).

.

I had left my Nikon gear at home so that I could enjoy the moment with my family. I used my iPhone to capture the beauty and feel of the wedding so that I can remember it 30 years from now.

Polaroid cameras have been updated for the digital age, but it is not the same thing. 

Related articles

• Polaroid unveils Z2300 Instant Digital Camera (slashgear.com)
• Polaroid Z2300 Instant Digital Camera (uncrate.com)
• Polaroid is now IT-literate with digital camera (lostateminor.com)

Technorati Tags: Photography,Instant Photography,Polaroids

Lay down your burden

Who abandons a cross on a suburban street? It is either a signal for door-to-door preachers to hit my neighborhood, or a Christian you has finally had enough of wiggling his cross at passing cars

Pastor Gordon Solomon arrested

Pastor Gordon Solomon of Christ’s Community Church in Inglewood was arrested on suspicion of engaging in sexual acts with a minor. The alleged victim was a 14-year old girl. The girl’s mother noticed sexually suggestive emails and called the police. There may be more victims.

Investigators believe there may be additional victims.  Anyone with information is asked to contact the Special Victims Bureau at (877) 710-5273 or specialvictims@lasd.org. To remain anonymous, call L.A. Crime Stoppers by dialing (800) 222-8477, texting the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637) or using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.

Source: Inglewood pastor arrested on suspicion of sexual abuse of a minor

Solomon is married to Ruth Solomon and has led the church since its founding in 1994. He is being held on $3,000,000 bail after being charged with one felony count of oral copulation of a person under the age of 14 and one felony count of continuous sexual abuse.

A quick review of the church website shows what looks like a family owned church business with Solomon as the head pastor. There is no mention of board of deacons or any other type of church governance. There is no mention of church policies related to protecting children. The is no mention of any type of organizational structure at all. For all we know, it is a one man show. In short, the church is the very model for abuse. Why are people surprised at the accusation?

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Pedophile

Assault by bible

We are usually verbally assaulted by Christians carrying bibles. It starts with, “Have you heard the good news?” It ends with something about going to hell and eternal damnation. I’ve been verbally assaulted too many times to count. I’m sure you have too. Something different happened in a Baptist church down in Selmer. Ina Garrett threw her bible at pastor Leon Taylor and struck him in the face. The police arrested her.

According to a court complaint, McNairy County Sheriff’s Department deputies were summoned to the church in late-May to deal with a “lady that was unwanted.” Taylor told investigators that Garrett had been voted out of the church.

Source: Woman Arrested In Bible Thumping Of Baptist Pastor

Voted out of the church… It’s one of those things a church can do that I don’t understand. I knew a lady once, she worked for me 20 years ago, who was kicked out of her Baptist church. She had been a member for 12 years. Her crime, besides an acerbic tongue, she had a public argument the the pastor’s wife. Church politics forced her out. How Christ-like is that? I wonder what prompted the congregation of Mt. Zion Baptist Church to kick a 64-year old woman to the curb? Was it because she thinks the pastor is a demon?

Technorati Tags: Bible,Assault,Baptists

Related articles

• Ina Garrett, Bible-Beater: Church Lady Accused of Hitting Pastor in Head with Bible ("He's Got the Demon in Him") (home.conservativebabylon.com)
• Woman Literally Beats Pastor With Bible (patheos.com)
• Woman Beats Pastor With Bible! (praisecharlotte.com)

Pastor Oscar Perez’s trial starts

Pastor Oscar D. Perez should have set off alarms in the minds of everyone who attended his “church”. For starters, whenever somebody appoints themselves the bishop of a one-man church, they already have issues. It is like running into a kid who proclaims themselves president and CEO of a business with no assets. No sane person will do business with them. It is common sense to avoid those who claim more than they are worth. A self-appointed bishop and sole pastor of a one-man church should see only empty pews on Sunday. 
With no oversight an unscrupulous pastor can create the opportunity for abuse. In this case, We know this from case after case of clergy sexual abuse reported here at Deep Thoughts. Oversight is one of effective way to reduce the risk of abuse. A one-man church is the exact opposite of a safe place for kids. It is more like a smorgasbord for pedophiles. Believers beware.
Perez is alleged to have committed lewd acts on several children under the age of 14. He faces 330 years in prison.

He is accused of meeting his five victims through the church and gaining their trust by befriending their families and having the boys assist with church services, according to the Orange County District Attorney's office.
Between 2007 and 2011, Perez is accused of sexually assaulting the five victims one or more times, starting when the boys were 9 to 15 years old. All of the sexual assaults occurred while the victims were visiting or sleeping over at the defendant's apartment, authorities said.
Source: Oscar D. Perez: A Lake Forest Pastor Accused of Pedophilia

Perez was the pastor of Iglesia Antigua Católica in Laguna Hills, The church operated from rented space in St. George's Episcopalian Church. This type of arrangement is potential indicator of a problem. Perez was trying to establish legitimacy by it’s association with an established and trusted church. It seems obvious now, but fall for this without question. I don’t understand.
Notes:
I loved this line from Josh Dulaney of the OC Weekly, “If convicted, he could be leading Bible studies for up to 330 years in state prison.”
The parents of some of victims let their children sleep over at Perez’s apartment unsupervised. They share responsibility for the abuse. 

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Pedophiles

Related articles

• O.C. pastor faces trial in alleged sex abuse of five boys (latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Pastor Ruark produced child porn

Pastor Robert “Silas” Ruark, profiled here, allegedly took nude photos of the boys he allegedly molested. Geez…

Police said Ruark allegedly photographed boys in his acolyte program when they were alone at the church. The alleged incidents occurred as early as 1994. The five alleged victims are now 20- to 24 years old.

Read more: California pastor arrested for molestation

The story gets weirder with each passing day.

Related: Wasting no time with Silas Ruark.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Molestation

Pastor Xiuhui Jiang arrested

The Catholic church has a well known problem recruiting priests from within the Untied States. This causes a shortage of priests needed to staff the various open positions. To offset the shortage, they recruit priests from Africa, Central America, South America, India, and increasingly, countries like China. Pastor Xiuhui Jiang is a recruit from China. He’s also under investigation for allegedly molesting a teen girl.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported the Rev. Xiuhui "Joseph" Jiang is charged with first-degree child endangerment.

Court documents allege that Jiang repeatedly had sexual contact with a girl younger than 17.

The girl told police he fondled her as a priest and family friend on four different occasions this year in Old Monroe.

Read more: Associate pastor accused of molesting girl

It appears that the priesthood appeals to men with a certain appetite without regard to culture. How disturbing.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Catholics,China

Another mind blowing case of clergy sexual abuse

I found out about this story care of my army of faithful tipsters. Thank you.


Youth pastor Seth Butler was arrested for the repeated sexual assault of a 14-year old girl. The 22-year old youth pastor allegedly carried out the rapes in his church basement rectory apartment over two years.

Butler worked as a youth minister at the New Jerusalem temple on the far South Side. The church is relatively small with about 100 members. But the girl's parents say they felt comfortable encouraging their children to spend time there rather than the streets. That, they say, turned out to be a mistake, as the 22-year-old youth pastor began taking a special interest in their daughter - an interest they say that turned sexual.
Read more: Youth minister charged with sex assault of teen

Did you read the story? Good. Here is what blows my mind.


The parents of the victim thought their child would be safe in the church because it is a house of God. Why? After numerous stories of clergy sexual abuse, why would her parents think their daughter would be safe at a church. Children still need your care. Do not give up your parental duties simply because believe a church is safe.


Youth pastor Seth Butler is 22. Doing the math, that puts him at 20 when the abuse is supposed to have started. How does someone get a youth pastor gig at the age of 20, and one with a church provided rectory apartment too? What are his qualifications? What university degree does he hold? I’m betting he is uneducated and untrained, which means he family, a friend, or somehow connected to the leadership of the church. Who would hire an unqualified youth pastor except for reckless church leadership?
The parents knew of the alleged abuse and went to the church before well in advance of going to the police. The youth pastor was raping their daughter. Instead of going to the police, they went to the church. The sexual assaults continued. What did they think would happen? They gave their daughter to a holy pedophile.


The youth pastor had unsupervised time with the victim. I can point to a hundred cases where this alone lead to abuse. Leading a child alone with a youth pastor is irresponsible and should never happen.   It should be common sense by now. Would a reasonable person leave a child alone with a priest? Only a fool would do so now. I’m not just harping on the parents here. The church opened itself up to bankruptcy. It owns the abuse now. The court will side with the victim. They almost always do.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Rape

Wasting no time with Silas Ruark

Former Archpriest Silas Ruark, profiled here, was deposed from the priesthood by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Diocese of los Angeles and the West on July 1st. Ruark stands accused of molesting children is his capacity as pastor of a church in Fairfield.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Molestation

Mass public resignation from Mormonism

I had a what the fuck moment when reading a story about Mormons who had gathered in Utah to resign from their church. It was this section:

Married in a Mormon temple, Fielding said the couples shared disaffection from their faith is tied in part to their local church leader's response to questions Fielding had about polyandry and polygamy - taking multiple husbands and wives - in the early church.

"I went to him looking for a faithful perspective. He called my wife and told her she needed to find a new husband," Fielding said.

Read more: Mormons quit church in mass resignation ceremony

How dare the church stick its nose into the private family life of its members? Unfortunately, It is normal behavior. It is the price you pay to become a Mormon. You give up your privacy and the ability to manage your own affairs without interference from well meaning but poorly trained religious zealots. Besides Mormon's fairytale theology, this is what bothers me the most the church. The social aspects of Mormonism are insidious.

It takes courage to quit the Mormon church. Once you are a member, the social ties are strong. You face business and personal isolation. Your family will turn their backs to you. Your friends will disappear. You may even lose your job. I’ve helped two people and their families leave the church. In both cases, the people involved suffered horrible social pressure. I’m encouraged to see people leave in mass. It sends the right message.

Technorati Tags: LDS,Mormons,Mormon Resignation

Child porn in a Roman Catholic church

By now, finding child porn in a Catholic church should surprise no one. It should cause anger and a call for a deep and serious investigation. I do not see either sentiment expressed in this article. 

WFSB-TV says Norwich Bishop Michael Cote will release a letter to parishioners during masses this weekend announcing that he has received and accepted the resignation of their pastor, Fr. Dennis Carey.

Read more: Police launch child porn investigation at Connecticut church

Pastor Carey served The Catholic faith over a 25-year career.

Carey was ordained a priest in 1998 after a 25-year career as a certified public accountant in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, according to biographical information on the diocese website.

Read more: Pastor resigns; computers seized from Waterford church rectory

The investigation has just started. Pastor Carey has not been charged with a crime. It may take some time until we see any charges come of this investigation, but here is my problem with the case. Where is the outrage? Simply finding child porn on a church computer should cause a uproar among the parishioners and members of the community. Besides a few superficial news stories, there is no outrage. Today is Sunday. I’m willing to bet the pews at St. Paul in Chains Church are full of people listening to a new pastor.

If you are a victim or have information, SNAP can help:

Let's hope that every person who saw, suspected or suffered clergy sex crimes and misdeeds by Father Dennis Carey will find the courage and strength to speak up, call police, expose wrongdoing, protect kids and start healing.

Judy Jones, SNAP Midwest Associate Director, USA, 636-433-2511. snapjudy@gmail.com, (SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests,) is the worlds oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims.

SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 12,000 members. Despite the word priest in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers and increasingly, victims who were assaulted in a wide range of institutional settings like summer camps, athletic programs, Boy Scouts, etc.

Technorati Tags: Clergy Sexual Abuse,Child Pornography