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<\/a>It seems\u00a0there are an abundance of abuse stories in the church \u00a0today. While all abuse is wrong, no matter who is doing the abuse, one kind of abuse stands out, child abuse and neglect<\/em>. Don\u2019t take this as a disclaimer, because it\u2019s not, I\u2019ve no issue with the Fundamentalist Church. they can believe what they desire, as long as those beliefs do not abuse others. In their infallible, literal<\/em> understanding of the Collective Narrative [the Bible<\/em>] they seem to take the words \u201csuffer the children<\/em>\u201d literally.<\/p>\nI would hope we are past the time in our faith journey where we have to hide the fact that too many children suffer at the hands of the these churches, and their church leaders. They\u2019ve created an environment where the church leaders, mainly the Pastors, of these Fundamentalist Churches are seen as \u201cuntouchable\u201d and can do no wrong. While this post will not address the Duggar Family <\/a>specifically, I would be remiss if I did not mention them, or their supporters, as being examples of this issue. But the issue goes beyond them; they are, if you will, just the tip of a monstrous iceberg.<\/p>\n Did you know that\u00a0<\/span>93% of sex offenders describe themselves as religious<\/em><\/a>; that\u2019s right,\u00a0<\/span>they see themselves as fundamentally religious. How about this, did you know that in <\/span>a church of 200 members (100 women and 100 men) will have at least 41 child sexual abuse survivors\u202620.5%?<\/a>\u00a0 You might not like to hear that, but come on \u2013 you have to know it\u2019s a reality.<\/span><\/p>\n When people think of child abuse, they are quick to point at the Roman Catholic Church [rightly so<\/em>], and many of my Fundamental Pastoral friends are quick to point their fingers in that direction; never once acknowledging that many in their own denominations, or other churches, cause abuse to children in staggering numbers.<\/p>\n By just doing a simple Google search, I was able to find hundreds of examples of Pastors and Church Leaders crossing the line with children on a regular basis. In fact, there were so many, I started to feel dirty reading them; I had to stop. Here is a short list, and it saddens me to say, a very short list, of Pastors who have been charged with causing suffering upon children in just the past few years:<\/p>\n Billy Howard Guy:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0An\u00a0Ash County, NC\u00a0Pastor<\/a> who was charged with six counts of sexual crimes including\u00a0molesting mentally-disabled woman in his care<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Joseph Hall:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0A Gaston County, NC Pastor<\/a> who was charged with 14 counts of sex crimes against kids as young as 12 years old<\/p>\n Trevon Boone:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0A 39-year old Portsmouth, VA minister<\/a> arrested for rape of a minor<\/p>\n Jerome Anthony Clay:<\/strong>\u00a0The Perris CA<\/a><\/span>\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Pastor<\/a> at, of all place, Compassion Church in Perris was charged with raping a minor, under the age of 16.<\/p>\n Paul Endrei:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0the Senior pastor<\/a> of a Westlake OH church, Church on the Rise, was charged with two counts of sexual battery and gross sexual imposition.<\/p>\n