the culture of cover-up ala F. style

Posted By: seeker
Date: Tuesday, 16 July 2002, at 3:24 p.m.

In Response To: Re: Some wanted the link to 'Summit Jewels' (Rocky)

Keep in mind that Summit jewels does not reflect official Family policy today. It was written ten years ago. I don't think there is sanctioned sexual abuse of minors going on today. However, the culture of cover-up does continue within the group. I know of recent instances where sexual abuse was more or less covered up.

The leadership has never made a clean break with their deeply held pedophilic views and practices of the past, as Summit Jewels reveals.They have never actively sought to help the thousands of victims. They have never unequivocably accepted responsibility for their part in that abuse. And so, inevitably, the culture of tolerating it will continue. Many within the group will view it as a misdemeanour, not a felony. After all, if members were truly outraged by sexual abuse of minors, why would they pledge unquestioning allegiance to those who advocated the same? To be in the group, members have to inwardly harden and desensitise themselves to the issue. And oh, what a toll it takes on the soul.

The Family leaders desperately wish to bury their past, but it is our duty to prevent them from doing so. We owe it to the victims to speak up and tell the truth. We need to confront Family members with these issues and make it impossible for them to ignore the wrongdoing. We need to inform the public, to do what we can to make it impossible for Family members to go about their business under the guise of being respectible missionaries. It is simply not good enough for Family members to ignore these issues, or to say, "Yes, we know it happened, but we don't care." That makes them accomplices to Maria and Peter.