According to Evangelicals, God is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. God is the creator of all things, the ruler and king of the universe. He is the first and the last, the alpha and omega. Nothing happens that isn’t according to God’s purpose and plan.
However, when these beliefs are challenged with examples such as child sexual abuse, all of a sudden, this God is helpless, powerless, and non-existent. When clerics sexually abuse, molest, and rape children, who’s to blame? If God is as described above, then he, ultimately is to blame for crimes committed against children. He could stop preachers from sexually molesting children, yet he is indifferent to their plight.
Some Evangelical preachers will argue that child sex crimes happen because of human sinfulness. “For all have sinned,” the Bible says. What sin or sins did children commit that justifies them being sexually assaulted by so-called men of God? I can’t think of any. Preachers who sexually molest and abuse children prey on their innocence. Recently, Evangelical megachurch pastor Robert Morris was accused of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl; abuse that continued afterward for several years. The victim/survivor did nothing to invite such unwanted attention from Morris. Some Evangelical degenerates will suggest that she came on to Morris or seduced him. Really? I have five granddaughters who are around the victim’s age. I can’t imagine any scenario where one of them could or would come on to or seduce a grown-ass man — especially a preacher. It takes a vile, warped person even to think that a child is culpable for what a child molester, predator, or rapist does to them. You are a disgusting human being if you think otherwise. The adult in this story is ALWAYS responsible for their behavior.
Recently, Evangelical apologist Jim Denison wrote a post titled How the Gateway Church Scandal Is Leading Many to Question God’s Faithfulness. Specifically, Denison attempts and miserably fails to answer the question “Where was God when this horrific abuse was occurring?”
But my point today relates not to Christians who are justifiably angry and disillusioned with other Christians. I am focusing instead on non-Christians who are asking why they should consider our faith when many of our faith leaders have acted in such horrific ways.
We claim that our God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving. If this is true, he knows what is happening when a Christian leader abuses a child. In fact, he knew this would happen long before it did. His omnipotence would seemingly enable him to act in any way he wishes. And the fact that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) would compel him to defend such innocent victims.
Why, then, doesn’t he?
Indeed. Why, then, doesn’t the Evangelical defend and protect innocent victims?
Denison says the “human free will” is the reason God stands by and does nothing when Evangelical preachers grope, penetrate, and rape children:
My immediate theological response is to point to the fact of human free will.
God created us to love him, and each other (Matthew 22:37–39), but real love must be a free choice, so God has given us the freedom we can use for good or for evil (cf. Deuteronomy 30:19–20; Joshua 24:15; Revelation 3:20). If the Lord prevented every sin, we could not be free. One could argue that if God protected the victims of clergy sexual abuse, he would have to protect the victims of every crime of any kind, rendering freedom null and void.
Set aside for a moment whether humans have free will. What act of the will on the part of victims plays any part in their abuse? If Denison wants to use free will as justification for sex crimes, who committed the crimes? Not the victim. No, the only person using their free will are offending preachers. It is disgusting to suggest otherwise.
Dension argues that if God prevents clerics from sexually molesting children, he would have to protect all victims of sex crimes; and to do so would violate human free will. So, God does nothing so all children, everywhere, have equal opportunity to be sexually assaulted. Cue, “What a Mighty God We Serve.”
Caring, compassionate people are throwing up about now. All that matters to Denison is holding true to his peculiar theology. We saw similar degenerate thinking from Dr. David Tee. I was part of the Evangelical church for fifty years. I spent twenty-five years pastoring Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB), Southern Baptist, Sovereign Grace Baptist, Christian Union, and nondenominational congregations. This sort of thinking is foreign to my experiences in Evangelicalism, both as a member and a pastor. Forget the Christian/Evangelical part of the equation. I suspect most of the non-Christians who frequent this site consider Denison’s and Tee’s justifications morally bankrupt. And surely most Christians do too.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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So God values free will more than children? I can’t subscribe to such a God. Jebus didn’t protect me when I needed it. I was on my own. It was not my free choice but that of the abuser. Jebus didn’t choose to protect me so the molester could have free choice to molest. No wonder I bailed out of that goofy outfit.
It really is a peculiar theology. And you’re right… the whole free will argument doesn’t apply to the poor victim. They didn’t get to choose anything, they just got hosed.
The CULT justifies any behavior the perverts in power wish to endulge in.
Christian “FISH” better beware because ther leadership will consume you.
This is a male dominated command and control social club, and when the
hypocrites that run it really have it working, the laity are chattel sex slaves.
Just read the last SBC report or one of the dozens of A.G. reports about the
“Catholics”.
Think I’m wrong, a hater? Just read Bruce’s Black Collar Crime series, read
your local newspapers, read the internet, read the police blogs. The Vatican is
an escape hatch for your average Catholic Pedo priest on the run from the law.
See Cardinal Bernard Law as example #1 of pervert enablers.
I can personally testify that my drunken, besotted, sexually tortured, homosexual
Uncle attempted to join that most disgusting of religous pedophile organizations,
the Catholic priesthood. For one reason and one reason only S-E-X and
not with adults. We are talking the 1950’s and 60’s but that is when a significant %
of the “Catholic” perverts were signing up for the priesthood because THATS where
the action was.
Yes, what I am posting here is DIFFICULT, but sadly it’ is true. If this offends readers they
should do a deep dive into what the TRUTH is. Sexual predation on Children should not be
tolerated in Christian circles. Sadly, it is encouraged. Truth can be ascertained by ones actions
and arrest records. Loving Jesus has little to do with those hard facts.
“human free will”
What an absolute disgusting joke to imply God stands by “knowing” that They can’t stop the act against a child because “human free will.”
Denison and the like need this excuse in order to defend even themselves. After all, their God knows their heart and their sin too. Constantly they mine for mercy in order to continue on to make sure when the plate is passed they get some coin.
Dutch, Danny, Zoe –
Agree 100%. The cultist mind knows no depths when it comes to sexual immorality.
The very people railing against the behavior of “sheep” and “fish” are hard at work to
convincing people to: “Do as I say” and not as I do.
Truth: Read th elatest on the SBC Scandal.
Truth: Read one of the NUMEROUS Attorney general reports about the Catholic Church and their
perverted priesthood.
It’s sickning and disgusting.
The Vatican? Where BUSTED child rapists get to go to escape prison and social consequences.
Thank you Cardinal Bernard Law! Thank you Pope.
(VOMIT)
Jeff, your comment made me picture a scene from (I think) Star Wars. It’s a bar where weird creatures from all over the galaxy get together for a beer and companionship. With all the weird inhumane perverts from the four corners of the Catholic world huddled together behind the Vatican walls, it must resemble the Star Wars bar. The difference being the Star Wars creatures only look evil while the Vatican inmates look benign but inside they are “as ravening wolves”. Talk about a den of inequity huh? These are the inheritors of the madness that burned our ancestors at the stake for not praying or paying enough.
Free will for me but not for thee.
The abuser gets to exercise free will, but the abused person doesn’t. Wouldn’t a just deity want to stand in the way of someone robbing another of free will? Why does the just deity consider free will in practice of harm superior to free will without harm? How does that work?
And don’t we also teach our children that standing by and watching someone harm another to be wrong? But somehow it’s ok for a powerful deity to do just that?
It’s just another evangelical trying to justify what isn’t justifiable.
Easier for these pastors to blame free will than to blame THEMSELVES for allowing it to happen. Then every Christian leader in every church would have to exercise responsibility for protecting children, and they don’t believe in that. (Sometimes, from their disgusting behavior, I wonder if these Christians are just fine with allowing children to be molested by their favorite guy.
Prison rape porn deleted.
“Free will” was my firewall for many years as I clung to my Christian faith. God never could be questioned because he valued our free will so much. How easily I rationalized this ridiculous argument because it was the only way for me to keep from abandoning a ridiculous belief system. Eventually I had to admit that I was worshipping an evil god who could end suffering but refused to do so because somehow free will was more important. And if free will was that important how could a heaven without free will exist? And once this excuse for a god belief fell apart the rest of religion’s nonsense was laid bare.