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Mormon Perspective: Catholic Priests Go Unpunished

I have a friend I am working with and finally have opened the door to maybe getting the missionaries in. I have known them for years. He asked a question to me that I want to pose here and ask for scriptural suggestions or ideas--especially if you know someone that this happened to.

Here is the question:

I am currently reading in 2 Nephi 2 and that is a great one. We invited him over for FHE tomorrow and so we will be talking about it and Faith.

I also note that he believes that God allowed his brother to be abused--instead of the fact that we are taught and then have free agency to choose whether we obey or not. Sometimes, we are casualties of others choices.

Any thoughts?

Unpunished Priests Catholic Perspective Mormon

I guess you posted this here because you did not want Catholics here to see what you were saying? If so, do know that we have a number of Threads about Catholic priests abusing people in the Studies of Catholics Board. Now with regards to the existence of God and abuse the best you can do is share the story of Christ, wasn't God's own son abused? Abused below all? If the person is really open then you can let them know that many men hide behind the cloth because they are like 'spies' for the devil - infiltrators set to cause havoc. Really, only prayer can solve this situation, instead of being angry, ask, ask of God to send his Comforter. Nothing you say or do will give the 'answer'.

Mormon Perspective: Catholic Priests Go Unpunished Studies Doctrine Mormon

Yes JB--I put it here because I wanted an LDS perspective.

I agree wholeheartedly what you are saying and have done that (Testimony of Christ). I have been working for years just to get on to ground where I could bring up the church. They were very closed to it before. They have had some major trials with health and coming close to death. I took that point to give him the DVD, "Faith in Christ." I told him whenever I have had times in my life when I needed to bolster my faith, I loved this video. If He could do those miracles he surely could help me. I think the spirit touched him and since then we have talked and he now has a copy of the Book of Mormon along with most all other of the DVD the missionaries use.

So he finally felt comfortable asking me a question--which I posed here. As I said, I agree with you that:

Because of the situation he had pretty much shut God out of his life. I think that there is a spark of the Light of Christ that has touched him but I don't know if he is to the point of "talking" to God yet. I have encouraged him to pray and gave him Nephi 2:2 about opposition and the other chapter escaped my mind at the moment but it is where Alma and Amulek had to watch them burn the woman and children. It talks about suffering because of "others."

I am waiting to hear back from him. The did not come to dinner and FHE tonight. I am disappointed but not discouraged.

Unpunished Priests Catholic Perspective Mormon

This is a hard one. People who have been abused tend to blame themsleves. Their loved ones who have watched them suffer sometimes have a more difficult time finding resolution than the victim. This may be the situation with your friend.
Earlier this evening while searching for something else I came across an Ensign article by Elder Richard G. Scott that address the consequences of abuse.
(Richard G. Scott, "To Heal the Shattering Consequences of Abuse," Ensign, May 2008, 40-43)

It caught my eye because of my experience working with victims of abuse. He does a good job of addressing the issue, but one part in particular I though might help with what you are asking. He is addressing the victim, but I have confidence you will get his point and be able to apply it to your friend's perspective :

Something you could point out to your friend, perhaps, is that even though it may seem that the perpetrator has not been punished in this life he has not escaped the judgment of God. He will pay the price for what he did.

Edited: alskann on 10th Jun, 2008 - 7:46am

Unpunished Priests Catholic Perspective Mormon

AlaskanLDS, if he will not pray then you pray that the Lord will bring him to that 'window of time' when he will be open and receptive. This may involve certain happenings or trials on his part to bring him to where he needs to be. All in all it sounds like you are doing well so far, not everyone is 'golden', not everyone is within that window of time, so just keep trying and it may take months or years, but such is the will of God mixed in with agency.

Mormon Perspective: Catholic Priests Go Unpunished

Thanks for your replies!

It is funny (more like awesome!) how the spirit works. After I posted this topic I went and prayed about it again and felt prompted to get the new Ensign and guess what? I turned to that same article by Richard G. Scott and so I emailed it to him with a few comments.

I also gave him the Book of Mormon with the two chapters I think I mentioned before....so I will continue to pray and see what happens next.

JB--I know, it is so hard when everyone is not "golden!" I have known these people for about 6 years and this is the first time I have even been in a position to talk with them.

GOOD NEWS is--they let their daughter attend Faith in God activity night. They would never let her come to church before! I will keep you posted.

Mormon Perspective Catholic Priests Unpunished

One major difference between the Catholic church and ours, is that the Priests are regarded as different than the average member. In the LDS church the Bishop is called from the members of the congregation. I was watching a documentary on the Catholic church's response to a Priest molesting children, their way of dealing with things is to put the Priest in a different city, with different children to molest. The LDS way of handling the situation is to excommunicate the Bishop and to call the cops!

Mormon Perspective Catholic Priests Unpunished Mormon Doctrine Studies

Let's not forget that abuse can happen anywhere even in our own beliefs and have some members gone unpunished - you bet. The reason behind this I believe is the church, any church seeks to defend itself as condoning the abuse but they indirectly support it when they try to cover it up.