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Boy Scout Leaders and Clergymen Have More in Common Than You May Know

AdamHorowitzLaw.com (law firm blog)
July 26, 2020

https://adamhorowitzlaw.com/boy-scout-leaders-and-clergymen-have-more-in-common-than-you-may-know/

Like many clergy, Scout leaders are often thought of as selfless men, generously sharing their time and talent with youngsters.

Like many clergy, they often have seemingly legitimate reasons to be alone with kids.

Like many clergy, Scout leaders belong to a rigid, male-dominated, hierarchical group.

Like many clergy, they are often seen as ‘good influences’ on kids, especially troubled kids.

Like many clergy, they often wear decorated uniforms that enhance their seemingly superior images.

Like many clergy, Scout leaders sometimes posture as ‘pillars of the community,’ which makes reporting wrongdoing even tougher.

Like many clergy, Scout leaders care deeply about their institution and its reputation and public relations.

Like many clergy, Scout leaders are surrounded by peers and superiors who feel a strong temptation to ignore, hide or minimize wrongdoing.

And tragically, like many clergy, many Scout leaders have hurt the children they purportedly serve, leaving deep and permanent scars.

Almost as tragically, like many clergy, many Scout leaders were known or suspected child molesters but were left in place by colleagues and supervisors who found it easier to ‘hear no, speak no, see no’ evil, rather than courageously confront, report and stop evil in their midst.

The result: thousands of devastated lives and stolen childhoods and avoidable lifelong suffering.

Just how widespread is all this? “The Boy Scouts have long kept confidential files on volunteers who were credibly accused of abuse. One expert hired by the organization found that there had been nearly 8,000 complaints over a span of decades,” reports the New York Times.

 

 

 

 

 




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