QUESTION Evangelical abused by Larry Nassar says 'the church is one of the worst places to go for help'
Denhollander, who considers herself to be a conservative evangelical Christian, says that evangelical churches have been failing in their duties to stand up for victims of abuse.
“Church is one of the least safe places to acknowledge abuse because the way it is counseled is, more often than not, damaging to the victim,” she says. “There is an abhorrent lack of knowledge for the damage and devastation that sexual assault brings. It is with deep regret that I say the church is one of the worst places to go for help.”
She then goes on to explain how her own advocacy on behalf of abuse victims made her into a pariah within her own church.
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4 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.Until recent months, I had no idea how terrible fundamentalist Christianity is in many ways. It's deplorable.
AlasBabylon
Level 8
Feb 9, 2018
1
Hell yes. You aren't allowed to be angry and confront your abuser. They get celebrated for their humility and repentance, and you are supposed to just forgive them. It means you slap a pretty bow over a wound to hide it so it doesn't embarrass others with it's ugliness. The whole time it eats away at you like cancer.
Mkonnick
Level 5
Feb 6, 2018
1
Horrible but true. I spoke up about sexual abuse in my (extended) family and was ignored, even attacked, by the religious relatives for shaming the family.
But the abuse was done by one agnostic, and one religious person, so apparently beliefs don't necessarily matter to some.
birdingnut
Level 8
Feb 6, 2018
1
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