[Vision2020] Community Values

[Rosemary Huskey]

Thank you, Saundra.  I have never read this Maya Angelou quote before, and
it is incredibly insightful.  I remember, as though it  were yesterday, the
community "discussion" on equality for all  Idaho citizens more than ten
years ago.  Doug Wilson and his devoted acolyte, Greg Dickinson, were
panelists and up to their elbows in  Leviticus 20:13.
<http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Leviticus-20-13/>   Shortly thereafter
I ran across the self-published Christ Church rag, Credenda Agenda.   The
article "Thy Not Shall Not Pity," Credenda/Agenda Vol. 3, No. 9  by Greg
Dickinson  has been removed from the Credenda archives (given the hateful
ignorance it contained that action is  understandable).  Luckily, reprints
of it are still available on line.  Better yet, if you run across Doug or
Greg ask them  why they removed it from the archived on-line copies of
Credenda/Agenda and if they are willing to publicly disavow the sentiments
expressed in the article.   They aren't.  And then reflect on Dr. Angelou's
quotation below.

Rose

 

From: Saundra Lund [mailto:v2020 at ssl1.fastmail.fm] 
Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2014 8:47 PM
To: 'Rosemary Huskey'; 'vi
Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Community Values

 

Wow, Rose.  At first, I was puzzled by your choice of subject - Community
Values - but then I realized you are absolutely spot on:  Wilson's screed
exposes the beliefs of those who want to control our community.  And, I was
immediately reminded of the sage advice of Maya Angelou:

 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/mayaangelo383371.html> When
someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.

Regrettably, that's a lesson far too many in this community have failed to
heed with respect to Doug Wilson and his local fan club members.

Thanks for the warning about the nature of "Pastor to Sex Abusers" Wilson's
latest dangerous screed rife with lies  "straight out of the pit of hell."
For those who missed it, here's the link again:

 
<http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/sexual-justice.html#more-107268
>
http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/sexual-justice.html#more-107268

 

Were it not for the dangerous nature of his latest foray into the "sex
sells" category in a desperate attempt to regain some relevance, I'd laugh
and keep moving.

However, the lies he posts are dangerous perversions that threaten the
safety and well-being of us all.  Warning:  unlike Rose, I'm going to
include some of Wilson's text others may not wish to read.  It is without a
doubt graphic and ugly, but I think to expose the fatal flaw in Wilson's
latest culture war attack, we have to call a thing a thing.  We can't dance
around the twisted perversions of a so-called pastor - we have to shine a
light on the ugly lies that are Doug Wilson.

According to Wilson,

There is no way to pornify a culture the way we have done without making
porn far more available to kids than it used to be. And kids obviously learn
from what they see, monkey see monkey do. This includes what we call
"mainstream" entertainment, and not just the triple-x stuff. We now have
young kids who have seen, or who have heard about on the playground,
practices that previous generations learned about in their second year of
med school. Nobody should be surprised when when (sic) some junior high boy
tries out some of what he has seen or heard about on his younger sister.
When sexual corruption becomes ubiquitous, many more kids are going to get
swept up in it. Call it the collateral damage of the sexual revolution. 

Wilson's claim that the "pornification" (what a clever boots!) of this
nation plays any role whatsoever in sexual abuse is utterly specious.  As
much as Wilson would like to have us believe otherwise, the fact of the
matter is that tragically widespread sex abuse in "Christian" American
existed long before his culture war-esque claim of some supposed
"pornification" ever occurred.  Widespread sex abuse in this country
occurred long before his shrill insistence that feminism, homosexuality, and
abortion lead God to abandon America, too.  Sucks to be Wilson, but he's
never been one to be concerned with facts.

For the rest of us, though, the fact of the matter is that any junior high
boy who incests his little sister has serious problems completely unrelated
to Wilson's desperate "pornification" theory.  That's always been the case
and will always be the case.

Certainly, what has changed during Wilson's undefined "pornification" period
is the reporting and prosecution of sex crimes.  While we still have miles
to go, much progress has been made.  We now recognize, for instance, that
the old jokes -- with a sad basis in fact -- that the definition of a
Southern virgin is any 10-year-old who can outrun her male relatives aren't
funny.  We've rejected the horror that rape victims "ask for it" by wearing
short skirts or by being out after dark or for being the wrong color in a
part of town.  Bone fide experts in the field - and not wannabes like Wilson
and other charlatans - find no factual basis for any belief that the actual
incidence of sexual abuse has increased in any meaningful way but rather
that reporting has improved and prosecution is improving.

Now, why might it be that progress has been made over the last several
decades with respect to the reporting and prosecution of sex crimes?

Hmm . . .  well, one key explanation might be the wholesale rejection -- by
the overwhelming majority with functioning brains -- of the notion that
women, children, and people of color are mere chattel property without basic
human rights.  That's the status quo Wilson and those of his ilk who came
before him fought so hard to maintain.  Once the inherent injustice of that
backward way of legislating was rejected, it was only a matter of time until
abuses were no longer to be ignored.  It was also only a matter of time
until the practice of naming, blaming, and shaming survivors of sexual abuse
who dared to speak out no longer had any place whatsoever in decent society
no matter how loudly and how hard people like Wilson yelled and stamped
their petulant feet like two-year-olds having tantrums . . . and continue to
do so.

In a very real sense, any "Culture War" was lost - and lost in a huge way -
when patriarchy in general and white patriarchy specifically was outed for
the inherently abusive system it is.

So, since Wilson is indisputably wrong out of the gate, need we look any
further at his vile and dangerous drivel?

Regrettably, yes:  we must continue because as outrageous at that beginning
is, it gets worse.  Wilson starts from a flawed premise and ups the ante by
using his flawed argument to reach a fatally flawed conclusion justifying
the rejection of the "secular" justice system's role in the adjudication of
sex crimes: 

So why make the point about pornification then? What this is intended to do
is point out that those who promote and advance such corruptions in one area
ought not to be entrusted with adjudication of crimes and offenses of a
sexual nature in another area. Our establishment no longer knows what sex
itself is supposed to be, and so cannot know what sexual justice is supposed
to be. We therefore ought not to rely on their "wisdom" about sexual justice
as it relates to children. They don't have any wisdom. Our cultural milieu
tolerates and teaches courses in our universities (!) which solemnly
maintain that all instances of PIV (penis in vagina) are rape by definition,
dogmatically pronounce that TMI sex education for grade schoolers is a moral
necessity, say that doing the anal honors should be considered a high
privilege, and now with much of the legal resistance to same sex mirage out
of the way, has already been preparing to mainstream pedophilia. The last
thing in the world Christians should do is join in with any stampeding
opinions about any of this from the secularists. They don't know what sex is
for, and they therefore don't know what sexual justice is.

First, what on earth is Wilson's fixation on anal sex?! Seriously!  For a
man who detests the sin (except when holding sexinars) while loving the
sinner <snort>, he sure spends a lot of time thinking about it, visualizing
it, fantasizing about it, writing about it, and talking about it.

And, my university educations clearly were lacking because not once in any
of my classes - including in the devil state of California -- was I ever
taught that all heterosexual intercourse is rape.  What nonsense!  And,
Wilson's connection of same sex marriage with pedophilia is beyond
contemptible and flatly factually wrong.

Again, though, Plagiarism King Wilson has never cared about facts:  when
actual facts conflict with his worldview, he simply makes up his own
"facts."

In addition to being vile and ugly and graphic - not to mention just plain
factually wrong - the conclusion Wilson reaches is dangerous . . . very,
very dangerous.  It is indisputable that all those fine "Christian"
religions were more responsible than any other single institution -
including that cursed secular government - at keeping sex abuse swept under
the rug for generation after generation after generation after generation,
and at naming, blaming, and shaming survivors who "told," long before any
feeble claims of "pornification" were even a twinkle in Wilson's eye.

In fact, a pretty solid argument can be made that had it not been for the
utter failure of all those fine patriarchal "Christian" churches and
"pastors" to do their job of controlling their men's sexual behaviors
throughout American history, the secular authorities might never have needed
to trouble itself with those pesky laws and punishments with respect to sex
crimes.  Because, after all, as Wilson and his ilk so frequently shrilly
insist:  America is a Christian nation founded on Christian principles!
Yeah, right.  I would certainly agree that there has been no shortage of
Christian posers like Wilson in this nation's history.  Indeed, it is the
inherently abusive nature of the white patriarchal system advocated by
so-called "Christians" that's the best proof that this nation absolutely was
not founded on the teachings of Jesus.

Perhaps it would be easy to simply dismiss Wilson's vile and obscene ranting
as silly rhetoric and foolish hyperbole.  But, we cannot forget that Wilson
lusts after nothing so much as a theocracy - even if only locally - with him
at the head where he can impose on the rest of us his twisted ideas of
morality and justice.  He's not content to live and let live - he wants to
have control of the teeth of the "secular" law he professes to despise to
force the rest of us to conform to his peculiar flavor of "Christianity."

Short of that, Wilson wants to put himself in the driver's seat of whether
or not sex abuse needs to be reported.  Do not miss the significance of the
following:

One other preliminary point needs to be made, and that has to do with
ministerial confidentiality. When I am providing pastoral counseling, I
never promise absolute confidentiality. I do promise discretion, but I don't
ever want to say that I "will never tell a soul" and then have somebody tell
me where they buried the body. I reserve the full right (and moral
responsibility) to call the cops, depending on the circumstances. But it is
important to note that ministerial authority means that whether or not I am
going to do this is a decision that rests within the church, and not with
some bureaucratic functionary who has no understanding of the biblical
principles of justice and mercy, and how they relate.

And, that is where the genuine danger to this community enters the picture.
Charlatans like Wilson have no place -- morally or otherwise -- to determine
which cases of abuse to report and which not to report.  As much as it chaps
his hide, Wilson is not God - he's just another wolf in sheep's clothing,
which are a dime a dozen.  In no small part, it is the role of churches in
usurping the role of the actual judicial system that is has allowed the
perpetuation of sexual abuse of all kinds.  And that blatant "Wilson knows
best" notion is what makes him a vile and dangerous man for this community.
Of course, given Wilson's intimate experience with sexual deviants and
predators, we can certainly understand why he wants to keep such horrors -
and his role in them - hidden from the general public.

Wilson starts with a factually flawed premise to make a fatally flawed
argument to reach a dangerous conclusion that Christians are the proper
authorities for sex abuse justice except when they decide otherwise.  Wilson
wants a return to the good old "Christian" days  when sex abuse was swept
under the rug by those who "know best," and when naming, blaming, and
shaming survivors who dare to speak out are the tools used to shut them up.

Perhaps, though, something good can come from Wilson's warped view of
"Sexual Justice."  Perhaps each one of us who attends any house of worship
needs to take this opportunity to have a chat with our church leaders to
make sure those leaders don't share Wilson's dangerous ideas regarding
"Sexual Justice."  Do those spiritual leaders pledge to protect women and
children by reporting all known and suspected cases of abuse so that they
can be investigated by the proper lawful authorities and those with
expertise?  Or, do they - like Wilson - long for the days when the abuse of
women and children was kept quiet and thus put the entire community at risk?

 

Saundra Lund

Moscow, ID

 

To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.

~ Abraham Lincoln

 

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Rosemary Huskey
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2014 6:06 AM
To: 'viz'
Subject: [Vision2020] Community Values

 

It is a painful irony when Doug Wilson co-authors a book on justice which
includes a segment written by him entitled "Sexual Justice." The unintended
consequence of this effort brilliantly illustrate the risk a pretentious
bully takes when he feeds off the encouragement and "judgment" of
financially depended sycophants.  Surely, anyone who cares a fig about
Doug's diminishing status in the world of Reformed Calvinism (or the smaller
world of our community) would counsel him to avoid blithely scampering
around this exceptionally perilous (for him) minefield.   Make no mistake;
it takes a strong stomach to read the article in its entirety which can be
found here <http://dougwils.com/s7-engaging-the-culture/sexual-justice.html>
.  It contains language and examples of sexual crimes which could trigger
anxiety responses in those previously victimized by sexual abuse, and
consequently, I will not repost them in this venue.  The following quotes
will more than amply demonstrate the tone and worldview of the man.  I would
also encourage readers to be mindful that Doug leads a sizeable congregation
in Christ Church and that his former student, Toby Sumpter, who shares his
both theology and worldview, pastors a Christ Church clone in Moscow,
Trinity Reformed Church.  Since no intellectually mature person sits under
the pastoral care of men with whom they have significant disagreement, we
must consequently admit that Doug's  prejudices, cheap jibes, and ignorance
is carried forward in our community by minimally six hundred dutiful
communicants.  How do you suppose the following sentiments will shape Moscow
politically, socially, and legally in coming years?  The editorial bolding
below is mine and do not appear in the original text.

Rose Huskey

 

"When I am providing pastoral counseling, I never promise absolute
confidentiality. I do promise discretion, but I don't ever want to say that
I "will never tell a soul" and then have somebody tell me where they buried
the body. I reserve the full right (and moral responsibility) to call the
cops, depending on the circumstances. But it is important to note that
ministerial authority means that whether or not I am going to do this is a
decision that rests within the church, and not with some bureaucratic
functionary who has no understanding of the biblical principles of justice
and mercy, and how they relate."

 

"Accusation is not conviction. One of feminism's many lies is that women
"don't lie about rape," and the appropriate response to this is that "women"
don't do anything, but that some women do lie about rape, for the same
reason that some men do. Some women will lie about anything. Men, ditto. The
fact that she is a woman and the subject is rape is meaningless, and tells
us nothing independent of the facts. Potiphar's wife lied about rape (Gen.
39:14 <http://biblia.com/bible/kjv1900/Gen.%2039.14> ). This same problem is
heightened when you are dealing with children who are testifying about
something - particularly when the child witness is being "coached" by some
expert with a head full of nonsense."

 

"The thresholds of proof in the Bible require independent confirmation of
guilt (two or three witnesses), which is where we get our "beyond all
reasonable doubt" standard. This means that, according to Scripture, in a
world in which terrible things happen, the terrible thing of a guilty man
going free is to be reluctantly preferred to the terrible thing of an
innocent man being convicted. In addition, we find that cultures in
rebellion against this standard are soon in the position of inverting other
biblical standards as well - as a prelude to leveling accusations against
many innocents."

 

"In our experience, such accusers frequently take the silence of pastors as
an admission of complicity, or worse. But these snarls frequently involve
many people with varying degrees of complicity, humiliation, shamed
innocence, stupidity, and guilt. And it is far better for shepherds to be
falsely accused than for shepherds to defend themselves by unnecessarily
humiliating the sheep any further. In some situations, everything is out on
the table, and a pastor can talk about it freely. But in other situations,
there is no way to talk about it, and no way to explain, without doing a lot
more damage. To those who say that in doing this, I am "covering up," I
would simply respond that I am a pastor and I cover things up for a living."

 

 

 

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