Child Abuse Seminar
I went to a child abuse seminar yesterday thinking, perhaps even hoping, that they would teach us how to spot and report suspected abuse. It was, however, just a risk management seminar teach us how to not abuse children and the legal steps we need to take to make sure that The Salvation Army is not liable for our volunteers and staff that we bring into the building. Now, to be sure this information is necessary. However, when the risk management fellow equated each possible abused child in our program to a sum of money I had had it. The quote went something like, "If you have a known pedophile in your building, each child abuse case can be seen as $2 Million. If you have 30 kids you could see the cost." Wow. A whole $60 Million and nothing about the possible ruined lives of the kids. To soften it a little, there was mention of the kids safety throughout, but there was always a sense of legal covering of the proverbial ass.
To change gears I was also quite interested to hear the "panel" be so very adamant saying that pedophilia is an incurable disease. Luckily a few pastors raised the question, what about the supernatural ability of God's saving grace and the sanctification work of His Spirit. The response was a simple, "It has been scientifically proven that there is no cure for pedophilia." I have forgotten to mention that this panel consists of a Christian Salvation Army Member who advises the Eastern Territory and is employed as such, a Christian Lawyer whom I have a bit more respect for than the others, and an Ordained Salvation Army pastor. The first thing that popped into my head when he said this was that there is a double standard. These same people would argue up and down that scientific proof means nothing when it comes to the creation of the world. "Evolution cannot have happened because God created the world in 7 days." Why is the church so eager to follow the proof of science in modern cases, and not in ancient ones? Why can't Christians ever seem to find the middle ground. Why can't we understand that God has ordered the world, and it is governed by laws, but that those laws do not pertain to himself, or us, when we have the Holy Spirit working in and through us? It is this lack of consistency that, I believe, has turned the public opinion of Christianity sour. I have not had time to fully think through my argument, but there it is. I hope that I will be able to learn enough in my lifetime that I will at least be able to limit these double standard occurrences in my beliefs. Who knows.
And speaking of learning, I am now a graduate. Yay me...yay me. Although I have to admit it seems like I have more to do now than I did a month ago. Before I was graduated there was a barrier between me and grad school. Now no such thing exists and so I have a lot of work to do.
Also, I stand upon the precipus of an historic occasion. This is an occasion that most people will never get to experience in their lifetimes. I may get a personal trifecta of major sports championships. I know it is that amazing. Cleveland has been waiting for more than my lifetime for just one, and I may get my three teams each one in 2009. This probably won't ever happen again and so I must step back and awe at the possibilities. The Steelers have their championship, enough to make this among the best sports years of my life. But as the Cavaliers have a good hope of winning it all and the Pittsburgh Penguins have a good hope of at least getting to the Stanley Cup Finals and then an equal chance to win it, I am on cloud nine. Even if they don't win it all, I may never see this kind of success among my teams (the only three I follow) in my lifetime and if they win it all, it may just mean the end of the world.