By A. James Rudin
Star Tribune
December 3, 2011
http://www.startribune.com/opinion/otherviews/134904273.html
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| Illustration: In many child abuse scandals, institutions blamed the victims rather than the perpetrators. |
The sexual abuse of children has often been called our nation's "dirty little secret," but only one of those three words -- "dirty" -- is true.
The unfolding catastrophe at Penn State, Syracuse University and the continuing Catholic clergy scandal have all confirmed what most Americans have long known: assaulting youngsters is neither a "secret" activity nor a "little" problem.
Nevertheless, the recent criminal charges hurled at Jerry Sandusky of Penn State, Bernie Fine of Syracuse, and Catholic Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City, Mo., have stunned the public and confirmed the public's worst suspicions: that respected institutions systematically cover up criminal activity and shield sexual abusers in their midst.
The cases of Sandusky, Fine and Finn are only the latest cases of such deception.
The grand jury indictments against Sandusky describe the obscene alleged behavior of a man who was publicly committed to the welfare of young boys while he privately exercised brutal power to have his way with his hapless victims.
But the ongoing Penn State scandal involves more than just Sandusky. Head coach JoePaterno was dismissed after nearly a half century in the post, along with Penn State President Graham Spanier and two other school officials, for doing little or nothing to stop the problem.
Bishop Finn was indicted for failing to report one of his priests to police for possessing child pornography. The bishop avoided a second indictment when he was forced to cede almost total oversight of all sex abuse cases in his diocese for the next five years to a prosecutor.
But sexual child abuse is not limited to athletic coaches or Catholic priests. There have been a series of cases of Jewish leaders, including rabbis, who engaged in similar activities. It is often difficult to crack the protective institutional armor and punish the offenders.
Clearly, both Christian and Jewish seminaries must carefully screen their applicants and provide both pastoral and legal training about the evil of child sexual abuse. Would-be rabbis, priests and ministers need to recognize traumatized youngsters who have been assaulted, as well as how to counsel the affected families.
Spiritual resources about cherishing and protecting children are available in every faith community. Most religions have created rituals -- circumcision, baptism, confirmation, bar/bat mitzvahs -- to serve as spiritual stepping stones toward adulthood.
In the Jewish tradition, the story goes that before the Torah was given to the Jewish people, God demanded guarantors. The Jews made a number of suggestions theybelieved would preserve the divine teachings, but all were rejected by God as insufficient.
Finally, the people got it right.
"Our children will be our guarantors for all generations ... we will teach them to love and observe the Torah." God immediately accepted this promise and agreed to give the Torah.
When Jewish children are first introduced to the sacred Hebrew letters of the Torah, they are given honey and hugs as tangible signs of the sweetness of God's word and parental love. The Bible is replete with references about securing the health and safety of children.
Parents are obligated to provide their offspring with religious instruction and an education that will prevent them from being a burden on society.
Ancient rabbis also required -- perhaps surprisingly -- parents to ensure their children's ability to swim. It was a metaphor, they said, for the need for a child to successfully "swim" in the difficult streams of life.
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