So I was thinking about this whole ‘Epstein file’ drama and the potential outcome. At first, I thought for SURE this would be the thing. The thing that brings all of the moral, ethical corruption and crimes against humanity to the surface and gets all of the republicans and dems out that need to spend the rest of their days in prison.
But now, I’m not so sure.
When I was attending the largest/richest church in Cincinnati, a staff member told me that a Sunday school leader sexua||y abused her children, and technically what he did would be considered grape. Her children were 3 or 4 at the time.
She shared they sat down with the Sunday school leader, prayed with him, forgave him, and sent him on his way. He went back to leading Sunday school, and when I asked what kind of follow up help they provided for their children, she replied they had done nothing.
Every day there is a new post about a youth pastor or church leader, to include Trumps own spiritual advisor, graping or SAing children. It’s ‘not all churches’ but it is *systemic*. Meaning, the entire institutions culture, policy and ideology is designed to protect moral corruption. I’m not making this up, it’s statistically and scientifically proven with data. All a majority of church/501C3’s need is the correct authority to tell them they are a church of ‘Christ-like integrity and accountability’, and their congregation will blindly comply. And instead of giving to nonprofits that feed, house, clothe and educate our most vulnerable, they tithe to churches to keep their lights, fog machines running, and colonizing mission trips forging ahead.
And it’s not just the church. Conservative politics create the same outcomes, and we see that with one Republican politician after another arrested and tried for pedophili@. I remember sitting with a Republican in-law/family member years ago trying to convince them that my frustration and demand of accountability toward my mother, who knew about the years of SA I experienced from her parents (and multiple other perpetrators), was merited. In the end, they believed I was wrong with my unwillingness to dismiss my mother’s actions without accountability.
And it’s not only the responses of justification and deflection I have watched from most of the Christian’s I know, or those who are self-professed republicans, it’s that most voted for a man that they KNEW was morally questionable, however if you asked these church going conservatively political communities why they voted for Trump, they would say something like, ‘it’s not who he is, it’s his policies that I support’. Okay, so you overlooked a man who had over 4,000 lawsuits against him BEFORE 2016, 28 sexual assault cases, has been married three times with at least two affairs, and six bankruptcies, for his ‘good’ policy? And what does that specifically entail? So far, getting rid of every service that provides for our country and the world’s most vulnerable populations, and then victim shaming them to justify the literal MILLIONS of deaths his policies are causing? All while simultaneously crashing our economy and taking every opportunity of higher ed away from my children with 15-year car loans and a guaranteed 50 years of mortgage debt.
Yeah, great policy.
And now, we have a church, that had an 85% vote for Trump, looks away from systemic sexual assault and harassment; and a Republican Party that also deflects the corruption of their leader and guilty constituents; finally unable to hide the overwhelming evidence that their chosen president graping, who knows how many children, is not and never has been, a deal breaker for them. What do we, those desperate for justice and an equitable social democracy, actually think is going to happen??? That all of these moral bankrupt cohorts are going to have a wave of conscience and see the light??? PAAAALLLEEEAAASEEE!!
That’s why cults are so bad. Just like the friends we once had that WORKED for the church and protected the performative nature of their mega church at the cost OF THEIR OWN CHILDREN, these people aren’t going to do shit to change the moral compromising trajectory of this country. Why?? This isn’t a moral issue, it’s about identity, which is stronger and weighted more significantly within psychology. So significant, they will risk putting their children on the alter of grape and sexua| assault for authoritative approval.
I know I’m not the only one who was a participant in this cult for much of my adult life. Thankfully, growing up in the consciousness of a father of color and a white mother had me questioning my experience in conservative circles the entire time, and ultimately that made me unpopular enough that for the sake of self efficacy, I left the church and Republican Party. And I took my generationally white husband with me. And together, we raised three white anti-oppression incredible men. Then I went to college, and grad school, and learned I was right the entire time about how corrupt it was/is, and more importantly, why. I am that educated Latina all those white conservatives absolutely loath and would put their own children on the sacrificial alter to get rid of.
But here’s the thing, I didn’t need to go to grad school and write a thesis to know something about sacrificing my own children to a systemic morally corrupt conservative church and political party was.. off. And even if you feel some kind of way, just a little bit, knowing something about DJT living as a pedophile, and that conservatives still voting for him, is kind of weird, you should run with that. Open Pandora’s box just a smidge. Your children will thank you for protecting them someday.
psyhcoxology 