"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'."
— Groucho Marx
I don't know. I tend more toward the idea of a temple being welcoming to all, even to someone who has committed a crime/done time, but I can understand parents freaking out about child molesters (REAL child molesters, not some guy who had consentual sex with his girlfriend when he was 19 and she 15). I certainly don't think they should be given an opportunity to be alone with kids, just as a convicted embezzler probably shouldn't be allowed to be treasurer. We can be "sensibly welcoming," don't you think?
Hey Jack...interesting article- but I'm of the mindset that the ones you have to worry about aren't the ones you KNOW about. Its the sex offenders who haven't been sent to jail that are the biggest danger.
Is also interesting to note that the code that I'm using to prevent spam on this particular post starts with the letters P.E.V.R.S. Weird huh?
Normally we believe that anyone can do teshuva, be forgiven and start with a clean slate. But it is widely agreed that pedophiles really cannot be cured. So even if a sex offender had "served his time" and been released from jail, I don't think I'd want him in an environment where kids are accessible, which shul definitely is. I would feel bad for him on some level, but when victim and predator rights come into conflict, I have no hesitation siding with the former.
5 comments:
I don't know. I tend more toward the idea of a temple being welcoming to all, even to someone who has committed a crime/done time, but I can understand parents freaking out about child molesters (REAL child molesters, not some guy who had consentual sex with his girlfriend when he was 19 and she 15). I certainly don't think they should be given an opportunity to be alone with kids, just as a convicted embezzler probably shouldn't be allowed to be treasurer. We can be "sensibly welcoming," don't you think?
Hey Jack...interesting article- but I'm of the mindset that the ones you have to worry about aren't the ones you KNOW about. Its the sex offenders who haven't been sent to jail that are the biggest danger.
Is also interesting to note that the code that I'm using to prevent spam on this particular post starts with the letters
P.E.V.R.S.
Weird huh?
Paula,
Sensibly welcoming sounds ok to me. I agree that there are some people who are "unfortunately classified."
That being said it is a hard road to hoe.
Amishav,
Sure, the "mystery" offenders are scary, but there is a lot of recidivism with offenders. I am not sure that you can ever rehabilitate them.
Normally we believe that anyone can do teshuva, be forgiven and start with a clean slate. But it is widely agreed that pedophiles really cannot be cured. So even if a sex offender had "served his time" and been released from jail, I don't think I'd want him in an environment where kids are accessible, which shul definitely is. I would feel bad for him on some level, but when victim and predator rights come into conflict, I have no hesitation siding with the former.
Elie,
Well said. I think that we have to side with the victim's rights, even if there are no "current" victims.
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