Should Sex Offenders Be Barred from Church?

[chri'stina 190]

I agree with Len that the penalties should be much harder, but I think when their out they should get a clean*ish slate. This living in the woods or under a bridge ####### is ridiculous.

Their jail time should be relative to the severity of their crime. I thought that was the meant to be the case currently.

Agreed. And when they are released, what should happen?

Someone who rapes a child should NEVER be allowed out. Or, if he/she is allowed out, you bet he/she should not be allowed anywhere near children. And yes, that includes church. then again, I neither have kids nor go to church --- that's why I would want some church going folks to chip in.

This is hard. I think why they are labeled a sex offender is always important. In cases where it was a 19 yr old who had sex with a 16 yr old, but it was consensual and the parents reported it, shouldn't be punished the same(I'm sure most agree).

As for a child getting raped or etc, I personally have no tolerance. I don't say I am representing the Bible in this because the bible does talk about forgiveness and I have a hard time with the idea of forgiving someone who did such a thing. But I'm not God. And even if they are forgiven it doesn't mean they should be allowed to be around kids. I would not want them to be around my kids or other little kids at church. I agree you don't have to be in one specific place to have church. They can find bible studies to go to for men or something. Or else you would want constant supervision of the kids, I could see that being a possibility but it's hard to actually do.

[sara..... 371]

I have a big problem with "branding" people. There's a lot of NIMBYism that goes on with this issue, and while its understandable that people don't want to live near people with that sort of criminal history, the fact remains that they have to live somewhere. There was a program a while back about a community of sex offenders (I think in NY) who, due to various zoning restrictions on where they could live - ended up living in some sort of group commune.

They say the rate of reoffence is high in that group of people, but that probably isn't helped by completely ostracising those people from the community and in society in general.

If you commit a crime, do your time and are released - you have paid your debt to society. That applies to all manner of other crimes, yet not to this one.

i have a real problem with this one of my elder sisters was raped when she was three years old........she suffers all her life she is mentally nuts, she also has a lot of physical problems because of this horrid act committed against her...... her life goes on but nothing changes.........the man that did this crime did his time lives his life with is wife and children with out any problems while her life is ruined so im prolly not a vj person that has a lot of sympathy for anyone that commits a crime that effects the life of another human to the effect that their life is destroyed while the perpetrator is allowed to live life as nothing happened just because he did his time

sara

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I have a big problem with "branding" people. There's a lot of NIMBYism that goes on with this issue, and while its understandable that people don't want to live near people with that sort of criminal history, the fact remains that they have to live somewhere. There was a program a while back about a community of sex offenders (I think in NY) who, due to various zoning restrictions on where they could live - ended up living in some sort of group commune.

They say the rate of reoffence is high in that group of people, but that probably isn't helped by completely ostracising those people from the community and in society in general.

If you commit a crime, do your time and are released - you have paid your debt to society. That applies to all manner of other crimes, yet not to this one.

i have a real problem with this one of my elder sisters was raped when she was three years old........she suffers all her life she is mentally nuts, she also has a lot of physical problems because of this horrid act committed against her...... her life goes on but nothing changes.........the man that did this crime did his time lives his life with is wife and children with out any problems while her life is ruined so im prolly not a vj person that has a lot of sympathy for anyone that commits a crime that effects the life of another human to the effect that their life is destroyed while the perpetrator is allowed to live life as nothing happened just because he did his time

sara

I don't dispute what you're saying - but the justice system doesn't deal in revenge, nor does it deal in sentiment.

[chri'stina 190]

I have a big problem with "branding" people. There's a lot of NIMBYism that goes on with this issue, and while its understandable that people don't want to live near people with that sort of criminal history, the fact remains that they have to live somewhere. There was a program a while back about a community of sex offenders (I think in NY) who, due to various zoning restrictions on where they could live - ended up living in some sort of group commune.

They say the rate of reoffence is high in that group of people, but that probably isn't helped by completely ostracising those people from the community and in society in general.

If you commit a crime, do your time and are released - you have paid your debt to society. That applies to all manner of other crimes, yet not to this one.

i have a real problem with this one of my elder sisters was raped when she was three years old........she suffers all her life she is mentally nuts, she also has a lot of physical problems because of this horrid act committed against her...... her life goes on but nothing changes.........the man that did this crime did his time lives his life with is wife and children with out any problems while her life is ruined so im prolly not a vj person that has a lot of sympathy for anyone that commits a crime that effects the life of another human to the effect that their life is destroyed while the perpetrator is allowed to live life as nothing happened just because he did his time

sara

Horrible. While I don't have any firsthand experience, I don't have sympathy either(for offenders against children). In most cases the people do not pay enough time for their crime. It's sick and to me an act that is done in either insanity or from demonic influence or how else could someone actually do that? If I want to be extreme and say how I really feel, I wish that they'd be castrated - if it was a case where there was so much evidence that there was no denying what they did. they didn't steal something for a drug habit, or to get food, or kill someone they were fighting with. They damaged an innocent person for life!

Edited October 14, 2009 by chri'stina

[Peikko 1,575]

Being a christian you are not required to have sympathy just compassion.

Edited October 14, 2009 by Madame Cleo

[chri'stina 190]

Being a christian you are not required to have sympathy just compassion.

My compassion for the damaged outweighs compassion for the offender. God can judge me if I'm wrong, I don't have a problem with that.

[Peikko 1,575]

People need to understand what creating a class of untouchables really means. I think when they understand that, they will understand why these laws are fundamentally futile.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The fact is though that castration and execution are in many ways not viable options. So whether people like it or not you have to live in a diverse community that's bound to include a few criminals. As I say its understandable that people don't want to live near these people, but from a purely practical point of view - someone has to.

The way I see it - ostracising people and branding them only serves to drive them underground (hence you get the situation where sex offenders don't report their whereabouts) and makes them more likely to reoffend.

[Peikko 1,575]

Being a christian you are not required to have sympathy just compassion.

My compassion for the damaged outweighs compassion for the offender. God can judge me if I'm wrong, I don't have a problem with that.

Get your bible out. It is easy to feel compassion for the good - feeling compassion for the 'bad' takes faith.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and goodwill shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

[Chica Yeyé 41]

Thanks sister stina and estadia for their replies. and my heart goes out to estadia's sister

I, indeed, have absolutely no compassion for rapists. At all.

[Peikko 1,575]

Down A.J, down!

[The_Dude 1,142]

While I do understand the reprocussions of casting sex-offenders out of society, I don't think I could under any circumstances allow my child to be in proximity to one. It's just not a risk i'm willing to take.

[Peikko 1,575]

Thanks sister stina and estadia for their replies. and my heart goes out to estadia's sister

I, indeed, have absolutely no compassion for rapists. At all.

Not a christian? It's not required.

While I do understand the reprocussions of casting sex-offenders out of society, I don't think I could under any circumstances allow my child to be in proximity to one. It's just not a risk i'm willing to take.

How is it a risk in church? Precisely?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I would think there's less of a chance of a child being abused in the middle of a busy church service.

Of course - how can anyone really know the criminal history of anyone they live near (even who you work with). Its only with sex offenders that we've created this class of "social leper" to be cast out of our societies and communities.

Never mind the guy who killed someone drink-driving, or the person who stole a charity collection box.

Edited October 14, 2009 by Gene Hunt