Determining whether or not these claims have any merit can be a difficult task. Witch wars and theological disputes have historically led to allegations of devil worship, human sacrifice and all sorts of luridly titillating details intended to show that the opposing party isn't just doctrinally questionable but outright evil. When we are dealing with gnosis and personal interactions with the Gods, it is important to distinguish between doctrinal differences and actual criminal activity. We may disagree in good faith about how a Deity should be served. There should be universal agreement that abuse and exploitation are unacceptable no matter what religious justifications the abuser puts forth.
Annamaria Filan (age 12 days): not on topic but awfully cute. |
Who? Who committed these alleged crimes? Who are the victims of these nefarious schemes? Who are the witnesses? Some of the people involved may wish to remain anonymous for one reason or another but there should be at least a couple of verifiable names to be found somewhere in the tale.
What? What are the specific offenses? Instead of nebulous comments about "brainwashing" look for detailed descriptions of actual incidents wherein the alleged perpetrator abused hir power. When you hear someone is a "pervert," find out what the claimant means by those terms. Is the critic talking about consensual or nonconsensual activity: what specific behaviors does sie find offensive?
When and Where? When and where did these events take place? Abuses don't happen in a vacuum. If someone remembered them well enough to share with a third party, they most likely remembered the approximate date and location as well.
Never mind the crucifix: she did #2 in that diaper!!!! |
An inability or unwillingness to provide specifics is a huge red flag. It suggests your source is mindlessly parroting gossip at best, or engaging in an active campaign of smears and whispered innuendo at worst. If you can get a few clear data points, you're in a much better position to corroborate or refute claims. If it turns out the alleged perpetrator was in a different country on the day the "atrocity" took place, or that the "victims" were actually willing participants who found the experience enlightening or even enjoyable, that's one thing. If a little bit of digging reveals a large number of disparate people telling very similar horror stories, that is quite another.
5 comments:
Thank you for posting this. Too often do "brainwashing", "pervert", and (adding to your list) "fundamentalist" get thrown around as damning accusations without any kind of evidence, or even specifics.
nicely said
Annamaria is very cute
"Why" can be questionable. It can be rather intangible and hard to prove or even make a reasonable guess as to why some do whatever it is he/she would be accused of. I agree with just about every thing else in this post though.
One thing here- we need universal agreement on what is exploitation and abuse. What do those terms mean? Abuse is a bit easier, but can we all truly recognize exploitation, especially when it is mental or spiritual vs financial?
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