Police fear for children abused by religious sects

[emad]

By Stewart Tendler and Nicola Woolcock



DOZENS of children are being abused by religious groups who believe they are possessed, The Times has learnt.

Nineteen children have been rescued by police and social workers from beatings and mental abuse by church members, and senior officers fear many cases are still going unreported. The children’s plight was uncovered in a drive against “faith-based ritual abuse”. A report by Scotland Yard’s child abuse specialists shows that 12 cases involving 19 children were recorded by police in London between May and October.


Although police say most of the cases involve minor injuries, they include beatings, actual bodily harm and neglect involving starving children, abandoning or ignoring them. Many revolve around practices in black African churches.

The cases were uncovered after Scotland Yard, social services agencies and government departments began a campaign to halt the “deliverance rituals” and beliefs within some churches aimed at exorcising children denounced as witches. These rituals are not only condoned but encouraged by many churches, whose pastors are often the ones to denounce young worshippers as witches. The unshakable belief in ndoki (witchcraft) has become a tenet of certain evangelical churches.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,170-1921773,00.html

[TlalocW]

1. How much good could organized religion do

If they would just throw off the shackles of ignorance? Harry Potter turning kids into wizards, demonic possession, the existence of "real" magic is all bupkis. Good grief, stop putting energy into this shit and go feed some starving people or something.

TlalocW

[MichiganVote]

2. Pretty funny since police have been ignoring abusive priests for decades

Better they should check their own credibility and increase that among children and youth.

[Indy_Dem_Defender]

3. Any one else heard about something like this

My sister's ex-boyfriend's brother lived in the south for a while, He sent his son to a Christian preschool and one day the teacher told the kids that when they die they become angel's with wings. So knowing kids about 3-4 years old they asked the teacher if that means they could fly and the teacher says yes it will be wonderful when it happens. So long story short a bunch of the kids wanted to die then and even went as far as to attempt suicide to be able to fly. I know he pulled his kid out of this preschool after his kid had these thoughts and tried jumping from high places to kill himself a couple of times. that kind of stuff me :mad: knowing there are people out there filling Kid's head's full of this type of shit.