Reply #60: Just want to thank you for the info you provided . . .

[defendandprotect]

I didn't properly do that in my post, I noticed --

I think we are overlooking the fact that sexual abuse of children, and rape of adult women (especially the poor and minorities), was commonplace and unreported for hundreds(thousands?)of years. I don't mean in the church. I mean in every institution, religious and secular.

Until the women's rights movement rape was generally unreported. Same for child sexual abuse. This only *started* to turn around late in the 20th century.

Think about it. What recourse did an abused American child have, even in the 1950s and early 1960s, if they were abused by their priest (scoutmaster, doctor, teacher or coach). Unless the crimes were incredibly egregious the perpetrator remained in power possibly to even punish the whistle blower.

And we've also had confirmed that rape is a TOOL of war ---

and certainly in the continuing patriarchal war on women!

:)