Abstract
Abuse in the church is something that cannot be ignored, yet responses to this kind of abuse have been inconsistent and harmful. The division between church and state poses challenges in reconciling this type of abuse because the primary interest protected by tort law is personal bodily security, while the primary interest of constitutional law protects First Amendment rights, including freedom of religion. The purpose of this research is to understand how the priorities of the congregation can inform proceedings after sexual assault in the church according to the nuanced relationship between the church and state. This research will focus on the community impact of abuse outside the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim/survivor. Participants in this study took a survey indicating their responses to a hypothetical scenario regarding the sexual assault of a non-minor in the congregation by a leader of the church. I found that the victim’s healing is the primary priority of the congregation and that most participants wanted the legal system to be more involved after a sexual assault. There was dissonance in participants’ definitions of grace and accountability, which may be a primary reason why there is disunity among congregational responses to nuanced and harmful circumstances such as sexual assault in the church. The relationship between church and state is something that needs to be scrutinized when it comes to sexual assault in the church because religious exemptions give organizations a loophole from accountability to standards that the general public must adhere to.
Presenters
Rebecca WongStudent, Sociology and Social Work, University of Michigan, Michigan, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Church and State, Sexual Abuse, Accountability, Legal Intervention, Multiplex Relationships
