Greetings All, this is the second podcast discussing sexual predators who embed themselves within religious organizations 

We are discussion 5 Christian religions - Catholic, Southern Baptist Convention, Amish, Jehovah Witness, and Mormons

Each faith’s sexual abuse is hidden, silenced, those convicted or identified instead of being exposed often they are silently moved, a version of musical chairs, to new unaware congregations

Each believe in the power of Forgiveness. The sexual predator is require to ask forgiveness, depending on the faith, those victimized must ask to be forgiven, and everyone is supposed to forget and move forward 

The problems arise when those victimized chose not to forgive let alone remain silent

On our website www.strongpowerfulandvictorious.com we are providing lists of support groups per faith you can reach out to

Hope this finds you well,
For full disclosure Theresa shares her confused religious history - baptized Catholic, every Saturday attended Catechism, never ate meat on Fridays, attended Mass on Sundays but faithfully attended  Pentecostal, as in Holy Roller, services along with her grandmother, and too much time in prayer circles to save her little demented soul. 

As most young Catholic girls she had visions of being a Maryknoll nun, traveling the world saving the heathens.  Then one Saturday afternoon she saw the heathens, looked like her brown skin folks. 

As her father raped and violated her at least 3 times a week she hoped, believed, and prayed to God, Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, and the Holy Ghost to save her, to stop her father raping her.  But no spiritual intervention.  

Effie, her 11 inch grey crochet elephant, once again comes to her rescue.  Effie declares there is no one going to save Theresa but herself

At age fifteen Theresa breaks all ties with religion,  She arms herself to survive and she held on to one belief, the God she believed in had forsaken her.  For 33 years she lost all faith in any greater power than herself.


Alone and terrified at age 48 she finds her faith again by combining faiths that made sense to her

Theresa identifies the complex infrastructure - 6 tiers - that creates the opportunities for years and generational childhood sexual violence.  While most people despises, for good reason, the sexual predators, she identifies the Adorning Queen the mother or maternal figure, as the most powerful, as she can end the violence but choices her husband or significant other over her children.

Theresa reminds us all, to exam the 6 tiers - Head Predator in Charge (HPIC), status of HPIC,  Adoring Queen, Sacrificed  Children victimized by sexual violence, Silent Siblings, and Future Generations

For those of us who were victimized remember who you are STRONG, POWERFUL, and VICTORIOUS

This is first in a four part series defining the six designated roles  required for a sexual predator to continue to sexually violating  via rape, childhood sexual violence, and invest for years even multiple generations

This series will discuss sexual violence within a family structure, education (college, societies, fraternities, and 4-12 grade), religion (Catholic,  Amish, Southern Baptist, and Jehovah Witness), and institutions ( Boy Scouts, sport organization)

This series will be enlightening and educational 

 

In today’s so often divisive times I wanted to find commonalities and solutions we can share.  Sadly, rape,, childhood sexual violence, and incest crosses all economic and racial lines, but the differences is often defined by access to care.

I am fortunate to have friends who work in both urban and rural communities.  To compare access of care I spoke with Special Education teacher and MFT who work in rural Colorado.  
Of the two, each has long generational family ties,  family who were Homesteaders, and are proud of the communities.  

The discussion was amazing, we all shared the same concerns but we learned the major differences was not in violence but unlike urban communities where behavioral health folks often do not look like or share the same cultures of the communities they serve.  

Theresa is joined by Kristine Irwin, Founder of Voices of Hope, from Pittsburgh, PA , to discuss the role social media plays in perpetuating blaming/shaming of those victimized by sexual violence

Theresa and Kristine discuss victim blaming/shaming social media campaigns  - re-traumaization, vile posted comments, somehow she wanted to be  violated, it was  her fault look how she was dressed or drank too much,  she didn’t yell loud enough. What was once a private matter is now because of social media is public exposure for anyone to post vile comments.  It limits the opportunities to come to terms of what happened to you, fears and shame are heighten by people, majority you do not know, openly talk about you, and it limits your time to heal and recover

They discussed the words used by print and television media to describe girls ages 12 to 17 victimized by sexual violence.  Instead of saying they are young girls -  elementary, middle or high schoolers - too young to get drivers license or drive without adult in the car,  vote, volunteer for the military buy alcohol, or sign a legal contract - they are described as young women.  Another, code victim blaming/shaming term is implying those victimized of being in a relationship with their predator.  There is no relationship.  No mutually agreed upon relationship, no joining of equals.  It is time to describe what happened a child was sexual violated, preyed upon by older adult.

They raise the question, why is the sexual predator is seldom blamed but somehow he becomes the victim.  How dare he be blamed, what about his innocence, how will this damage his career his prospects in life.  


They end this discussion asking the questions what can they do to make a difference and invite others to end victim blaming/shaming

Those of us victimized by rape, childhood sexual violence and incest we are taught  to be silenced and shamed  for being victimized 
That silence and shame causes us not to tell our health care providers our history

The decisions we make as young experienced children, many unhealthy but the only means we know how to have some form of control over the trauma we are experiencing have long term health and economic consequences 

Healthcare providers have known since late 1980s the direct correlation between childhood trauma and obesity and diabetes but how many discuss this with  their  obese or diabetic patients.

The combination of healthcare unable or unwilling to discuss childhood trauma or rape, our silence and lack of knowledge, and healthcare disparities creates the perfect storm for premature death and disabilities in communities of color and marginalized communities 

This is Part 2 of Our Weaponized Penis podcast series as we discuss Rape Culture 
This podcast focuses on how young people are victimized and silenced, the economics of rape and childhood sexual violence - individuals lose over quarter million dollars over their lifetime

Discuss the importance of women of color and marginalized women as the economic engineers in their communities. 

Introduce wonderful program founded and supported by the President and First Lady of Sierra Leone called Hands Off Our Girls. The program values the importance of young girls as the future of its country

Ask anyone, especially of color, if they know someone who was  victimized by rape, childhood sexual violence, or incest.

Most likely the answer will be yes.   You may be surprised by the number of people they know were sexually violated.

We will explore rape as unwanted sex but as a form of economic, healthcare, and societal terrorism.

Over the next four weeks, our podcasts will discuss epidemic level of rape and femicide domestically and internationally; innovative programs and solutions lead by women of color to change legislative policies and laws that blame those victimized while protecting  sexual predators; and the direct and indirect economic, healthcare, and societal costs of rape, childhood sexual violence, and incest on individuals, families, communities,and future generations  

Each podcast will include innovative programs and solutions building support for those victimized, their families, and communities 
  

This is a very special podcast as we hear from an African American man talk about witnessing the emotional, healthcare, and economic toll of being sabotaged and betrayed by my family over 45 years

He watched my family protect my father, a sexual predator, because he had status and power, and my family’s reputation and imagine in the community and church had  higher value than me, the Sacrificial Child 

I knew my family disliked me, but listening to Maurice allowed me to see their hatred, their betrayal, all because I refused to  shut up, to stop talking, to tear down the walls of silence, secrets, and shame.

Their hatred and fear of me increased  when they found out I was writing a memoir which would detail  the violence and betrayal 

Maurice is my hero, for 45 years he been a constant in my life.  The one person I could talk to, cry with, talk about my fears of hurting my son when I told him the truth of our shared paternity, he is my son and my brother

Maurice did what we all need, he remained in my life, he called and checked in on me, he allowed me to believe I was worthy of living