Carah and John discuss a recent announcement that the Mormon Church has agreed to pay a $250 million settlement in all current and future sexual abuse claims related to the Boy Scouts program.
Show Notes:
- “Boy Scouts settlements reached with major insurer, Mormons,” by Randall Chase, Associated Press, September 14, 2021
- “Timeline: A look at the relationship between the LDS Church and Scouting,” by Trent Toone, Deseret News, May 9, 2018
- “History Highlights: A Timeline of President Thomas S. Monson’s Scouting Service,” Vanguard International Scouting Association, January 25, 2018
- “Pres. Monson receives Scouts Canada’s Silver Fox Award,” by Jason Swensen, The Church News, April 11, 2011
- “Mormon Church ends century-old partnership with Boy Scouts of America,” by Christine Hauser, New York Times, May 9, 2018
- “Boy Scouts reach agreement with Mormon Church, insurers in sex abuse case,” by Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, September 15, 2021
- “Church of Jesus Christ will pay $250M into fund for Boy Scout sexual abuse claims,” by Dennis Romboy, Deseret News, September 15, 2021
- Spotlight, a docu-drama about systemic sexual abuse within the Catholic Church
- “Mormon Church has misled members on $100 billion tax-exempt investment fund, whistleblower alleges,” by Jon Swaine, Douglas MacMillan, and Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post, December 17, 2019
- Dallin H. Oaks on Trib Talk, saying the Church does not “seek apologies or give them”
- “Mormon Church reaches settlement in suit alleging it ignored West Virginia abuse,” Associated Press, April 2, 2018
- “Mormon Church defends Minnesota leader of sexual assault” on Mormon Stories
- “The Mormon Church has been accused of using a victims’ hotline to hide claims of sexual abuse,” by Barry Meier, Vice, May 3, 2019
- “LDS Church welfare, humanitarian efforts average $40 million per year, apostle says,” by Morgan Jones, Deseret News, July 12, 2016
- “Catholic League, Utah House Speaker oppose bill to remove clergy exemption for reporting child abuse,” by Connor Richards, Standard-Examiner, January 14, 2020
- “The Sources of Mormon Sexual Shame” on Mormon Stories
- “Responding to Jacob Hess’ ‘Biggest Church Lie’ Call-Out” on Mormon Stories
Part 1
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6 Responses
So sad fir the victims and for all those decent men who were scout leaders and did not abuse…furthermore what man will now volunteer to do scouting leadership.
Personally I only lasted one day as a boy scout!I hated it.
I was in scouts as a youth (disliked it) and I was a Scout leader when the church dissolved the relationship. Parents and kids were checked out by that time, so it was not an enjoyable calling. I think it was always a mistake to see teether themselves to an organization that was not overseen by the Church but was implicitly endorsed and funded by the Church. I was glad when they announced no more scouts and as a TBM, I am SO glad it won’t be around for my Sons.
I also think the Church is paying such a hefty amount without admitting guilt or being guilty of any wrong doing. First, even if you are not guilty, you sometimes settle to avoid more cost or a lenghty court battle, either judicially or the court of public opinion. Second, as the largest funder of Scouts, if something happens, even without your direct knowledge you bear responsibility. I was involved as a youth and for a short time as an adult and I never experienced anything inappropriate. My leaders were amazing, there were never any known issues. That said, I feel for those who did suffer abuse, I hope the Church would have acted swiftly to stop it (if known) and although money does not solve the issue, hopefully it provides some solace to the victims.
There has to be accusations and witnesses first to start a lawsuit otherwise it gets thrown out during the first hearing, so the church knows of Guilt and doesn’t want to look worse during the testimonies of victim’s, etc.
Please do not overexpose the Mormon Stories program to John Larsen. Did you ever have an Uncle you avoided talking to at thanksgiving dinner because he drones on and on with political rants, and only lets you respond enough for him to spring board off your half sentence input for him to carry on for another twenty minutes? Can you remember the sound and tone of that uncles voice?
Please just stick to what makes Mormon Stories great… interviews with down to earth people about their real experiences. We don’t need more preaching, we just need to hear from people we can relate to, people we’d look forward to sharing a forbidden cup of coffee with during an afternoon chat.
You asked for feedback at the end of this episode and specifically mentioned him by name. So I’m casting a vote in here.
Don’t forget, John and Carah, that the 250m of tithing dollars is the negotiated amount the Mormon Church is bound to pay after years of discussion. It does not include all the secretly negotiated amounts paid to hush victims and their families over the years. Add the mighty salaries of their legal counsel and their staff, the true monetary cost will be staggering. YET, these “men of God” can’t find a way to appropriately provide for the survivors, hold a place in their hearts to confess their actions before their congregation or at the feet of Jesus, nor will they change their practices to keep children safe or acknowledge their ‘shut-up or you will be shamed’ approach freely entrenched in all of their programs.
Where your treasure is, there your heart is also. They love money and they love power. It is crystal clear.
My search showed about 2,300 of the victims were in lds troops, not 40,000. I know that’s still too much, but in my experience, the Church had lots of precautions in place to prevent this. I think an accurate count of the number of victims would be responsible reporting here – rather than just throwing out a number. I couldn’t find any other sources online but this one below.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/09/15/boy-scouts-mormons-settlement/