'People Of Praise'

[ramonmercado]

We don't seem to have a Thread for People of Praise.

‘People of Praise leaders failed me’: Christian group tied to Justice Amy Coney Barrett faces reckoning over sexual misconduct

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — In December, Katie Logan called the police in this Minneapolis suburb to unearth a buried secret: Her high school physics teacher had sexually assaulted her two decades earlier, she said. She was 17 and had just graduated from a school run by a small Christian group called People of Praise. He was 35 at the time, a widely admired teacher and girls’ basketball coach who lived in a People of Praise home for celibate men.

Logan told police she reported the June 2001 incident to a dean at the school five years after it happened. Police records show the dean believed Logan and relayed the complaint to at least one other senior school official.

But the teacher, Dave Beskar, remained at Trinity School at River Ridge until 2011, when he was hired to lead a charter school in Arizona. In 2015, he returned to the Minneapolis area to become headmaster of another Christian school. Beskar denies that any inappropriate sexual activity took place.

“People of Praise leaders failed me,” Logan, 37, said in an interview with The Washington Post. “I think they wanted to protect themselves more than they wanted to protect me and other girls.”

Logan was encouraged to go to police by a founder of “PoP Survivors,” a Facebook group formed last fall after the Supreme Court nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, who has deep roots in People of Praise and who served on the board of its schools years after Beskar left. Barrett’s ascendancy to the nation’s highest court has forced a painful reckoning in People of Praise, an insular Christian community that emphasizes traditional gender roles. The former members are now demanding that the group acknowledge their suffering and that it mishandled complaints, prompting People of Praise to hire two law firms to investigate allegations of abuse.

The Post interviewed nine people in the Facebook group — all but one of them women — who said they were sexually abused as children, as well as another man who says he was physically abused. In four of those cases, the people said the alleged abuse was reported to community leaders. Logan gave The Post recorded statements and other documents from the police investigation of her complaint.

In response to questions from The Post, Craig Lent, chairman of the religious group’s board of governors, said that the lawyers’ findings will be reviewed by a People of Praise committee of men and women and that “appropriate action” will be taken. ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com//investigations/2021/06/11/people-praise-barrett-sexual-misconduct/

 

[Coastaljames]

Not sure what the story is here really..

Accusations of abuse in a community. These are being dealt with appropriately.

 

[ramonmercado]

Not sure what the story is here really..

Accusations of abuse in a community. These are being dealt with appropriately.

It's a Cult, even has Handmaids, a Supreme Court Justice is a member. Many of these alleged incidents took place years ago and action wasn't taken at the time. The PoP are now investigating after public pressure has been exerted on them.

This is the Forum for Religions and Cults so it's not at all odd that the story should be posted here, there are many similar Threads.

 

[Coastaljames]

This is the Forum for Religions and Cults so it's not at all odd that the story should be posted here, there are many similar Threads.

I get that yeah, apololgies.

It's a Cult,

I don't have a dog in this fight but definition of something being a "cult" is pretty subjective I think. It's a small, strict, insular religious group. It seems a very extreme way to live for most of us, but each ot their own - as long as people are there because they want to be, I don't see there is anything negative at play. The term "handmaiden" is just a term for a female servant, Christian people commonly refer to themselves as servants or slaves to their faith. They changed the name when the book came out. Also those calling themselves "handmaidens" were actually in positions of leadership in the group.

Yeah, it's pretty awful that so many institutions have not done the right thing for so long.

 

[Lb8535]

I get that yeah, apololgies.



I don't have a dog in this fight but definition of something being a "cult" is pretty subjective I think. It's a small, strict, insular religious group. It seems a very extreme way to live for most of us, but each ot their own - as long as people are there because they want to be, I don't see there is anything negative at play. The term "handmaiden" is just a term for a female servant, Christian people commonly refer to themselves as servants or slaves to their faith. They changed the name when the book came out. Also those calling themselves "handmaidens" were actually in positions of leadership in the group.

Yeah, it's pretty awful that so many institutions have not done the right thing for so long.

To me the dividing ine between insular religious group and cult is the behavior that worships one person as opposed to some form of a recognized deity. Handmaidens of the Lord as a title although stemming from a crummy King James era translation is fine if that's what they consider themselves. Handmaidens of the Lord whose job is enriching, following the orders of, and taking care of Joe Schmo is another thing entirely.

 

[Coastaljames]

To me the dividing ine between insular religious group and cult is the behavior that worships one person as opposed to some form of a recognized deity.

You mean like the Catholic church?




I get your wise point yes. I can't seem to find anything that suggests there is "worship" of any individual. There seems to be a powerful patriarchal hierachy in place, sure. But this isn't uncommon in many faith communities of all stripes all over the world. In fact many communities of all sorts (at least 90% of world leaders are male). If people buy into this and are happy then I don't see there as being any problem. Not my cup of tea but there you go.

Bottom line is none of us know what's going on in groups like these. It might be fine, it might be not fine. The problem we have is these groups are different to us. There are both secular and non-secular "contrast communities" all over the world. By definition they behave in ways that seem very odd to us, they naturally provoke suspicion. From a distance it is next to impossible for us to determine whether this suspicion is founded or unfounded.

I think there probably should be some sort of way for agencies to go into and have a look round organisations like this, to check everyone is safe, well and uncoerced. I would hope though that such agencies would have a profound knowledge of religion, faith, spirituality theology and safeguarding. In a free society we want to allow as many people to live how they see fit rather than shut down anything that falls out of the mainstream.

There is always the possiblity that we, the majority, might not be right.

 

[Lb8535]

You mean like the Catholic church?




I get your wise point yes. I can't seem to find anything that suggests there is "worship" of any individual. There seems to be a powerful patriarchal hierachy in place, sure. But this isn't uncommon in many faith communities of all stripes all over the world. In fact many communities of all sorts (at least 90% of world leaders are male). If people buy into this and are happy then I don't see there as being any problem. Not my cup of tea but there you go.

Bottom line is none of us know what's going on in groups like these. It might be fine, it might be not fine. The problem we have is these groups are different to us. There are both secular and non-secular "contrast communities" all over the world. By definition they behave in ways that seem very odd to us, they naturally provoke suspicion. From a distance it is next to impossible for us to determine whether this suspicion is founded or unfounded.

I think there probably should be some sort of way for agencies to go into and have a look round organisations like this, to check everyone is safe, well and uncoerced. I would hope though that such agencies would have a profound knowledge of religion, faith, spirituality theology and safeguarding. In a free society we want to allow as many people to live how they see fit rather than shut down anything that falls out of the mainstream.

There is always the possiblity that we, the majority, might not be right.

I was describing my own line in the sand, not proposing a law. In the US the agency thing wouldn't fly, separation of church and state. It also would lend itself to the agency coming under the control of a religion that disapproves of all others. So no. On the other hand anyone can bring a complaint against any organization that it is causing harm to people under current civil law .and spark an investigation. Evidence helps. I find your comment about the Catholic church incomprehensible.