That's so good of them

[gwywnnydd]

So, apparently Elizabeth Smart's bishop has stated that, regardless of what happened, she is 'pure before the Lord.' Being in the control of her captors apparently has removed the stain of any sin from her soul.

I can't explain why this bothers me as much as it does. . .

Comments

[ginkgo.livejournal.com]

The part which bothers me is connected to that. She was apparently spouting off religious bits she had been told by her abductor when she first spoke with the police. So... to undo that brainwashing, she will likely be re-immersed in her family's Mormon religion. Great. How does that help her heal as a teenager, as a woman, and as an individual?

Re:

[gwywnnydd.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm not willing to dis her family's religion, mostly because I believe that her family and the church support network will provide lavish amounts of emotional support for her. I'm just irritated that someone felt it had to be *stated* that she is not culpable, and will not be held responsible.
I'm a little concerned that the bastardized form of LDS that she's spent the last 9 months living in will make it hard for her to accept *any* religion as a support network. Whatever your spirituality, it does provide a comfort and a control (in terms of being able to control one;s own life).

[ginkgo.livejournal.com]

I agree with and see your points regarding the support structure provided by religions and the issue of culpability. Underlying the bishop's statement, though, is the fact that, to some extent, she would otherwise have been held responsible in the LDS faith.

I will confess a little bitterness because I did not have a support network after being abused. I worry for her that she will not be encouraged to deal with her emotions. I am still coming to terms with and discovering ways in which being abused affected me.

In my elementary school, girls wore chapel caps during chapel because the sight of girls inherently provoked sexual thoughts in boys, or so said minister said. That certainly didn't help me feel that what happened to me wasn't my fault. I fear that certain trappings of her religion might create feelings of fault in her.

It bothered me, too

[kamiilyaan.livejournal.com]

It sounded somewhat medieval to me, as if the bishop was being very... generous and forgiving and was making a pronouncement to the ignorant serfs.

It also sounds like the sort of thing an imam might say if that had happened to a young Muslim woman... I'd better amend that to "moderate imam", there are a lot of fundamentalists here who preach the 'old ways' regularly on tv...

Yeah, the religious/culture clash gets a LOT of press here.

And I'm not saying this as well as I'd like. *sigh*