Nineteen cases per year spread over a membership of fifteen million—that’s not sufficient evidence to brand and demonize the group as a whole. Wherever there are children there is a chance there will be predators. Predation happens in schools, for example, but no one thinks of schools as being riddled with the profane and evil.

If there were a school run by atheists there would be a chance that pedophiles might infiltrate.

I was thinking exactly the same when I saw this article.

Perverts For Jebus!

Many perverts among the pious. The clergy provides great camouflage and easy targets.

No place is exempt.

Religions are the perfect playgrounds for pedophiles - I was incredibly upfront with my siblings about that fact - and screw it - it kept the kids safer.

Feckin' churches.

TBH, if you think like a sexual predator, of course you will hide in this kind of environment. It is the easiest place to practice your stuff and get away with it.
The halo effect will protect you, because "of course a spiritual leader is more evolved and won't do this kind of harm".
Religions only give the structure this kind of people needs, the same with greedy people and politics, psychopaths and army, insecure people and middle management etc.
All these we need to stop seeing this as isolated cases and understand that the structure is there asking to be exploited and change the structure. In case of religion, well go for the person AND the institution, make it hurt in the pockets or even loosing the right to work in the area where this things happened. All rights must be limited to a certain point (where it starts interfering with other rights), and freedom of religion can't be over dignity or physical integrity.

It's been about as much in the Christian (Baptist, Pentecost, and various others) for as long as I can remember. Both with boys and girls.

I remember one preacher who talked to me about having all kinds of "dirty books" we could look at. Together...... Alone.

Luckily, I had the instincts to go home. And never talk to him again. But, it's much worse for those that become victims. How many more are there that we truly don't know about?