Unveiling the Shadows: Understanding Childhood Sexual Abuse Within the Context of Conservative Anabaptist Theology

Unique Beliefs and Their Role in Systemic Childhood Sexual Abuse

In the shadows of seemingly devout conservative Anabaptist communities lies a disturbing reality – the prevalence of childhood

sexual abuse. This dark truth is not merely a series of isolated incidents but a systemic issue deeply rooted in interconnected factors perpetuating a generational culture of silence and forgiveness without justice. By shedding light on why abuse persists and cycles through generations within these communities, we can begin to unravel its complexity and work toward meaningful change and accountability.

Lack of Accountability Due to Pacifistic Beliefs

The outside world often interprets the conservative Anabaptist stance on pacifism as a refusal to defend oneself physically, a rejection of taking life, and an aversion to military service. However, within the community, these pacifistic beliefs often do not manifest. Corporal punishment is widely accepted and viewed as a form of godly correction. Moreover, discussions around sexual abuse are typically kept quiet and treated as a moral sin rather than a criminal offense, which complicates the community’s pacifist stance.

Additionally, conservative Anabaptist communities generally avoid secular courts. In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Paul admonishes believers against taking their disputes to secular authorities, advocating for conflict resolution within the church. Consequently, nonviolence expands to encompass a broader understanding of harm and conflict resolution. In a culture that deems avoiding even small claims court as virtuous, members may prefer to suffer financial losses rather than engage with the secular legal system. As a result, pursuing criminal charges for sexual abuse may be viewed as a violent act, a perception not widely acknowledged within the community.

When sexual abuse is seen primarily as a sin rather than a crime, many believe secular courts fail to provide true justice and reconciliation, thus neglecting the underlying causes of harm and impeding healing for both survivors and perpetrators. This absence of external accountability and legal consequences allows abusers to act without fear and leaves victims without avenues for justice.

Furthermore, reporting a perpetrator to the authorities can be perceived as abandoning them to the outside world. This can jeopardize their restoration within the community and potentially lead to a loss of faith. If a perpetrator loses faith, anyone who supports the survivor may be blamed for their straying, facing spiritual repercussions.

This lack of accountability often shifts blame and shame onto survivors. When sexual abuse is framed as a moral failure, the focus shifts away from the survivor’s need for justice and protection, placing it on the abuser’s need for forgiveness. This mindset can significantly hinder a survivor’s healing process, exacerbating feelings of self-blame and isolation. Survivors often find their abuse minimized or dismissed, leading to re-traumatization and a lack of closure as they navigate toxic forgiveness.

Victims raised in a pacifist environment may struggle with the conflict of self-protection against an abuser from their community. These individuals often grapple with how to defend themselves without violating their upbringing, mainly if they are dressed in a manner that symbolizes submission to male authority.

Normalization Through Forgiveness

In conservative Anabaptist communities, sexual abuse is often viewed as a sin rather than a crime, leading to expectations that a survivor’s healing must occur within a religious framework. Many outsiders are surprised at how quickly and thoroughly conservative Anabaptists forgive, overlooking the unhealthy dynamics that often accompany this process.

Forgiveness is a core tenet within conservative Anabaptist denominations (Ephesians 4:32, Colossians 3:13, Matthew 6:14-15, and Luke 6:37). It is regarded as a godly trait reflecting God’s unconditional love and grace toward humanity forming a critical aspect of a faith-filled life. During communal preparation for communion (usually held twice a year), congregants are often asked whether their relationships with others are reconciled. Failing to forgive before participating in communion carries significant consequences within these communities (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

However, many instances of forgiveness do not lead to genuine reconciliation, as they may fail to address the underlying issues. This approach can stifle emotional healing and personal growth, compelling individuals to suppress authentic feelings of hurt and anger.

Church Leadership

Even in the most enlightened ‘servant leadership’ conservative Anabaptist church, patriarchy still exists. Men are still the final authority, while women and children are often marginalized or subordinate. This power imbalance causes the focus to be more on protecting the leadership’s interests and the church’s reputation under the guise of godliness concerning submission, forgiveness, grace, and citing verses about unity and avoiding division within the community. Therefore, victims may be discouraged from speaking out or seeking help. Patriarchal beliefs and attitudes about gender roles and sexuality can contribute to victim-blaming and the minimization of abuse toward women and children. Suppose the leadership promotes silence around sexual abuse. In that case, they also use religious authority to maintain the status quo and keep others from speaking up.

While not all perpetrators in conservative Anabaptist sects are male, the majority are, and most females tend to be only acting out what was done to them. Thus, you have a sense of comradery and commiseration with the perpetrator by the all-male leadership. It is not unusual to hear from other males within this belief system, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’ This reinforces the idea that sexual abuse is more a sin than a crime. Thus, leadership will tend to support the abuser’s reconciliation with God and man rather than focus on the needs of the survivor.

Secrecy and Isolation

The more isolated a community is, the more likely they are to have limited oversight and a lack of external interventions. Secrecy protects abusers and stigmatizes victims. And since sexual education and even the definition of sexual abuse remain taboo subjects, you have perpetrators and victims even unaware they may be committing a crime or that they have been wronged.

Theological Justifications

Conservative Anabaptism emphasizes suffering, forgiveness, and nonviolence. Beyond reading Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, one can witness how survivors for generations have been expected to forgive and that there are no actual consequences for an abuser. Thus, emotional martyrdom for the sake of Christ and the church helps to reinforce the belief that suffering is godlier than involving the outside world. This suffering in silence can be misused to discourage victims from seeking justice or even resisting abuse. Abusers may exploit these beliefs to manipulate victims or justify their actions.

Generational Cycles

When silence around sexual abuse is present, its effects ripple through generations. When one grows up generations deep in conservative Anabaptism, one knows the stories of incest, sexual abuse, and sometimes even of their friends. This information is passed along as though whispered, never to be spoken out loud. When even historical cases of incest are still hidden and not talked about, you grow up with silence in your bones, knowing even your ancestry books lie. Conservative Anabaptist survivors are very aware that silence and forgiveness are expected of them, and sexual abuse is routine. The silence and misplaced shame passed down through the generations only serve to groom children and prepare them to be silent when abuse happens.

When one sees generations of sexual abuse, but where divorce is considered an even worse sin, toxic forgiveness can perpetuate a cycle of abuse and harm. It sends the message to the community that abuse is excusable or forgivable with no accountability. When there are generations upon generations of the same issue, children and women grow up feeling their voices are powerless and that they will not be protected nor ever see justice. Many conservative Anabaptist survivors are not even aware of or could conceptualize what justice would even look like.

Conclusion

It is imperative to address the prevalence of child sex abuse within conservative Anabaptist circles. It is essential to uncover the root causes of abuse within these communities so that protection of abusers is no longer tolerated. Conservative Anabaptism must move away from silence and shift the mindset from viewing abuse as solely a sin to recognizing it as a heinous crime. Education, a willingness to discuss abuse, and understanding the difference between sin and crime are crucial steps in breaking the cycle of generational abuse.

Also, within conservative Anabaptist communities, if the role of and definition of pacifism were extended to advocating for a culture of non-harm, a safer environment would be created for all individuals, regardless of age or gender. The teachings of pacifism would then serve as a reinforcement to cause harm to another through sexual abuse. It is also essential for the communities to fully understand the severity of damage and the lifetime cost to a child sexual abuse survivor in emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being.

Moving forward, those educated on these issues and understanding sexual abuse is a crime must be prepared to face prosecution of the law entirely if they offend. The conservative Anabaptist churches must realize that protecting a perpetrator through silence (historical or current) and accepting forgiveness with no actual cost to the abuser but at the expense of survivors only perpetuates the cycle of abuse and injustice. The focus must rightfully change to supporting survivors and not misplacing blame and shame upon them. Through collective efforts and a commitment to change, we can ensure a future where all individuals within conservative Anabaptist denominations are free from the horrors of childhood sex abuse.

• This work is based on the author's opinions and observations and does not attempt to be scholarly or peer-reviewed.