According to court records, David Vander Meer collected over $567,000 in life insurance, which he allegedly used to live “lavishly.” He allegedly, according to court records, bought vehicles for a girl he had groomed and another member of the youth group, and took the group on several all-expense-paid trips.
David Vander Meer applied for $150,000 life insurance policies for himself and his wife in 2005. He then raised their policies to $550,000 each in November 2005, less than a year before his wife’s death, according to court records.
In August 2006, David Vander Meer and his wife went to Zion National Park in Utah to celebrate their anniversary. The two went on a hike to the summit of Angels Landing starting at 4:20 a.m., according to court documents.
Haha, I’ve known many very ethical and helpful youth pastors having grown up in a religious family. You’re hearing of 1 bad example while there ate probably 1000s of them in the US alone. The issue was with the senior staff knowing he was not good news and letting him continue anyway. Shame on them for turning their backs from the sounds of it!
“Not all youth pasters,” huh?
People aren’t drawing conclusions out of nowhere. Its a role that puts abusers into an ideal situation to groom and rape kids. Christian church culture tends to emphazie authority being right, victim blaming and shaming, men over women, cover ups and “good old boy” networks where local law enforcement will turn a blind eye to protect the church. The youth pastors generally have no actual qualifications past being “in the church in good standing” and being charismatic. The faiths tenats put a high emphasis on “foregivness” that somehow always favors the abusers and never the victim. Its often the case that the victim is the one ostracized for their courage and hope for justice.
Its a situation that is all but geared towards letting men abuse children, and no, churches are not taking that seriously enough to get the benefit of the doubt. This isn’t any specific christian faith either. Stories have come out from Mormons to Methodists to what have you. The individual injustice is different, but the pattern always holds. Rapist rape kids, church lock steps to protect the rapist and hide or shame the victim.
You had good youth pastors? Neato. The culture is still one that sets up rapists to be able to rape and get away with it. Until the culture is better, one off “good pastors” don’t matter.
I’m sorry you feel that way. It’s not that I specifically had a good one, there are so many who believe through and through religion is the way, they devote their lives to serving others, to putting others’ needs first, and making a real difference! I’ve seen it first hand and would be some of the best role models imaginable.
Your views are skewed from hearing the bad examples in the media and just build your opinion on all the bad. Certainly there are those who take advantage, but the are so many more who aren’t there to groom, be selfish, cheat, lie, etc. A comment will never do it enough justice, and I don’t think you could possibly understand until you live that life and witness it yourself.
I think you are missing the other commenters point. The abusers are absolute scumbags, and we are all in agreement on that. The point is that these church groups provide the perfect environment for a predator to both abuse and then cover up their crimes. What we see repeatedly when these crimes happen is the church group closing ranks, “punishing” the abuser in their own way in house, always obviously inadequately and without informing law enforcement. These groups then put pressure on the victim and their families to “forgive” the victim as “jesus” or “Mohammad” or “Xenu” would have wanted.
The problem here is how these institutions cover up institutional abuse.
Yeah this happens in churches all the time.