Unnamed military chaplain #fundie #sexist

Unnamed military chaplain #fundie #sexist rawstory.com

[emphasis added]

Sergeant Rebekah Havrilla alleges in the complaint that in 2006, after her military supervisor repeatedly sexually harassed her, she was raped by a colleague she was working with at the time.

"He pulled her into his bed, held her down, and raped her. He also photographed the rape," it reads. Havrilla reported the incident within a month.

In February 2009, she reported for active duty training and, upon seeing her rapist, went into shock.

"She immediately sought the assistance of the military chaplain," the lawsuit reads. "When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that 'it must have been God's will for her to be raped' and recommended that she attend church more frequently."

125 comments

old comment by Giveitaday

When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that 'it must have been God's will for her to be raped'

This piece of shit chaplin is a disgrace to the uniform, the country, his religion, and all of humanity. If that is his council to a fellow soldier in the face of life shattering trauma then he has no place, or business counciling anyone least of all a rape victim.

and recommended that she attend church more frequently

I'm sorry, but if it's "god's will" that this girl was raped, then how could anyone in good conscience recommend that she attend a service designed to worship the sadistic bastard that you believe "arranged" this girl's rape for it's own sadistic purposes?

old comment by Anon

>>Just Some Guy

This is making the news now, nearly 5 years later, because Sergeant Havrilla and 16 other female soldiers are suing the Pentagon for lack of action in their rape and harassment cases, though the Army says it is "investigating [the women's claims] energetically."<<

Then I trust that the rapist will be tossed into Leavenworth, that the chaplain will be dishonorably discharged, and that the Army will dramatically changes how it handles cases like this.

>>I agree that most priests, chaplains, etc. might be well-intentioned but I also concur with Dexter. They ARE, in fact, "utter useless bastards." <<

I'm a bit confused as to how someone with the best of intentions can be called a bastard (in the condemning sense of the word). I suppose you could argue that even well-intentioned clergy serve no useful purpose in society, but that would require a lot more evidence.

old comment by Allegory for Jesus

" I suppose you could argue that even well-intentioned clergy serve no useful purpose in society, but that would require a lot more evidence."

That would be the point they were making, yes. And I don't believe that it requires much evidence to say that their role as Christ magicians doesn't exactly serve much purpose or bring about much benefits. The best that can be said of them is that they are decent unprofessional therapists, and the best that can be said of their impact is also an example of the worst case scenario: where they become theocratic demagogues. "Utter useless bastards" is where the priests are best suited; with little effect on society. When they try to be more than useless, they are a hindrance or are outright hostile to civilized society.

old comment by Anon

>>Allegory for Jesus

And I don't believe that it requires much evidence to say that [the Christian clergy's] role as Christ magicians doesn't exactly serve much purpose or bring about much benefits.<<

I don't think that is true, and so I will give some counter-evidence. The best clerics have been some of the greatest teachers, community organizers, social workers, peacemakers, and relievers of suffering in the world. You can surely think of other examples, but I will cite the Quaker teacher and abolitionist John Woolman, even if he is 250 years in the past. Maybe you will say that that is not part of their "role as Christ magicians" - but I don't think you can separate one from the other. To give another example, Martin Luther King Jr. would not have fought anywhere near so hard for civil rights without his religious convictions (this holds for him, even if it would not hold for others).

As long as the various forms of Christianity are major motivators in human society, the clergy will have a lot of power, and that power can be used for both a lot of good and a lot of evil. Members of the clergy must be held accountable for their actions, of course - which is why the chaplain in this case had better be in a world of trouble.

old comment by Passerby

Some people misread this post, thinking she went to her chaplain before reporting that she was raped. This is not the case.

She *did* report her rape right away. Then three years later, saw her rapist still in active fucking service and had a total breakdown. Not an entirely unreasonable response. She went to her chaplain for moral, spiritual, and psychological support.

His response was: Shit happens. God wills everything, so this is probably supposed to be some kind of epiphany for you. Just come to church and pray endlessly until you stop caring about what happens to you and accept your fate as it comes. You'll feel better if you stop thinking about life, morals, justice, or anything else really and derive all of your answers from the bible even if they don't really apply.

Thankfully, he wasn't saying God will rape you by proxy with random psychos from nowhere because you aren't in church every Sunday. Though, really, he might as well have.

old comment by SpukiKitty

I hope SGT. HAVRILLA went SGT. SLAUGHTER on that pansies' hinder!!!!

Women Soldiers need to reclaim their MIGHT, STRENGTH & POWER AS WARRIORS!!!

Yes, rape is horrifying! But much has to do with the psychological (which is the main aim). If one is to heal 100% percent from an assault...one must affirm they are stronger & that there's nothing humiliating about being the recipient of the assault.

By humiliation, I mean being degraded, embarrassed & made to feel guilty!

To rape survivors: IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT! YOU ARE STRONGER & SUPERIOR! RAPISTS ARE WEAKER THAN YOU & INFERIOR! PEOPLE WHO SHAME YOU ARE WEAK & INFERIOR!!!!

Why are people destroyed by rape & not by a beating? People get clobbered all the time but emotionally shrug it off not long afterwards.

Both are violent assaults...both have "Dominance" as a motive...but one leaves lasting scars. Why?

Is it the "Sex" element? Remove shame from sex.

If survivors of rape approached it as a regular clobbering, the sting of rape would lessen, perhaps there would be less rape, it would be reported more & punished more.

I feel for the noble U.S. Sergent & think these weak little pansies, both the Chaplin & weakling who attacked this strong military woman out of sheer jealousy (D'awww poor pansy threatened by a woman! Boo hoo!) should have the book thrown at them, BIG TIME!

Survivors of rape should be angry & mighty in their wrath & determined to be even stronger, not broken down! But they're broken, because of stupid things like shame, stigma, humiliation, embarrassment....

As the saying goes, it can only hurt as much as you let it. I pray this fine Sergeant makes a full psychological recovery & puts those boys in their proper place! If a boy can't honor WOMAN as an equal, then he's not worthy to be called a MAN....he's the weaker sex. Sexist males are the weaker sex! Real men are strong!

I hope she gets these subhumans!

Screw your weak, impotent Abrahamic God! He's a Demiurgic FUCKER (I usual don't cuss in my posts but the Precision F-Strike was nessessary)!!! With the exception of Jesus, I HATE that sick FASCIST SUBHUMAN TURD-SUCKING FUCK-FACE!!!
Jesus was not meant to be the slimy Abrahamic God! He was a Gnostic Teacher who realized the lies of the Pseudo-Yahweh/Demiurge/Ialdabaoth/Anti-God/Satan!

As for me, I am a NEOPAGAN! ALL HAIL THE GODDESS & GOD! SO MOTE IT BE!!!

Thus ends my rant. *whew*

old comment by KittyKaboom

@ JohnTheAhteist:

I believe it. I used to be a fundie and this is exactly how they think. I used to have a friend who had been horribly abused by her husband for years. The last time he abused her, he beat her so bad she required hospitalization. As she was lying there in her bed broken, bruised and barely able to move, she was visited by her pastor who told her, "If you were a godly and obedient wife, your husband wouldn't have to discipline you so harshly." As soon as she was out of the hospital she filed for a divorce and left her church. This last incident killed what remaining faith she had.

I was told by my pastor that I was to be submissive and obedient to my husband, yet got the blame when he refused to go to church. If I tried to force the issue I was sinning and being a bad wife, but if he didn't show up I was sinning by not being a godly wife and leading him to church.

I left christianity entirely years ago and am now a happy Pagan. As long as I have been Pagan I have never met a single rape or abuse apologist.

So much for the superiority of christian morality.

old comment by Allegory for Jesus

Anon: So you're going to ignore the clergymen who existed to oppose abolition for the better part of a century, and the clergymen who opposed the civil rights measures that MLK Jr. fought for during the better part of two centuries? MLK and the abolitionists are prominent examples of Christianity's broken clock being right twice a day, but the fact that they were motivated by Christianity becomes less important when you realize that their primary opposition were also Christians, who had been using their Christianity to support the status quo that those lauded few managed to oppose. Though I will admit that if your point was just that individual priests could be a force for a good, point taken. However, the idea that they are a net good is something that I simply have not seen to be true.

old comment by Anon

>>Allegory for Jesus

I am sorry, but if there is any profession worthy of condemnation, it is the priesthood, and the notable noble exceptions do not make the profession as a whole any less prone to such judgment. <<

If that is the case, then the priesthood should be reformed until it is unambiguously a positive force in the world. I think that that is possible without renouncing Christ, but I may be biased by the priests and monks I've personally known having been examples of the good.

Such a priesthood would most likely defrock the chaplain in this case.

Caveat: "the priesthood" is really the wrong term, since there are so many different Christian sects, each with its own clergy. The Catholic priesthood is probably the largest single group, and there are some change that should be made there. Of course, the Catholics can't agree on what they should be....

Unnamed military chaplain #fundie #sexist rawstory.com

125 comments

Confused?