State supreme court rules in case of two bishops who were silent about three children abused by Mormon parents

Clergy members in Arizona who learn of child abuse in the context of religious confession are not required to report it, the state’s supreme court has said in a ruling that protects what church leaders call the “seal of the confessional”.

The panel’s ruling ends a long-running case in which three children who were sexually abused by their parents sued the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormon church, and two bishops who became aware of the crimes but remained silent.

The case has parallels in a short-lived 2025 law in Washington state that would have compelled clergy members there to report sexual abuse. That proposal was permanently withdrawn in October after legal action by the Catholic church.

In a statement, the LDS welcomed the unanimous ruling by the state supreme court on Thursday that exempts clergy members as “mandated reporters” if they learned of the abuse of minors in the confession booth or through other “confidential” methods.

  • Corvidae@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    Oh, I went to Christian private schools, I’ve had my fill of their BS. “Preach the new testament, practice the old.” That’s Christianity in a nutshell.

      • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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        3 days ago

        Dumb fuck, that’s you, too. You’re defending a baby-murdering god in our other thread.

        How do you know catholicism is correct and LDS is wrong? They have exactly as much evidence for their claims as you do.

        Stop defending death cults.

        • root@lemmy.wtf
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          3 days ago

          We have a LOT more theological evidence

          Peter is literally cephas, the rock of the church.

          He was literally told “feed my sheep”

          • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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            2 days ago

            Theology is not science. Theology is “well, we start with the baseless claim that god exists, then we build more baseless claims on top.”

            It’s lying to protect lies.

            • root@lemmy.wtf
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              2 days ago

              baseless? no.

              To claim that God does not exist is a logical contradiction

              to be created of yourself, and not of a creator is to rely on nothing.

              We rely on a LOT of other things. Actually, everything relies on other things, except God.

              • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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                2 days ago

                baseless? no.

                Yes. There is no evidence of god, no observable base, yet you make an assumption and treat it as a fact.

                To claim that God does not exist is a logical contradiction

                No, it is not. All of the data my brain has parsed over my entire lifetime suggests to my current self that there is no god. Humans made it up.

                to be created of yourself, and not of a creator is to rely on nothing.

                I was birthed by humans. Who created god? Himself? Or was he always there? Either way, we can make the same guesses about the universe itself, no god necessary.

                We rely on a LOT of other things. Actually, everything relies on other things, except God.

                And god’s dad. And god’s dad’s dad. Etc.

                • root@lemmy.wtf
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                  2 days ago

                  God exists of himself. That is why he relies on nothing. All evidence points to an omnipotent creator

                  Why were we made unique in the eyes, tongue and hands?

                  (retinas, fingerprints and tongueprints)

                  • SnoopSqueak@lemmy.today
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                    2 days ago

                    God exists of himself. That is why he relies on nothing.

                    Maybe the universe is like that with no god required. We don’t know.

                    All evidence points to an omnipotent creator

                    No. There is no evidence we were created, no evidence that omnipotence exists, and logically speaking the christian god is an impossibility.

                    There is no evidence for god.

                    Why were we made unique in the eyes, tongue and hands?(retinas, fingerprints and tongueprints)

                    We evolved via messy biological processes.

                    https://www.scienceabc.com/innovation/why-are-fingerprints-unique-and-why-do-we-have-them

                    Fingerprints form between roughly weeks 10 and 24 of fetal development, as the rapidly growing skin on the fingertips buckles into ridges under the volar pads. Each fingerprint is shaped by a mix of genetics and the unique in-utero environment (pressure on the womb, amniotic fluid currents, finger movement, blood flow), which is why even identical twins (who share DNA) have different fingerprints. Their use in identifying victims, suspects, and verifying records relies on this individual variation rather than any single, mathematically proven uniqueness rule.

                    I can’t stress this enough: It’s not magic. Magic isn’t real.