Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/07/10/pedophile-pastors-lawyer-blamed-12-year-old-victim-for-initiating-inappropriate-behavior.html
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If J. Shelby Sharpe actually believes this he should be kept far away from children (as should his scumbag God-bothering paedophile client).
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Won’t somebody think of the children…undermining our religious institutions with their salacious flirtation and come hither looks! /s
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Full stop. (Not that I trust that version of events.)
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Let’see… “If I don’t win, the election was rigged!!”, “If you don’t get in the way of our Project 2025, we won’t kill you!”, and now “If the pastor is discovered to be a pederast, the child initiated it!” Add that to the right-wing-big-boys-golden-book of dystopian syllogisms
(great comic credit to Jen Sorensen)
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“But she started it” would be laughable if it wasn’t so morally disgusting.
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Ah yes, the old “Humbert Humbert defense”.
A classic but, unfortunately for Pastor Kiddiediddler, not an effective classic.
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“Look what she made me do!”, the battle cry of bullies and abusers.
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This is just a recycling of the “Men are not responsible for their lusts and cannot be expected to control them, therefore women and girls must never act in a way that might trigger uncontrollable thoughts or actions in the menfolk.” Like, you know, existing. A huge part of my issue with the conservative MAGAt church is the vehemence with which they embrace this mantra. “Women must not tempt men! It is of the Devil” when “Men need to exercise some degree of self-control” is the only acceptable position.
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" practices that may be contrary to secular culture and the civil laws of that culture."
It’s ok if I break the law, my God told me to.
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What a complete bag of shit. Just an overflowing Wal-mart bag of runny feces.
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If any of these hypocritical pedophiles was something other than white and “Christian,” sweet Jebus there’d be no end of outcry from the exact people who currently defend them.
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This lawyer should be barred period. How could anyone blame a child for being the aggressor of sexual assault by a grown man who was a religious figurehead. This is a sick sick individual and shouldn’t be representing anyone in any capacity. This world is filled with execrable people in positions not only children look up to but also adults. Then to act as though he didn’t know his defendant was referring to a child at the time is even more ignorant. How does a lawyer decide to take a case without understanding the facts, or speaking out ignorantly. What a shame. If he had children I feel terrible for them.
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Indeed. It’s not impossible but it just doesn’t fucking matter in the least. The adult is fully responsible for what happened.
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And not merely a literary classic. I used to have a job reviewing criminal matters, including sex crimes, and quite frequently the accused pedophile would argue the victim (who could be as young as six years old) came onto him first. Many of them think this is a real justification somehow.
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i recently found out that churches are offered sexual abuse liability coverage. why the hell would they need that??
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Thank you! You and @RickMycroft are now certified to teach my child protection seminar! 
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Disbarred. Barred means being admitted to practice law.
Oh I think this lawyer understood the facts of the case perfectly fine. He took the bar exam. He knows damn well a minor can’t legally consent to sexual activity. He and his client were just trying to bully the plaintiff to save money. And you’re right. He should be disbarred. He won’t be, but he should be.
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Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
–John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton
May justice be swift now that the crime is out in the open.
May the full force of the law be brought to bear.
May all who see him know him for who he is.
We see you, Mr. Sharpe.
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