Open letter to: Bishop Chris Goldsmith - Bishop of St-Germans - Acting Diocesan Bishop for Truro - Cornwall - Great Britain 15th January 2018
Dear Bishop Chris
Re: ZERO TOLERANCE OF ABUSE IN RELIGION
Sadly in today-s troubled world we find religion being abused for wrongful purposes across the board in many countries and many faiths - This is deeply distressful to the faithful of any tradition and obviously anathema to them -
I think the great majority of people who profess any religion whatsoever are sincere in seeing religion as a vehicle that requires ethical behaviour as a given - This is why many organizations have for millenia had codes of conduct - particularly for those who have taken monastic orders or profess the level of spiritual-teacher - This applies to independent teachers every bit as much as to those connected with organizations as the teacher-pupil relationship is a grave responsibility even at secular level -
I was wondering if you would perhaps be able to find a little time from your busy schedule to comment on the issue of the abuse of power in religion in any way you felt best - A written statement setting out your view of this topic would be greatly appreciated - If you might also consider taking part in an interview or public debate on the subject that would be a wonderful opportunity to speak plainly on this distressing issue that many of us feel must be faced - however painful it be -
I am reaching out to representatives and lay-folk of other faiths and cultures too and have heard from Gemma Pena Noguer who is eager to contribute - Gemma is a devout Catholic from Florida - You might possibly have come across her when she was interviewed by The Guardian newspaper recently about her son Kris Rodriguez - a mentally-disturbed man who has suffered years of torture and abuse in one of the World-s most deadly gulags: the Florida Department of Corrections - Kris has spent the last several years losing weight and his ability to deal with reality whilst he languishes alone in indefinite Solitary Confinement - in blatant violation of all kinds of human rights treaties to which his nation is not only signatory but played a large part in drafting in the first place! Gemma was born in Cuba and also has experience of African religions -
I have also approached a Tibetan Buddhist Lama of the Secret Mantra Vajrayana -
I have made innumerable attempts to communicate with Derek Thomas - my Member of Parliament over many issues but unfortunately he refuses to respond to me whatsoever even though he himself professes Christianity -
Essentially abuse takes various forms - psychological - physical - sexual - emotional - financial - and of course spiritual - I feel that the first step to combating these manifestations of human weakness is to expose abuse whenever we discover it and send out a firm signal that it will not be tolerated - Debate and free discussion will surely play their part in helping society deal with this insidious and pervasive threat -
I hope you will give this matter your consideration -
