Was Joseph Gary Torres Named in Southern Baptist Abuse Database?
Joseph Gary Torres, pastor of the Iglesia Bautista Reformada, Reformed Baptist Church in Sunland, California, was found guilty of a string of sex offenses against two minor girls. He was sentenced to 32 years and 4 months in state prison by the trial court. On December 9, 2009, they overturned the conviction on count one due to insufficient evidence involving one girl, but otherwise upheld the judgment and remanded for re-sentencing.
SBC Executive Committee Response To Report
According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was released on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The file contains horrible brand-new information concerning specific abuse instances and sheds light on how denominational authorities actively resisted abuse avoidance and change for decades.
Southern Baptist Convention leaders have revealed a substantial and independent third-party investigation that discovered that abusers were often disregarded, forgotten, or even denounced by high-level church representatives from within this religious denomination of larger than 16 million members. Moreover, it showed these leaders frequently deceived their very own members to prevent them from being aware of the unchecked sexual misbehavior.
Click to read more on the SBC Executive Committee Response To Report
A Record of Dismissed Mishandling
Almost all of these reported occurrences occurred outside of the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain how many abusers were actually charged. According to the report, an internal list of predators was kept.
The report alleges that an essential Southern Baptist leader was credibly accused of sexual assault only 1 calendar month after completing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names three prior presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative arm as well-known SBC leaders who assisted in covering for and even encouraged presumed abusers.
Accountability in the Baptist Convention
Russell Moore, the former head of the SBC’s policy arm, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, specified ‘this is not all Southern Baptists, take a look at all the good we do.’ The Report shows a trend of stonewalling, coverup, retaliation, and intimidation.” He desires this document will deliver much-needed reform and hold those liable for their misconduct.
The document states that a principal Southern Baptist official was credibly accused of sexual abuse no more than one month after finishing his two-year spell as the convention’s president. The report also names three previous presidents of the convention, a former vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative council as notable SBC leaders who aided in covering up and actually encouraged suspected sexual abusers.
To learn more about resources available for survivors in California, visit this page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/california/sex-trauma-therapist-ca/
Abuse Guardian for California
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