Turning on victims

A church has become a haven for evil.\nI know that sounds harsh, but those who read my column regularly know that I do not mince words. I call situations as I see them.\nThis particular case involves the College Park Church in Carmel, Ind. During a confrontation with church elders early last year, Terry Van Gorp admitted that he molested a 3-year-old girl while babysitting her, according to the Indianapolis Star. He also admitted it to the girl’s father, who called police and filed charges.\nVan Gorp faces up to 108 years in prison upon conviction. \nUnfortunately, this case would not be all that unusual for child-molestation cases except for one thing: the church is backing the accused molester.\nCollege Park elder John Schmidler told Fox News last week that church officials have encouraged parishioners to rally around Van Gorp. The church is also providing financial assistance to the Van Gorp family and supposedly paying for the victim’s counseling, though the girl’s father denies receiving anything other than a $1,000 lump sum.\nNow, I am not generally a squeamish person. I watched “Gladiator” and “The Passion of the Christ” without any problems. However, this story about a church turning its back on a possible molestation victim and embracing someone like the accused made me physically ill.\nChild molesters do not deserve sympathy and support. They deserve isolation and prison. The fact that a group of supposedly godly people might be supporting such evil acts makes it all that much worse.\nIn that same article, counseling director Doug Pabody said he is glad to be part of a faith community that would reach out and minister to the accused.\nFirst off, the guy accused himself by confessing. Second, this is a counseling director saying this. I hope the girl’s parents do not send her to this guy’s office. Third, I hope Mr. Pabody has a better excuse than that when he is approached by God on Judgment Day and asked why he provided aid and comfort to someone who might have committed crimes against children.\nMy personal belief is that there is a special place in hell for people who commit crimes against children. Even if you do not agree with that, it is difficult to argue in favor of what this church is doing.\nA church is a place for people and families to celebrate a shared faith. It is often the one place where parents might be able to leave their children with others and not have to worry about their safety. Thanks to the College Park Church, this is no longer possible.\nSo what should happen?\nBeyond the obvious exodus of parishioners, the Justice Department should investigate this church to see if its support of Van Gorp qualifies it as a corrupt organization under the RICO Act. If so, its leaders should be imprisoned and its assets sold off just like any drug cartel or mob family.\nWhat goes around comes around. Just like the mob, College Park Church would do well to remember that.