— The Church Of Satan (@ChurchofSatan) November 14, 2017Child abuse is directly forbidden in the 11 Satanic Rules of the Earth. Christians however have been abusing children for centuries. They own this. https://t.co/yVHnF2HBdS
I don't dispute the claim that Christians have been abusing children for centuries. I think that is beyond debate. I also think it is clear that church hierarchy, especially as one finds it within the Catholic Church, has preferred to protect clergy who abuse children over the children they have abused. And finally, I'd add that some of what children are taught by their Christian parents about the special status of clergy probably contributes to an atmosphere where abuse may be more likely to occur and less likely to be dealt with appropriately when it occurs.
I suppose the question here is whether there is anything in Christian doctrine itself that promotes, excuses, or defends child abuse. One does not find clear prohibitions against it in any version of the Ten Commandments I've seen, but not explicitly forbidding something isn't the same as condoning it. As for Christians owning child abuse, I'd be reluctant to go that far. I'm reasonably confident that most Christians do not abuse children and that some adherents of non-Christian religions have abused children too. When it comes to something like child abuse, I suspect there is more than enough blame to go around and not all of it should be placed with Christians.
That said, I do think an argument can be made that the ethical principles found in at least some forms of Satanism may be superior to those found in Christianity in at least some respects. If nothing else, the suggestion that Christians own child abuse out to provoke thought and provides an interesting counterpoint to some of the more absurd moral panics found in our not too distant past.
