Blind faith
One facet of the alleged Baltimore abuse case that should be considered is the religious aspect (“Did Baltimore’s Orthodox community turn a blind eye to allegations against a popular rabbi?” Jan. 23)
Although child abuse occurs in many different contexts, it has become all too commonly covered up in religious institutions, be it Orthodox Judaism or the Catholic Church. It is rarely challenged in these situations because parents and other members have a blind faith in the integrity of the teachers since they are representatives of an assumedly ethical, divine dogma. [Some people say to themselves:] If these folks are teaching the word of God, how can they possible be evil?
Therein lies the danger of having faith in something that has no basis in fact or evidence. As “rabbi” Bob Dylan once stated, “Don’t follow leaders; Watch your parking meters.”
Mark Jones
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