In a number of cases I studied, it was not unusual for procedural issues to become so central that the abuse itself was nearly forgotten. People were upset, but not at the pastor’s abusive behavior. Instead, they were upset about how certain procedural steps weren’t followed during his prosecution. In their minds, it was the abusive pastor who had been mistreated; he was the real victim. Often these same people express little concern over how the victims had been treated. Certainly, an accurate and fair judicial process does matter, just like in the secular courts. In any case where a person
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