This chapter critically examines how social and cultural processes of “othering” within faith communities marginalize the voices and experiences of victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Drawing on the @letters_from_rahab Instagram account, as well as the analysis in Chap. 5 , this study reveals how cultural and institutional practices of othering abusers, victims, enablers, and the faith institution itself contribute to the ongoing perpetuation of abuse and the silencing of survivors. Abusers are frequently labeled as “monsters” or “bad apples,” obscuring deeper systemic issues. Meanwhile, victims are subject to victim-blaming, credibility challenges, and stigmatizing language rooted in patriarchal and toxic masculinities, all of which compound trauma and deter reporting. Similarly, the scapegoating of individual enablers shifts attention away from the institutional structures that cultivate complicity and silence. Church organizations may also engage in self-othering by framing abuse as an external threat rather than recognizing it as emerging from internal cultures and practices. By exposing these dynamics, the chapter highlights the necessity of moving beyond individual accountability to address underlying cultural and structural factors. It calls for survivor-centered responses that prioritize accountability and transformative change, ultimately fostering more just and healing faith communities.

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The Process of Making Others: Social and Cultural Criticism of Sexual Misconduct Within Faith-Based Communities

  • AHyun Lee

摘要

This chapter critically examines how social and cultural processes of “othering” within faith communities marginalize the voices and experiences of victim-survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Drawing on the @letters_from_rahab Instagram account, as well as the analysis in Chap. 5 , this study reveals how cultural and institutional practices of othering abusers, victims, enablers, and the faith institution itself contribute to the ongoing perpetuation of abuse and the silencing of survivors. Abusers are frequently labeled as “monsters” or “bad apples,” obscuring deeper systemic issues. Meanwhile, victims are subject to victim-blaming, credibility challenges, and stigmatizing language rooted in patriarchal and toxic masculinities, all of which compound trauma and deter reporting. Similarly, the scapegoating of individual enablers shifts attention away from the institutional structures that cultivate complicity and silence. Church organizations may also engage in self-othering by framing abuse as an external threat rather than recognizing it as emerging from internal cultures and practices. By exposing these dynamics, the chapter highlights the necessity of moving beyond individual accountability to address underlying cultural and structural factors. It calls for survivor-centered responses that prioritize accountability and transformative change, ultimately fostering more just and healing faith communities.