Jump directly to the Content

Dear Man in Prison

A letter from a victim of sexual violence.

Last week we posted the story of a former youth pastor who was convicted of statutory rape with a girl in his youth group. After a few days it was clear that the article, while intended to dissuade potential perpetrators of such sexual abuse, was causing an overwhelming amount of pain to victims of sexual abuse. We removed the post. One of those most eloquent in showing us our lapse of judgment in posting that article was Mary Demuth, who posted this after we removed the article. What follows is her letter to the author of the original article.

Dear Man in Prison,

Before you read this I want you to look at my picture. Yes, that's me as a child, when I was raped. That innocent girl is no more. Though I have experienced bucketsful of healing, I still live hypervigilant. I still struggle with sex. I still have flashbacks. All because of the sinful, unlawful actions of two others.

You wrote your words behind bars to an audience of many, many, many. Did you realize that you would ...

Tags:
Posted:
March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close