2026-7-7
So many survivors have trouble “reading” people. This could be because of child abuse and the deep cognitive dissonance that follows. It could also be due to autism or an innate deficit in understanding social cues. It could be a combination of both.
The problem is that people who are not so great at understanding social cues are like sitting ducks for mistreatment and abuse. They may have experienced abuse repeatedly over the course of their lives. Indeed, upwards of 90% of autistic women have been victims of sexual abuse. (See here.) Too many retreat from the world.
A few years ago I read about a trick that may seem obvious. Whenever actions and speech misalign, the truth lies in the actions. With this way of thinking, the truth of the Catholic Church quickly comes to light. They say they care about victims all the while treating them brutally. Where does the truth lie? The institutional church has positioned itself as an enemy of victims.
Too many people who stay in the church meticulously cite what the church says all the while ignoring the actions of the church. Indeed, they intuitively sense that the reality would crush their faith in the institution. They abandon victims. To donate to the Catholic Church is to give a vote of support to the way the institution treats the most vulnerable of people.