Star report calls out for churches for failing to stop Mohlers
| Burrell Mohler Jr. |
The church failed these children. The words went unwritten in yesterday’s Kansas City Star. But the 3,400-word, front-page story about the alleged deviance of Burrell Mohler Sr., his brother and his four sons delivered the message to those who wanted to see it.
The Mohlers face 42 charges. Religion has been an element of the story since the incest allegations became public two weeks ago. Initial news stories noted that some of the Mohlers were active in the Community of Christ, a church that’s both familiar (it’s headquartered in Independence) and exotic (its history traces back to Joseph Smith, the founder of Latter-day Saint movement) to most residents.
Written by Judy L. Thomas, Donald Bradley and Brian Burnes, Sunday’s story made an effort to assign accountability to the places where the accused and their families worshiped. The story identified the location of the church that Burrell Mohler Sr. attended and named an official in the Mormon church who failed to go to police after the former wife of one of his sons came to him with her suspicions.
