Church and The Fourth Estate Review – Short Film Reveals Boy Scouts Sexual Abuse Coverup

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Friday, 08 January 2021 12:37

Written by Janet Walker

Church and The Fourth Estate, from Luminant Media, presents a documentary short on the shocking, and unnervingly similar, decades long sexual abuse scandal and subsequent coverup by the Boys Scouts of America and the Mormon Church.

The documentary begins with expansive scenery of Idaho and areas of the United States that many will never see, and narrows into Idaho Falls, a small hidden town surrounding by miles of nothingness, horizons of forests, and home to The Mormon Church.

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Early we see the connection between the Mormon Church, which is referred to in the film as LDS (Latter Day Saints), and The Boys Scouts of America. In this community the two were intrinsically bound together.

As we narrow in, we meet Peter Zuckerman, a reporter at the Idaho Falls Post Register who describes this Watergate-esque clandestine meeting with an anonymous source who leads him on the trail of missing court documents detailing a massive sexual abuse coverup.

Zuckerman begins to report on the abuse and cover up by the organizations. His actions ignite a quick and harsh backlash instigated by powerful members the Boy Scouts and Mormon Church, and a billionaire businessman, Frank Vandersloot the owner of Melaleuca, a wellness company, who due to his wealth is a major player in the town and church.

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Assisting the fight by denying the allegations, attempting to cover them up and attacking the credibility of the journalist and of course taking out full page size advertisements in the Post Register who then finds themselves in the middle, choosing sides between the shocking story and the revenue needed to remain operational.

We are introduced to the Post Register Publisher who agrees, what they have found are sealed documents which detail crimes committed by reveals the long running crimes that threaten to bankrupt the Boy Scouts, a story that is still unfolding to this very day as the Boys Scouts of America find themselves in court. More Zuckerman is outed, which in this small town in Idaho, nearly destroys his career.

The film uncovers a shocking series of child abuse allegations in Idaho's Boy Scouts which shake the community and implicate the Mormon church in the massive sexual abuse cover up scandal. The documentary also introduces former scouts who provide the details of the crimes committed against them and the appalling letter from the pedophile who wants forgiveness.

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With the revelations from the Catholic Church, the crimes explained in Church and The Fourth Estate, have become common to society. The same strategy is employed in every organization, cover-up, put the accuser on trial, and shame them. Shame is the number one tool used by organization to stop victims from coming forward.

The Mormon Church also maintains what is known as the Perversion files, much like that of the Catholic Church, which indicates clear knowledge of those with the LDS organization who were known and even convicted as pedophiles, and yet due to skewed doctrine, wrong thinking, and personal power trips the offenders were "forgiven" as is based on the doctrine of the church and with that instant-forgiveness the offender is permitted to rejoin the fold. Those injured are not permitted to object unless they leave the fellowship of the church.

This mind control method of control over parishioners is a common practice, it runs through any power organization, from the Catholic Church, the Mormon's, The Boys Scouts and even lesser-known religious organization such as the beliefs of the late David Wilkerson, of an anything is acceptable including rape to ensure the financial solvency of the church.

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Church and The Fourth Estate creates a clear picture of decades of sexual violence, of perversion, of permission and even when alarms were sounded, church leaders, courts and every person who should have been the first to protect, become bricks in the stonewall of silence.

Brian Knappenberger’s latest searing exposé Church And The Fourth Estate is currently available for streaming on Field of Vision and The Intercept.

Year – 2020.

Runtime - 36 minutes.

Language – English.

Country - USA.

Director – Brian Knappenberger.

Screenwriter – Brian Knappenberger.

Producer – Sabrina Parks, Femke Wolting.

Cast – Peter Zuckerman.