These charges are serious and are under investigation. If they turn out to be credible, I would have no problem with anyone posting about them and the rest of us discussing it. It’s just that right now, it’s much to soon to know what’s going on.

Warren, I’m glad you’ve reconsidered for now. If it turns out there really is a story here, it will be a much stronger one for discussion and concern.

There is a very simple reason I withheld comment on Peterson’s charges against Exodus. I felt that we deserved more information before making a very serious complaint like this. I think there was a judgment call to be made; I chose caution in the absence of better information. When people are being accused of some very ugly things, its important that we get our facts together. And as Michael Bussee pointed out often, if there really are charges that children involved, its far more important for authorities to be notified than blog readers.

But while I think my caution was warranted, I also can understand other people’s decision to go forward with it. Peterson has quite a bit of credibility with both sides; he has demonstrated a willingness to behave ethically where discussions of sexuality take place. But more importantly in this case, he made sure he understood the nature of the charges and took several steps to undertake personal and direct communications with Exodus LONG BEFORE he decided to make his allegations public.

You, on the other hand, ran a post based on an angry letter from someone — whose credibility you don’t even know — without first investigating it. You ran a very public accusation with virtually nothing to go on. I can only wonder why you would choose to do something like that.