Pedophiles - it's not their fault

[OzSpen]

Brothers & sisters in Christ,

There are some outrageous views in the world of secular journalism. I came across an opinion piece in the Melbourne (Australia), Herald Sun newspaper online, 8 April 2015, 'Should we help paedophiles? What choice do we have?' by Tory Shepherd. The sub-heading was, 'If people are born straight, or gay, is it possible that paedophiles can’t help being what they are?' The article began:

Evidence shows that it might be true; paedophiles are born that way. Recent research suggests some faulty wiring in the brain. Things about children that are meant to elicit a protective response instead elicit a sexual one.

A published paper from Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health found paedophiles are far more likely to be left-handed, and have a lower IQ, which indicates there’s a problem with brain development.

Which would make it not their fault.

Why don't you take a read of this extremist view of an alibi for sexually deviant, sinful behaviour? Scripture's perspective is:

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (! Cor 6:9-11 ESV).

This is how whacko the world's standards can become when they want to redefine sexually immoral behaviour into, 'which would make it not their fault' and 'if paedophiles got sympathy, respect and treatment, they say, there would be fewer offences. Fewer children raped. Surely that’s something worth thinking about?'

Yes, it's certainly worth thinking about for one second and no more and then dumping the idea because it is right off base when compared with a biblical world view of the cause of sexual perversion, 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?' (Jeremiah 17:9 ESV).

I find it to be a desperately deceitful ploy to give paedophiles the reputation of 'it is not their fault' when Scripture is very clear that the problem is with a deceitful human heart that not only affects paedophiles, writers dealing with paedophilia, and those of us reading this article. In addition, the problem of sexual immorality is a sin that is an unrighteous action (not a genetic cause) that will prohibit people from entering God's kingdom. The language from 1 Cor 6:9 is also, 'Do not be deceived'.

Or, am I being too harsh in my assessment?

Oz

 

[pom2014]

The human brain is a loaded gun. Mental issues abound. Even if they outwardly appear as the most stable person they may have addiction issues, anxiety, depression, personality disorders. The list is large and often suppressed.

But just because you've been given a loaded gun by God doesn't mean you have to pull the trigger. This is the nature of sin. Its not that have an issue its that you act upon it and worse justify it so to appear as the upstanding citizen that you show the world.

So before we cast stones against the liar, the gay or even the paedophile; consider our own houses. The premarital sex, the unjust divorce, the unrighteous remarriage, the drunkenness, addictions and more. Even if they are in the past, even if forgiven; they were still apart of us.

All will come in filthy rags before The King.

 

[River Jordan]

From a practical standpoint, it does raise some interesting questions. What do we do with pedophiles? We know for a fact that they exist, so do we just lock all of them up for the rest of their lives? What if we discover an effective treatment? Do we treat them and allow them back into society? Would any of us trust an "ex-pedophile" who had undergone treatment?

 

[Angelina]

Once you open one door which become acceptable in society...every other door wants to brake loose and become the norm as well. I'm sure that Sodom and Gomorrah were the end result of such licentious liberty... :huh:

 

[pom2014]

From a practical standpoint, it does raise some interesting questions. What do we do with pedophiles? We know for a fact that they exist, so do we just lock all of them up for the rest of their lives? What if we discover an effective treatment? Do we treat them and allow them back into society? Would any of us trust an "ex-pedophile" who had undergone treatment?

If we as subjects of the King cannot even fathom forgiveness after repentance and seeking help for ANY person; then how can we claim repentance for our murder of the King by our sins?

The whole of what the victory over death by Jesus means is now moot.

Once you open one door which become acceptable in society...every other door wants to brake loose and become the norm as well. I'm sure that Sodom and Gomorrah were the end result of such licentious liberty... :huh:

Camel's nose.

 

[OzSpen]

The human brain is a loaded gun. Mental issues abound. Even if they outwardly appear as the most stable person they may have addiction issues, anxiety, depression, personality disorders. The list is large and often suppressed.

But just because you've been given a loaded gun by God doesn't mean you have to pull the trigger. This is the nature of sin. Its not that have an issue its that you act upon it and worse justify it so to appear as the upstanding citizen that you show the world.

So before we cast stones against the liar, the gay or even the paedophile; consider our own houses. The premarital sex, the unjust divorce, the unrighteous remarriage, the drunkenness, addictions and more. Even if they are in the past, even if forgiven; they were still apart of us.

All will come in filthy rags before The King.

Why are you not addressing the specifics of the issue I raised?

 

[pom2014]

Why are you not addressing the specifics of the issue I raised?

Would you like me to say yes you're being too harsh in that way?

I thought I had said just that without having address you personally.

Yes this is all hard wired into humans. And yes it's not their fault that they are wired that way.

What IS their fault is just because we're wired for sin does not mean we MUST sin.

Hence the loaded gun analogy.

It is expedient to sin. It's fast, quantifiable and resolute.

But to not sin is harder. Not undoable, but hard for sinful man. So we have to rely on Jesus to help. But few do because they've convinced themselves they are ok. Self delusion is more sinister then deluding others.

 

[OzSpen]

Would you like me to say yes you're being too harsh in that way?

I thought I had said just that without having address you personally.

Yes this is all hard wired into humans. And yes it's not their fault that they are wired that way.

What IS their fault is just because we're wired for sin does not mean we MUST sin.

Hence the loaded gun analogy.

It is expedient to sin. It's fast, quantifiable and resolute.

But to not sin is harder. Not undoable, but hard for sinful man. So we have to rely on Jesus to help. But few do because they've convinced themselves they are ok. Self delusion is more sinister then deluding others.

So, is it OK to promote, 'paedophiles are born that way' and that 'would make it not their fault'?

 

[pom2014]

Absolutely they were made that way. Just as we're born liars, thieves and murderers.

God made us this way. Doesn't excuse when we act upon it, but yes we're born sinful. No doubt.

 

[River Jordan]

Once you open one door which become acceptable in society...every other door wants to brake loose and become the norm as well. I'm sure that Sodom and Gomorrah were the end result of such licentious liberty... :huh:

As far as I can tell, no one here is saying pedophilia should become "acceptable". The question is what do we do with pedophiles, especially if it turns out there's a biological basis for it?

If we as subjects of the King cannot even fathom forgiveness after repentance and seeking help for ANY person; then how can we claim repentance for our murder of the King by our sins?

The whole of what the victory over death by Jesus means is now moot.

Sure, I understand that from a spiritual perspective. My question however was about more practical concerns, i.e., what do we do with these people.

 

[Angelina]

As far as I can tell, no one here is saying pedophilia should become "acceptable". The question is what do we do with pedophiles, especially if it turns out there's a biological basis for it?

I don't believe there is a biological basis for sexual sin. It's inherited through the family line by an ancestor who delved in the area.. The spirit continues down from family to family until it is challenged by the power of the Holy Spirit and eventually cast out... :huh:

Freedom comes from an encounter with Christ our savior and deliverer through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

 

[pom2014]

To believe in ancestral sin is like saying genetics without the science behind it.

 

[lforrest]

I don't believe there is a biological basis for sexual sin. It's inherited through the family line by an ancestor who delved in the area.. The spirit continues down from family to family until it is challenged by the power of the Holy Spirit and eventually cast out... :huh:

Freedom comes from an encounter with Christ our savior and deliverer through the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit.

I agree. Genetics do not account for the specificity of inherited sins. Genetic mutations also result in a host of other effects that would seem totally unrelated due to the compressed encoding of DNA.

 

[Angelina]

What originates as a spiritual issue will eventually manifests itself in the physical. I can only speak on the level of experience, working in the Deliverance ministry for two decades... :huh: [casting out demons]

 

[JimParker]

The sub-heading was, 'If people are born straight, or gay, is it possible that paedophiles can’t help being what they are?' The article began:

Thus line of thought is, of course, nonsense bordering of mindless babbling. (IMO)

If I am not mistaken, there is, among some people, an established genetic aspect of alcoholism but AA works for them just like it works for anyone else.

The rape of children of either sex will never be explained away by such inane tripe as "He couldn't help himself; he was born that way." Well, if it's a "birth defect" then allow society to perform a (very) "late term" abortion.

And if the parent of a child who was raped takes a baseball bat to the head of therapist and renders it into a puree', then (s)he should be excused of that behavior as the instinct to protect one's offspring is very definitely a normal, hard-wired, instinct among most mammals to the point that child neglect is considered a crime in most, if not all, societies.

It really doesn't matter if the child rapist can "help himself" or not. We cannot tolerate such behavior.

From a Biblical point of view: "You must purge the evil from among you." (DT 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21, 22, 24; 24:7)

That concept is a major reason for the current increase in the hostility toward Christianity. Rebellious, self-centered, narcissistic societies don't like to be told that there are limits to their self-gratification. And, rather than look inward to evaluate their drive for self-gratification, they attack the source of the challenge. It's an extension of childish behavior such as a toddler having a temper tantrum when told he can't have ice cream until he finishes his dinner. He's too small to attack his parent who controls the ice cream but, as an adult, he can attack the "parent" who attempts to curtail his anti-social behavior.

That "parent" would be the Church. Narcissism is intolerant of rules. The only laws that it recognizes are the dictates of its appetites; its gods are its stomach and genitals. While the rebellious, self-centered, narcissistic society declares its right to do whatever feels good, the Church-parent declares societies duty to love one another.

The rape of children is not an act of love. A child molester doesn't recognize the child's humanity but only sees that innocent victim as a means to gratify his unnatural sexual appetite.

And that's my two cents. (ha-RUMPH!) |:-[

 

[rockytopva]

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

 

[OzSpen]

Thus line of thought is, of course, nonsense bordering of mindless babbling. (IMO)

If I am not mistaken, there is, among some people, an established genetic aspect of alcoholism but AA works for them just like it works for anyone else.

The rape of children of either sex will never be explained away by such inane tripe as "He couldn't help himself; he was born that way." Well, if it's a "birth defect" then allow society to perform a (very) "late term" abortion.

And if the parent of a child who was raped takes a baseball bat to the head of therapist and renders it into a puree', then (s)he should be excused of that behavior as the instinct to protect one's offspring is very definitely a normal, hard-wired, instinct among most mammals to the point that child neglect is considered a crime in most, if not all, societies.

It really doesn't matter if the child rapist can "help himself" or not. We cannot tolerate such behavior.

From a Biblical point of view: "You must purge the evil from among you." (DT 13:5; 17:7, 12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21, 22, 24; 24:7)

That concept is a major reason for the current increase in the hostility toward Christianity. Rebellious, self-centered, narcissistic societies don't like to be told that there are limits to their self-gratification. And, rather than look inward to evaluate their drive for self-gratification, they attack the source of the challenge. It's an extension of childish behavior such as a toddler having a temper tantrum when told he can't have ice cream until he finishes his dinner. He's too small to attack his parent who controls the ice cream but, as an adult, he can attack the "parent" who attempts to curtail his anti-social behavior.

That "parent" would be the Church. Narcissism is intolerant of rules. The only laws that it recognizes are the dictates of its appetites; its gods are its stomach and genitals. While the rebellious, self-centered, narcissistic society declares its right to do whatever feels good, the Church-parent declares societies duty to love one another.

The rape of children is not an act of love. A child molester doesn't recognize the child's humanity but only sees that innocent victim as a means to gratify his unnatural sexual appetite.

And that's my two cents. (ha-RUMPH!) |:-[

Wow, Jim! You do have an opinion on this. :wub: Thanks for expressing it.

Next question: Why don't you write a comment to that article in the Herald Sun? What would you say in response to this secular journalist in a secular newspaper in language that that is not sanitised by Christianeze? In fact, I'm encouraging you to respond to the journalist's article. I tried to, but it required a login and I didn't want to get all of the Herald Sun's guff in my email for weeks or months.

However, I'd be interested in what you would say to her, based on the content of her article.

Oz

 

[JimParker]

To believe in ancestral sin is like saying genetics without the science behind it.

The term refers to the fact that it is the nature of mankind to be self-centered and to choose not to do those acts of mercy, which are within one's capacity to do, in order to meet the need of another. It is a "mythic" explanation of why nobody is perfect and all are susceptible to greed, avarice, self-centeredness, indifference to suffering, sloth, pride, lust, gluttony, envy etc.. It is an explanation for the human condition.

That human condition, is based on observed data. There are very few who escape being afflicted with the condition and those who are able to escape are often aesthetics who spend decades in prayer and fasting to be delivered from the symptoms.

The human condition (other than humans who are just stupid) most likely arises from an instinct of self preservation. It is cured by trusting in God to provide all your needs.

Death also cures it.

jim

 

[lforrest]

The term refers to the fact that it is the nature of mankind to be self-centered and to choose not to do those acts of mercy, which are within one's capacity to do, in order to meet the need of another. It is a "mythic" explanation of why nobody is perfect and all are susceptible to greed, avarice, self-centeredness, indifference to suffering, sloth, pride, lust, gluttony, envy etc.. It is an explanation for the human condition.

Nope, these are sins common to mankind.

Generational curses are more specific, and inherited. Perhaps Angelina would care to discuss in a new topic.

 

[JimParker]

Nope, these are sins common to mankind.

Generational curses are more specific, and inherited. Perhaps Angelina would care to discuss in a new topic.

"Ancestral sin" is the term used to describe mankind's inability to avoid those sins.

Generational curses are an altogether different topic.