quote:Originally posted by Supercalifragilistic:
Research also suggests that most sexual offenders aginst children have committed their first offence before the age of 21, so the majority of them will know their 'orientation' before gaining their professional position.
That's interesting and it helps me answer what I think SRT is asking me.
If people are attracted to children, perhaps as well as adults, then they normally have a choice whether to act on it or not. I think there could be lots of people like that in society who do not act on it and therefore remain undetected. They certainly won't speak out or seek help because it is so stigmatised.
Some, I think, are unable to stop themselves acting on it and are quite possibly sociopaths too. I see these people as predatory paedophiles and they're very dangerous. They need locking up forever, I expect.
The church may have predatory paedophiles in its ranks but it probably also has people who are inclined towards it and have a choice. Some of those people may have even joined the church in the hope of suppressing it. That is, people who have sought refuge in the church.
Others may be unable to form adult sexual relationships or be sexually attracted to adults. I think these people may have taken cover in the church before our society became more liberal in order to have a career and be respectable without having to deal with marriage expactations. They'll be older priests or priests involved in abuse decades ago.
It may be that some of the clergy who sought refuge or cover thought that, within the discipline of the church and the expectation of celibacy, they could keep a check on their sexual desire. Then failed under their own temptations at some point later. I'd have thought celibacy, for those who have other outlets for their sexual desire as well as children, would not be a good thing. Sexual desire is a very powerful drive.
I don't know if any of that sounds plausible or not.
I was just trying to get my head around the semantics of disorder/orientation in your earlier post, and express caution relating to some belief systems. To expand - many sex offenders will argue that the children did consent, enjoyed it and were in no way harmed,(due to the children's passive compliance and sometimes, additional confusion for the child if they experience sexual arousal- these are not kids who are shouting 'Stop rape')...Then there's all the added complications re what should/is 'age of consent' for homo and hetero sexual activity and different beliefs in different cultures/ over history!