|
In Reply to: Pedophelia posted by Mr. Don on August 09, 2006 at 17:54:48:
I think it's great your classes and church leadership are addressing this issue, because there are several environmental factors that make Christian communities especially vulnerable to pedophiles.
First, because Christians want to be accepting, nonjudgmental, and trusting of others in their faith community, they are more easily conned than people who are OK with being skeptical and suspicious.
Second, because Christians believe that even the worst sinner is forgiven and born again as a new man in Christ, it is difficult for them to understand how some behavioral problems, such as pedophilia, cannot be directly changed through a relationship with the Lord.
Third, because many Christians strive for personal holiness, they often repress and compartmentalize awareness of sin. People who are seriously devout about a life of holiness often have no understanding of the darker, perverted side of human nature.
Further, close-knit Christian communities that idealize themselves as a family are more reluctant to expose their dirty laundry to public view and do basic education of membership on the issue.
Fourth, Christians are often reluctant to critically evaluate culturally-based beliefs about men and women associated with a patriarchal heritage. More specifically, many Christians have adopted worldly beliefs about male privilege (e.g., boys will be boys, father knows best, girls are responsible to help men to control their lusts) that are NOT based in the Gospel.
