Pedophile Anonymous?

For every cause, there is an effect. Similarly, an action produces a reaction. Well, the tree doesn't sway if the wind doesn't blow. So, there should be an explanation for pedophilia, no matter how ugly the activity is and all we want to do is let them burn in hell. If we can be sympathetic of rapists and murderers, there must be people out there who are sympathetic of pedophiles. The world-is-such-a-beautiful-place me even went as far as thinking wouldn't it be great if organized support groups exist to "help" these societal rejects.

To my absolute disbelief, the Google search came up with nothing relevant. Either that or I wasn't looking hard enough. The closest that I could find were pedophile activist groups but that wasn't what I was looking for. I was looking for a support group that will "cure" pedophiles, as what Alcholics Anonymous do for alcoholics.

Surprisingly, most of the groups were associated to gays and lesbians. It seems that gay men constitute a high percentage of pedophiles (about 1 out of 36 men). Since we are discussing about child pornography, a picture of abuse and violence is conjured in my mind. Upon reading the so called pro-pedophilia acticles, I'm beginning to see a sliver of light. But of course some of their reasonings can be pretty absurd, if not weird.

Then in 1990, the Journal of Homosexuality produced a special double issue devoted to adult-child sex, which was entitled "Male Intergenerational Intimacy" (1). One article said many pedophiles believe they are "born that way and cannot change" (p. 133). Another writer said a man who counseled troubled teenage boys could achieve "miracles… not by preaching to them, but by sleeping with them." The loving pedophile can offer a "companionship, security and protection" which neither peers nor parents can provide (p. l62). Parents should look upon the pedophile who loves their son "not as a rival or competitor, not as a thief of their property, but as a partner in the boy's upbringing, someone to be welcomed into their home…" (p. 164).

Now I can see why pedophile activists are not making any progress. If you are a parent, would you accept reasonings the likes of this? Hell, no!

On the other hand, it is mentioned that not all pedophiliac activities involves non-consensual parties, and that it should only be abuse if the child feels bad about the relationship.

If psychology indeed recognizes consensual pedophilia as harmless, then civil law and social norms will be under pressure to follow the lead of social science…as indeed they did on the issue of homosexuality. When psychiatry declared homosexuality normal, our courts and theologians began to re-write both civil law and moral theology based on what psychiatry said it had discovered through the medium of empirical science.

In my opinion, pedophilia will continouously receive massive criticism not only from the conservative activists and groups but from the society in general. I do not have immense hatred for pedophiles, neither do I encourage them. But I do look down upon child abusers. Obviously this is too complex an issue to be able to draw a clear line between the two.