relations between adults and minors
This is quite a forum. It took me a long time to read all these threads on "child molestation". What I've noticed is what I notice when most people discuss issues...a lack of direction.
Every statement should have a purpose. Granted, some statements are included to entertain, but most should be to inform or to persuade, since this is a forum.
Before I give my two cents, I will tell you a little about myself. I am not an expert on any of these topics(theology, psychology, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, history, sexuality). I am a 19 year old college student who works part time. I am formerly Catholic, but presently confused when it comes to spirituality.
Before I discuss the issue, I'd like to touch on something related.
Amator Puellularum seems to have a pretty good understanding of basic logic and reasoning. It is also very likely that he is more intelligent than I am. Furthermore, based on the arguments used by others at this forum, he is probably more intelligent than everyone else. Another possibility is that he has had to use these arguments so many times in his life that he just seems more intelligent. However, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt merely because his arguments were so involved, that I don't feel capable of refuting them.
The only point I can remind Amator is that just because his logic is flawless, does not mean he is right. All his arguments are based on premises(as are everybody elses). Many times people disagree even though they use the same logic. In these cases, it usually turns out that their premises are different. It is very possible that some of his premises are wrong, causing his subsequent conclusions to be false. I'm not saying that he is necessarily wrong, just that it's possible his reasoning could be sound but his conclusions false. When discussing an issue such as this, the goal should be to find the truth, not score points off each other. I would try to expose any unusual premises myself, but I feel I am unable to take on such a task. So I would only hope that Amator is using his intelligence to reach a just conclusion.
As for the issue itself, I have a few points to add. I don't feel that a god would discriminate against something he created based on that individual's feelings. The dominoe effect that ends with feelings starts with the creation of a human being. Every feeling that person ever has is based on the initial settings programmed into that body(ie. genetics) along with the circumstances that shape that person's life. It does not make sense to me that a benevolent god would condemn something of it's own creation.
So, although I personally find it strange for an adult to desire any type of sexual or romantic relationship with a child, I would not condemn him for merely having those feelings.
However, I do have some fairly strong feelings when it comes to adults acting on their desires for children.
One of the primary reasons for having a statutory rape law is because the goverment feels that a person is not fully able to understand the consequences of his or her actions until he or she becomes 18. The way the United States is set up, children are not required to become adults until the age of 18. In fact, most children cannot take care of themselves until that age or older because of restrictions placed upon them by this society. So it turns out that this number works precisely because it's the number that's been chosen. It is possible that if society forced children to become adults at 16, that they would be more capable of making life decisions. Of course, other factors are involved such as human biology, so this number could only be lowered so much before it became unreasonable. In fact, because of lack of knowledge when it comes to human biology, the age of 16 may still be too young.
Many people make decisions during their teenage years that affect them for the rest of their lives, such as decisions involving sex and drugs. Often times, these people look back later in their lives and wish they had decided differently. Teenagers often make decisions based on hormones, and pay dearly for it later in life.
A 30 year old man is in a better position to decide what he wants out of life than a 12 year old girl or even a 16 year old girl. Even the times that the girl is consenting, other factors come into play. Furthermore, what if the girl is only consenting because she is afraid of even worse consequences? This leads to a huge gray area, because now the possible desires of the child need to be weighed against what's best for the child.
This is where the parents come into play. It is my belief that it is a parents duty to care for a child until the child is able to care of itself. It is at this point that the child becomes an adult. Fortunately for the sake of this discussion, I do not know any parents who would allow their child to have any kind of sexual or romantic relation with a fully grown adult.
So although I do not wish to condemn a man for his desires, there are certain practices that I feel are inappropriate(romantic relations with a child).
I hope that everybody feels comfortable responding to this thread, assuming there is still somebody out there listening.
Teen Wolf