If you are, or were, Catholic, or not Catholic, or looking for a religion, or not looking for participation in religion at all, there is a web site you should know about.

www.dignityusa.org

Vision Statement

DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.

................

It has been around over 30 years and has local meetings throughout the USA and elsewhere in the world. It is a registered tax exempt organization, and many local chapters are also registered tax exempt.

Communicating with, knowing, meeting people who are open, positive about themselves, and progressive can help improve ones life. Spending time thinking about those in our society who are regressive and brain dead just wastes what little time we have here on good old planet Earth.

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:40 am If you look at the sex abuse cases in the US, the vast majority were not pedophiles. A pedophile is someone who likes pre-pubescent children. Most of the victims were teenagers 14-17.

That would imply that the problem leans more toward homosexuality than pedophilia.

I'm not trying to say all homosexuals prey on young teens, and it might be worth discussion as to how the current church laws push homosexual priests toward preying on boys they have access to, but let's still call a spade a spade.

By the same token it would also

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:40 am imply that the problem leans more toward h

eterosexuality than pedophile. People forget that many of the victims were girls. If the Pope succeeds in weeding out the gay priest I suppose girls will represent a higher percentage of the victims in the future.

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:40 am If you look at the sex abuse cases in the US, the vast majority were not pedophiles. A pedophile is someone who likes pre-pubescent children. Most of the victims were teenagers 14-17.

That would imply that the problem leans more toward homosexuality than pedophilia.

I'm not trying to say all homosexuals prey on young teens, and it might be worth discussion as to how the current church laws push homosexual priests toward preying on boys they have access to, but let's still call a spade a spade.

Common useage often evolves the meaning of words. Common accepted useage of the term pedophile is anyone (male or female) who is sexually attracted / involved with persons under the ago of majority who are not deemed able to give valid consent.

And yes, the implications of your comment are stark and naked, notwithstanding the denial. Shame on you! Your comment is as abusive as any untoward act by any pedophile.

nullorchis (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:53 am If you are, or were, Catholic, or not Catholic, or looking for a religion, or not looking for participation in religion at all, there is a web site you should know about.

www.dignityusa.org

(http://www.dignityusa.org)

nullorchis (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:53 am Vision Statement

DignityUSA envisions and works for a time when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Catholics are affirmed and experience dignity through the integration of their spirituality with their sexuality, and as beloved persons of God participate fully in all aspects of life within the Church and Society.

................

It has been around over 30 years and has local meetings throughout the USA and elsewhere in the world. It is a registered tax exempt organization, and many local chapters are also registered tax exempt.

Communicating with, knowing, meeting people who are open, positive about themselves, and progressive can help improve ones life. Spending time thinking about those in our society who are regressive and brain dead just wastes what little time we have here on good old planet Earth.

Dignity is an impressive organization. Good comment. Thank you.

I don't know where you're from, but when people say "pedophile" it conjures up images of young boys who have not achieved sexual maturity. Funnily enough, that's pretty much what the word means too.

What I was trying to get at is that homosexual priests probably feel trapped and reressed, and are too scared to explore their sexuality with adults so they lash out the only way they feel safe, which is with boys that they work closely with.

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 03, 2008 12:32 am What I was trying to get at is that homosexual priests probably feel trapped and reressed, and are too scared to explore their sexuality with adults so they lash out the only way they feel safe, which is with boys that they work closely with.

Is that same reason why heterosexual priests go after the girls?

One has to ask...Why does the pope want all gay priests out of the church?

The answer...he does not like the competition

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary pedophilia means

- sexual perversion in which children are the preferred sexual object (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pedophilia)

When an adult has sex with a 14-17 yr old the news says its called having sex with a minor, so teenagers are considered minors (something I think that teenagers would argue with)

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Sun Nov 02, 2008 5:40 am If you look at the sex abuse cases in the US, the vast majority were not pedophiles. A pedophile is someone who likes pre-pubescent children. Most of the victims were teenagers 14-17.

That would imply that the problem leans more toward homosexuality than pedophilia.

I'm not trying to say all homosexuals prey on young teens, and it might be worth discussion as to how the current church laws push homosexual priests toward preying on boys they have access to, but let's still call a spade a spade.

Great. Let's

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 03, 2008 12:32 am call them what they are then. Not pedophiles. Pederasts.

What I was trying to get at is that homosexual priests probably feel trapped and reressed, and are too scared to explore their sexuality with adults so they lash out the only way they fe

el safe, which is with boys that they work closely with.

I'm going to have to go ahead and call bullshit on this one. People can't be "scared" or "trapped" or "repressed" into molesting kids. Men can't be forced or coerced into attraction to or molestation of kids anymore than they can any other paraphilia. IMHO, the reason we have child-molesting priests is that the priesthood is a great place to go if you're a guy who likes to diddle kids, and get to spend plenty of time with them in an authoritative position without being questioned by their parents. Bonus points for being an Actual Vessel Of the Lord, who must know what's okay and what's not, right?

Also, I appreciate you not saying all homosexuals are pedophiles. Mighty generous.

The number of abuse cases against women are comparatively small, which is why that is not as large an issue.

And I'm sorry, I see there being a big difference between molesting someone who is 15 and molesting someone who is 8. All you have to do is look at the widely varying ages of consent around the world to see that there is no consensus on when we reach sexual maturity. Up until the past year or so the age of consent in Canada was 14.

Once a person becomes sexually developled, being attracted to them is more about your sexuality as opposed to your paraphilia.

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:01 am The number of abuse cases against women are comparatively small, which is why that is not as large an issue.

WRONG. Only when you look at the church do you see that disparity. In general girls are just as likely to be molested. In fact if want to get down to brass tacks women are probably far more likely to be sexually assaulted within their life time than men.

So if the Pope ever manages to weed out gay priests from the clergy, it's not like he will be solving the problem of sexual abuse in the church. The only change is the victims will be more likely to be girls instead of boys. It's all equally bad. What get tired of though is how this issue always gets neatly wrapped up and let at the feet of "Gay Priests" ignoring the fact that sexual abuse is not just in the church but our society as a whole and that it affects all genders.

As far as what issue is a big issue, I'll leave that for the victim to decide.

lilolme4 (imported) wrote: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:01 am And I'm sorry, I see there being a big difference between molesting someone who is 15 and molesting someone who is 8. All you have to do is look at the widely varying ages of consent around the world to see that there is no consensus on when we reach sexual maturity. Up until the past year or so the age of consent in Canada was 14.

Once a person becomes sexually developled, being attracted to them is more about your sexuality as opposed to your paraphilia.

The age of sexual maturity may very from culture to culture but sexual coercion is always wrong. I see all non consensual sex as unacceptable.