What does the bible say about pedophilia? Nothing apparently.

[Philosoraptor]

So I guess its cool for that good Christian man to send dirty messages to teenaged boys. To see what the bible says about this and many other topical subjects, go hither:

http://www.gotquestions.org/questions_topical-Bible.html

Answer: There is no direct mention in the Bible about pedophilia but that does not mean that this is something that we cannot address with timeless principles that come out of Scripture. One concept that we could look to is the sin of "fornication" and this word has the same idea in both the Hebrew and the Greek. The Greek word is "porneia" and we get the English word "porno" from this word and one can recognize that it is the basis for the word "pornography." The word in Scripture refers to any illicit sexual activity and therefore this would include the abhorrent acts of a pedophile, including the gathering and trading of graphic sexual pictures of young children. People who involve themselves in this type of activity usually graduate from looking to actual actions that bring harm to children. Fornication is something that is present on the lists of the "lusts of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16-21) and also on the list of the evil things that come out of the heart of man apart from God (Mark 7:21-23).



Pedophiles are people who fall under the characteristic of one "without natural affection." (Romans 1:31; 2 Timothy 3:2). The phrase "without natural affection" is translated from one Greek word and it means inhuman, unloving and unsociable or one who acts in ways that are against the social norm. This would certainly describe a pedophile.



In addition, there is a principle that can be taken from Jesus' words about children. Jesus used a child to teach His disciples that child like faith is what is necessary for entrance into the kingdom of heaven and that the Father has concern for all of His "little ones" (Matthew 18:1-14). Although the faith as of a child is the context of the following verse, it is not a stretch to use it as a basis for a principle about the treatment of children. "But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea" (Matthew 18:10, King James Version). The word "offend" in the Greek has the idea of causing one to stumble, to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, to entice to sin, to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey, to cause to fall away, to cause one displeasure at a thing, or to make indignant.



These definitions of the word "offend" can easily be applied to the actions of a practicing pedophile. The fact that an offence against a child is seen as something that is so serious also lends weight to this application. Of course this principle can be applied to a wide range of child abusive actions and it seems to really make the case against any one who would bring harm to a child.

[Syncronaut Seven]

1. See property: women and children.

That is all.

[TwentyFive]

2. Foley is a devout Catholic.

Christianity is a failure because it encourages sin.

The whole, 'forgive me father for I have sinned' bullcrap means that Foley and the Priests could molest, then go to confession and get cleaned by the blood of Jesus. Next day, they can repeat the entire process all over again - supposedly without retribution from God.

Meanwhile, the molested and emotionally abused boys are ordered by the bible to 'turn the other cheek' and forgive the molesters. It's no wonder that the USA is the rape and child molestation capitol of the world. (Except Thailand...where wealthy older men from the US go to molest little Thai boys and escape a lax justice system.)

The sooner Christianity is exposed for the lie that it is, the better off we'll all be.

[Tesha]

4. Important hint:

Important hint:

ANY religion that lets you sin all your life but
still enter paradise simply by repenting your sins on your deathbed
is SURE to encourage the basest behavior in its congregants.

Tesha

[mongo]

8. Yep.

Jesus wrote a blank check -- Foley just hadn't cashed his yet.

[TwentyFive]

12. Speaking of Basest Behavior.

The basest behavior of all is performed by the God of the bible. Like the story of Noah...God killed most of the animals, babies and other defenseless creatures. What did the little sparrows ever do to deserve this?

Any human behaviorist will tell you, people pay attention to other people's actions...their words are meaningless. If the bible is used as a God's instruction manual to humans...God's message is clear: If you can define somebody as evil, then you can enslave, torture and even kill them.

We now have a republican government that defines gays as evil sinners, and then declares open season on them. Perhaps this explains why good German Christians cheered on the Nazis as they marched the Jews off to concentration camps. I could go on about the Inquisition, Salem, Crusades, etc., but I think I've made my point.

[dflprincess]

5. A common misconception about Confession is that all you have to do

is tell a priest what you've done and you receive absolution. I was taught in Catechism, that you can do this - and you may fool the priest, but you can't fool God (imagine a nun in full old fashioned habit giving you the evil eye when she said "you can't fool God.) The priest may give you absolution, believing you are sincere, but God will know if you're not and will still hold you accountable for your actions.

[TwentyFive]

9. I'm sure guys like Foley go to confession believing it's the LAST time.

I don't doubt their sincerity. But given the nature of addictive behavior, this sincerity is usually short lived.

The problem I have with Christianity, is that it mentions NOTHING about making restitution to the victim. What is really obscene, is that when people feel guilty about screwing somebody, they will atone by tithing to the church! Perhaps this is why Christianity has thrived over the years? If you screw somebody over, the church (or God) is the only one who can absolve you. In short, the churches are the beneficiaries of human suffering.

As for the victim, they are SOL. They get nothing - not even an acknowledgment. They are commanded to forgive...otherwise, God will commit them to eternal damnation.

This is why I think all of Christianity is so F'd up.

[Tesha]

10. I think we'll need a citation for *THAT* claim.

If the priest absolves you, you're absolved.

"Whatever you hold true on earth, I'll hold true in Heaven."

or, more formally:

"'Amen I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound
also in Heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed
in Heaven.'" Matthew 18: 17-18

Tesha

[novalib]

3. Children, Like Women....

Like Women, Children are considered as mere chattel in the bible.

Children exist to meet the needs of their male parents.

Male parents, in the bible, own their children -- and children must SUBMIT to their male parents.

And, of course, that means that male parents are free to give their children -- both male and female -- into the hands of sexual predators.

[BurtWorm]

6. It be-eth okay if thou art a Republican.

:patriot:

[DUgosh]

7. So it's mostly in those red letters

and we know that they never read the red letters.

"It were better for him that a millstone be hanged about his neck, and he be cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones." Luke 17:2

[Tesha]

11. That red-letter guy is a kill-joy, a major harsher of their buzz. (NT)

[TwentyFive]

13. Anybody who reads the bible, always finds a loophole. Always.

These little ones. These. Does not mean all little ones...just certain ones. That means its biblically ok to molest little ones....just as long as they're not (enter term here).

[Philosoraptor]

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