The Christian-Homosexual Connection

[Iconoclast]

As you may have heard in recent times, pedophiliac priests are raping altar boys at an alarming rate. Why are priests such a large group?

It has been suggested by some professors that psychological effects of religion can lead to repressed sexual desires, thus causing chemical imbalances that result in sexual deviation. Your thoughts?

[NuclearTBag]

All you are saying Iconoclaust is that hundreds of years ago, a lot of people were sick in the head, just because they were religious doesn't have any thing to do with it. People have gotten more advanced and smarter, that is why you are seeing religion (Please do not be offended, in the wake of science there have been more atheists) and torture disappear. Saying all religous people are wicked, is like saying all lazy people are sissys.

[Iconoclast]

No, I am saying that religion inhibit sexually deviancy.

[Travis]

I am curious as to what absolute one would be sexually deviating from...

[otseng]

No, I am saying that religion inhibit sexually deviancy.

Oh, in that case, I can agree with this statement.

[Xueirdna]

As you may have heard in recent times, pedophiliac priests are raping altar boys at an alarming rate. Why are priests such a large group?

It has been suggested by some professors that psychological effects of religion can lead to repressed sexual desires, thus causing chemical imbalances that result in sexual deviation. Your thoughts?

I don't think that Catholic priests are a particularly large group of pedophiliac rapists, but they are easily exposed because of the environment in which the crime occurs. I do believe that one's religion can lead to repressed sexual desires (even amongst those who choose to abstain from sex before marriage), but I do not think that it is the reason for chemical imbalances. There are many religious individuals who pursue a certain career/goal/ministry because they wish to do something for God or whatever reason. The weakness lies in whether or not God called them to do so. Of course, this leads to another possible thread, but I think it is a justifiable answer.

There is a difference between priests who are called to celibacy and men who want to be priests by no strength of their own.

[Xueirdna]

There is a difference between priests who are called to celibacy and men who want to be priests by no strength of their own.

Sorry, I meant there is a difference between priests called to celibacy by God and those men who wish to be priests simply by their own strength.

[Chancellor]

It has been suggested by some professors that psychological effects of religion can lead to repressed sexual desires, thus causing chemical imbalances that result in sexual deviation. Your thoughts?

Could be. But, the main group in question are Catholic priests. If religion itself leads to chemical imbalances, then a larger set of religious people would be sexually deviant, not just Catholic priests.

What would be the cause would not be religion itself, but some attribute common to priests. And I would say it's the burden of placing all Catholic priests under the requirement of celibacy. Some may have the gift of celibacy, but requiring all to be celibate is too repressive and leads to deviancy.

I entirely disagree. These priests choose to engage in sexual acts with young boys. It is an act of the will. This is the problem with that worldly philosophy called "psychology": it removes personal responsibility for one's chosen actions. We may never know what occurred in a particular person's childhood to cause him to develop a pedophilic orientation just as we may never know what causes others to develop a homosexual orientation or what causes most people to develop a heterosexual orientation ("orientation" being defined here as the autonomic physiological and emotional response to finding someone "attractive"); however, none of that matters because acting on the attraction is always a choice, always an act of the will.

(Why this thread is talking about pedophilia when it's titled The Christian-Homosexual Connection, I don't know -- other than some ignorant person decided that pedophilia and homosexuality are synonymous terms).

Celibacy has nothing to do with these priests choosing to have sex with young boys (or, in some cases, young girls) and the New Testament commands that anyone who is not married is to remain celibate until he or she does marry (marriage being strictly defined here as opposite-sex marriage).

[nobspeople]

As you may have heard in recent times, pedophiliac priests are raping altar boys at an alarming rate. Why are priests such a large group?

It has been suggested by some professors that psychological effects of religion can lead to repressed sexual desires, thus causing chemical imbalances that result in sexual deviation. Your thoughts?

When it comes to humanity, 'safe places' (churches, religious organizations, etc) often aren't all that safe. One reason seems to be that there's a level of respect that these places command and the public expects. And for those members of these 'safe places' they're often taught not to question authority, they're acting in accordance with God/God's Law/Will, etc.
These places are almost perfect places for predators that prey on people looking for safety, as those seekers have often times been abused themselves.
I'm not sure these places 'create' psychological effects, but draw people with specific types of psychological issues.

[Avoice]

[Replying to Iconoclast in post #5]

How are they more religious? In what way are Catholics more religious than protestants?

Their clothes are slot fancier. The pope in his white outfit. The Cardinals decked out in red. They wave incense around and have plenty of statues.
They have elaborate churches for sure

How are they more religious though?

[JoeyKnothead]

As you may have heard in recent times, pedophiliac priests are raping altar boys at an alarming rate. Why are priests such a large group?

Some folks needem to be told how to act.

It has been suggested by some professors that psychological effects of religion can lead to repressed sexual desires, thus causing chemical imbalances that result in sexual deviation. Your thoughts?

Lacking supporting data, I'm not sure on this'n.

My understanding is that chemical imbalances are a product of the physical makeup of the brain / body, and less about outside influences.

My drug regimine is predicated on I'll never be 'well'. I'll never be 'cured'. So I'm fed a diet of dope that's designed, some of it, to help correct the chemical imbalances in my skull. That's really just anecdotal there, but there we go.

Edit: had me an l sneak in there unauthorized
Edit 2: and a / that did, against specific orders not to
Edit 3: and a t that went awol