Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
leashyourkids wrote:
Well, we're on the same page here, because I'm not willing to argue what constitutes a minor. That part is irrelevant to me, as long as we agree that there is such a thing as a person who is not old enough to make their own sexual decisions.
I think obviously there is.
But in the wake of the Penn State thing I read an interesting white paper by some academic. I forget the guy's name but I'll see if I can find the link. Anyway, his position was that "innocence" is a quality we attribute to children rather than something they actually have. In fact, children are among the most manipulative members of a society. They may allow an old linebacker coach to grab their penis because they get to go to a football game and receive a brand new jacket. The child sees that as a good deal. He isn't "ruined" until society gets involved and tells him what happened was wrong. Then he begins to see himself as a victim or perhaps as a damaged person.
I don't know if I agree with the guy or not, but it's an interesting conversation, though probably not one that can be reasonably had in a forum such as this.
I think you brought up similar points in the Kohl's thread. You've probably already addressed this, but I'm sure you know whether a child is inherently innocent or not, or whether a 16 year old is really in love with his/her 18 year old girl/boyfriend, is irrelevant vis-a-vis consent. I'm not sure what the legal definition of consent is, but if it includes language such as only those above the age of 18 are legally recognized as persons able to consent to sexual activity, then the points the article is making are irrelevant as they pertain to law.
I think part of this discussion finds itself at the intersection of law and morality, and the need for commensurability between the two. Some of the arguments I remember you making in the Kohl's thread struck me as more moral than legal, correct me if I'm wrong. I think this sub-discussion finds itself at a similar impasse.
I'd prefer not to go back over all that as a lot of people here (not you) tend to read what they want and misconstrue what was actually written.
But with regard to the current discussion, I can certainly understand how a religious person (I am not one) might demand that morally a homosexual must refrain from sinning in spite of the way he was born just as our secular society expects a pedophile to refrain from his impulses on both a moral
legal basis.
Like I said, I don't agree with those who would deny homosexuals the right to engage in whatever behavior they might choose as consenting adults, but I can respect the viewpoint of those who actually live by a code of morals that have been handed down over the years and who are not swayed by current fashion or changes in social mores.