Yeah, trying to cure it with therapy has the same deleterious effects as gay conversion therapy. Because (even if we socially consider it to be one) it’s not a mental disorder in the biological sense; It’s a sexuality. You can repress it with therapy, but repressed sexuality tends to end in disaster eventually.
I dislike the gay comparison for a variety of reasons, but it’s a very well-studied topic that gay conversion therapy simply doesn’t work. It’s abusive and only leads to self-hate or resentment. The unfortunate reality is that, for better or worse, you can’t control who you’re attracted to.
The big issue with pedophilia is that there is no ethical way to practice it. For most other sexualities, you can be ethical about it. Being gay or straight isn’t inherently unethical, because you can get a consenting partner. But being a pedophile is inherently unethical, because any potential partner cannot consent. At best, maybe they find a young looking partner, who is old enough to consent. But even that is just delaying the inevitable, as that partner will eventually start looking older. But practicing actual pedophilia will always be unethical, because there will always be a non-consenting victim.
Therapy is one part of treatment, sure. But it should be primarily focused on helping the pedophile come to terms with self-imposed celibacy. And even that has issues, as the church has proven time and time again.
Yeah, trying to cure it with therapy has the same deleterious effects as gay conversion therapy. Because (even if we socially consider it to be one) it’s not a mental disorder in the biological sense; It’s a sexuality. You can repress it with therapy, but repressed sexuality tends to end in disaster eventually.
I dislike the gay comparison for a variety of reasons, but it’s a very well-studied topic that gay conversion therapy simply doesn’t work. It’s abusive and only leads to self-hate or resentment. The unfortunate reality is that, for better or worse, you can’t control who you’re attracted to.
The big issue with pedophilia is that there is no ethical way to practice it. For most other sexualities, you can be ethical about it. Being gay or straight isn’t inherently unethical, because you can get a consenting partner. But being a pedophile is inherently unethical, because any potential partner cannot consent. At best, maybe they find a young looking partner, who is old enough to consent. But even that is just delaying the inevitable, as that partner will eventually start looking older. But practicing actual pedophilia will always be unethical, because there will always be a non-consenting victim.
Therapy is one part of treatment, sure. But it should be primarily focused on helping the pedophile come to terms with self-imposed celibacy. And even that has issues, as the church has proven time and time again.
No.
Is that where you stopped reading?
Ok. That clarifies it a bit better. It seemed like you were treating it like a valid premise.
Regardless of whether I agree with you or not, I disapprove of the mods removing your post.