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Dear Varda,

“Well then you should be able to do your own survey of the research.”

It’s not a topic that so interests me that I’ve tracked the research I’ve read over the years. But the research that I’ve seen that actually measures the demographic features of molesters shows that married men offend at lower rates than the rest of the population.

“I would call this an argument from authority since professionals who treat these people are generally considered as such.”

Having come from the mental health field, and having spent some years with mental health faculty, I take their aggregated opinions with more than a grain of salt.

But even if I didn’t, I’d never take the results of a survey of folks’ OPINIONS about the demographics of a population over actual studies of the demographics of the same population. That’s called choosing sign over sample. Which was one of the first things we were taught not to do in graduate school.

“Actually my assertion was about pedophiles only not those who pursue teenagers.”

My understanding is that folks who exclusively molest young, prepubescent children are a small percentage of child sex abusers overall, perhaps less than 10%. Thus, even if your statistic were accurate, it wouldn’t be all that meaningful, as it would ignore over 90% of abusers.

As well, the study you cite doesn’t indicate that they are asking about attitudes of exclusive pedophiles, but rather use the broader term “child sex abusers.”

Even so, by definition, true, exclusive pedophiles don’t experience sexual satisfaction with adults, and from what I’ve read, are generally somewhat LESS likely to marry (although many marry anyway).

“Your argument is that you don’t recognize the authority of the opinion.”

I certainly take their opinions with a grain of salt. I’ve known mental health researchers who did fine research. But I wouldn’t pay a quarter for their unmoored opinions, professional or otherwise, especially guessing about demographic data.

” I don’t see how morals (because someone won’t or will report crimes) means they can (students) or can’t (professionals) describe the population that produces the crime.”

I don’t see that morality entered into the question. My professors had very good reasons to oppose mandatory reporting. They had cogent and logical arguments. They were trying to do what was right by the victims, by the offenders, and by other interested parties.

But we students had our side, as well. And we had our reasons, our arguments, our logic. We, too, were trying to do what was right by folks. And in my view, we had the stronger argument. I also happen to think that we students have been vindicated by revelations of the past couple of decades.

I didn’t think my professors were immoral. Just wrong.

And they were.

“On reporting sex crimes ....the Catholic Church has defended the sanctity of confession on this very issue. Is it immoral too?”

In that I didn’t impute immorality to my professors over this question, why would I impute immorality to those who believe in the seal of the confessional.

However, I agree with the absolute seal of the confessional, and have at least enough wisdom to distinguish between a psychotherapist who tries to heal a psyche and a priest who forgives sin.

In looking further at the study you cite, their citation of the Abel, Becker, et. al. study seems straight up. They don’t appear to make any effort to undermine the result that suggests that “most CSA perpetrators are White males, in their thirties, single, fairly well educated, and employed[.]”

Indeed, this meme, that ordinary married men are the chief source of child sex abuse, arose primarily in the context of the homosexual agenda, to hide the fact rates of abuse by homosexuals far exceeds rates of abuse of heterosexuals, generally. Obviously, as homosexuals comprise only around 1% - 3% of the population, and generally speaking, most of the rest of the other 97% of folks can be accurately described as heterosexual, in absolute numbers, heterosexuals commit more child sex abuse. But they don’t offend at higher rates than homosexuals, just the opposite.

Finally, the idea that the population of married men, which is a little over 50% of the adult male population, comprises 78% of child sex abusers is so over the top, it shocks me that anyone who isn’t warped or distorted by some sort of sick agenda would actually think that.

Against all evidence to the contrary, such a person is asserting that married men commit child sex abuse at rate 50% above the average of the entire male population, and commit abuse at higher rates than either single or divorced men.

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