“I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”
— C.S. Lewis
“Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do.”
— C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)
http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/1069006.C_S_Lewis?page=3
Today we provide the second installment of our community service announcement on PEDOPHILIA. To understand the formation of this word, here are its roots: Pedo means “child” in Greek. Phile is a derivative of Greek, Latin, and French, meaning “love.”
Pedophilia is one of the scariest things that can happen in a church.
After all, isn’t that where children should be the safest — among God’s “chosen” people?
Before we present the profile of a pedophile, it’s important that all of us to know how child molesters con children into trusting them. Here’s a link to the following information:
The link that was here no longer works and has been removed. GBTC
How Child Molesters Lure Children
“Child molesters are professional con-artists, manipulating children with various “grooming methods”, in order to create a special bond of warmth and trust. This may involve lavish attention and gifts, money, alcohol or drugs, playful touching or tickling, all in an effort to create an atmosphere of secret keeping. It is important to note that most victims of child sexual abuse do not tell they were sexually abused, even when directly asked by a parent or other authority figures.
Pedophiles are extremely difficult to detect and can be found in the most unlikely places, making it imperative that parents provide children with the tools to recognize and avoid potentially abusive individuals and situations. Parents must be extremely vigilant in teaching children about good touch vs. bad touch, recognize and identify the signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, and closely monitor children’s activities.”
Parents (and children) often have the misconception that a child molester is an ugly old man wearing a trench coat, crouching behind the bushes, waiting for the right moment to snatch a child. However, child molesters come from all walks of life and do not discriminate by race, gender, social class, or age.
Statistics of child abuse confirm that 90% of those who have been sexually abused know their abusers. Children are most often molested by family members and close family friends such as fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, boyfriends of single mothers, babysitters, etc.
The following information was obtained from the above-referenced web site:
“According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the characteristics and behavioral indicators of a pedophile, also referred to as a serial child sex abuser include the following:
1. Usually an adult male but some women also sexually abuse children
2. Often a child molestation victim themselves
3. Seeks out children of the age group they were when victimized
4. Usually married and hard-working
5. Employed within a wide range of occupations
6. Usually well-liked and respected community members
7. Often well-educated and regular church-goers
8. Relates better with children than adults
9. Some prefer boys, some prefer girls
10. Usually prefers a specific age group of children
11. Takes and collects photographs of victims while dressed, nude or in sexual poses
12. Collects child-adult pornography
13. Seeks to lower inhibitions of potential victims
14. Regularly attends children’s events in the community
15. Volunteers in youth organizations
16. Coaches children’s sports
17. Chaperones camping or overnight trips
18. Frequents video arcades, playgrounds or shopping malls
19. Offers babysitting services
20. Seeks jobs where children are easily accessible
21. Befriends parents, especially single mothers, to gain access to children
22. Participates in internet gaming with children
23. Joins social networking websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and other social media
24. Become foster parents
25. Seeks job opportunities where children are easily-accessible”
It’s EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to emphasize that even though a pedophile may be unmarried and/or childless, his home is usually child-friendly with things that are enticing to children — toys, books, video games, computers, bikes, swing sets, skateboards, pool, and snacks. Usually these items are appealing to those of the preferred age of the pedophile, and they are used to lure children to his home and keep them coming back.
A child may not always recognizes when he or she is being abused, manipulated, or groomed by a pedophile. Unless the pedophile is a sexual sadist, he does not have to threaten a child into silence. The trust, gifts, secrecy, and “relationship” are enough to keep the victims from reporting their abuser. In some cases, the abuser will coerce the child into silence by saying that if anyone finds out, he would go to jail, or the child would, and maybe the child’s parents. In other cases, threats to harm the child, pets, and family are used.
For further reading on child molestation prevention and signs and symptoms of child sexual abuse, please check out this link:
The link that was here no longer works and has been removed. GBTC