Jim Carroll and Steamin' Willie, you bring up an interesting challenge. I criticized you when you insinuated questions about Akenaton, and you both countered that if you were not allowed to defame Akenaton, then he should not be allowed to present his allegations that there is a connection between homosexuality and child molestation.

I think there's a big difference - your remarks were a direct, personal attack on Akenaton. His remarks do border on prejudice against homosexuals, but they are clearly what he believes quite passionately to be the truth. Rather than demanding that he be silenced, you have the freedom to gather and present evidence to refute his allegations. After all, what is the purpose of a discussion? - simply to defeat and silence your opponent?

The two of you have said many things that I believe are a distorted view of Catholicism - would it be right for me to seek to silence you?

I think the only way to effectively discuss a controversial issue, is to allow all sides to say what they think, respectfully and without personal attacks. Your insinuations don't add any proof to your position - they're just nasty insinuations.

That being said, I have to say that I still disagree with you completely, Ake. You say that Dr. Herek's report is biased, but you do not specify exactly what it is that is inaccurate in Herek's report. Indeed, he appears to be very careful not to jump to conclusions on anything. He does agree with the distinctions you have made between those who molest pubescent and pre-pubescent children; and between those who molest male and female children. He does make one distinction that you fail to acknowledge: that molesters molest children, and normal heterosexuals and homosexuals have sex only with adults. Therefore, a normal homosexual who had not had sex with children, would seem to be as unlikely to have sex with children as a normal heteroxexual would be. In short, most people (whether heterosexual or homosexual) don't have sex with children.


-Joe-