nachomama said:
I can't even look at a priest without wondering if he's done something like that to a child.
I've read statistics that show that pedophilia is no more prevalent among priests than among the general public. It's even less if you dismiss the cases with teenagers who are consenting. It's still predatory, but it's not pedophilia.
We consider it outrageous when *priests* do it, because we presume that as servants of God, they're supposed to be held to a higher moral standard - and I think that's right, actually. They should be. If you're dedicating your life to serving God as your full-time work, I would expect your morals to be at least better than average. Actually, I feel that way about anyone who wears their religion on their sleeve - if you preach it, you must practice it and be at least a cut above ME, or I won't respect you or your words (because being more righteous than ME is not a big task).
It just seems more outrageous because we trust these men.
But other statistics DID alarm me. Teachers, and day care workers. Pedophilia BETTER BE less prevalent among them. Priests, my kids aren't gonna be around them much. *Teachers* and day-care workers, they're going to be EXCLUSIVELY around these, and therefore they have to be above reproach in these areas.
