Written by Evi Idoghor
About three years ago, an article made its rounds on social media about a medical student who gave a TEDx talk on the topic of Pedophilia. What I gathered from the message she was trying to convey was that pedophiles couldn’t help who they were attracted to. And just as Heterosexuality (people attracted to the opposite sex) is a sexual orientation, she argued pedophilia was also a sexual orientation.
While she didn‘t condone their behavior, she pleaded that they shouldn’t be shunned from society. A lot of people in the medical field then came out to debunk her claims. Like Dr. Daniel Amen who told CBN News that pedophiles had different brains than the rest of the population, and their scans indicated mental illness, which showed that they didn’t have empathy for others.
When I came across this article and watched clips of the TEDx talk, I wasn't actually surprised. It was only a matter of time that someone was going to come out with a claim like this, and from what I have heard, she isn’t the only one. If we want to handle the issue of morality properly, it has to happen from God’s standpoint. Things like these are bound to happen when people try to remove God from the society and constitution.
It then begs the question, where will the line be drawn? What then can we accept as right or wrong? Homosexuality is a very touchy subject to address, people are easily offended by it and you are quickly termed a “bigot” if you don’t stand for it. But if you really think about it, we now live in the times when homosexuality is seen as “normal.” It doesn’t really prick humanity (especially those who live in developed countries) that this behavior goes against the word of God.
“Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned with lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.’ Romans 1:27
So people might be thinking, if society accepts homosexuality, and allows for them to even get married in some states and countries around the world, then why not pedophilia? Since this young medical student claims—it is also a sexual orientation, and no one chooses to be a pedophile.
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Her claims are quite unfounded. Everything in this life has to do with choices—You wake up in the morning and choose to go to work, if you choose not to go to work, you will be hearing from your boss. Someone who commits murder chooses to kill, that is why the case against you goes to trial, to find out why you did what you did. It’s the same thing with pedophilia, if you choose to molest a child and it is found out, you are most likely going to end up in prison.
Now, I am not here making claims that because you are a pedophile, then your sin is worse than others, no. However, understand that your choices are bound with consequences that you can’t choose (isn’t life ironic). Pedophiles should seek help and help should be offered to them—both mentally and spiritually.
“Morality is the principle concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior”
Why we need Christ as the standard of morality in today's world
How do we then handle a growing society that wants everyone to be accepted and treated equally absent of God? Each day people come up with different things that they feel are right, and who are you to tell them that their version of truth is a lie if we don't point them to Christ? What is going on now is not a physical fight but a spiritual one. The enemy is trying so hard to pervert everything that God has created.
God created marriage and sex, for the enjoyment of one man and one woman (Matthew 19:4-5). Anything outside of that goes against the word of God. If everyone could just turn to Christ the society that we live in would be a much better and safer place.
“Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to its people” Proverbs 14:34
If we desire a society without God, we also should be prepared to accept everything that comes with it— including its devastating consequences. If people could only see clearly, they would discover that God is not the enemy here. He created man upright, but they have sort out many schemes; according to Ecclesiastes 7:29. God has done all He would ever do for the redemption of humanity—it is now up to us to accept His finished work.
Although the speaker of the TEDx event doesn’t accept the behaviors of pedophiles, however, my question is: if pedophilia is now regarded as a sexual orientation, then what is going to be next? Can murderers come out and say that is who they are innately? Or can kidnappers go on a kidnapping spree, because they believe that is the only way they can make a decent living?
Which brings me back to my original question—where do we draw the line? Where do we say enough is enough? How do we then protect our society from the dangers of allowing everyone to live out their truth since no one wants to take responsibility for their actions? How then do we define morality? And what is morality without Christ? To answer my last question, I would say destruction.
Just as this passage of scripture in Romans 1:28-31 depicts; “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting, being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness, they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, and unmerciful.
Who knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” This is what life would look like (it already looks like it) when we remove God from society—this is what morality looks like without Christ.
“TEDx events are organized independently from the main annual TED conference; TED organization does not control TEDx events content.” TED would also like to make it clear that it does not promote pedophilia and the video has been removed from their platform on YouTube.
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