NSMinistries
July 1st 2003, 08:42 PM
What's So Harmful To Minors (http://www.christianity.com/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID19179|CHID119948|CIID1383308,00.html)
What's So Harmful To Minors
Warning this Article is not intended for children
Matthew 18:6
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (NIV)
Intergenerational Sex or Adult-Child Sex
Those words send shivers down my back every time I hear them or read about this subject. These are the buzz words one will hear about if you have seen or heard anything about the book that just came out from the University of Minnesota Press (2002), called Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine. This book is causing a very heated debate between those that feel children should be allowed to have consenting sex with an adult and those that do not. Judith Levine follows the ideal that children are being treated unfairly and/or denied all access to sex with adults and their peer groups as well as sexual material such as pornography. She believes this is caused by the ignorance of most religious groups.
For many years we have been subject to what I call word softening or Neutral wording terms. We saw it with the pro-abortion to pro-choice and homosexuality to samegendar love. This word softening has been very successful in changing the way many view an idea or action, making it sound nicer or politically correct. When you look back at the effects that have come out of this type of movement we are really paralyzed to stop what happens next if we do not attempt to change these from the start. Look at pro-choice for an example. When you use these types of words to soften it and also make it sound like there was a choice, many will defend it and try to make it the norm. If it was still called pro-abortion would as many still call it acceptable when they know the meaning of the word? When I hear the word pro-choice the only thing that pops into my mind is that bumper sticker you see on cars: Its not a Choice its a Child. How much clearer can that be?
Levine is making the attempt with her book to soften the ideals of pedophilia and make it main stream much like the Dutch laws overseas. Their age of consent was changed in 1990 to the age of 12 years of age. She believes and wants to see children able to make the commitment to a sexual encounter as early as the age of 12. She concludes that this can be a positive encounter and could help the development of the child. The only real negative encounters the children could face according to Levine is pregnancy and STD'S.
With the media coverage that has come from the release of this book you would think that more people would raise a voice asking why this book was even allowed to go to print. Even with the University of Minnesota Press being Taxpayer funded the public has not responded hard enough to stop production of further copies of this book. The fact also remains that since the book is from a University Press it gives it more credible standing among those who do not know better or have not taken the time to research the contents.
Both USA Today and the New York Times have neither tried to challenge the underling facts of this book. In fact the New York Times has plainly stated " The book does not, in fact endorse pedophilia." How the New York Times missed Chapter 2 of the book I'll never know. In that chapter Levine down plays the idea that pedophiles are a danger to children. Also the last four chapters deal with what Levine thinks are the best solutions for fixing the problem of not having enough sex or knowing how to enjoy themselves more.
Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is the author of the forward for this book. Elders has held the veiws that marijuana and other drugs should be legalized. Also she thinks that children should have detailed sex education. In an interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes Elder's (a debate talk show) admitted she has not read the whole book "I've read most of it. In fact, I went back and re-looked at it this afternoon, since I have it." With a comment like this it makes me wonder if she read the book before signing off to write the forward or if she does know what it means but did not care. How after knowing this and her past with what she has said about drugs could we trust her that this book could have any good to the society.
Levine does not have either a medical or psychology degree but in fact only a master's degree in journalism which brings me to the thought of how does she know what she is talking about except by what she has read or was told. Two of Levine's source's (Theo Sandfort a Dutch Professor and Vern Bullough of Cal State Northridge) cited in the book are former members of PASIKA a Dutch pedophile journal. Thoe Sandfort is the co-editor of: Male Intergenerational Intimacy(1991, New York: Haworth Press). Vern Bullough writes the introduction to: Loving Boys: a multidisciplinary study of sexual relations between adult and minor males (1987, Global Academic Publishers). With knowing where she received some of her research data from how can anyone justify what is written within it.
As I was doing research for this article I went to Amazon.com for some information. I was amazed at the positive reviews for the book and disgusted at its ranking for new publications. Those that condone this book and allow it to be on the market should really rethink their own views. Do you want to be known as one who indorses such a book. You may not indorse it personally but as you buy/sell more you are telling those who wrote it, make it and sell it that its okay to pervert our youth and its okay that they are taken advantaged of even if they think their old enough to give their consent. For now this is all I can write about this subject, I may write more as I gather more information but I makes me sick to know we have those in our world who can stoop to such a low.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)
Thank you Debra Smithson and Linda Quigley for your help with this article.
What's So Harmful To Minors
Warning this Article is not intended for children
Matthew 18:6
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. (NIV)
Intergenerational Sex or Adult-Child Sex
Those words send shivers down my back every time I hear them or read about this subject. These are the buzz words one will hear about if you have seen or heard anything about the book that just came out from the University of Minnesota Press (2002), called Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine. This book is causing a very heated debate between those that feel children should be allowed to have consenting sex with an adult and those that do not. Judith Levine follows the ideal that children are being treated unfairly and/or denied all access to sex with adults and their peer groups as well as sexual material such as pornography. She believes this is caused by the ignorance of most religious groups.
For many years we have been subject to what I call word softening or Neutral wording terms. We saw it with the pro-abortion to pro-choice and homosexuality to samegendar love. This word softening has been very successful in changing the way many view an idea or action, making it sound nicer or politically correct. When you look back at the effects that have come out of this type of movement we are really paralyzed to stop what happens next if we do not attempt to change these from the start. Look at pro-choice for an example. When you use these types of words to soften it and also make it sound like there was a choice, many will defend it and try to make it the norm. If it was still called pro-abortion would as many still call it acceptable when they know the meaning of the word? When I hear the word pro-choice the only thing that pops into my mind is that bumper sticker you see on cars: Its not a Choice its a Child. How much clearer can that be?
Levine is making the attempt with her book to soften the ideals of pedophilia and make it main stream much like the Dutch laws overseas. Their age of consent was changed in 1990 to the age of 12 years of age. She believes and wants to see children able to make the commitment to a sexual encounter as early as the age of 12. She concludes that this can be a positive encounter and could help the development of the child. The only real negative encounters the children could face according to Levine is pregnancy and STD'S.
With the media coverage that has come from the release of this book you would think that more people would raise a voice asking why this book was even allowed to go to print. Even with the University of Minnesota Press being Taxpayer funded the public has not responded hard enough to stop production of further copies of this book. The fact also remains that since the book is from a University Press it gives it more credible standing among those who do not know better or have not taken the time to research the contents.
Both USA Today and the New York Times have neither tried to challenge the underling facts of this book. In fact the New York Times has plainly stated " The book does not, in fact endorse pedophilia." How the New York Times missed Chapter 2 of the book I'll never know. In that chapter Levine down plays the idea that pedophiles are a danger to children. Also the last four chapters deal with what Levine thinks are the best solutions for fixing the problem of not having enough sex or knowing how to enjoy themselves more.
Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders is the author of the forward for this book. Elders has held the veiws that marijuana and other drugs should be legalized. Also she thinks that children should have detailed sex education. In an interview on Fox News Channel's Hannity & Colmes Elder's (a debate talk show) admitted she has not read the whole book "I've read most of it. In fact, I went back and re-looked at it this afternoon, since I have it." With a comment like this it makes me wonder if she read the book before signing off to write the forward or if she does know what it means but did not care. How after knowing this and her past with what she has said about drugs could we trust her that this book could have any good to the society.
Levine does not have either a medical or psychology degree but in fact only a master's degree in journalism which brings me to the thought of how does she know what she is talking about except by what she has read or was told. Two of Levine's source's (Theo Sandfort a Dutch Professor and Vern Bullough of Cal State Northridge) cited in the book are former members of PASIKA a Dutch pedophile journal. Thoe Sandfort is the co-editor of: Male Intergenerational Intimacy(1991, New York: Haworth Press). Vern Bullough writes the introduction to: Loving Boys: a multidisciplinary study of sexual relations between adult and minor males (1987, Global Academic Publishers). With knowing where she received some of her research data from how can anyone justify what is written within it.
As I was doing research for this article I went to Amazon.com for some information. I was amazed at the positive reviews for the book and disgusted at its ranking for new publications. Those that condone this book and allow it to be on the market should really rethink their own views. Do you want to be known as one who indorses such a book. You may not indorse it personally but as you buy/sell more you are telling those who wrote it, make it and sell it that its okay to pervert our youth and its okay that they are taken advantaged of even if they think their old enough to give their consent. For now this is all I can write about this subject, I may write more as I gather more information but I makes me sick to know we have those in our world who can stoop to such a low.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)
Thank you Debra Smithson and Linda Quigley for your help with this article.