Abhorrent Deviations: Their Normalizations and Legality

By: American Decency Staff

A couple of news stories this week feel like they could have been ripped straight from the pages of Judges, that period of Jewish history known for everyone doing what’s right “in their own eyes.”

One comes out of New Mexico, where a 36-year-old mother and her 19-year-old son, whom she had given up for adoption as an infant and recently reconnected with, were charged with incest. The mother and son say they are in love, and will stop at nothing to be together, including the mother being separated from her 8 younger children, one of which, reportedly, calls his oldest brother, “Dad.”

“He’s the love of my life and I don’t want to lose him,” the mother told the UK Daily Mail.

“My kids love him, my whole family does. Nothing can come between us, not courts, or jail – nothing.”

The other story came in the form of an academic book, written by a state university professor and published by a reputable college text book publisher, “Pedophilia and Adult-Child Sex: A Philosophical Analysis.”

Ryan T. Anderson of the Heritage Institute reported on Twitter that the professor’s list of publications at the university’s website originally had it subtitled, “A Psychological Defense,” but this work seems to have been removed from that list altogether, at least for the time being.

From the publisher’s description, “This book provides a philosophical analysis of adult–child sex and pedophilia. This sex intuitively strikes many people as sick, disgusting, and wrong. The problem is that it is not clear whether these judgments are justified and whether they are aesthetic or moral. By analogy, many people find it disgusting to view images of obese people having sex, but it is hard to see what is morally undesirable about such sex: here the judgment is aesthetic. This book looks at the moral status of such adult-child sex. In particular, it explores whether those who engage in adult-child sex have a disease, act wrongly, or are vicious.”

Sadly this is not the first work coming from a major publisher, to take a swing at the dam restraining normalized pedophilia. Last September, you may remember, Salon magazine published an article entitled, “I’m a Pedophile, but Not a Monster,” asking people to be “understanding and supportive,” and for treating pedophiles as “people with a handicap to overcome…”

What’s troubling about these abhorrent sexual deviations is that the road to their normalization and legality is already paved, and the lanes are being painted on as we speak.

The same rhetoric which convinced the Supreme Court to legalize homosexual marriage is already being used to nudge these taboos into the circle of acceptability.

In this specific case of incest, just listen to the son’s argument for why he should be able to have a committed sexual relationship with his own mother, from a new interview.

“We were both consenting adults. If it comes down to it, you know, it’s just like the gays, you know, as long as they’re over 18, everything is fine.”

It’s just like the gays, but why should you have to be over 18? That’s really just a random number we’ve chosen out of thin air to represent adulthood. I literally know 15-year-olds with more wisdom and maturity than many college students, why shouldn’t they be able to choose who they love, even if he or she is a little older than them?

Look at the questions the book claims to explore, does an adult who has sex with a child necessarily have a disease or act viciously? Not necessarily. And who dares claim the authority to declare their relationship immoral?

I wouldn’t pay the $80 required to read this work, but Peter LaBarbera of Americans for the Truth About Homosexuality has apparently read it and reports finding this troubling quote in answer to that question, “Adult-child sex involving willing participants has an unclear moral status.”

Remember, that is a university professor reaching that conclusion.

The truth is, however, that incest and pedophilia still stir the consciences of most Americans. Most of us still hear about these and get the same discomfort we all used to feel discussing homosexual sex.

We still know these things are wrong, but culture has already rejected the arguments that tell us why they’re wrong, thus these standards are destined to crumble as well.

Radio host Steve Deace nailed it, when he discussed the incest story on his radio show:

“This incestuous relationship is only wrong if there is a God; if we are indeed His image bearers; if He makes us male and female; if indeed He gives us innate traits as unique genders to both show what it means to bear His image, but then also when we complement each other and come together as… husband and wife to show an even more complete representation of what it means to be made in the image of God. It’s wrong only if we are created beings, not randomly evolved ones. It’s wrong only if we are born with a purpose in mind, not purposeless acts of nature. It’s wrong only if we will be accountable to that exact same Creator for the days we spent on this earth after our death… You cannot have your morality without God.”

I opened this article noting the similarity between these stories and some of the stories recounted in the book of Judges.

The whole point of Judges is to show the reader the utter depravity of man without God, and yet the long suffering and patience of our God.

I often hear Christians contemplating whether or not God has removed His hand from America. This is a pointless exercise. Whether He has or has not, our response ought to be the same.

Repentance.

We are wicked – each of us – not only those trapped in sexual taboos, but you and I. Their sins only show where you and I could be without God’s grace.

What must Irepent of today?

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