It’s past time to speak on behalf of the Christian Church and its witness. Pedophilia is not Christian; no matter how much Roy Moore, Jerry Falwell, Jr., and some Evangelical Christians try to claim otherwise. The God of love and mercy for whom Jesus lived and died weeps and rages each time someone is raped, molested or sexually assaulted in any way. God knows that even one such experience has a lifelong impact. No matter how much someone claims these acts are done under the guise God’s will, destroying the lives of others in such a heinous way is never God’s will.
Brave women are sharing publicly for the first time their stories of being sexually assaulted as teenagers (as young as 8th grade) by the current Republican candidate for Senate in Alabama, Judge Roy Moore. These women shared their stories privately years ago with family and friends; they did not wait until Moore was running for national office before telling what happened. In addition, multiple people have reported that Moore was banned from a shopping mall and YMCA in his hometown in the 1980’s because of his known predilection for young girls.
Disgustingly, but sadly and not surprisingly, most of the political world, conservative media, and many Evangelical Christians are now contorting themselves to support this pedophile’s election to Congress. Few call for him to pull out of the race or for voters to elect someone else (even a Democrat, if necessary). I wish I could pray, “God, have mercy on their souls,” but I can’t yet. Maybe I’ll have to leave the decision about mercy and forgiveness up to God.
Making their position even worse, most of the people who continue to support Roy Moore see no contradiction between his alleged behavior and his claim of Christian righteousness. They continue to wrap him in a protective cloak of conservative Christianity because they think he is an exemplar of Christian morality. And…wait for it…They argue that Jesus considers Moore’s behavior and multiple sexual assaults of girls inconsequential compared to the importance of having a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. How dare they!
An Alabama state official, Jim Zeigler, has been quoted nationally claiming that God has no problem with an adult male having sex with a 14-year-old girl. As evidence of God’s benevolent stance toward such behavior, Zeigler claims that Jesus Christ is the off-spring of a sexual union between Mary (at age 14) and Joseph (an adult man to whom she was engaged), and that this was obviously sanctioned by God. Most Christians I know would be horrified if they took time to realize what his argument really says. The Bible says Jesus was conceived by Mary and the Holy Spirit, not Joseph. This is known as the Doctrine of the Virgin Birth. Those who acquiesce to these convenient convolutions of Christianity to elect a Republican pedophile to the U.S. Senate cover Christianity in slime.
Pedophilia is neither moral, nor legal, nor beneficial to a healthy society. It has no place in our homes, schools, houses of worship, communities, or Congress.
Sexual molestation and assault always violate the victim/survivor’s humanity and being, but particularly so when she or he is a child or teen. It ruptures the very foundation of Jesus’ message of love. It is pure evil.
Therefore, I end where I began: Pedophilia is not Christian.
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and God’s love is perfected in us” (I John 4:7-8, 12).