Ugh, you people and your social relativism. Sure, we could call absolutely every belief we have into question, because we've got no real frame of reference on which we could base our definitions of "good" and "evil" (unless you're a theist, but then you'd have to prove that your religion is truth, good luck with that).
I could ask "Why is it bad to kill people?", "Why is it bad to steal?", "Why is it bad to sleep with my neighbor's wife?", It's only your foolish social taboos based on the Judeo-Christian belief system that makes these things wrong.
For anything to be logically deduced to be good or bad, we have to first define good and bad, however, as soon as we do that, there are some people who will disagree with our definition, and we'll have to accept that they have their "good" and we have ours, and we have to tolerate their good because it's just as valid as ours; they're both products of social conditioning, and not based on any true, objective, scale of right or wrong.
But honestly, doesn't this kind of thinking digust you? I'm sorry, but I find I have to believe that some things are good and some things are evil, absolutely, not simply as a result of my social conditioning.
Sorry, pedophelia is wrong. Actually, come to think of it, I'm not at all sorry. Pedophelia is wrong.
I have read over this thread for a long time. I decided to respond more in depth, and perhaps shed a small shingle of my usually titanium-laced internet armor, and open up a can of ass whoop on some of the opinions I see expressed in this thread.
A - Ignorance is a contagious disease.
B - I was the victim of a pedophile, from the age of 8 years, to the age of 12, when I took it upon myself to emulate Batman on illicit drugs and end the man's legs (literal fact).
This means two things:A - I know for a fact that pedophilia and the age of consent are both almost ALWAYS diametrically opposed. How do I know this? I never gave consent. When I was eight years old, I knew not my ass, from a hole in the ground (no pun intended). Eight year old children do not understand the complex dynamics of sexuality any more than a grapefruit understands it is fruit. Simply not reality. The human brain stops physical development at the age of eight. Yes, in rare cases, puberty starts that soon for some people, and consciousness of self follows, but that is a MINUTE portion of the human race. Pedophile, by definition, means a person is sexually aroused by children, is attracted to their innocence, and thus is hard pressed (no pun intended again) to find themselves able to perform sexual acts with another adult. Satistically, these men (and women) were victimized as children themselves, and some view their predilection as revenge on the world (professional journals document these on a constant basis, pick one).
So, no, pedophilia and the age of consent are not the same things. Almost never. In Africa, it is a different culture, and paradigm shift away from western thinking. In Africa, at 10, many young women are the only woman in a household, AIDS being a prime factor in that. Those people have so many of their elders dying of AIDS, and FAMINE, and worse, that they are forced to grow up fast, and learn early. It isn't right, in my eyes, but their entire culture is completely anathema to anything known to us here in the states.
B - I have absolutely no fond memories of sodomy at the age of 8. I spent many years in therapy, and in isolated places, overcoming nightmares, cold sweats, social anxiety, and my ability to know and love myself as a human being. Emotionally, it is safe to say, I am beyond fucked up, and will never be "alrighty". Most days, I am incapable of a solid emotion. This is a result of years of "going away in my head" just to survive. In short, I feel nothing, most of the time. It is not something I wish on even my worst enemy. Some pop culture icons in literature and books typify this, and it is mistaken as badassness. It is a cold and lonely way to live your life, and I have "sexually free" dip-shits to thank for my curse.
Therefore, in closing, to those morons who have this Utopian Mindset that if we all just roll over, play dead, and let the NAMBLA people have their precious man/boy love,I say this:
When you die, remember my face.
And those studies that were mentioned in the OP, not a source was given. I call bullshit. If it is, in fact, established doctrine in the mental health field for prominent people to say such things, show me a clinical journal that explains this. It calls into question the lobby behind these ideals, and it stinks like shit.