What percentage of the population...(pedophilia)

do you think has some sexual interest in children? Maybe i'm in denial here, but I think a lot of people will lie about any interest regarding adolescent children, and they are certainly lieing if they say they have never had a fleeting thought about a teenager. What sets these thoughts apart from normal sexual thoughts is that they are inappropriate. I guess what i'm getting at is, "are some of my thoughts more normal than I think?"

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I'm not justifying molesting children. Do you mean to tell me no normal adult has had a fleeting thought about a 16 year old, but knows they are inappropriate? If that is the case, why do teens engage in sexual activity?

I'm sorry, but I just got a rush of anxiety when you said it was not normal. I have been going through life thinking of teenage girls as starting to become attractive, but of course very wrong to act out. I don't masturbate to these girls either because I think it is unhealthy and intruding on their innocence.

I also have thoughts about girls as young as 12 (which I have had from being a teenager). I definitely don't think these are normal.

I agree the thoughts may be prevalent, but I disagree on the use of 'normal'. When you use it this way, you are encouraging justification of a thought pattern that has the potential to serious damage someone's life. If normal is taken, in this context, to mean 'healthy' and 'non-detrimental', prevalence does not indicate normalcy.

No, it's not normal but it's probably more common than people think. People think there's like only 1 or 2 pedophiles living in their town, when in reality it's a whole lot more. I wouldn't put too much thought on whether it's healthy or not, because what ever conconclusion you arrive at, it won't change anything and you'll go insane.

I'm not a paedophile but Im just playing Devils Advocate.
They may not be normal thoughts but if you look back in history it was common place for young girls to be in relationships and/or married to much older men whether a detriment to the minor involved. Its also still common place in some societies nowaday - so isnt it just what society sees as normal? Many men would take part in such activity...

Just to make it clear, I dont agree with it, Im just curious as to what everyone thinks

I think the percentage is higher than most believe and it depends how far you take the term. You could take the definition to extremes I guess. I'm sure most of us can look around and find a young person attractive. I think it comes down to how you think about it. For me I may see two good looking young teens walk down the street and make a comment that I wish I was 14 again, but I would never act on trying to make contact with them. Even a young woman, that has become adult age, I would not try to make contact with.
I think it goes beyond normal when you start hanging out where teens and children go and you have no reason to be there, or looking at pictures on the internet etc.
When I was 13, 14 there was no shortage of female pedophiles to have sex with, I don't loose any sleep for having done that, but I do get a little angry that they led me in that direction, because i missed out on dating and the discovery years I would have had with teens my own age. Just shows though how many are out there, male and female

Western culture has been socialized into regarding relationships beween those under the age of majority and those above it as being immoral. Through this, we teach our children that such relationships are wrong. I believe that it is probable that a significant proportion of those that develop psychological issues after being involved (either by volition or by force) in a relationship of this sort, develop those issues as a result of the prevalent belief in the 'wrongness' of those relationships. As the previous poster mentioned, such relationships can be/have been considered the norm through many eras and parts of the world. Have those that have been raised in a society that doesn't condemn such relationships developed psychological trauma? It is likely that they have, and just as likely that they have not. Is it because of socialization?

However, I still don't think this changes the moral issue of the question. I believe we all carry an epistemic duty to question our socially-wrought beliefs, but we also have an obligation to acknowlege logic and the right to freedom. Can a child choose for herself/himself whether or not she/he wishes to engage in sexual or romantic acts with an older individual? Do they have the ability to carry this right?

Having been a child, and looking back at my naivety of thought, I would argue against it. Socialization or not, the possibility for psychological trauma as a result of such a relationship is too high. I don't think it is worth it, nor does it justify it.

Pedophilia is the physical attraction to PRE-PUBESCENT children. An attraction to POST-PUBESCENT children is not pedophilia, it's called ephebophilia.