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ORIGINAL: zamdad

I think you and I are more in agrement than not, URForgiven. I think we just come to the same problem from completely different perspectives. Mine has changed over time as a result of my profession. My pont in bringing up my work with sex offenders in this thread had mre to do with how we, the church, have a double standard not only in how we treat others, but also in how we all too frequently engage in unChrist like thinking and dismiss it. We like to look at those who've been caught and think we're not as bad as them.

With regard to burglars. I've written far too many reports now on people convicted of burglary where the intent of the crime was much more sinister than simply breaking into a home to steal something. As a result of plea bargaining or plea agreements, someone who has been charged with multiple offenses will enter a plea agreeing to be convicted of burglary. Upon release, this does not sound as bad as attempted crim sex. Then again, there are some lewd acts that are nothing more than disgusting, but not prosecuteable as a crime. There was the man who was caught inside the home he broke into wearing nothing but the woman's underwear he took from her dresser drawer. There was the man who was found passed out on a woman's couch wearing no clothing with all of her undergarments partially covering his naked body. There was the man who entered homes during the middle of the night and stood over sleeping women while he masturbated. All three examples have elements of sex crimes, but burglary was the worst crime to be convicted of. Burglars are we people we are justified to be angry with, they are people we also need to fear.