Comments on Crystal Cathedral, Part 3

It occurs to me that these megachurchs - all protestant, and in the protestant tradition - emulate the Catholic church in so many ways: The heirarchy, the "cathedral-like" settings, and the coverups of abuse.

It's really just Catholicism with even less accountability, since one man runs the show. How can anyone find spirituatliy and solace in a 1400 member congregation?

I suspect that they just substitute spirituality for a weird sort of peer pressure and the feeling of being at home in a crowd.

"It's a man who gets paid to have sex, usually with other men. Please pass the crystal meth."

So, what did you say?

“Daddy, what’s a ‘congressional page’?”

“Daddy, what’s a ‘male prostitute’?”

One and the same, son...one and the same...

I said... and I'm doing my best to remember my exact words...

"Most people smooch* other people that they really like. But some people will smooch other people not because they like them, but because they're being paid to smooch them."

"Like a professional baseball player? A professional smoocher?"

"Sort of. Now pass the crystal meth."

*smooching, for my son, means making out, hot and heavy, like he's seen in the movies. right now, it's the word he uses for sex.

another shining example of how absolutely fucked and hypocritical the republican/evangelical war cry of "family values" is.

when major news stories like this break, it is almost impossible to shield children from terms they really shouldn't have to learn about until they are old enough to understand.

discussing bombs and why there were so many flags everywhere after 9/11 with my then three year-old niece was difficult enough (although i was charmed by her constant refrain of "look, aunt kerri! an american flag!."

having to explain prostitution is bad enough. but the thing that really bothers me is the idea of having to explain why a man is ashamed to admit he likes to "be romantic" with another man.

my niece, much like many children of rational minded parents, has been brought up with the understanding that sometimes men love men and sometimes women love women and that it's all good.

i hate the idea of her thinking that a man "being romantic" with another man is something that should be hidden or, even worse, something to be ashamed of.

dan: nicely handled with The Kid.

I watched the Breakfast Club with my dad back in 1985, I was 11. I asked him "What is a nimphomanic." His answer, "Someone who loves sex in a sick way." Boy did I regret asking that question.

Crystal Cathedral: hilarious, though it might have been the professional name of one of Swaggart's hookers.

Just out of curiosity, did you explain it to him? Were you just blunt and gave it to him straight, or did you try to sweeten it?

I know you may not like to elaborate too much on your family and I don't need any fine details, but I am curious because if you ask that question to 12 different parents, you get 12 different answers.

Brandon H:
See #5, Dan answers.

I think it's kind of funny that the sex columnist's kid knows less about whores than I did as a kid, when my parents were both in the legal field.

Ah, this reminds me of when I was nine and was watching Seinfeld with my family. We watched that episode where Jerry considers a menage a trois. My poor father.

Dan---think your next book should be a how-to talk to your kid about sex kind of thing. Kudos on the explanation.

You always do us proud, Dan.

But now, everytime he eats toast, he will have that moment burned into his memory...

#13-- I think that is a really interesting idea.

The majority of Americans have been raised to believe that sex is a taboo subject. Now as adults, they pass that sickness onto their children. Kids see sex as something forbidden, very enticing, and that is partly why we have so many pre-teens having sex without a clue.

We know that open communication about sex is the only way to make our situation better. That is why the abstinence-only approach fails miserably. Dan can be very honest with other adults in his column. He's witty and knows how to get his point across. I wonder if he could tactfully do the same thing for people with children. If a sex columnist can't do it, who can?