So I found out about this case in Kansas where a prominent lawyer, who was a partner in his firm and had a father who was a District Court judge, was just arrested for trying to solicit sex with a minor. You can read the story here: http://socyberty.com/sexuality/prominent-lawyer-found-guilty-of-being-a-pedophile/ Apparently, he sent child pornography to an undercover officer that he thought was a 14-year-old girl. Then he arranged to meet her, with his car full of sex toys and pornography. Clearly he intended to take advantage of her. This is a terrible story – it shows that you can’t trust anyone, and it brought back bad memories.
The memories I’m talking about are from high school. When I was in school, I had a friend who was very active in his church. He was a born again Christian, and was always talking about Jesus. He was a little nerdy, a little dorky, but very sweet. He was one of my good friends, and we talked a lot about things. I sometimes grew frustrated with him because he was always trying to convert me to the Christian religion, but for the most part, we got along.

I only lived in that town for a year. Then I moved away to another state. So we didn’t keep in touch, but for the time we knew each other, we were good friends – or so I thought at least.
Anyway three years after I moved, when I was a junior in high school, I heard the news. My friend had been arrested for molesting children. He was molesting the kids in the daycare of his church. He had been doing it for years. All the while we were friends, he was doing this, and no one knew.
It was shocking. The thought that I could know someone so well, and it turns out I didn’t know them at all, was terrifying. I started looking at everyone in fear. Wondering what their secret lives were like. It’s also affected the way I view Christianity. Definitely changed my opinion of it – it shocks me that a person could be so religious and seems so nice and be a predator in reality. This article brought it all back. We truly don’t know who the pedophiles are. That’s what makes it so scary. They can be someone who is well respected in the community. They can be your coach, your priest, your friend. Sometimes the actions of a person can’t you completely off guard, and you had no idea if they are really the person that you think they are.

I hope someday I will be able to trust people again to the same extent that I used to. I really lost my childhood innocence.