Unless you were totally engrossed in trying to find a mattress deal over President’s Day weekend, you’ve heard about the comments made by provocative commentator Milo Yiannopoulos. You can listen for yourself in the video below. He certainly seems to defend pedophilia. He also refuses to reveal the names of known pedophiles.
Outrage was swift and severe. It began on Twitter and CNN’s Jake Tapper may have said it best.
Milo had a book deal canceled. His invitation to speak at CPAC was rescinded. Just as he was beginning to get significant nationwide name recognition (after his planned appearance at UC Berkeley was called off because of protests in which fires were set) his career is now crumbling. Why?
When I ask why, I genuinely mean why is he wrong in what he says? Why isn’t it ok to support pedophilia?
Here’s the reason I ask. For many years philosophers and social scientists have argued morality is something created by humans intentionally or because of evolution. The theory is at some point humans either decided having rules in society is a good thing or evolution led them to it involuntarily. They either consciously decided being kind to one another or having a set of rules agreed to by society would be better for them or something in the evolution of their genes gave them a conscience.
This is an argument made by many atheists as they try to prove God doesn’t exist. They believe since there is no God there can be no sort of objective morality. You may often hear the phrase, “morality is just a social construct.” There is no permanent and absolute right and wrong. It can all change.
If these arguments are taken to their logical conclusion then none of us can concretely say pedophilia is wrong. Neither is torturing children. Neither is a mass shooting. If there is no God who stands outside of and above humanity, who is anyone to say anything is truly immoral?
This is why debates concerning God’s existence are vitally important. If there is no God then morality is something that shifts from culture to culture. Surely different communities accept differing actions. But without God there is nothing that can be absolutely wrong. Including sexual abuse of kids.
In case you haven’t figured it out, I do believe in a God who allows us to clearly understand absolute right and wrong. Abusing kids is wrong, absolutely. It is evil. But if God doesn’t exist then everyone can truly do whatever “is right in their own eyes” (Judges 17:6). Without God, Milo could be right. And that would be wrong. Or would it?
Cisco Cotto 
What’s interesting about this situation is that Milo claims to be a Christian, and he speaks highly of his Catholic faith. I think that the worst thing about him is that he picks and chooses what he loves about his “faith” and practices that – and doesn’t really submit to any of its demands in other realms. Aren’t Christians called to speak seasoned with salt, to not answer fools, to love our neighbor, and not speak with coarse language and joking? But all of these characterize Milo. The sexual relations thing here is another sample of how he picks and chooses where to submit to the Scriptures: As long as two people, no matter what age or other identity markers consent to having sex, it’s fine. I’m hoping that Milo’s plummeting popularity will lead him to some serious spiritual self-speculation.