Was Gandhi a child molester?

[Beth]

From here

Problems of Research into Adult/Child Sexual Interaction
by Eric Vern L. Bullough and Bonnie Bullough

The third example is a more modern holy man, Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was married at age 13 to a girl about his own age and at age 37 took a vow of sexual abstinence. In spite of this vow, he found a need to fondle prepubescent and early adolescent girls. He took such girls to bed with him to overcome, he said, his "shivering fits" in the night. His female companions, who came from his inner circle — all certified virgins or young brides — entered his bed naked in order to warm him with their bodies. Some of them also administered enemas to him. Among the young girls, there was rivalry as to who would sleep with him, and one of his girl disciples reported that his bed companions had a difficult time in restraining their sexual impulses since he often rubbed against them and touched them in erotic places. Although his closemouthed house guardians were fearful of public reaction if news of these "pedophilic" sexual interactions were publicized, Gandhi continued to engage in them until his death. Gandhi did not have sexual intercourse with them, but obviously the touching and feeling were very important to him. If he had lived in the United States, he would have been sentenced as a child molester (Bullough, 1981).

I came across this while trying to find the study that latin was "WARNING" us about. I never heard this stuff before. Did Gandhi abuse girls like this?

[Dingfod]

Is that written the same Vern Bullough that is such a pediphile? What a hypocrite.

Ghandi, peace loving idealist, was Michael Jackson level weird, okay. I can buy that. Takes all kinds. One must judge him on his society's standards though, times were different than they are now and so too the culture.

[viscousmemories]

Well I couldn't find much else on the 'net about that, but I did find out that Vern and Bonnie Bullough are very active with The Council on Secular Humanism.

Vern L. Bullough is a long-time researcher in human sexuality who has received many awards including the Kinsey Award for his research and publications. He has consulted with Catholic organizations in matters pertaining to clergy sex abuse. He is Senior Editor of Free Inquiry, the quarterly magazine of the Council for Secular Humanism and a Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. Currently he is Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York.

[Dingfod]

I know it is one and the same Bullough that latinrjal has made allegations against in his WARNING thread.

[Beth]

Originally Posted by warrenly

Is that written the same Vern Bullough that is such a pediphile? What a hypocrite.

Ghandi, peace loving idealist, was Michael Jackson level weird, okay. I can buy that. Takes all kinds. One must judge him on his society's standards though, times were different than they are now and so too the culture.

So in his time it was okay to do this over there? It was fully lawful?

[Dingfod]

I don't know if it was legal or not. I don't have the impression that Ghandi thought himself above the laws of the people. I really don't have enough information to know one way or the other.

[Beth]

I've read accounts of him not being that good to women. If this is true about the girls, then any good I ever thought of him is just gone. I hope it isn't true.

[viscousmemories]

According to the Straight Dope, there's more suspicion and assumption in those claims than proven fact.

[Beth]

Thanks Tom, very much.

[viscousmemories]

Sure thing.

[justaman]

I can't tell you for sure about the legality thing either, Beth, but certainly I know cultures do have children married off that young. You have to remember, though, that this is unlikely to be so detrimental to these people, because they aren't being told such interactions are 'bad'. It's difficult to judge them using our culture.

I mean Juliet was 13 in the play.

"My child is yet a stranger in the world; She hath not seen the change of fourteen years."
Whereupon the priest observes "Younger than she are happy mothers made."

Time and place etc. But that's assuming Gandhi did do this stuff anyway.