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Point of Reference
by Fred Price
Much is said today about Christians forcing their beliefs and world-view on others. But in reality, a case can be made that just the opposite is happening. When Christians are denied access to public displays of faith through nativity scenes and “religious” Christmas carols and many public depictions of our Christian heritage are ridiculed and removed from sight; when the morals of free-sex and homosexual activists are prominently displayed across the whole spectrum of broadcast media (presumably protected by the freedom of speech clause of the constitution); when public speech is monitored, censored and sanctioned only when most references to God and, in particular, Jesus are removed – that begs the question: Who’s really being coerced to change their minds or simply shut up?
An excellent example of this insidious attack on the minds and morals of innocent people was documented in a survey conducted by researchers from the University of New Hampshire several years ago, which was then published in Pediatrics Magazine. In it they reported 42% of internet users 10 to 17 years of age participating in their study as having seen online pornography over the course of the past year. Of those, 66% expressed no desire to view the images and had not sought them out. (Online pornography defined in this study as images of naked people and people having sex.) And while some individuals, 16,17 years old, did admit to visiting X-rated sites intentionally, most young people 13 to 17 years old reported unwanted exposure, with a sizable number of 10,11 years olds also confronted by these images. (Which, if anything, has only grown with time.) One can only assume the availability of such sites and the lack of direct parental oversight allows for an even higher rate of exposure to college age students, along with its attendant temptations and hazards.
Overall, 34% of the respondents to this survey were exposed to unwanted online pornography, up from 24% in a similar study completed in 2000. Filtering and blocking software helps prevent some of this contamination, but none of them has proven to be 100% effective; many kids stumbling on to X-rated images through “normal” internet use such as conversing online with friends, visiting chat rooms and playing games. (Many adults reporting a plague of pop-ups and spam that are very explicit in their enticements to get you to click on to sites that offer the “real” thing.)
Alarmingly, a number of survey participants said they were no longer disturbed by what they saw. For example, Emily Duhovny, a then 17 year old senior from New Jersey said, “It’s so common now, who hasn’t seen something like that?” Admitting to being shocked the first time she saw such material, she now refers it to as, “…more than anything, …annoying.”1And that’s the single-most cause for alarm, as repeated exposure to the vilest images can eventually desensitize us to their effects on our lives and on the lives of those around us – whether it’s simply an out-growth of more of the same or inflicted on people by those hardened by their own exposure. University of Chicago psychiatrist Sharron Hirsch voicing her concerns that exposure of this sort leads young people to become sexually active too soon as well as putting them at risk of being victimized by sexual predators. (Not to mention the high risk of STD’s and the “complication” of pregnancy.) Janis Wolak, lead author and researcher at the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center echoes those fears with her own; that continued exposure to illicit and unnatural sex could also skew a young person’s perception of healthy sexual relationships – creating problems for the individuals involved throughout their lives and society as a whole as it tries to restrain people with twisted values and unhealthy sexual appetites.
So, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith;… and the peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”! 1 Corinthians 16:13 & Philippians 4:7
1Quotes and statistics from The Indianapolis Star Newspaper
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Fred Price - married (50 years), father of two grown children, grandfather of six.
Fred retired earlier this year after 42 years as a factory worker. He has always had a heart for young people and the challenges they face today. Over the years Fred has taught Discipleship Groups for High School and college students.
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