We are all aware of the continual tide of anti- God legislation and immorality being foisted onto our children and pornography has taken on an increasingly destructive role in our society.
For our children it happens when they least expect it, as most children and teenagers aren't looking for pornography. Research in Australia and the USA indicates that many children and teenagers are confronted with pornography as they innocently do their homework.
To emphasise the point and trust that parents and teachers will look out for their children with a new zeal, I have listed the following details taken from a paper presented at the 5th World Congress on Family Law& Children's Rights in Halifax by Dr Tom Altobelli.
• An 11-year-old boy and a friend were searching for game sites. They typed in "fun.com" and a pornography site came up.
• A 15-year-old boy looking for information about his family's car typed "escort" into a search engine, and a site about an escort service came up.
• Another 15-year-old boy came across a bestiality site while he was writing a paper about wolves for school. He saw a picture of a woman having sex with a wolf.
• A 16-year-old girl came upon a pornography site when she mistyped "teen.com". She typed "teeen" instead.
• A 13-year-old boy who loved wrestling got an E-mail message with a subject line that said it was about wrestling. When he opened the message, it contained pornography.
• A 12-year-old girl received an E-mail message with a subject line that said "Free Beanie Babies." When she opened it, she saw a picture of naked people .
Another notable incident from the same paper referred to above. This comes from a divorce counsellor and a record of her interview with a mother and her two children, five year old Sam and his younger brother Matthew.
After an interview Sam held his younger brother Matthew with one arm around his chest and the other arm lower, around Matthew's groin, and Sam held him as he pushed his body into Matthew's bottom in a pumping action. The counsellor asked Sam how did he know what to do to Matthew. Sam said "On the computer". He had seen it on his father's computer when on holidays and again at his father's house where he had stayed. Sam stated to the counsellor that he knew what icon to click on and described how he closed the screen when his mother came into the room. Sam stated that he saw people with no clothes on the computer. Sam described getting hot in the head when he thinks about doing things that make him hold Matthew, stating, "My head feels hot inside and I don't like the feelings."
Another fact quoted in the same paper about Victorian Police data that indicates more adolescents (as young as 10 but mainly 15-19) were apprehended for possessing child pornography in 2007 than any other age group. They outnumbered middle age men by two to one.
Jesus says that the thief also comes to kill and destroy.
Research in the USA by Josh McDowell, and his son Sean, has shown that up to ninety per cent of teenagers were never looking for pornography. The other distressing statistics researchers found was that some thirty-eight per cent of those accidently exposed to pornography will become addicted.
Another disturbing aspect was that Josh's research showed upwards of fifty per cent of pastors, sixty two per cent of men and upwards of sixty per cent of teenagers from evangelical churches regularly struggle with pornography.
The ability to be a true witness of the Lord Jesus Christ is killed off and what could have been strong and healthy lives lived for Jesus are destroyed.
Could the statistics above give some indication why this issue is not addressed, discussed or spoken about much within our churches?
In their book "Hooked", Drs Joe McIlhaney and Freeda McKissic Bush describe how pornography and sexual promiscuity actually change the physical structure and chemistry of our brains, making it more difficult to love, bond and have sexual relationships with our spouses.
In Australia and the USA a spouse addicted to pornography has become a major ground for marital break down and divorce. Divorces caused by pornography are as high as fifty six per cent in the USA and rising.
Although we are all aware of the continual tide of anti-God legislation and immorality being foisted onto our children, Josh McDowell author of books including "More Than a Carpenter" and "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" states this confronting and unsettling fact.
"It is particularly troublesome when most of our young people see little or no problem with viewing pornography! Overall, studies show that 67% of young men and 49% of young women 18-26 years of age consider viewing pornography as acceptable behaviour. Intrusive immorality is clearly shaping the sexual values, not only of an entire generation, but also of our young children" (www.just1clickaway.org)
Pornography is here and it is infiltrating our society, our churches and our homes and undermines our walk with the Lord. It introduces shame and guilt which affects our Christian witness, not only with those outside the church but also our relationship to those in our family.
However we still have a loving God who has a plan for our lives and our children. Jesus said in John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full". As adults and parents we have the responsibility to protect and raise our children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" that they may experience life in Jesus and have it to the full.
We need to ask the Lord for wisdom as we approach this subject with our children and to help them and to protect ourselves from being caught up in this evil sickness.
It is important that we prepare our children to respond in a godly way when they are confronted with pornography.
Josh McDowell has launched a website www.just1clickaway.org which will give you more information and strategies to assist in this battle.
WE MUST NOT LOSE THIS BATTLE