VIOLENCE BEGETS VIOLENCE: Blame Enough to Go Around!

      The months leading up to the 2016 presidential conventions in July were rife with violence.  The first 3 months of the year showed significant increases in the homicide rate in six major cities across the U.S.: including Chicago; Dallas; Jacksonville,Florida; Las Vegas; Los Angeles and Memphis (1).
    
     In early July, Alton Sterling of Baton Rouge, LA became the 135th black person killed by police in 2016 (2).   Black Lives Matter organized to challenge this violence against them.  On July 7th a Dallas sniper gunned police officers, killing 5 of them and sending screaming crowds scrambling for cover.  The following week a gunman ambushed and killed three law officers in Baton Rouge, wounding three others.

GUN CONTROL OR PRISON?

     The political parties took differing positions in regard to the tragic escalation of violence.  President Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic party platform called for increased gun control legislation.  The Republican candidate, Donald Trump, called for law and order and an increase in prison sentences for law breakers.

ENOUGH BLAME TO GO AROUND

      However, these are stop gap measures.  They are not solutions but scapegoat measures that place the blame for violence on the perpetrators of crimes that have grown out of anger and fear, while pretending that the rest of us hold no blame.

     Behaviors do not occur in a vacuum.  Behaviors grow from the images that have formed in the mind about what behaviors are expected, what behaviors are legally accepted and what behaviors are appropriate. 

     Sadly, the moral foundation upon which our country was founded is under attack and disappearing. 

IN GOD WE TRUST

      Our first president, George Washington, said, "True religion offers to government its surest support."  Religion in general and Christianity in particular have provided a moral foundation for American life.

     The last act of Congress signed by President Lincoln required that IN GOD WE TRUST be inscribed upon our national coins.

      In 1949, President Truman states, "When the U.S. was established...the motto was IN GOD WE TRUST.  That is still our motto and we still place our firm trust in God."

      In 1961, John F. Kennedy stated, "The guiding principle of this nation has been, is now, and ever shall be IN GOD WE TRUST." (3)

FAITH UNDER ATTACK

     In 1962 and 1963, three decisions by the Supreme Court of the U.S. decreed that school sponsored prayer and Bible reading were unconstitutional.  Engel v. Vitale in 1962 decreed that a prayer approved by the New York Board of Regents for use in schools violated the First Amendment because it represented the establishment of religion. (4).

     Following these decisions, discussions of religious ideas and values were censored within the schools.  Children who talked of God or religious values were silenced and told that school was not a place for these discussions.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS UNDER ATTACK

     Throughout the history of our country the Ten Commandments have been upheld as moral expectations handed down to humankind from God through the prophet Moses some 3,500 years ago.  The first four commandments require honor and respect for God, and the fifth commandment requires honor for parents.  The remaining five commandments outline behaviors that lead to social harmony.  These include the commandments to not murder, commit adultery, steal, bear a false witness, or covet what belongs to another.

     These commandments have been held in reverence by the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths throughout their history.  Respect for the commandments provided a moral foundation for appropriate social behaviors. Children were taught early to learn and respect them.

     When  some parents challenged a Kentucky state law that required the posting of the commandments in each public school classroom, the decision went to the Supreme Court.  On Nov. 17, 1980, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled in Stone v. Graham that the law was unconstitutional.

     Many court buildings contained plagues or monuments outlining the Ten Commandments, including even some in the Supreme Court building.  In June of 2005, the Supreme Court by a 5-4 decision ruled that the Ten Commandments could not be displayed in court buildings or on government property.  Children watched as the media dramatically covered the controversial removal of these monuments.

ASSAULTS ON THE SANCTITY OF SEXUALITY

     Moral codes relating to sexuality have been the concern of religious leaders and civil philosophers throughout history.

     Traditional sexual values supported 'Love and Marriage', protecting sexual behaviors for the formation of a 'death do us part' family for enduring nurture, support and child rearing.

     In 1926, Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, challenged the moral codes when she formed the American Birth Control League.  Her interest was promoting free love, sexual freedom and birth control (5).

      When the birth control pill was introduced in the early 1960's, women were challenged to enter into casual sexual relationships.  By 1997, 418 public schools were making condoms available to students (6).

     Pornography, considered the seedy business of underground markets, brought sex into the living rooms of America when Hugh Hefner, influenced by the sexual research of  Alfred Kinsey, published Playboy magazine in 1953.  Pornography is addictive and can lead to desires that escalate.  Sex became an almost expected behavior of casual relationships.  Rape, serial killings and sexual trafficking became prevalent.

     In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated sodomy laws as a criminal offense in Lawrence v. Texas, making same sex activity legal.  By 2012 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 636,000 people had died from HIV/AIDS, a disease primarily transferred by men having sex with men.

ASSAULTS ON THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

      In 1970 no-fault divorce was introduced in California and soon became the norm.  The 'death do us part' expectations of family were challenged.  Divorce escalated and each year over a million children experienced the divorce of their family, many responded to the breakup of their family with shock, fear and grieving.

     In 1973 the U.S. Supreme Court passed Roe v. Wade, making the taking of a child's life in the womb a legal 'right' for  women.  The CDC reports that since 1973, close to 60 million babies have been aborted in the United States.

     Television producers discovered that graphic images of sex and violence increased their ratings and profits as they brought in more advertisers.  In response to complaints, the family hour established by the Federal Communication Commission in 1975 mandated that the hours before 9:00 PM should be shows appropriate for all ages.  In 1976, a U.S. District Court ruled that the family viewing policy violated the first amendment of the Constitution.  Sex and violence soon filled all hours of television viewing.

     A Kaiser Family Foundation study reported that in 2009 young people spent about 4 and a half hours a day watching television (7).

      Following the tragic school shooting at  Newtown in 2012, Parents Television Council analyzed every program that aired on prime-time television for a one-month period.  Of the 392 shows examined, 193 contained violence and 121 contained violence and guns (8).

      In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court passed Obergefell v Hodges by a vote of 5-4, giving same sex couples the fundamental right to marry, although over 30 states had denied this right with a state constitutional amendment by popular vote.

CONSEQUENCES OF THE ASSAULTS ON OUR SEXUALITY AND FAMILIES

    Instability in family relationships became prevalent in the lives of many children.

     Many no longer saw marriage as a necessary or permanent commitment for living together.  Cohabitation increased  By 2011,  24% of children in the U.S. were born to cohabiting couples (9).  and 44% of children were living in mother-only families (10). 

     In large numbers we have bought into the conviction that children do not need both their mother and their father to develop in a healthy, responsible and productive direction.  However, family scholars and researchers provide ample documentation of problems and concerns.

     Family researcher, William Galston, notes that, "The absence of fathers as models and co-disciplinarians contributes to the low self-esteem, anger, violence, and peer bonding through gang lawlessness characteristic of  many fatherless boys." (11).
   
     By 2014, children from fatherless homes included 63% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless and runaway children, 80% of rapists with anger problems, 71% of high school dropouts and 75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers (12).

     After divorce, women were primarily responsible for children of the marriage and were at greater risk of poverty.  Single parenting became the foremost reason leading to poverty.

      In March of 2008 researchers at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 1 in 4 teen girls had at least one sexually transmitted disease, sometimes leading to infertility and cancer.     

RESTORING STABLE SEXUAL AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS

     Personal pleasure and individual 'rights' have replaced traditional family values.  With the increase in casual sexuality and the decline in stable marriages, many children are failing to learn the processes necessary for responsible social interaction and family functioning.

     When God and cherished historic moral values are held in social disrespect, children are at a loss in knowing how to make responsible decisions.

      More gun control and prisons will not solve the violence that is overrunning our country.
 It is time to restore a responsible moral foundation for our children.     

THERE IS BLAME ENOUGH TO GO AROUND!


---------------------------------------------------------------

REFERENCES
1. Blau, Eric Licht and Monica Davey.  "Homicide Rates Jump in Many Major U.S. Cities, New Data          Shows."  May 13, 2016.  The New York Times.
2. Craven, Julia  Huffington Post.  Jul 07, 2016.
3.  Federer, Susie.  2012. Miracles in American History. Amerisearch, Inc. St. Louis, MO:pgs.101-105
4.  Starr, Penny. "Education Expert: Removing Bible, Prayer from Public Schools Has Caused Decline."  Aug. 15, 2014. www.cnsnews.com/news/article/penny-starr/education-expert-removing-bible-prayer-public-schools-has-caused-decline.
5.  Marshall, Robert G. And Chuck A. Donovan.  "How Planned Parenthood duped America." Citizen. Vol. 6, No. 1 (Jan 20) 1992. Pg. 4.
6.  Advocates for Youth.  1997. Unpublished data from the School Condom Availability Clearinghouse. Washington DC.
7.  Media Violence: An Examination of Violence, Graphic Violence, and Gun Violence in the Media.  Parents Television Council. 2013.
 8.  New PTC Study Shows More Than Half of Network Programs Contain Violence.  Parents Television Council. Vol. 15, No. 2, April 2013.
9.  Institute for American Values.  2011.  Why Marriage Matters, Third Edition: Thirty Conclusions  from the Social Sciences.  New York, NY. Pgs.6-8.
10.  Statistics on Father Absence/National Fatherhood Initiative.  2014.  "The Father Factor."
11.  Galston, William A. 1996  "The Reinstitutionalization of Marriage: Political Theory and Public Policy." In Promises to Keep.  Editied by David Popenoe, Jean Bethke Elsthtain, and David Blankenhorn. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Pub. Pg. 273.
12.  Statistics on Father Absence/National Fatherhood Initiative. 2014. "The Father Factor".
      The Fatherless Generation. 2014.  Statistics.http://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics.

Wrestling With Angels on the Web at No Cost

After retiring from teaching sociology in 2002, I was concerned about how quickly social and moral values and public legislation were changing from support for stable family relationships to sexual license and family dissolution.  I spent the next year pulling together information for my book  Wrestling With Angels - The Sexual Revolution Confronts the Church.

Wrestling With Angels, published in April of 2003, examines the last 60 years to document:
1) the influences that encouraged or resisted changes in sexual and family patterns;
2) the consequences for individuals and society;
3) how these changes in behavior affected Judeo/Christian policies and practices; and
4) how different religious organizations responded to these changing behaviors.

Organizations and individuals responsible for encouraging or resisting these changes are identified and discussed.  Chapters include discussions on radical feminism, sex education in the schools, childhood sexual abuse, abortion, homosexuality, pornography, divorce, sexual misconduct in the church, reproductive technologies, and changing influences within seminaries.

While each chapter is discussed sociologically, identifying different perspectives and how denominations are responding in various ways,  I conclude as a concerned Christian mother in regard to the consequences of these changing behaviors for individuals, families and religious practices.

The original printing of 2500 books has been sold and distributed.

** The PDF file of the book is now located on the website: www.wrestlingwithangels.com.
The book can be downloaded on to electronic readers at no cost.

You are welcome to do so.

*********************************************

Also available to be downloaded from this website at no cost are related professional papers I have presented at  meetings,  Including:

*Pornifying America: Rape of the Culture and What Can Be Done

*Over the Rainbow: The Gay Battle for Social Reorganization of America

*AmeriNazification: The Doubling of the American Soul

*Eugenics: The Ethical Dilemma of Reproductive Technology

* Who's Rocking the Cradle?  From Procreation to Production

*Abortion Divides the Nation

* Bias and Error in the Death Penalty

*Euthanasia Comes to the United States

*******************************************

You are invited  to consider these significant social issues and to invite your thoughtful family, friends and colleagues to join you.   

Having recently purchased an electronic reader, I have become aware of the convenience and efficiency of electronic books and reading material.

Speak Out Against Pornography!

OFFENSIVE TO MANY!

Although obscenity and indecency are not protected by the First Amendment, in June of 1999 Forbes magazine contended that the mainstreaming of pornography had developed into a $56 billion business. Pornography is profitable to an extensive network of people. 1.

However, what benefits some is offensive and harmful to many. Criminal Justice statistics document that in 1996, 38 percent of Americans thought pornography should be illegal for everyone, and 58 percent thought it should be illegal for persons under eighteen. 2.

SPEAK OUT!

Citizens are encouraged to speak out to protest obscenity in our culture by:

* writing letters to the editors of the local paper to express concern,

* writing to elected officials to actively prosecute obscenity, and

* writing letters of complaint to businesses that distribute or advertise pornography.

SAMPLE LETTER (or write your own)

Dear Owner/Managers

While shopping in your store recently I noticed that you sell pornographic magazines. Please consider the harm such materials have on children's lives, our families and our community.

Statistics show that the largest consumers of pornography are children ages 12 to 17 - formative years of a young person's emotional and sexual development.

Young people are being drawn into early and promiscuous sexual behaviors. Addictions are created that harm healthy relationships and tear apart marriages and families.

* The Center for Disease Control reports that 1 in 4 teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease, often leading to cancer or infertility.

* Since 1973, more than 50 million abortions have been performed in the U.S.

- over 80% to unmarried women, 52% to women younger than 25 years of age, 19% to teens.

* 40% of births are now out-of-wedlock births.

* Out-0f-wedlock births and the increase in divorce leaves many men out of the important role of fatherhood and leaves children without a father for guidance and support.

* Children born to unwed mothers are six times more likely to live in poverty.

* Pornography is used by predators to lure children and young women into abuse and prostitution.

* Rapists and serial killers repeatedly identify pornography as a formative factor in their behaviors.

You have no obligation to sell pornography. This is not a matter of censorship. It is a matter of good citizenship and responsible choice as to what is appropriate material to be placed in a store where families shop.

Please consider replacing these materials with something more responsible. I'm sure many people in the community would support you in this decision.

I look forward to hearing from you in regard to this concern.

Sincerely,

(Sign your name)

*************************

If polite letters are not effective, pressure on elected officials to support legislation actively prosecuting obscenity and indecency in the community and media would be appropriate and necessary.

Our children and grandchildren should not be burdened by the immense moral burden that is being passed on to them by our careless abandonment of foundational personal and social values.

References:

1. Thomas, Cal. "Selling out a heritage; AT&T becomes a top provider of pornography."

World magazine. Vol. 15, No.25 (June 24) 2000:31.

2. Henslin, James M. Social Problems. 5th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice-Hall. 2000:75-81

3.American Family Association. A Guide to What One Person Can Do About Pornography.

www.afa.net/pornography/PornGuide.pdf. pg. 41-45.

Pornography and Sex Trafficking: The Rape of Our Children - What Can Be Done?

THE TRAGEDY OF SEX TRAFFICKING

Sex trafficking (sex slavery) has become BIG BUSINESS in our country. "The FBI estimates that more than 100,00 children and young women ages 9-19 are trafficked for sexual profit in the United States. The average age of entry into the sex trade is 11 to 13 years old." 1. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 300,000 minors are at risk of being sexually exploited for commercial use. 2.

Recently the San Antonio Express News reported that a 13 year old girl in San Antonio had been "tied up and raped day after day by random men". Brothers who were supplying drugs in their neighborhood allowed men to rape her for 25$ extra. (12/8/10; 12/9/10:2B)

Tanya was a 12 year old girl when she accepted a ride home from an older boy who befriended her. Her life changed forever when he physically beat her to establish his 'ownership' and then prostituted her out to over 100 men per month. 3.

PORNOGRAPHY LIGHTS THE FIRE.

Pornography is fuel that fires the demand for this tragic market.

Without the demand, there would be no sex market and no sex slavery.

Before the 1950's, porn was sold undercover from the trunks of cars. In 1953 Playboy brought it into living rooms. The portrayal of children as sexual objects was promoted by Playboy, Penthouse and Hustler, which regularly depicted children in sexual scenarios. 4.

Pornography now brings in more $$$ than all the sports franchises combined!

NOT PROTECTED SPEECH

In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that prurient representations (images presenting immoderate or unwholesome sexual interest or desire) are not protected by the First Amendment.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO COMBAT PORNOGRAPHY.

* Write letters of complaint to businesses that distribute or advertise pornography.

* Write letters to the editor of the local paper to express concern.

* Write letters to your U.S. Attorney and State Prosecutor, Senators and Representatives asking them to support legislation to actively prosecute obscenity in the media and to strengthen penalties for human traffickers.

* Ask religious leaders to address pornography as a spiritual problem.

* Support organizations that are speaking to these concerns, including:

- The American Family Association

- Citizens for Community Values

- Concerned Women for America

- Covenant House

- Morality in Media, Inc.

- Shared Hope International

- The Parents Television Council

SPEAK OUT!

Obscenity is defined by community standards which are determined by people who speak out.

+ To protect the well-being of our culture, our children, and our families, concerned people need to take a stand for decency in our cultural depictions of sexuality.

References:

1. Vincent, Lynn. World. April 19/26, 2008. Vol. 23, No. 8. pg.57.

2. International Crisis Aid. www.crisisaid.org. pg. 1

3. James, Teddy. "The New Abolitionists" AFA Journal. October, 2009:14.

4. Parillo, Vincent N. Contemporary Social Problems. Allyn and Bacon, Boston. 1999:105-109.

A Mushrooming Social Problem

Pornography is both a controversial and an emotional issue.

Pornography depicts sexual behavior in a way designed to sexually excite the viewer.

In defining pornography a distinction is made between erotica, (depiction of sexual passion and love) and pornography (depiction of sexual behavior that presents men, women or children in a way that dehumanizes, degrades or exploits them).

Pornography is further classified as either 'soft core' (R-rated) or 'hard core' (X-rated). 1.

IDENTIFYING OBSCENITY

Pornography is labeled 'obscene' when it sinks to exploitation and portrays humans as mere objects. Obscenity is not speech protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution.

In Roth v. U.S. (1957), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that materials are pornographic or obscene when:

1. "Taken as a whole", the dominant theme "appeals to a prurient (lewd) interest" in sex.

2. The material affronts "contemporary community standards",

3. The material is "utterly without redeeming social values."

In California v. Miller (1973) the Court removed ambiquities of the earlier decision by keeping the dominant "prurient" theme but explaining that community standards referred to the local community. The reference "without redeeming social values" was eliminated.

MANY DEEP CONCERNS

While there is controversy about what constitutes pornography, the fear that pornography corrupts people deeply concerns many Americans.

Almost everyone agrees that pornography should be restricted.

In 1996, a report published in Criminal Justice Statistics noted that:

* Only 3% agreed that pornography should be legal for everyone,

* While 38% agreed that pornography should be illegal for everyone,

* 58% agreed that pornography should be illegal

for persons under eighteen. 2.

PORNOGRAPHY MUSHROOMS

Before the 1950's, pornography was something considered inappropriate and sold undercover from the trunks of cars. In the last 60 years the distribution of pornography has mushroomed.

The publication of Playboy magazine in 1953 brought it out into living rooms and public awareness.

In 1973, Americans spent $10 million on pornography. By 1997, pornography had become an eight billion dollar industry. 3.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY - A PARTICULAR CONCERN

The portrayal of children as sexual objects was promoted by Playboy, Penthouse, and Hustler magazines, which regularly depicted children in sexual scenarios. A content analysis of these magazines between 1953 to 1984 yielded 6,004 depictions of children ages 3 to 11 in erotica/pornography. 4.

The portrayal of sex with children is of particular concern. Legislation in 1982 (New York v. Ferber) and 1990 (Osborne v. Ohio) defined any lewd depiction of a child under the age of 18 years to be illegal. 5.

Federal legislation provides prison terms to people who either produce or possess child pornography.

CONCERNING PORNOGRAPHY

Some people argue that pornography provides a safety valve for the private release of sexual fantasies. They hail it as 'safe sex', safe from pregnancy or disease.

Others are concerned that pornography degrades women and children and desensitizes men to violence against them.

In 1986, the Meese Commission, appointed by President Reagan, found "a causal relationship between exposure to sexually violent materials and an increase in aggressive behavior toward women." 6.

Specific findingsof the Meese Commission include:

1. Of 411 offenders, the average had 336 victims,

2. Rape increases where pornography laws are liberalized,

3. Rapists are much more likely than non-offenders to have been exposed as children to hard-core pornography.

4. States with higher sales of pornography have higher rates of rape. 7.

A DANGEROUS ADDICTION

Pornography is addictive and leaves the viewer wanting more. Addiction can lead to desires that escalate from viewing pictures; to visiting strip clubs; to prostitution and voyeurism; to felony behaviors.

A STAND FOR DECENCY

Our culture is being sexually saturated with an increasing avalanche of pornography. Obscenity is defined by community standards which are determined by people who stand up and speak out. If we are to protect the well-being of our culture, ourselves, our children and our families, it is necessary for all concerned people to become active in taking a stand for decency in our cultural depictions of sexuality.

REFERENCES:

1. Palen, J. John. Social Problems for the Twenty-First Century. McGraw Hill, Boston. 2000:447-450.

2. Henslin, James M. Social Problems. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2000:75-81.

3. Veith, Gene Edward. World magazine. April 7, 2001. Vol. 16, No. 13:17.

4. Parrillo, Vincent N. Contemporary Social Problems. Allyn and Bacon, Boston. 1999:105-109.

5. AFA.net. American Family Association. www.afa.net/FAQ.aspx?id=2147484819.

6. Palen, pg.449.

7. Henslin, pg. 78.

The Deceitful Web of Pornography

Pornography and sexual temptation are ripping the soul out of our American culture.1. Young people are being drawn into early and promiscuous sexual behaviors that leave them with sexually transmitted diseases and out-of-wedlock children. Many families are being pulled apart by destructive sexual images that come into homes on television and the internet. Pornography has become the standard of sexiness in our society. In today's culture porn is chic. We are being given a license to lust. Our culture is consumed with sex.2.

A lost generation

Ben Shapiro, a 22 year old young man, released a book in 2005 that challenges this breakdown of moral values. He writes, "As societal standards and traditional values have declined, and the crassest elements of sexual deviancy and pornography have taken over the public square, it is the youngest Americans who have paid the price. Never in our country's history has a generation been so empowered, so wealthy, so privileged - and yet so empty."3

What a sad and bitter heritage to pass on to the next generation.

Pornographic images and our own desire to rationalize our destructive behaviors weave a web of deception around us.

Deception: I can handle it!

Pornography is about lust and lust is addictive. It never satisfies and always leaves you wanting more.

Deception: I'm not hurting anyone. It's just entertainment!

Pornography corrupts and devalues our vision of marital love. Sex becomes a self-centered, one sided experience. Public standards of morality are weakened for relating responsibly to others. The women (men or children) are dehumanized and degraded by the industries that employ them.

Deception: Pornography prevents sex crimes.

Pornography is addictive. Sexual addiction can lead to desires that escalate from viewing pictures; to visiting strip clubs; to prostitution and voyeurism; to felony behaviors including molestation, incest, and rape.

Deception: Pornography is protected by the 1st Amendment.

Pornography that has been defined as obscene by community standards is not a form of expression protected by the 1st Amendment. It is the responsibility of citizens in a community to speak out to define obscenity.

Deception: It's not our problem.

Pornography degrades our attitudes about the value of human life, sex, and relationships.
Marriages are destroyed. Sexual images clog the minds of children. Young people are drawn into destructive sexual behaviors. Sexual excess leads to crime.

Deception: Christians aren't involved.

There is an elephant in the pew! A survey by ChristiaNet.com of 1000 internet users found that 50% of Christian men and 20% of Christian women struggle with pornography.4. Churches are failing to address the sexual addiction within their organizations partly because they don't know what to do and partly because so many pastors view pornography.5.


Deception: Sexual desire is natural. It's God's gift to us.

Pornography distorts this gift. God's plan for sexuality creates a family where the love of God can be shared with each individual.

Deception: God gave us beautiful women (men, children) to enjoy.

Pornographic images are not true images of the beauty of a person. They represent unreal, airbrushed fantasies designed to elicit lust and desire. The distorted images set unrealistic expectations for attractiveness and love. The self image and self worth of a husband or wife, girlfriend or boyfriend is wounded by this impossible comparison. Outer beauty and sexual seduction replace the depth values of integrity, loyalty, genuine love and concern.6.

Porn is big business!

Pornography is a $57 billion world-wide industry, including $12 billion in the United States alone. Revenues exceed the combined revenues of all professional sports franchises, including baseball, football, and basketball and the combined revenues of ABC, CBS and NBC.
There are over 4.2 million pornographic websites. The average age of first exposure to internet pornography is 11 years old.7

It's time to speak out!

In a democracy, every citizen can and should play a role in shaping the culture. Too often we capitulate to the media, allowing them to become the dominant force in our culture, regardless of what the consequences are for children and families. The state develops laws based upon the values of the people. When citizens fail to speak out, society "pays the price in a populace with lowered moral vision, greater crime, greater social problems, and a reduced clarity in differentiating between right and wrong."8.

An excellent guide for understanding how to challenge pornography in society has been developed by the American Family Association, under the leadership of Dr. Donald E. Wildmon. This organization has been active in the fight against pornography for 30 years. A 48 page document entitled "A guide to what one person can do about PORNOGRAPHY" is accessible on the internet at http://www.afa.net/pornography/PornGuide.pdf.


1. Rogers, Henry J. 2000. The Silent War - Ministering to Those Trapped in the Deception of Pornography. New Leaf Press.
2. Lambert, James. 1997. Porn in America - The Drift Towards Decadence in Our Society and the Way Out. Huntington House Pub.
3. Shapiro, Ben. 2005. Porn Generation. - How Social Liberalism is Corrupting Our Future. Regnery Pub. pg. 1.
4. Christian Post. Pornography in the Pews. Mon. Jun. 25, 2007. http://www.christianpost.com/pages/print.htm?aid=28146
5. IBS Confronts, Tackles Addictions in the Church. May 25, 2006. http://www.christianpost.com/pages/print.htm?aid=14111
6. Lewis, Andrew R. March 1, 2007. Issues & Answers: Pornography. http://erlc.com/article/issues-answers-pornography.
7. Ibid.
8. Hamliton, Adam. 2005. Confronting the Controversies: Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues. Abingdon Press. Chapter 1.