A message America can't ignore
Through a cacophony of noise that blares at us daily from our television, radios, and iPods, subtle messages that constantly struggle to be heard are routinely drowned out. All too often these messages become loud and clear only when we make deliberate attempts to quiet the noise and listen intently with an open mind.One such message was being sent recently, yet again, for the benefit of those who would hear it.
Last week the news reported that a school district in Texas had banned cleavage from being displayed on school campuses. The Washington Post followed that with a new report that offered us the definitive notion that sexual messages cloaked in popular music have a sexually stimulating effect on teens that leads to eventual sexual activity. Well, duh. They are teens going through tumultuous emotional times, not the least of which is having to deal with raging sex hormones while being exposed to a society that envelopes them in sexual messages and lures in every direction they turn.
Yesterday, across the world in Afghanistan, the news reported virtually the same story from a different angle. Muslims were struggling with the introduction of movies with sexual overtures, sexually suggestive fashions displayed on the big screen, and nightclubs with scantily clad Chinese women dancing in a provocative manner. Such societal permissiveness is not the norm in the Islamic world. The news explained that foreign troops and visitors, who established such venues for their own entertainment, brought such breaches of religious doctrine into Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the lures of these places have taken their toll on the local population, and caused the governing bodies to take action to try and deter Muslims from becoming consumers of what is considered to be immoral.
So what is the message?
Modesty is in danger in Afghanistan. And in America, modesty is a word that has lost its meaning and relevance — even among many professing Christians.America's culture of "freedom" encompasses a wide range of expressions, all which take advantage of the openness and permissiveness of our society. Those who are of the generation called "Baby Boomers" have seen the not-so-gradual change from the 50s and 60s, where the motion of Elvis Presley's hips was viewed as not-fit-for-television, to the in-your-face sexual titillation of Janet Jackson's brief breast exposure at a SuperBowl game and the lingering lip smack of Britany Spears and Madonna on national television in front of tens of millions of young viewers.
If there were any question that modesty has gone the way of the buggy whip, surely the glittering appeal of small high heel shoes on the shelves at stores beckoning the whims of pre-school girls might give one pause for concern. Or perhaps the extremely short shorts and tummy-showing tiny tees — that were once the attire of strippers and street walkers — now being sold to adolescent girls who have come to admire the fashions inspired by "Bratz" dolls will draw a raised eyebrow?
Surely none of us over the age of 30 would purport to have had the abilities to discern at age 16 those things that appear completely obvious to us today. Yet, millions of parents today allow their teenage girls to dress in whatever manner Hollywood or the fashion industry influences dictate, seemingly oblivious to the fact that their daughters' mini-skirts, thong displays, low-cut tops, and mid-rift tees are tantalizing eye candy to both boys and men alike.
The result is that we have become a culture that preys on its own youth. Laws are set in place that condemn those under the age of 17 in some states, and 18 in others, from engaging in sex with their peers and adults. Without adherence to any moral law or religious teaching as a motivating incentive to resist a tidal wave of activity in an ocean of sexual obsession, the futile attempts by lawmakers to create an arbitrary date at which our youth may legally engage in sex has no deterrent power.
While lawmakers appear concerned about sexual predators, with whom a young girl discovers too late that she is in trouble, there is nothing being done to deter the industries of influence (fashion, film, television, music, marketing, media) from the daily onslaught of the sensibilities of our children. By the time they are young teens, they believe that which is considered immoral by Christians, Jews and Muslims, which make up the majority of religious beliefs in America, as "old-fashioned" and "out-dated," having no concept of what morality means. They have been brainwashed to view any religion as merely an option within a myriad of belief options as one travels along the highway of life — rather than as the pre-eminent guide through life that answers deep-rooted questions and leads one toward the Creator and life, as opposed to the world's offering of chaos, darkness and death. For millions of young people, the idea of being involved in a spiritual war is something left for comic books and filmmakers. For far too many of our nation's youth, spiritual warfare isn't real.
It may be seem harmless to a young girl hell-bent on getting a tattoo on her arm in the manner of Pamela Anderson — who has made a career out of looking sexually provocative 24/7 — and such markings on the small of a woman's back or on her breasts may be also perceived as "cute" by many young girls and women. But even Hollywood has broken the spell on such innocent perceptions, noting particularly in the film, "Wedding Crashers," that such markings indicate the level of sexual permissiveness of those who wear them, as well as serving as targets for sexual predators.
Tongue rings have long been a fashion statement among many young women who can't figure out why they are so appealing to guy nor why primarily just girls wear them. Once having moved into that realm, however, they are soon introduced to the practical applications of such bodily adornment.
Despite the deepness of the cesspool of tantalizing lures in which our children must swim, there is a broad concern over the fact that without proper awareness and knowledge of their environment, most children will be lost to a plethora of enticements, all of which lead to confusion, life-changing decisions and devastating consequences. The concern over what is happening to our nation's youth isn't only relegated to those with religious beliefs, however, as parents seek to find ways to educate young people of the growing dangers within their environments.
Unfortunately, many of these messages are purely anecdotal or worse ... statistical. A teenager informed me recently that the quoting of data and research and statistics doesn't have as great an impact upon young people as many adult educators profess. What impacts them most is when someone close to them has a horrific experience that is shared — or they happen to be that person for whom others around them are warned.
I understand that perception. It is apparent that most, if not all, teens today understand the inherent dangers involved in sexual relations. Pregnancy and disease prevention is the mantra they hear most often. Yet, millions continue to get pregnant out of wedlock and contract sexually transmitted diseases. Few, if any, will claim they didn't know the inherent dangers.
Even adults fall prey to the very same problem, which is as prevalent, if not moreso, in the adult world than it is in the teen society. Certainly we, the adults in America, are knowledgeable about sex in all of its forms. Sex outside of wedlock, has many more consequences than any health teacher will ever relate to the minds of students. Yet, it haunts adults with its devastating consequences as well — ruining careers, changing lives, breaking hearts and impacting generations of children left in the wake of damaged relationships.
The message is still being sent. We need only hear it, accept it and employ it.
Modesty is a virtue. And it doesn't only apply to fashions. It applies to the mind and our perspectives on life and love and relationships.
Muslims are right to be concerned about the impact of immodest films, fashions and entertainment venues upon their religious culture. Man is predisposed to gravitate toward his own desires — and those desires that inflame him the most are those of immediate self-gratification.
Modesty is a tool that is essential for our children to incorporate into their lives. It will help them to resist the lures of evil that appeal to their basic instincts. But such a message cannot be heard over the shrieking of self-fulfillment that screams to our youth to follow their own path and be who they are — whatever that means.
Unfortunately, it will take committed parents, who incorporate modesty into our own lives, to augment religious teachings we provide to our children in order to equip them with knowledge of God's way to live, rather than the world's way.
In God's way, sexual relations are forbidden outside of marriage - for Christians, Jews and Muslims alike. And adults are obligated to live accordingly and set examples for children. Parents are commanded to care for and teach their children, rather than abandon them to the secular immoral precepts of government sex education and the numerous outside influences that envelope them in a secular culture. Such a life is certainly not easy. It is difficult for even the most devoted parents and children.But there is no other way without falling prey to the problems inherent in any other path.
We can simply choose to not believe there is a God of the universe, and ignore the continuing consequences of our own self-divined guidance. But how can we determine such a fate for our children?
If we fail to hear the message of a need for modesty in America, our children will suffer the inevitable consequences of succumbing to a world filled with predators waiting to take advantage of their innocence. Our nation's youth may be well informed and aware that walking into the palace of pleasure warrants wearing protective outer layers, but the message they have not heard is that there is no protection of their inner being — and that is the target of the enemy that seeks to devour them.
