Complimentary Story
The article’s title was the danger cry of a robot on the old T.V. series Lost in Space. The Robinson family always responded to the warning and rallied together with a plan to protect their family from imminent danger. It always worked. There are warning cries today, in real life. How do you respond? How does your family respond? Do you have a plan?One WARNING cries out to me from the grave of Ted Bundy. If you don’t remember him he was a notorious serial killer who brutally abducted, raped, killed and dismembered many women. After he was caught he was sentenced to death. The night before his execution he stated that he deserved to die for his crimes, but if that was the end of his story, his death would be in vain. He wanted people to know what drove his obsession to rape and kill so people could be forewarned. The mainstream media skirted the coverage and did all they could to block the coverage of the single reporter allowed to interview Bundy.
The interview was done by Dr. James Dobson. What was the warning? “Warn people about the dangers of pornography!” Bundy could remember the merger of violence and sex in porn that created an unquenchable drive to act out what he saw and imagined. Studies conducted today indicate that even a casual observer of porn will show an increase in believing the rape myth, that women like to be raped. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yet the top 50 porn videos sold today have 3376 acts of verbal and physical acts of aggression in just those videos. 94% are acted out against women. LISTEN UP MEN! 60-80% of you are watching porn. 83% of college aged men watch it weekly or daily for sex and 93% of high school young men are viewing porn. Don’t give me the “I’m a Christian” thing; statistics vary little with the title, just the honesty, 45% of church going Christians, telling the truth about themselves, say it is a serious problem in their home. This statistic also applies and possibly moreso to the rigid and legalistic churches pointing fingers at other churches and claiming that everyone else is doing church wrong. Honesty among this group is hindered by intense fear of being discovered, the shame is heightened and the addiction is made deeper. People who attend a controlling, legalistic and rigid church can reach out to me. There is help and hope, but probably not in your church. Your church does not need to know you are seeking help.
The ongoing use of porn destroys the gray matter in the brain and creates rut-like grooves in the brain that cause patterns of behavior, not just for serial killers like Bundy, but for all porn users today and may be even moreso because of the drastic increase of violence in today’s porn. What is your plan of action, for you and your family? Do you have one?
Let’s add in a WARNING about video gaming to the equation. You have no doubt heard of Grand Theft Auto. In this game you are the bad guy, period. You get points for drug deals and killing police officers. Grand Theft Auto 5 was the top selling video game in the world it’s first year out. The game out sold all other forms of media combined. This game adds pornography for the “health benefit” of the gamer to hire a prostitute to perform several different sex acts on the gamer. The gamer can then be awarded more points by killing the prostitute to get his money back. More points if he beats her to death! PARENTS and GRANDPARENTS; how many of you have bought this or games like this for your children and grandchildren? Do you play them? Many of the video games today merge sex and violence and a win-at-all-costs mentality. The games are training a criminal mindset. I asked a teacher after a recent, local, teen suicide if the teen was a video gamer. Her response was, “who isn’t?”
Let me add to this nightmarish WARNING. Most of the past school shootings can be attributed to the shooters training through violent video games. One case in point is the 1997 Paducah, Kentucky school massacre. A 14 year old freshman boy walked into school with a pistol he had stolen and only had two clips total practice with the day before. He took aim on a prayer group and killed 8 students with 8 shots. Six were head shots and two were center chest. Not even highly trained elite military and law enforcement personal can grasp the 100% kill ratio of this 14 year old boy with only several shots practice. The revelation was his several years of every day practice with a video game rewarding the highest points for single shot kills with an emphasis on head shots.
It’s just a game? Video shooter games have been used to increase the ability for military personal to kill in actual combat by 85%. I talked to a retired county sheriff on this issue and he informed me that today’s teens and young adults are more desensitized to pulling the trigger and killing than today’s law enforcement personnel. You can educate yourself on this: Google “Lt. Col. David Grossman.” Today’s young people are referred to as the assassination generation. Now there is a big warning. How will you respond? How will your family respond? What is your plan of action?
Another WARNING cries out to us from behind prison bars. I have corresponded with many men in prison for over 20 years. I have heard many stories. It is a shock when you’re 29 years old and you hear the judge sentence you to 69 years behind bars. A lot, if not all hope is lost. I want to share a warning cry from a person who represents a group of men currently in prison. This is only a partial list of all the men in this prison serving time for the same or similar offense. A recent high school graduate, an 83-year-old retired railroad worker, several teachers, a NASA scientist, a general interest doctor, a world renown geologist, a doctor from a leading university of cancer research, several men with autism or asburgers, military soldiers, FBI agents, police officers and many more. What is the common sentence? They are all convicted on child porn possession or distribution. What is the WARNING? “Warn men how porn viewing can easily become illegal when they let their lust take over their brain.”
Last week a 14-year-old girl from a high school I have spoken at and had delivered a firm warning about “sexting” was detained. She sent a nude picture to her boyfriend who then let it out world wide. She could be charged with the distribution of child pornography. I am waiting for a police report as to the charges that could happen for the boyfriend and others in possession. Does the legal system treat you different if you’re under age 17? It’s up to the judge and social services, sometimes a little, but you could still carry a felony charge and the title of “sex offender.” If you are over age 17 the government is without mercy. You are going to prison. How will you respond to these warnings? How will you rally your family together with a plan of action that will protect your family from imminent and certain danger?
First off, let me suggest how not to. Name calling, guilt tripping, and wrath filled daggers tipped with hell fire do absolutely no good; they generally make matters go worse. Why? Because these concepts come from a works-oriented gospel, which is a current popular false teaching. In these false teachings there is little mention about a dependence on God through His saving grace found in Jesus Christ. Their messages are about them, their cause or projects. Follow them, do what they do and you will be classified a Christian or doomed by God’s wrath to hell. They may use a Bible verse now and then or just say “the Bible says” a lot. Generally if you go to the verse cited or you can find a Bible teaching about their “the Bible says” claim you will find the verse is used out of context and sometimes means the opposite of their false teaching and that the Bible doesn’t say what they claim. WARNING: always check out a teaching through further Bible study before you follow it. Including mine. The letter to Colossians is a good guide in how not to be drawn away by false teaching.
In Colossians we can also learn how to formulate a plan in response to the warning cries and rally our personal family and our church family together to protect ourselves from the imminent dangers. Colossians 2:2-3, “My (Paul) purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Everything we need to know is found in Jesus. He is Lord of all things. All mankind are dead in sin until made alive through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:13. Human regulations of “do this, don’t do that” are merely human commands and teachings and they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. Colossians 2:21-23. Jesus turns no one away. The sin’s size of small or brutal matters not. When we place our trust in what Jesus did for us on the cross the written code of law is canceled. Colossians 2:14.
Colossians 3 portrays the growing relationship with Jesus as we focus on Him and not on earthly things. Sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed are put to death. Anger, rage, malice, slander and abusive speech are put out of our life. As we grow in the knowledge of our Creator we will portray more of His image. We will be clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. We will help one another, forgive one another, love one another and let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts. Nice picture eh? Yes it is and it is one God gives to us as we focus on Him and grow in relationship with Him. True repentance is not about saying the right words, it is a process of behavioral change brought about as we take our thoughts captive and renew ungodly thoughts and beliefs with Bible based thoughts and beliefs. Romans 12:2.
Bring your family together for monthly discussions about the dangers around us. No shaming or harsh talk! The dangers affect us all, young and old, so don’t pretend they don’t. Set boundaries on things you will not do. Share your discussions with other families in your church. Encourage one another with Scriptures that can help you, your family and your church family stand firm in the face of temptation to break those boundaries. Remember this: 2 Chronicles 16:9 (NKJ) “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Hide His word in your heart and hold it up as a shield of protection in the face of temptation and the divine power of God will come along side you and do battle for you. Stand firm, stand together, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
Lynn Fredrick is the author of Stand Firm, a small book on how to use the divine power of God to transform your life. He is also a public speaker on the dangers of pornography, sex trafficking and video gaming; the social issues facing our young people every day. Learn more at www.lynnfredrick.com • 715-532-9908 or W8756 Townline Road Ladysmith, WI 54848
