They are changed in their view of women, their view of procreation, and their view of the world. Pornography reinforces the lie that "it's all about me." And pornography on the Internet-a digital river of toxic slime-is far more violent, deviant, and perverse than what is available elsewhere.
Of all the moral and ethical issues facing families in the twenty-first century, pornography is perhaps among the most pernicious. The homes of Christian families are not immune from the dangers posed by the polluted floodwaters spewed forth from this electrified stream of pagan sexuality.
Keeping you and your children protected from this heathen onslaught takes some work, particularly with the rapid technical advancements in media and communication.
Pornography and other sexually explicit material are now readily available on any wireless mobile device with Internet capabilities.
Entertainment devices have become venues for such content, particularly digital video content. In addition to the personal computer, wireless handheld devices such as new generation video cell phones, iPods, iPhones, PDAs, and the newest in video game consoles, including PlayStation 3 , are now conduits for all the pornography available on the Internet.
Tamper-proof Internet filters or monitoring systems are readily available for computers, but few families take advantage of the protection they afford. In fact, Rick Schatz, with the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families , estimates that far less than ten percent of the computers in Christian households are outfitted with such a filter.
The latest generation of cellular telephones offer users expanded capabilities, including the ability to download explicit content from the Internet onto the phone. While the five largest wireless companies, T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint Nextel, Alltel, and Verizon are committed to developing filtering technology for their telephones, none have blocking mechanisms available yet.
Parents give many reasons for not protecting their family from the dangers of the Internet: concerns about degraded service, too many safe sites being blocked, filters that are too porous, or a feeling of helplessness in face of the technology. Yet there is every reason to do everything possible to ensure than neither you nor your children are snagged by the polluted hook of pornography.
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Dr. Richard Land is president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the Southern Baptist Convention's official entity assigned to address social, moral, and ethical concerns, with particular attention to their impact on American families and their faith.
