All over the Western world sexual crimes are sky-rocketing, and all over the Western world we live in a sex-soaked society. Is there a connection? Anyone but a libertarian ideologue would of course know there is. You simply cannot pump sex into society at every level on a non-stop basis, and then not get people being heavily influenced by this tsunami of sleaze.
Every day we see more examples of each. The tidal wave of sexual imagery is ubiquitous, and it is impossible to go through life in the West today without being bombarded by this stuff on a daily basis. Holing up in a cave somewhere may be the only way to escape the impact of this toxic culture.
The youngest of children cannot avoid exposure to pornographic and sexually explicit and suggestive images and content. They would have seen more such stuff in their first 18 years than most people in the past would have seen in a lifetime.
And just to make sure that they are well and truly stewed in this material, our colleges are doing a great job in ensuring that any new student will be overwhelmed with it as well. Thus almost all universities today will have some sort of sex week as part of their school calendar. They will give out sex show bags complete with condoms at orientation week, and will cram this stuff down the students’ throats for the rest of the academic year.
For example, at Monash Uni in Melbourne where I used to work they always have a “Sex it up week”. The entire week is basically one long excuse for sexual debauchery and depravity. Thus they expose the students to prostitutes, strippers, pole dancers, the porn industry, and so on – and you and I of course subsidise all this with our tax dollars.
Fortunately not everyone is happy with this. One major uni in the US has finally put a stop to it. Yale University has actually pulled their sex week. And this was a revolt led by the students. As one account puts it, “Earlier this year, the group Undergraduates for a Better Yale College launched a student campaign against Sex Week.” They issued this statement:
“Tell Yale that a pornographic culture does not create respect but degrades, does not build up relationships but undermines them, promotes not consent but the ugliest form of pressure, does not stop sexual harassment and the objectification of one another’s bodies but makes us numb, blind, and indifferent to how we actually look at and treat others. Tell Yale that you want a campus marked by respect and love, full of flourishing friendships based on the acknowledgment of each person’s integral value, relationships based on true love between partners – not transient lust – and a sense of familial trust between all students. Tell Yale to say ‘No’ to Sex Week and all it stands for, because Yale can do so much better.”
That is good news indeed, but for every such story, there would be a hundred bad news stories. Popular culture is relentless in its push of pornographic and sleazy content. Just this week the popular prime time show Glee pushed the boundaries even further by showing two teenage couples (one straight and one homosexual) losing their virginity on the show.
As one story explains, “Titled ‘The First Time,’ the episode depicted two couples – a young man and woman, Finn and Rachel, and two young men, Kurt and Blaine – each losing their virginity. The development occurs after a fellow student and school play director tells Blaine and Rachel, who are practicing their roles as Tony and Maria for a production of West Side Story, that they won’t be believable as lovers onstage until they have sex.”
Brent Bozell rightly notes, “In Hollywood, the only truly serious sexual disease is virginity. It’s a dire and embarrassing condition, desperately in need of elimination. Teenagers that still have ‘it’ are woefully immature. They might as well consider themselves to be walking the school hallways in diapers.”
Indeed, what sort of message is this lousy show sending our young people? They are doing their best to make chaste young people feel like freaks, and are simply adding to the moral meltdown of society. And as if on cue, while the show was airing on Australian prime time television, a Sydney escort agency was offering the virginity of a teenage girl for $15,000. One news report puts it this way:
“Brothel Busters has found the escort agency wants $2000 to be paid as a deposit, with the balance to be paid on receipt of services from the girl, who is claimed to be at Sydney University. Contacted by the Daily Telegraph yesterday, a manager at MyOutCall identifying himself as ‘Duncan’ said it was a ‘genuine offer. This is pretty common in Sydney,’ he claimed, adding he had ‘two clients who are very interested’.
“The revelation that a Sydney escort agency is offering for sale a virgin should provide a reality check on the state of morality in our society. But the revelations have horrified Australian Family Association spokesman and research head Tim Cannon, who said it raised the ugly spectre of slavery. ‘It is so clearly taking us back to the enslavement of people,’ he said. ‘The damage it does to society and human dignity can’t be overstated’.”
Or as Jim Wallace of the Australian Christian Lobby stated, “Whatever the details of this case in regard to the willingness of the girl, it is clearly the exploitation of someone in need, probably feeling isolated, and clearly mainly for the profit of the agency which it has been said might make up to sixty percent of the $15,000 that will be traded in the deal.
“Pagan societies sacrificed virgins and publicly sold them in brothels, but the West had embraced a Christian morality that rejected this. We preserved this morality by leadership from people who not only shared these values to the extent any of us is successful in living them, but saw it as a responsibility of leadership to model and uphold them publicly and in public policy.
“Instead today we have a federal government which has negotiated its way into office by denying its most publicly made promise and an opposition that is happy to curry the favour of the wealthy gambling industry, rather than demand on principle it shouldn’t be making five billion dollars a year from problem gamblers. Political advantage in both cases, the obsession with power, has taken the place of virtue. It is little wonder that we now have a virgin being publicly raffled.”
As long as this pornification of society remains unchecked, we will simply witness more and more such outrages. It really is time to cry ‘Enough is Enough’.
I could have wept when reading this article – for shame that our Country has descended into such a quagmire as this and also for the loss of innocence of our young people. It hurts to see young men and women exploited in order to make some sleaze money from this type of porn.
In Adelaide, there will be a ‘Feast Festival’ (I believe next weekend) where there will be a “Pride” march through the City, followed by a ‘Sleaze’ Ball, plus workshops of strange sexual practices – and to think this was once know as the City of Churches. Both the Adelaide and Marion City Councils are supporting this so called event by flying rainbow coloured banners. Needless to say, the Churches are silent!
Joan Davidson
Thanks Joan
Yes that is perhaps the greatest sin of all – the total silence and apathy of nearly all churches and church leaders on this.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
So, a Sydney escort agency was offering the virginity of a teenage girl for $15,000 were they? Filthy pigs!
Steve Davis
Thanks Steve
Yes it is deplorable sexual trafficking.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Well and necessarily said!
Where are the men and women rallying to defend the honour of this misled princess? May our Highest Power help us.
Thomas Davenport
I don’t get it. On the one hand they all seem to despise virginity as something worthless to be got rid of as soon as possible. On the other hand it is considered a valuable commodity some are willing to bid many thousands of dollars for. Don’t they see the contradiction here?
Lex Clarke
Hi Bill – the headline to the email alert this came with said “We are no better than the pagans of old.” Well actually we are worse. Lesslie Newbigin said something to the affect that to confuse the west today with the ancient pagan world is to miss the distinction between a virgin and a divorcee. Some of the wording is probably wrong, but that is the essence of it.
Ed Sherman
Dear Bill,
What you have revealed in this article is horrendous. Selling another human for any reason whatever IS slavery. Many Christians in the UK are involved in an organisation called “Stop the Traffik” which is about protecting immigrants from being exploited in the sex industry among other things. It is horrific to think that someone is ‘willing’ to be put up for sale in this way.
Your comment about the only ‘sexual disease’ these days is virginity shows how we have fulfilled the Biblical prophecy that evil would be called good and good evil.
I hope this is not against your rules, but I would like to ask you and those who read this site to pray (and if in the UK to act) about something quite closely related: The recent attempt by some in Parliament here in the UK to introduce graphic sex education has been staved off at least for a while by prayer and petition led by organisations like “Christian Concern for our Nation”. They will be represented in further consultation on this matter which has to be completed around the 30th November. Please pray for this consultation to come out in absolute opposition to young children being shown graphic material in schools and to reinforce the current rights of parents and school governors to have a final say in what is shown to the children.
Thank you for all you do.
Katharine Hornsby
As deplorable as this situation with the girls virginity is, at the very least where are the feminists? Why aren’t they up in arms at what is most obvious, the treatment of women as objects, something to be used and abused. With all the silence on this issue it truly demonstrates that our society has retreated, morally and ethically.
Fred Merlo
The irony is that in the offering of virgins these people only condemn themselves as they tacitly admit that it has great value, even if the result is so twisted. Some people don’t seem to get it that the value of sex is so high no amount of money can be set on it. Even if the offer was 15 million it would still be abhorrent.
Mark Rabich
The Churches are silent because society has gone beyond redemption. They feel hopeless and ineffective against the masses of barbarians. The most an optimist can do is see the glass as half-poisoned. But realistically, we are living in anarchy with a veneer of civilization provided by cumulative advances in knowledge, science, comfort, organization, and technology. The only advance in morality is egalitarianism on all levels (not necessarily a good thing in all ways), and the decrease in societal acceptance of violence and cruelty. People do not even have an idea of virtue, of true knowledge, of wisdom, of holiness. What kind of characters do the nations contain? What reverence for God is seen in the public square?
Empires have always collapsed in the past, and the modern world is no exception. The Churches have a duty to proclaim the right thing and condemn sin, but these are the days where a wholescale return to Christendom is highly unlikely without divine intervention. God throughout the Old Testament lets nations collapse because of their depravity. The principles of Gradualism (everything happens so slowly, like the rise of skirts and the filth in media through the decades, that people allow little liberties and soon its full scale anarchy) and for lack of a better term, once societies are allowed certain freedoms, it is all but impossible to take it back. The best measure is to prevent it from being given license in the first place. This is why homosexual marriage should not be allowed into law, because once it is, it is very difficult to remove.
The churches are silent because society must be almost completely destroyed by their own will before a return to virtue. Preventing this only furthers the time of decline and therefore the time of depravity. So many things wrong with society, the roots have to be handled, not the surface leaves.
John Desouza
Last night one the ABC(?) there was a show which documented prostitutes’ demands that their “profession” be respected and accepted.
I recorded it but watched only the last 5-10 minutes. It was a French documentary with English subtitles.
If (when?) these demands come to Australia, we must speak with a loud voice, armed with whatever social science we have to support a Christian case.
And armed with the simple overriding explanation … “it is contrary to God’s law.”
Graeme Cumming
John Desouza
Although you make sense when you spell out your take on our time, it left me feeling limp.
Daniel Kempton
Bill I had my 4 year old grandson on my lap and was wanting to play him “Life Is Like A Mountain Railway” on the computer because he loves steam trains as you do at four. I use Realplayer. When I clicked on the wrong “library” tag we were confronted with lots of pornographic images of Asian young women and girls. This sleaze is everywhere and as you say the very young cannot avoid it short of living an an isolated desert island. We seemed to have grown so used to it we don’t get mad enough any more and yet it is this most single issue (morality) that makes a nation stand or fall.
Keith Lewis
As I drove down the Tullamarine Freeway on Sat I was confronted with the advertisement for Sexpo. Everywhere we look we are bombarded with sleaze advertising which is becoming evermore explicit.
Peter Coventry
Yes our world is drowning in depravity and degradation and surely there must come a turning point soon. Those of us with our eyes open must fast and pray for our church leaders, our blind fellow Christians and for all poor sinful humanity (including ourselves in case we’re lost through complacency or presumption).
Anna Cook
I could have wept when reading this article – for shame that our Country has descended into such a quagmire as this and also for the loss of innocence of our young people. It hurts to see young men and women exploited in order to make some sleaze money from this type of porn.
In Adelaide, there will be a ‘Feast Festival’ (I believe next weekend) where there will be a “Pride” march through the City, followed by a ‘Sleaze’ Ball, plus workshops of strange sexual practices – and to think this was once know as the City of Churches. Both the Adelaide and Marion City Councils are supporting this so called event by flying rainbow coloured banners. Needless to say, the Churches are silent!
Joan Davidson
Thanks Joan
Yes that is perhaps the greatest sin of all – the total silence and apathy of nearly all churches and church leaders on this.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
So, a Sydney escort agency was offering the virginity of a teenage girl for $15,000 were they? Filthy pigs!
Steve Davis
Thanks Steve
Yes it is deplorable sexual trafficking.
Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch
Well and necessarily said!
Where are the men and women rallying to defend the honour of this misled princess? May our Highest Power help us.
Thomas Davenport
I don’t get it. On the one hand they all seem to despise virginity as something worthless to be got rid of as soon as possible. On the other hand it is considered a valuable commodity some are willing to bid many thousands of dollars for. Don’t they see the contradiction here?
Lex Clarke
Hi Bill – the headline to the email alert this came with said “We are no better than the pagans of old.” Well actually we are worse. Lesslie Newbigin said something to the affect that to confuse the west today with the ancient pagan world is to miss the distinction between a virgin and a divorcee. Some of the wording is probably wrong, but that is the essence of it.
Ed Sherman
Dear Bill,
What you have revealed in this article is horrendous. Selling another human for any reason whatever IS slavery. Many Christians in the UK are involved in an organisation called “Stop the Traffik” which is about protecting immigrants from being exploited in the sex industry among other things. It is horrific to think that someone is ‘willing’ to be put up for sale in this way.
Your comment about the only ‘sexual disease’ these days is virginity shows how we have fulfilled the Biblical prophecy that evil would be called good and good evil.
I hope this is not against your rules, but I would like to ask you and those who read this site to pray (and if in the UK to act) about something quite closely related: The recent attempt by some in Parliament here in the UK to introduce graphic sex education has been staved off at least for a while by prayer and petition led by organisations like “Christian Concern for our Nation”. They will be represented in further consultation on this matter which has to be completed around the 30th November. Please pray for this consultation to come out in absolute opposition to young children being shown graphic material in schools and to reinforce the current rights of parents and school governors to have a final say in what is shown to the children.
Thank you for all you do.
Katharine Hornsby
As deplorable as this situation with the girls virginity is, at the very least where are the feminists? Why aren’t they up in arms at what is most obvious, the treatment of women as objects, something to be used and abused. With all the silence on this issue it truly demonstrates that our society has retreated, morally and ethically.
Fred Merlo
The irony is that in the offering of virgins these people only condemn themselves as they tacitly admit that it has great value, even if the result is so twisted. Some people don’t seem to get it that the value of sex is so high no amount of money can be set on it. Even if the offer was 15 million it would still be abhorrent.
Mark Rabich
The Churches are silent because society has gone beyond redemption. They feel hopeless and ineffective against the masses of barbarians. The most an optimist can do is see the glass as half-poisoned. But realistically, we are living in anarchy with a veneer of civilization provided by cumulative advances in knowledge, science, comfort, organization, and technology. The only advance in morality is egalitarianism on all levels (not necessarily a good thing in all ways), and the decrease in societal acceptance of violence and cruelty. People do not even have an idea of virtue, of true knowledge, of wisdom, of holiness. What kind of characters do the nations contain? What reverence for God is seen in the public square?
Empires have always collapsed in the past, and the modern world is no exception. The Churches have a duty to proclaim the right thing and condemn sin, but these are the days where a wholescale return to Christendom is highly unlikely without divine intervention. God throughout the Old Testament lets nations collapse because of their depravity. The principles of Gradualism (everything happens so slowly, like the rise of skirts and the filth in media through the decades, that people allow little liberties and soon its full scale anarchy) and for lack of a better term, once societies are allowed certain freedoms, it is all but impossible to take it back. The best measure is to prevent it from being given license in the first place. This is why homosexual marriage should not be allowed into law, because once it is, it is very difficult to remove.
The churches are silent because society must be almost completely destroyed by their own will before a return to virtue. Preventing this only furthers the time of decline and therefore the time of depravity. So many things wrong with society, the roots have to be handled, not the surface leaves.
John Desouza
Last night one the ABC(?) there was a show which documented prostitutes’ demands that their “profession” be respected and accepted.
I recorded it but watched only the last 5-10 minutes. It was a French documentary with English subtitles.
If (when?) these demands come to Australia, we must speak with a loud voice, armed with whatever social science we have to support a Christian case.
And armed with the simple overriding explanation … “it is contrary to God’s law.”
Graeme Cumming
John Desouza
Although you make sense when you spell out your take on our time, it left me feeling limp.
Daniel Kempton
Bill I had my 4 year old grandson on my lap and was wanting to play him “Life Is Like A Mountain Railway” on the computer because he loves steam trains as you do at four. I use Realplayer. When I clicked on the wrong “library” tag we were confronted with lots of pornographic images of Asian young women and girls. This sleaze is everywhere and as you say the very young cannot avoid it short of living an an isolated desert island. We seemed to have grown so used to it we don’t get mad enough any more and yet it is this most single issue (morality) that makes a nation stand or fall.
Keith Lewis
As I drove down the Tullamarine Freeway on Sat I was confronted with the advertisement for Sexpo. Everywhere we look we are bombarded with sleaze advertising which is becoming evermore explicit.
Peter Coventry
Yes our world is drowning in depravity and degradation and surely there must come a turning point soon. Those of us with our eyes open must fast and pray for our church leaders, our blind fellow Christians and for all poor sinful humanity (including ourselves in case we’re lost through complacency or presumption).
Anna Cook