Bill Muehlenberg's CultureWatch

The Fallout from Divorce

Aug 4, 1997

The number of divorces has quadrupled in Australia over the past twenty years. Last year Australia had the highest divorce rate since no-fault divorce laws were introduced in 1976. We have also recorded the lowest number of marriages per capita

Who Censures the Censors?

Jun 15, 1997

Many Australians are mystified and disturbed about the proliferation of pornographic, violent and obscene materials on television, in films and video, in magazines, in advertising etc. Many are also curious as to why our official censors and monitors seem to

Another SBS Hatchet Job

Jun 1, 1997

The Lyons Forum is a group of Federal Parliamentarians from the Liberal and National parties who support family values. It was subjected to a 30 minute expose by the SBS Insight program on May 29.

The program was ostensibly a

The War Against Our Children

Mar 20, 1997

“It is children’s right to be children, to enjoy the pleasures of a childhood. . . . In the end, a childhood is the most basic human right of children.” So wrote David Elkind in his important 1981 book, The

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

Feb 1, 1997

Several recent newspaper articles underscore the intellectual confusion that is so rampant in our society. Writing in the Melbourne Herald Sun, for example, a staff writer, Ms Helen Elliott, offered an article entitled, “Men who die of shame”. One

Hold the Line on Drugs

Feb 1, 1997

At the moment the state of Victoria has relatively strong laws against drug possession and use, but various groups are attempting to change this. In 1995 there were about 16,000 drug offences in Victoria. About 11,000 were for cannabis, 2,600

Peter Singer and the Gospel of Death

Oct 14, 1996

Peter Singer is considered by many to be Australia’s leading ethicist. He is well known as an animal rights crusader. However, he holds some very cavalier views about humans. He is pro-abortion, pro-infanticide and pro-euthanasia.

Unfortunately Prof. Singer influences many

A review of Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem. By David Blankenhorn.

Oct 1, 1996

Basic Books, 1995.

Thirty years ago American Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan wrote a report called “The Negro Family: The Case for National Action”. In it he wrote these words: “The breakup of the black family is the single most important

A review of The Cruel Hoax: Street Drugs in Australia. By Elaine Walters.

Aug 15, 1996

Shield, 1996.

Today drug use/abuse is not confined to the fringes of society. It is becoming mainstream, glamourised in films, music and magazines.

As a response, Elaine Walters’ new book, The Cruel Hoax, is most timely.

This book dispels

Women, Work and Divorce

Jul 26, 1996

The latest ABS catalogue on marriage and divorce says that 4 out of 10 marriages will eventually end in divorce. Over the years the divorce rate has continued to rise. A number of factors are at play here: the decline

Reestablishing Marriage

Jul 15, 1996

We live in a culture that no longer believes in the importance of marriage. Indeed, we have moved from being a culture of marriage to a culture of divorce. At a time when the institution of marriage is maligned and

Is Pornography Harmless?

Jul 13, 1996

According to the FBI, the pornography industry in America grosses $10 billion a year. Moreover, there are more outlets for hardcore pornography in America than there are McDonalds’ restaurants. That’s a pretty frightening figure, considering how ubiquitous McDonalds is.

The

A review of Degenerate Moderns: Modernity as Rationalized Sexual Misconduct.

Mar 15, 1996

By E. Michael Jones.
Ignatius Press, 1993.

In 1988 Paul Johnson wrote Intellectuals. In it he looked at the moral lives of a number of leading intellectuals, such as Rousseau, Marx and Sartre. He found that these individuals, while

A review of The Rising Price of Love: The True Cost of Sexual Freedom. By Dr Patrick Dixon.

Mar 15, 1996

Hodder & Stoughton, 1995.

In 1956 the Harvard sociologist Pitirim Sorokin wrote: “This sex revolution is as important as the most dramatic political or economic upheaval. It is changing the lives of men and women more radically than any other

Questions About Our Condom Culture

Feb 8, 1996

What’s wrong with condom vending machines in schools? Let me count the ways.

1) The call for condom vending machines in high schools reveals a condescending attitude to our young people. It says, in effect, our young people behave like

Families Penalised Again

Nov 26, 1995

Tasmanian Independent Senator Brian Harradine has revealed that more than 107,000 families will lose up to $741 per year under a Government budget decision.

Family Minister Rosemary Crowley admitted in question time that families may lose anywhere from $64 to

Do We Need a Special Children’s Rights Body?

Nov 1, 1995

The West Australian Labor Opposition has called for the establishment of a children’s rights body. Various elements have been proposed, including a children’s advocate, a children’s charter, a children’s commissioner, and a children’s council. The Opposition said it would establish

A review of Child Abuse in the Classroom. Edited by Phyllis Schlafly.

Oct 12, 1995

Pere Marquette Press, 1993.

Several years ago when my then 5-year-old was attending first grade at a local state school, he came home with a document called a “Social Justice Policy”. I was supposed to read it and pass on

A review of Straight and Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate.

Oct 1, 1995

By Thomas Schmidt.
IVP, 1995.

The debate about homosexuality revolves around a number of crucial and controversial subjects: human sexuality and emotions, politics, religion, the family and relationships, questions of health, privacy and the social good.

While the debate often

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Latest Articles

The Fallout from Divorce

Who Censures the Censors?

Another SBS Hatchet Job

The War Against Our Children

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

Hold the Line on Drugs

Peter Singer and the Gospel of Death

A review of Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem. By David Blankenhorn.

A review of The Cruel Hoax: Street Drugs in Australia. By Elaine Walters.

Women, Work and Divorce

Reestablishing Marriage

Is Pornography Harmless?

A review of Degenerate Moderns: Modernity as Rationalized Sexual Misconduct.

A review of The Rising Price of Love: The True Cost of Sexual Freedom. By Dr Patrick Dixon.

Questions About Our Condom Culture

Families Penalised Again

Do We Need a Special Children’s Rights Body?

A review of Child Abuse in the Classroom. Edited by Phyllis Schlafly.

A review of Straight and Narrow?: Compassion and Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate.

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