Where are your teens getting their information about sex? Who is forming their views on what is normal, and right, in intimate relationships? It has been said that Google is the new sex ed teacher. And You Tube.
I googled “sex” to find out what kind of information young people would find on the Internet. I checked out the top two sites listed, The Guardian and The Independent (both UK publications). The third article on The Guardian site was entitled “I’m marrying my first love but I’m curious about BDSM.”* The Independent site featured “10 of the best sex scenes in film” and “Sex on Instagram — Photos and Videos.” When I checked my iPad, the top listing there was “Adult Sex Games,” and the No. 3 listing was “Live porn.” I did not follow any of these links. Or watch any of the You Tube videos.
A young man in one of my classes in the Middle East told me that he and his fiancé were not having sex and were not going to until they married. But, he asked, “What if she doesn’t want to do the things I want to do when we do get married?” Pressed further, it seemed that he had seen these “things” on pornography sites. Many young men, all around the world, ask, “If I don’t watch porn, how will I know how to have sex?” Many — both male and female — say, “We want to do what is right, but how do we know what is right? All we know is what we see on the Internet and in movies.” These young people are all Christians.
Sex education curricula in state schools in western nations routinely advise young people that when they feel ready to start having sex they should “watch sexy videos together to get in the mood.”
Are you, as a parent or youth leader or pastor, aware of the extent to which your young people are absorbing these views and acting on them? That their attitudes are being molded by the media, the Internet, their school’s sex education curricula? You need to be.
You need to engage in conversation with your children and your teens about what God has to say on these issues and attitudes. About what God intended for sex. The world is a very confusing place right now. With so much erroneous teaching swirling around them — and us — it is as if we are caught in a maelstrom. Like the kite at the mercy of the wind, twisting and spinning in all directions, with no tug on the string to pull it back up. We need to be connected to our Creator, to the One who crafted us.
To be continued …
*BDSM — an acronym that refers to a specific type of erotic behavior or play that may involve any of the following: bondage and discipline (B&D), dominance and submission (D&S), and sadism and masochism (S&M). Dictionary.com