Protecting children online

Peter and Lydia (Photo credit: Michael Sarver)

I wonder if anyone has an answer for this: what proportion of people who’ve seen naughty images saw it on purpose? In other words, how many people who have never experienced anything like that actually go out of their way to find them?

I’d be willing to guess that the proportion would be pretty small. Most people I talk to say that the first time they saw a naked lady or whatever was by someone else showing it to them, or a random popup on the internet, or simply searching for something innocent online and finding that it means something entirely different in ‘that world’.

For me, that thing I was searching for was ‘deckchair’. What on earth?

I read an article a couple of weeks ago written by a lady who searched for a Christian video by its exact title, and six of the top ten results were pornographic.

That gets pretty scary when you imagine a child innocently searching for something fun and stumbling across something that will affect them for the rest of their lives. How about when you imagine your child doing that?

That article finishes by saying this:

There are sites dedicated to childhood cartoon pornography, and you know they aren’t for the adults. It brings a new perspective to 1 Peter 5:8, when we are told to be sober and vigilant because our adversary is roaming around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

If a roaring lion were after you and your child, what would you do?

Please, parents be vigilant, for the sake of your sons (and daughters), be watching. Be involved. Know what is finding your kids.

I’d encourage you to read the whole thing.

Related articles

• What should Christian parents do if they have a prodigal Son or Daughter? (raymondjclements.wordpress.com)

Is mental illness a sin?

Anxiety (Photo credit: Rima Xaros)

Wow, that’s quite a controversial question. And for the record, no it isn’t. It’s certainly a result of sin in the broadest sense (i.e. we live in a world tainted by sin and that’s why mental illness exists, not that mental illness is punishment for a person’s sin), but it surely isn’t sin itself.

But there are mental illnesses called anxiety, stress, depression and so on which sound like the Bible condemns them. ‘Do not be anxious’ is repeated many times in the Bible in various forms, by Jesus himself and the apostles Paul and Peter. People who suffer with anxiety are clearly anxious, so are they disobeying God’s command?

A guy over here seems to think so, but I’m just not sure . . . I don’t know if it’s just semantics but the following thoughts are buzzing round my head:

1. Just because ‘anxiety’ leads to people being ‘anxious’ doesn’t mean that anxiety is a sin.
2. I believe that Jesus can, and does, heal today.
3. I personally don’t struggle with this so can’t imagine how someone can simultaneously trust God and be anxious, but my ignorance isn’t an excuse for a lack of compassion.
4. I don’t think that being ‘born this way’ gives an excuse for sin but rather an opportunity to know God through repentance and faith.

Um . . . in conclusion, I’m more than a bit muddled on this one. Any thoughts?

Related articles

• Mental Illness and the Church (yahwehssong.com)
• ‘Grief and anxiety are not mental illnesses’ (bbc.co.uk)
• 4 Things Not To Say to a Depressed Christian (believersbrain.com)

No, I was not like!

Photograph of the debating chamber of the British House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster, London, looking north-east (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’ll surprise no-one (and that really says something) that I just overheard someone’s phone conversation:

…and he was like, ‘what are you looking at?’ And so I was like, ‘nothing,’ but he was like ‘it looks like you’re watching that guy.’

Now, here’s the thing: in conversation this seems fine, but written down it’s a bit odd. Can you imagine reading a newspaper and reading:

In the House of Commons today the Prime Minister stood up and was like ‘here’s our new bill,’ but the Shadow Chancellor was like, ‘that’s a silly idea.’

But my prediction is that over the course of the next generation this is just going to become an accepted part of the human language; to say something ‘was like’ will somewhat replace saying ‘he said.’

Stranger things have happened.

Just a little idea, I suppose. Language just changes, but without knowing what something meant when it was written it can be difficult to understand it. The Bible was written over a very long period, a very long time ago, and some bits of it were difficult to understand even at the time (just look at 2 Peter 3:16!) – when we read the Bible we should be asking these questions in this order:

1. What does the passage mean?
2. What did it mean at the time?
3. What should I do as a result?