Who Is Molding the Clay?

Retail Pornography and Legislated Religion

In a nation that was founded on Christian principles, early social and business standards were by-and-large self-evident. Over time, as spiritual influences guided less of men's lives, ethical controls were replaced by greed and the need for power. The meaning of freedom has become increasingly defined by the granting of rights with marginal responsibility. Opinion and sensuous speech has been granted authority and the right of passage. They have become, in turn, a permissive umbrella to protect vice and an excuse to denigrate morality.

Businesses and agencies now take advantage of this protected freedom to promote life-styles most churchgoing people are afraid to call sin. Such is the case with Abercrombie and Fitch (A&F), a sportswear outfit retail outlet. In fact, Teddy Roosevelt considered it one of his favorite stores as did Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The passing of years brought new marketing ideas to A&F. Recently they chose to change their consumer base. Today it has become a nudist agency for 18-22 year olds. In November, when its quarterly catalog (The Christmas Field Guide) came out, parents and others cried out because many of the subjects posed in the nude, were sexually explicit and sexual advice filled its retail catalog pages.

Though pornographic, it didn't rise to the level of the law. Thus, young people were exposed to retail smut permitted by free expression. What does a community do to deal with such permissive indecency?

James Dobson of Focus on the Family spent a whole radio program on it, and he appeared on MSNBC Scarborough Country, urging a nationwide boycott of Abercrombie's 651 stores. The American Decency Association (ADA), the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, Chuck Colson of Prison Fellowship and Joe Gibbs (former Redskins) formed a coalition and began threatening managers and malls that housed the retail outlet.

Result? All catalogs were pulled from the stores. CEO Mike Jerffrie's and staff wouldn't appear in public or apologize. A spokesman told the press that they received 300 calls per hour, which led to the pulling of the nude document.[1,2,3]

Just two weeks before Christmas A&F announced the spring catalog would have the same enticing themes.[4]

Many cheers for the few who influenced many. But the moral harbingers of right, the Protestant churches, haven't spoken out. The Catholic Church, however, did. William Donahue of the Catholic League in his fiery rhetoric disparaged A&F, their catalog, anti-Catholicism and pornography.

A&F is promoting what more and more Americans permit to come into their homes (via TV), schools evangelize through sex education and churches encourage by their absence of discussion of sin and repentance. Pornographic internet sites numbered 71,831 in 1998. This year  (2003) there were 1,300,000 sites dedicated to porn.[5]

The FCC has relaxed its rules on foul language over prime time media. A democratic candidate for the president (supposedly an icon for right) recently exercised that right while Bush-bashing, using a foul, four-letter word to describe President Bush.

When laws do not shield the minds and hearts of Christians and youth from corruption and sin, what will the outcome be? Sadly, tolerance to wrong creeps in. But, there are some activists that are raising the standard, such as James Dobson and Chuck Colson. The evangelical world is reacting. How is it with you? How is it with your church, its leadership, its pastor? Is sin even talked about anymore?

Immorality abounds everywhere. Licentiousness is the special sin of this age. Never did vice lift its deformed head with such boldness as now. The people seem to be benumbed, and the lovers of virtue and true goodness are nearly discouraged by its boldness, strength, and prevalence. The iniquity which abounds is not merely confined to the unbeliever and the scoffer. Would that this were the case, but it is not. Many men and women who profess the religion of Christ are guilty. Even some who profess to be looking for His appearing are no more prepared for that event than Satan himself. They are not cleansing themselves from all pollution. They have so long served their lust that it is natural for their thoughts to be impure and their imaginations corrupt. It is as impossible to cause their minds to dwell upon pure and holy things as it would be to turn the course of Niagara and send its waters pouring up the falls.... Every Christian will have to learn to restrain his passions and be controlled by principle. Unless he does this, he is unworthy of the Christian name.[6]

We are living in an atmosphere of satanic witchery. The enemy will weave a spell of licentiousness around every soul that is not barricaded by the grace of Christ.[7]

A great polarization of values is sweeping across this nation. This month (December 2003) the Connecticut Meriden Public Library asked Artist Mary Morley to put on a display entitled, Vision, Hopes and Dreams. Her exhibit included paintings of a Nativity scene, Jesus carrying the cross, His crucifixion and resurrection, and Christ with a halo, portraits of Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Moses and the prophet Elijah.

Library officials objected to the five images of Jesus, saying they were offensive and inappropriate. Strange, libraries across the nation are objecting to pornography internet filters but they will filter out Jesus. Morley was disgusted and cancelled her own exhibit.[8]

Another nail was driven into the moral coffin by the California State Board of Education. They mandated that all seventh-graders take a course on Islam. They were to know the names of key Islamic leaders, recite prayers in class and memorize and recite verses from the Quran. Amazingly, the kids were to have a fast for one day to get the feel of Rhamadon. The textbook the children were to use prompted the students to imagine that they were Islamic soldiers fighting for God as they chanted Allah Akbar, God is great. This was designed as a distinct anti-Christian move.

The public schools are prohibited from reading the Bible, praying, displaying the Ten Commandments or mentioning the word God by itself. But they must teach a form of militant Islam. This textbook, incidentally, painted Christianity in a very negative light. A suit was filed against school officials in Byron, California, as a test case against Islamic teaching. Attorney Shroeder of the Thomas Moore Law Center said, California has been planting some big seeds for Islam while hardening hearts towards Christianity.

On December 13, 2003, U.S. District Judge Phillis Hamilton ruled that the Islamic curriculum was acceptable and dismissed the suit. This judge was from the court that ruled that "Under God" in the pledge of allegiance  was not constitutional.[9]

As judicial and administrative rulings (laws) increasingly vilify Christianity, the culture flounders for some standard, some guidance. Hollywood, TV and the printed media are working hard to make hedonism the standard. Sensuous behavior and sentimentalistic forces are being driven into the minds of young people and parents. A pall of deepening guilt is settling over this world. It tries to heal its scarred soul by encouraging others to be as evil as it is. If others follow, the vices of pornography, illicit sex and anti-Christian rhetoric seem justified for awhile.

An evangelical fundamental backlash is gaining momentum. In despair, a point will soon be reached where a sympathetic government will legislate right behavior. Trends are moving into the fast track through politically-motivated Christian organizations to see dramatic changes come into America's fiber. It wont be long before boycotting a retail chain will be too simplistic. Moral action will become law. Then, what was to protect Christianity will become its noose. Freedom will then ride on the shoulder of tyrants.

References:

^1. Pugh, Rusty and Parker, Jenni; Decency Advocates Claim Victory as A&F Pulls Explicit Catalog, Ceases Publication, http://news.christiansunite.com/religion/religion00172.shtml. 

^2. Buckley Jr., William F.; National Review, 12/09/03, http://www.nationalreview.com.

³. Morse, Anne; National Review Online, Field Guild Bye-Bye,   http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/morse200312010917.asp.

⁴. McCullough, Kevin; Abercrombie: The Catalogue will be back next month!, www.worldnetdaily.com/news/archives.asp?AUTHOR_ID=224.

⁵. Collum, Jason and Brown, Jody; Agape Press, Child Porn Bust Nets Thousands, but Number of Internet Sites Up, http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/112003e.asp.

⁶. The Adventist Home, p. 328.

⁷. Mind, Character, and Personality, vol. 1, p. 146.

⁸. Martin, Allie and Brown, Jody; Agape Press, Porn Can Stay in Library But Jesus Has Got to Go,  http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/112003e.asp.

⁹. World Net Daily, Judge rules Islamic education OK in California classrooms, 12/13/03.