I love how whatever I'm studying gets reinforced in the news in such a timely way. So this week, as we're beginning the sex series, two crazy stories are in the news. You can google this to find it, we looked at these together at last night's meeting.
There was controversy in two areas this week- one was in the "new photos" that the Miss USA pageant used for their contestants...lingerie shots for their promo pics. It's basically soft porn...A far cry from a good role model. And a far cry from where pageants started. In 1951 Yolanda Betbeze won Miss America and made a stand : "In Yolande's words, she made a stand for "propriety" that has gone down as a significant flash of pageant history and altered the course of its future. Yolande entered the Miss America Pageant for the scholarship opportunity it presented. Having spent the previous years of her life in convent schooling, posing in a swimsuit was heretofore unheard of for Yolande. After winning the Miss America title, Yolande declared, "I'm an opera singer, not a pin-up!" and refused posing in a bathing suit again. Because of Yolande's steadfast stance, Catalina, the swimsuit Pageant sponsor, pulled out of the Miss America Pageant and started the Miss USA Pageant".
Now we basically have all 50 states in lingerie. I wonder if anyone was uncomfortable posing, but didn't have the guts to say no? or maybe no one was uncomfortable...sad either way!
The other story this week was a controversial video that went viral of 8 and 9 year old girls at a dance competition shakin it to "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Some people are outraged that girls this young would dress and dance like this, and some people, including some of their parents, are actually defending it. We watched that news piece and heard your opinions on the subject. You said things like- it's gross, awful, so sad, can't believe parents would defend it, it's like a target on their backs for pedophiles, what is wrong with people... Can we not make a connection between the two stories?? So much of the message of our media pushes this sexualization of girls constantly. And it's getting younger and younger. Even professionals who don't want to push "morals" and "right and wrong" are studying and reporting the damaging effects of media sexualization of girls.
God knew all that way before anyone else. There is a reason He's made standards and guidelines in His Word. His laws provide love and protection for us. If we live outside of that, we pay a price in our bodies, spirits and emotions. As I've learned more about current trends and practices among our culture today, the more I realize we've got to educate you on the topic of sex. It's actually become a health issue too. There are so many consequences that may affect you later that you need to know about BEFORE you decide whether or not to have sex. It's my goal to educate, have a place for discussion and questions, and to learn what God's Word says about the subject, so that you can make an informed decision for yourself of how you want to live. You hear so much misinformation about it, magazine articles, internet info, talk at school. It's important to know truth, especially what the Word says. God made it, so He knows how to handle it! Like I said, we are not anti-sex, we are all for sex in context of how He designed it!!
Sex has a Pricetag is a GREAT book by Pam Stenzel, written in a very funny, kinda sarcastic teen tone...I love it. It's a fast funny read, but packed with great info. I recommend getting it.
The Truth About Sex is a Bible study we'll get into later. The introduction talks about sex being like a can of Drano. If your sink is stopped up, follow the directions and Drano will fix it, but use according to directions or it can be dangerous! And "can be hazardous to children". We need to follow the directions God's given us, keep out of the reach of children, and it'll work like it's supposed to :)
"Unprotected" is a book by a college campus psychologist. She tells story after story of girls and guys lives alike destroyed by poor sexual choices and behavior. She tells how the health/psychiatric world has become so politically correct that she as a doctor, is not even allowed to speak right and wrong, not allowed to "project morals" on to people. Yet she watches lives destroyed. You can ask about how fatty their diet is, but you can't ask how many hookups or abortions they've had. It's not politically correct. As a result, she has her office full of women who can't figure out why they are so depressed, messed up, and some with serious health issues.
The current culture of hook ups, no commitment, sex for fun between friends, even less dating than ever before is damaging and confusing. Remember when we studied Eph. 5? We studied how God designed family, and what kind of man it takes to love a woman the way God intends. And how women are designed to want to be loved...that is an inborn thing. God put it there. He never intended for you to be satisfied with being "used" by someone. You'll never be fulfilled that way. He put a desire in your heart to be loved by one man who would make a commitment to you. That's the context He lines out in scripture that we studied. God designed love, marriage, sex, and as a result, family. We can't do it backwards, or we pay a price. Many girls are paying a price in their hearts, emotions and spirits. As well as bodies. You are made to be loved and cherished for who you are inside. Don't settle for less.
