Pornography and the Christian

Recently I’ve been hearing of more and more churches offering small group settings for men (especially) so they have a place to fellowship with other believers who are fleeing from their addiction to pornography. The issue of porn is not exclusive to men; there are some women who struggle with it as well. So why is this such a big deal—especially in a marriage where both husband and wife consent? As Christians we are to be sober minded and be watchful of the liar and thief which is Satan. In thinking back to my Marriage Series introduction blog, I share … Continue reading

Protecting Your Child From Pornography

Since pornography is so prevalent on the web it is likely that your child will run into it some time. As a parent you need to establish some guidelines and rules for Internet use to help safeguard your child. Become Internet Savvy Become familiar with the Internet and how pornography can reach your child. Spend time with your kids as they surf on-line. Find out what web content, sites, and chat rooms they visit. Among other things, Nicole Allard, families.com safety writer suggests installing a spy-cam. Learn about programs that promote Internet safety and install filtering and monitoring software. Adam … Continue reading

Reporting online child predators – The CyberTipline

Plenty of adults do not know where or how to report incidents involving child predators or child sexual exploitation. Often, if parents or teachers find out about children who have been sexually solicited or targeted, they do not report the incidents. When adults do report incidents, often they stop short of filing reports with local law enforcement or a national child protection agency. Luckily, there are numerous resources for reporting sex crimes involving children. One of which I want to introduce is the CyberTipline. If you missed an earlier blog about the epidemic of online child sex crimes, you can … Continue reading

The epidemic of online child sexual crimes

The issue of keeping children safe from online child predators has steadily increased over the past few years. From newspapers (e.g., New York Times) to news journal shows (e.g., Dateline NBC) to popular daytime shows (e.g., Oprah), the topic has been discussed. I am amazed, however, at the number of parents, teachers, and adults who still think that the epidemic of online predators is not really an important issue. Yes, that’s right. I call it an epidemic. Thousands of children each year worldwide are solicited and even abducted as a result of participating in unmonitored online activities. It’s time for … Continue reading

RS/EQ: Strengthening Our Families

Lesson #19 in the Spencer W. Kimball manual for the 2007 course of study was “Strengthening Our Families.” The Kimballs themselves were influential examples of the importance of family, teaching and guiding their children toward proper choices and showing affection. Their children remember their formative years with great fondness because of their parents. As we begin the lesson, we learn that the family is essential to Heavenly Father’s plan. It is a clear pattern for how things are run in the after life. There is a father, there is a mother, there are children, and they together form a family … Continue reading

Young Men: Guarding Against Negative Media Influences

It is important for the young men in our church to stay pure in thought and deed. One of the greatest challenges that our young men face at this time is the danger of pornography. It is important to help protect your young men from stumbling upon this accidentally, which can lead to a negative habit. You can read more about this counsel in the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet. One of the ways you can help your sons is to filter your Internet. You can do this by subscribing to a filtering service. You can often set up … Continue reading

Teens and Instant Messaging

Teenagers lead the country in use of technology. With 87% of teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, using the Internet on an almost daily basis. That number has risen 24% in the last four years. Today more teens than ever use the Internet to play games, get news, shop, and find health information. Email, once considered cutting edge, is quickly being replaced by instant and text messaging. Email is considered the method to communicate with adults like teachers or to send long messages to a large group of friends. But it is in IM that teens share details … Continue reading

The Prevalence And Effects of Sex In The Media

I recently came across these facts taken from a fact sheet titled “Marketing Sex to Children.” I guess I must be naive but I was appalled at how much sex children and teenagers are exposed to in the media. It is no wonder that so many teens are having sex themselves. They are practically bombarded with the message that it is not only fun but also appropriate. So how much sex are teens actually being exposed to in the media? “In 2003, 83% of the episodes of the top 20 shows among teen viewers contained some sexual content, including 20% … Continue reading

Teaching Teenagers About The Danger Of Internet Predators

It is summer and the average teenager is online 5.5 hours a day, with about 77 million on-line each day. Most are visiting one of the 40,000 chat rooms where according to a 2002 FBI report there is a 100% chance they will encounter a pedophile at some time. What is the danger with chat rooms? The Safe Surfin Foundation says that the danger is that “75% of children and teens report sharing personal information about them and their families to complete strangers in chat rooms.” Child predators use the tidbits of information that they glean from on-line chat rooms … Continue reading