I was thinking the other day about the proliferation of sexual innuendo in this country, especially as it relates to our younger crowd. Granted, sex has always been something that is difficult to turn down, and the desire is a part of our nature. However, it IS under our control, no matter how many excuses we make for it. We can say that it's who we are, we can say that it's not reasonable to wait until marriage, and we can say that waiting is a crazy idea. Yet there was a time in this country where it was not only admirable to wait, it was expected.
Today, turn on BET, VH1, or MTV, and all that you will see is an incentive for young teens to have sex with whoever they want. Our music, as well as their videos, talk largely of sleeping with complete strangers. The lyrics of our "musicians" today is absolutely ridiculous, but is subliminal, and believe it or not, encourages very bad behavior. It sounds absurd that teens would do something because of lyrics in a song, but in reality, it does happen.
The reason for all of this is that we want to believe that as long as it doesn't "hurt" anyone, that it's okay and that there is nothing wrong with it. We apply that idea to pretty much everything, but God doesn't look at it that way at all. God tells us what's right and wrong, but we don't believe Him, and we show that when we ignore His word. The presumption that "nobody gets hurt", isn't as true as we would like it to be, and is simply a rationalization. The Bible says that sex is to be between a man and his wife, not a man and his girlfriend, his fling, or friend. Regardless of how we interpret the Bible, we cannot change that.
One of the biggest problems is our educational system that we have created and have allowed to infiltrate our schools. Our sex ed classes start too early, and only teach certain prevention methods, none of which are morally based. We teach our children that it's okay to have premarital sex as long as a condom is worn, or if birth control is used. We teach abortion as an option if it is necessary. A pretty obvious approach that we avoid is that abstinence is really the only way to completely avoid an STD or pregnancy. What we are really telling our children when we accept this type of philosophy is: "I want you to abstain from premarital sex, but more than that, I want you to avoid the consequences of your actions. I also don't have any faith in you, so I'm not going to try to convince you not to do it, because I know that you will do it anyway." We have basically told our kids that we know that they're not going to do what is right, but provide a way for them to do the wrong things, yet reward them for it. Actions have consequences, whether good or bad. However, we're doing everything we can to participate in sinful activities, yet avoid those negative consequences. We're becoming the notorious Sodom and Gomorrah that is described in the Bible.
From a Christian standpoint, it's sad that most of our churches don't really stand behind the concept of sex within a marriage only. We have become more mainstream, not wanting to offend anyone. We believe that "good people" are all going to go to heaven, regardless of whether they follow Jesus' example or not. Our preachers have preached God's grace only, ignoring Jesus' statement that "narrow is the gate that leads to Heaven, but wide is the gate that leads to destruction." So Jesus Himself said that most people won't enter the kingdom of Heaven, only those that do the will of the Father. We don't like that, because it doesn't create this warm fuzzy feeling. We feel uncomfortable when we realize that sin is sin, regardless of whether anyone involved is hurt. So instead of dealing with it, we pretend that accepting it is an extremist view. Repentance is crucial to forgiveness of sin, which literally means "changing your mind".
To any single parents reading this, my point is not to offend you, and I sincerely apologize for hurt feelings. However, I will not apologize for speaking the truth. Jesus meant what He said, and I would much rather offend a few people here on this Earth and help a few, than have God ask me on judgement day why I didn't speak the truth in love while I was here. The truth is that if I don't speak that truth, and no lives are affected, and others don't enter the kingdom because of it, that is my fault! I'm not doing anyone any good if I keep this truth to myself, and others are condemned because of my silence. So this is spoken in love, and is intended to be encouraging. It is never too late to turn your life to God, no matter what your past may include. If you believe in Jesus, and believe in the Bible, then you have to believe in all of it, not just the parts that are easy to put into practice. Jesus said a lot of things, but He never once said that following Him was easy. Nobody is perfect, and I am about as far from it as one can be. Paul said: "Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst." However, he never once waivered when it came to preaching the truth. Premarital sex is a sin, but so are plenty of others, many of which I am myself am guilty. The reason I mention this specifically is that it is one of the most ignored and accepted. If you haven't waited in your past, it's not too late to start now. God DOES love you regardless of your sin, and will forgive us all, as long as we repent and do our best to live for Him. Which gate do you choose: the narrow, or the wide?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Broken System
Today, we have been shown that our judicial system is no more than a bad joke. In many cases, the innocent are wrongly convicted, and in this instance, the guilty go free. Casey Anthony is a cold, calculating individual who has escaped justice in this life. There were so many reasons that she should be in prison, and unfortunately, at least in earthly terms, she will never pay for the life that she has taken, her own daughter's.
How many individuals do you know that have kids? Out of those people, how many do you know who would take more than a few minutes to report their child missing if they had no clue of there whereabouts? Caylee Anthony was only reported missing when her grandmother reported it, 31 days after she had gone missing. Within that 30 days, Casey danced at clubs, slept around, got a tattoo containing the words "The Good Life". Not my idea of an innocent woman. After Caylee was reported missing, she claimed that a babysitter named Zannie kidnapped the 2 year old, a person that she now admits didn't exist. She also made up a story saying that Caylee was with her rich boyfriend, another proven lie.
The defense in this case baffled me from the start. On the first day, Casey's lawyer, Jose Baez claimed that her father, George Anthony had molested her when she was a child. He also made the accusation that Caylee's death was an accident that Mr. Anthony had helped to cover up. The problem with this accusation, is that George Anthony was supposed to be such an important witness for the defense, yet he denied all of the claims. I am shocked that the trial ended as it did, because few defenses succeed when the witnesses aren't consistent with the statements made by the defense attorney. In other words, the defense won, even though one of their biggest witnesses disputed their case. That doesn't happen very often.
The burden of proof lies with the prosecution. In other words, the defense doesn't have to prove a thing, but the prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case. The problem today, is that we have too many TV shows, such as CSI, that cause people to believe that DNA evidence, among other things, will always be available, which throws circumstantial evidence out. It's true that the only physical evidence found was Casey's car, which, according to some, smelled like a decomposed body. The argument for the defense, however, was that there was no proof that Casey put the body in the car. Circumstantial evidence was more than abundant in this case though, and it was ignored because of the lack of physical evidence. I do find it ironic that Jose Baez's first several comments during the closing statements, were that the burden of proof was on the prosecution. Yet, he made accusations against his own star witness that they offered no evidence to defend. It's pretty convenient that he's not held responsible for backing up statements, yet the prosecution is.
So here come the questions. Why did she lie about the nanny and the boyfriend? Why did she put a tattoo on her body, "The Beautiful Life"? Why did she go out and dance when her daughter was missing, if she had nothing to do with it? A loving parent would be devastated, distraught, and would have reported her missing immediately. And finally, why did it take her 31 days to report the little girl missing?
Personally, I believe that the answers to the questions above is that she's guilty, and that Caylee became an obstruction to the life that she wanted to live. She wanted to be able to go out and do whatever she wanted, and the inconvenience of being a parent became more than she wanted to deal with. Unfortunately, I believe that her plan worked, and that in the end, she got what she wanted. She was found guilty of lying to police, which doesn't carry a long sentence, so she can legally go out to as many clubs as she wants, without a child at home to be responsible for.
I can see the reason that the jury came back with the verdict that they did, but I still don't agree with it. I had a sickening feeling that this was going to happen, but was hoping it wouldn't' take place like this. The truth is, that because of double jeopardy laws, Casey Anthony could admit that she killed Caylee, and walk free. Fair or not, agree with it or not, it is what it is, the law. I do find it ironic that the jury found her guilty of lying to officers, but why would she lie if she didn't have anything to do with the death of her little girl?
At the end of the day, God knows the exact details of this case better than we ever could. God will judge Casey Anthony, regardless of whether or not the jury made the correct decision. Caylee is in the arms of our Lord, and nothing will ever change that. She is in a place that we all hope to be able to be in someday, so while a great injustice took place on Earth, a great reward was earned in Heaven. We might not always understand why things happen the way that they do, but that doesn't usually matter. God has a plan, even when we don't understand it. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of faith to accept the things that we don't comprehend.
How many individuals do you know that have kids? Out of those people, how many do you know who would take more than a few minutes to report their child missing if they had no clue of there whereabouts? Caylee Anthony was only reported missing when her grandmother reported it, 31 days after she had gone missing. Within that 30 days, Casey danced at clubs, slept around, got a tattoo containing the words "The Good Life". Not my idea of an innocent woman. After Caylee was reported missing, she claimed that a babysitter named Zannie kidnapped the 2 year old, a person that she now admits didn't exist. She also made up a story saying that Caylee was with her rich boyfriend, another proven lie.
The defense in this case baffled me from the start. On the first day, Casey's lawyer, Jose Baez claimed that her father, George Anthony had molested her when she was a child. He also made the accusation that Caylee's death was an accident that Mr. Anthony had helped to cover up. The problem with this accusation, is that George Anthony was supposed to be such an important witness for the defense, yet he denied all of the claims. I am shocked that the trial ended as it did, because few defenses succeed when the witnesses aren't consistent with the statements made by the defense attorney. In other words, the defense won, even though one of their biggest witnesses disputed their case. That doesn't happen very often.
The burden of proof lies with the prosecution. In other words, the defense doesn't have to prove a thing, but the prosecutors have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty. Unfortunately, that did not happen in this case. The problem today, is that we have too many TV shows, such as CSI, that cause people to believe that DNA evidence, among other things, will always be available, which throws circumstantial evidence out. It's true that the only physical evidence found was Casey's car, which, according to some, smelled like a decomposed body. The argument for the defense, however, was that there was no proof that Casey put the body in the car. Circumstantial evidence was more than abundant in this case though, and it was ignored because of the lack of physical evidence. I do find it ironic that Jose Baez's first several comments during the closing statements, were that the burden of proof was on the prosecution. Yet, he made accusations against his own star witness that they offered no evidence to defend. It's pretty convenient that he's not held responsible for backing up statements, yet the prosecution is.
So here come the questions. Why did she lie about the nanny and the boyfriend? Why did she put a tattoo on her body, "The Beautiful Life"? Why did she go out and dance when her daughter was missing, if she had nothing to do with it? A loving parent would be devastated, distraught, and would have reported her missing immediately. And finally, why did it take her 31 days to report the little girl missing?
Personally, I believe that the answers to the questions above is that she's guilty, and that Caylee became an obstruction to the life that she wanted to live. She wanted to be able to go out and do whatever she wanted, and the inconvenience of being a parent became more than she wanted to deal with. Unfortunately, I believe that her plan worked, and that in the end, she got what she wanted. She was found guilty of lying to police, which doesn't carry a long sentence, so she can legally go out to as many clubs as she wants, without a child at home to be responsible for.
I can see the reason that the jury came back with the verdict that they did, but I still don't agree with it. I had a sickening feeling that this was going to happen, but was hoping it wouldn't' take place like this. The truth is, that because of double jeopardy laws, Casey Anthony could admit that she killed Caylee, and walk free. Fair or not, agree with it or not, it is what it is, the law. I do find it ironic that the jury found her guilty of lying to officers, but why would she lie if she didn't have anything to do with the death of her little girl?
At the end of the day, God knows the exact details of this case better than we ever could. God will judge Casey Anthony, regardless of whether or not the jury made the correct decision. Caylee is in the arms of our Lord, and nothing will ever change that. She is in a place that we all hope to be able to be in someday, so while a great injustice took place on Earth, a great reward was earned in Heaven. We might not always understand why things happen the way that they do, but that doesn't usually matter. God has a plan, even when we don't understand it. Sometimes it just takes a little bit of faith to accept the things that we don't comprehend.
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