Video cell phones.
iPods. PlayStations. Standard accessories in many homes today. Are you aware of
their potential danger? While these hand-held devices offer many good things,
they are also a potential source of enormous danger—pornography.
Women’s
Ministries, in partnership with the National Coalition for the Protection of
Children and Families, is calling women and their friends to prayer for the
protection of the children in the United States from the onslaught of
pornography that is available through wireless technology. While this is a
world-wide problem, this initiative is designed for the United States since this is the
focus of the National Coalition. Even as we pray for and educate United States
families, let’s include children and families world-wide in our prayers.
Here
are some facts as presented by Dr. Jerry Kirk, founder of the National
Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, at a recent meeting of
Women’s Ministries leaders.
• 75% of the first exposure to pornography happens on a
public computer.
• The average age for the first exposure to pornography
is between 8 and 8 ½ years of age.
• Less than 20% of Christian home uses filtering and
blocking systems.
• The average teenager is exposed to over 14,000 sexual
messages a year. Less than 2% of these have any reference to abstinence,
self-discipline, or sexually transmitted diseases.
In addition to a
call to prayer, this initiative will help to educate parents and other
concerned individuals about these dangers. Many people purchase these hand-held
devices unaware of the potential to receive pornography materials and how to
use the filtering and blocking systems. Unfortunately, the filtering and
blocking systems are available, but it is left to the purchasers to inquire
about them. Education, therefore, becomes an important piece of this
initiative.
Women’s
Ministries has prepared a booklet to assist district and local congregations
who wish to implement “I Care…About Children” in their communities. Together we
can protect children from the dangers and damage caused by pornography.
Click here for a
link to this booklet. If you wish to receive the booklet as a Word document for
reproduction, please email Women’s Ministries at
lhardin@nazarene.org.