Is There a Worldview “Agenda?”
Does this headline sound like a “conspiracy theory” lead in? Well, frankly, it is. The Wise Man wrote in Proverbs
1:10-11a; 13-16:
“My son, if sinners entice you, Do not consent. If they say, … ‘We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; Cast your lot among us, let us all have one purse,’ My son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil…”
It is obvious from the tenor of this passage that Solomon knew there would be those who would seduce his son to an evil way of life. It is interesting how much time they (the enticers) spend on “selling” their product. They sure make it sound as if there are no ill consequences. But Solomon knows different, for later on he says, “But they lie in wait for their own blood, they lurk secretly for their own lives.” (1:18) Keeping this in mind, observe these two accounts of study findings and then ask the above question for yourself: What is the Worldview “agenda?”
First, an article appeared in the September 2004 Pediatrics journal located on the website Pedia Link.org., entitled “Watching Sex on Television Predicts Adolescent Initiation of Sexual Behavior.” Without going into all the details, let me sum this study up by saying that they found that those adolescents, ages 12-17, who fell in the 90th percentile of TV sex viewing had a predicted probability of intercourse initiation that was approximately double that of youths in the 10th percentile. Exposure to TV that included only talk about sex was associated with the same risks as exposure to TV that depicted sexual behavior. Wow! This study appears to indicate that adolescents tend to behave according to modeled behavior. How many of you saw this very important finding on the evening news? Or did you see it headlined across the cover of any major news periodical? How many of you have actually heard of Pedia Link.com or knew of the Pediatrics journal before reading this newsletter? Probably not very many.
Two months later, this article appeared in the headlines section of the November 15, 2004 Fox News Channel: Teenage Kids of Same-Sex Parents Fare Well. It seems, according to the article reporting on a study by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health , that children of same-sex couples (at least they didn’t say families) were found to be no different than those of opposite-sex couples. “Regardless of whether they lived with same-sex or opposite-sex couples, adolescents whose parents reported having close and satisfying relationships with them were more likely to have made positive adjustments at school as well as at home.” Furthermore, the study showed that the adolescents, ages 12-18, whose mothers had same-sex partners were neither more or less likely than those whose mothers had opposite-sex partners to report that they were involved in a romantic relationship during the past year or that they had ever engaged in sexual intercourse.
Making every effort to put aside my emotional outrage at what I read, I will propose for you a couple of the issues I logically take with this study, at least as it is presented. To begin with, the study compared the incidence of sexual activity only between those in the study (naturally). However, the parameters of the study group are not defined. In other words, if they were to take the members of their study group from the 90th percentile of the study mentioned above (those who had double the incidence of sexual activity compared to those in the 10th percentile), then the findings will only reinforce a standard of promiscuity as being “normal.” If, on the other hand, those taken from the heterosexual households came from conservative, evangelical, and or homeschooled families – and they then produced the same conclusions, then we have a REAL study of import.
Secondly, the study was to have looked at three areas: romantic relationships, school adjustment, and psychological wellbeing of the adolescents. From a strictly Biblical worldview perspective, we would question any romantic relationship at this age. The current practice of dating and steady relationship has no foundation in the Bible and only prepares adolescents for shallow, non-committed relationships as they enter into marital relationships. So, studying this aspect begins with a benchmark that falls outside of a Biblical worldview. But, I editorialize. In order to establish a base line, necessary for determining deviation from that base line, one must know what is considered normal romantic behavior for an adolescent; if the current culture is used, then that base line could easily fall outside of the lines you and I would consider normal or acceptable. School adjustment I have already dealt with. But the last category, psychological well-being, is the one that makes me laugh. The study was being conducted by individuals who believe that same-sex relationships are psychologically normal! How would we know if these subjects were, indeed, psychologically imbalanced?
My last point in this article is to point to the source of this report: Fox News Channel. Not exactly Pedia Link.org. By placing this report in a media resource with the influence and prestige of the Fox News Channel, it takes on a much more legitimate ring, to say nothing of the exposure it will receive compared to that of Pedia Link. So, I ask you again: Is There a Worldview “Agenda?” I believe there is. “That which has been is what will be, that which is done will be done, and there is nothing new under sun.” Ecc. 1:9
