“In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” (Matthew 18:14)
Make no mistake about it: We will be held accountable for the “little ones” that we lose. It’s a heck of a promise, but it’s one that God intends to keep because children are precious gifts in his eyes. So he will not listen to our excuses about why we didn’t pay closer attention to the threats on the moral fabric that he desires to weave into their lives.
My wife and I realized that our computer represents the greatest threat in our home to the moral fiber of our children. Properly used, it is a powerful asset, but it’s also the modern-day equivalent to matches for the child who is allowed to play on it without supervision. What’s more, you may never be able to put out the fire that your child starts from an addiction to pornography.
I can’t tell you how shocked we were to see some of the websites our children had visited. It required immediate and decisive action.
The first lesson we learned is that our children are just as literate on computers as we are. In other words, you’re not going to outsmart them without some help.
We turned to James Dobson’s organization, Focus on the Family, and found a wealth of information at their website, www.family.org. It was research largely from that website that convinced us to change Internet service providers to one that filters what our children may see. They’re not perfect, but they are a great asset and can help you police where your children are heading on the information highway. If you’re interested, look at American Family Online, Integrity Online, Mayberry USA, or Rated-G Online. All of these providers carry the endorsement of Morality in Media and offer high-quality, reliable connection services.
Another thing we realized is that our First Lady was right about something she once said: It really does take a village to raise a child.
I can’t tell you how surprised I was to hear that our public library does not use filters on its computers, so I visited our library this week to see for myself. Even though I sat within public view of the attending librarian, I found that my access was as about as open and unrestricted as if I were sitting in my own home.
Over 1600 public libraries across the nation have installed Internet filtering software on their computers, which begs the question, has your library installed filters on its computers?
For one thing, many library officials are afraid that such an action may bring a constitutional challenge on the grounds that it restricts free speech. In fact, it’s one of the first things that two of our library officials said to me, in spite of what the United States Supreme Court said in a 1973 landmark decision: “This much has been categorically settled by the court, that obscene material is unprotected by the First Amendment”.
I was even more saddened to learn that the American Library Association is discouraging public libraries from filtering Internet access. They’ve even published an article that offers instruction about how to by-pass filters when using computers that have them. “The role of libraries,” they say, “is to provide access to information that people want and need.”
It’s about time we stopped worrying about what the American Civil Liberties Union might do if our community takes a stand against pornography at its public library and worry about what God might do if we don’t. This much I know: When we face him, the ACLU and the American Library Association won’t be around to defend our silence.
Whether you like it or not, you have been called to serve as salt and light. If we are ever to have any chance to preserving Christian values in our communities, we’ve got to get off the sidelines and muster the courage to say, “Enough is enough”.
I can’t think of a better institution than the public library to begin to make a statement about what kind of community we desire. Our library officials need our support. I believe most of them agree with me and would love nothing better than to see a public library that is free of the decadence and filth that is perpetrating the minds of our children, but if they don’t hear from you, nothing will change.
Get on the phone and give them a call. Find out if they have filters installed on their computers. If they don’t, let them know that you support an effort to police what a library patron might be able to see or read on a computer that your tax dollars bought. Ask for the names and addresses of their board members and take the time to call or write them. Public response can and will make a difference.
Jesus once said, “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48) Take that verse to heart and lend the Lord a hand on this one.
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