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Sex Scandals Over the last month a number of sex scandals have rocked the college sports world. First there was the Penn State case, where assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky, was charged with over 40 accounts of child molestation. Those individual cases range from 1994 to as late as 2009. Not only has this man been charged but several school officials were charged with perjury as some helped to cover up the incidences. Legendary head football coach, Joe Paterno, was dismissed from the team and the school president was forced to resign. As a side point, Jerry Sandusky in 1977 founded an organization called “The Second Mile” as a charity to help young boys. In 1999 he retired from coaching but remained connected to the school. Since that time an assistant basketball coach with Syracuse was fired after being charged with sexual misconduct. After a little searching on the internet I found numerous cases where coaches were either charged or found guilty of sexual misconduct. For example, a Sacramento, CA high school coach was sentenced to four years after being convicted of molesting 6 teenage boys. A Canadian Hockey coach was charged with 350 counts of sexual assault. A Colorado basketball coach hanged himself after being charged with sexual involvement with some of his players. Not all of the sexual crimes were committed by coaches or connected to sports. Over the last number of years teachers have been charged and found guilty of having sex with underage students. In an article dated, December 5, 2011, titled “Recent Charges of Sexual Abuse of Children in Hollywood, Just tip of the iceberg”, was found on FoxNews.com. The article says that a composer for Sesame Street was charged with coercing a child to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He was also charged with production of and distribution of child pornography. The list goes on and on. I think you get the picture. We read in Romans 1 of the sins and moral bankruptcy of the Roman society. Homosexuality and using children was common place in that time period. Many of the key Greek scholars such as Plato and Socrates were engaged in homosexual activity. Part of the educational system of that time encouraged homosexual activity. “Sons of nobility received their education at the court of the prince in the setting of a guild companionship of warriors. The young nobleman was educated through the counsel and example of an older man in whom he had been entrusted or had entrusted himself. The ideal of Greek love developed in this atmosphere of male camaraderie. It idealized homosexuality and especially pederasty, or “boy love.” (At The Feet of The Master Teacher by Daniel King, page 17.) In speaking about the Greek philosophy and their stressing of the individual the following was said, “But to their detriment we must hasten to add that they also fostered the idea (reinvigorated during and after the Renaissance) that every individual is a law to himself “(At The Feet of The Master Teacher, page 16.) While much of the sexual sins listed above dealt with homosexuality it is not confined to homosexuality. Men taking advantage of young girls and women taking advantage of young boys happens today in many places. So what are some things we as parents, athletes, coaches, and Christians are to keep in mind. First, as parents our job is to bring our children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, Ephesians 6.4. This means to discipline them, which includes talking with and protecting them. In the above mentioned article on sexual abuse in Hollywood it states that in many cases the parents either left their children alone with people they did not know and/or looked the other way. Their children were making money and they did not want to endanger their gravy train. As parents we need to be aware of who our children are with. This includes their coaches, teachers, and other grownups. This does not mean that every coach or teacher or adult is a sexual predator but it means we must think about these things. Most likely if your child is sexually assaulted it will not be by a total stranger but by someone who is trusted. Second, children are easy targets for sexual abuse. In our society there is very little that is considered deviate or wrong. Homosexuality is now accepted as an “alternative lifestyle” and normal. Premarital sex, extra-marital sex, and other activities are all seen as private and no one else’s business. Part of the reason is because our social media, entertainment, and even education are guilty of promoting the homosexual agenda. Don’t believe me, notice the number of shows featuring homosexual characters. Look at the books some of our young people are being told to read and their messages. We as parents need to explain to our children God’s desire for marriage and it consists of one man and one woman, Matthew 19.4. One area people do see as being wrong is adults having sex with children. However, child pornography is big business. In the article “Recent Charges of Sexual Abuse in Hollywood…” Corey Feldman, a one-time child actor and victim of child abuse offered insight. Feldman, 40, unflinchingly warned of the world of pedophiles who are drawn to the entertainment industry last August. ”I can tell you that the No. 1 problem in Hollywood was and is and always will be pedophilia,” Feldman told ABC’s Nightline. “That's the biggest problem for children in this industry... It's the big secret.” Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/12/05/recent-charges-sexual-abuse-children-in-hollywood-just-tip-iceberg-experts-say/#ixzz1fmI54xJs What does this mean to us? Keep this in mind. Hollywood makes movies and shows to entertain but also to advance an agenda. Just as Hollywood producers, writers, and actors have advanced pre-marital sex, homosexuality, etc. so they will eventually endorse a more lenient attitude toward pedophilia. We already have certain groups doing just that. The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA) is a pedophile and pederasty advocacy organization in the United States that works to abolish age of consent laws criminalizing adult sexual involvement with minors. While this is not an easy subject to write or preach about it is necessary in order to warn those who may not be aware of some of the dangers our young people face. Let us take heed and beware of those wolves in sheep’s clothing. --Dennis Tucker
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