Religion, Sex, and Politics

To balance out my blog, in keeping with its title, I’ve been waiting for a story on sex that riled me up a bit. I got close on the story of the California mother of six who gave birth in January to octuplets. A single mom [corrected], she now has sole responsibility for 14 children, eight of whom are infants. There is no way those children are going to get the parental attention children need. And clearly, she has obligated others - including the taxpayers of her state - to help shoulder the responsibility and costs. But it’s so blatantly stupid that I didn’t comment... until now.

But here’s the story that got me going today: In the UK, the government has issued a new guide to help parents talk to their children about sex. And one of their pieces of advice is that parents should not tell their children what is right or wrong regarding sex. They should let the children decide for themselves.

The article in the UK Daily Mail (dailymail.co.uk) dated Feb. 27, 2009, is titled:
"Parents should NOT tell their children what is 'right or wrong' about having sex, say ministers"

(Please note that "ministers" here does not mean clergy, but government officials!)

The article contains this passage:

But, while parents are warned against giving moral guidance, they are encouraged to get their children to use condoms and other contraception from the age of 13.

How ludicrous and dangerous that it's OK to give condoms but not guidance! Parents are not supposed to share their value system with their children (says the UK government)? The mature are not supposed to pass on wisdom about this life-altering topic to the immature? And if you hand your 13-year-old birth control and say nothing, you have just sent a fuzzy message about right and wrong without saying a word.

When I meet people who, as adults, are still searching and wandering and unsteady and desperate for a solid foundation - because no one in their childhood ever bothered to give them clear, solid, healthy values for living - I say, "he/she was 'raised by wolves.'" By that, I mean that this poor soul was left to be raised by the culture, left to the wild forces around them for guidance and truth. No wonder they, as adults, live in a constant state of desperation and chaos.

And the metaphor "wolves" certainly seems to apply when we surrender our children's values and decisions about sexuality to the culture and the voices who will be glad to step in and tell them what’s right and wrong, exploiting their bodies for someone else's profit.

So the government is telling us how to manage our values on sexuality? These are the same people who penetrate White House interns with cigars, who pick up homosexual partners in airport restrooms, who are listed as "Client #9" on some high-end pimp's list of regulars. The most casual of Google searches on government scandal turns up headlines like:

Sex For Oil Scandal At Interior Department
September 10, 2008

Senior diplomat resigns in sex scandal
April 28, 2007

Senator's Number on 'Madam' Phone List
July 10, 2007

And the very same attitudes that have led these UK government officials to want to usurp the parental role, or squelch the parental role, can be found among people in office in our own country.

Parents, your children need YOUR values and guidance. They don't need to be raised by "wolves," even if the wolves have a governmental title. No, they may not follow your values, or heed your guidance. But at least they will know where you stand and why, and that will provide them a solid foundation as they build their own lives, one choice at a time.