Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Abstinence VS Sex Education



This poster was created by a kid (don't know their age) in a school (don't know where) for a poster contest and they won first place. I thought it was pretty funny. And it brings me to the point of my blog. I'm getting tired of all the Palin-bashing! The media is frenetic and I want to scream "stop already!" What doesn't make sense to me is their pecking away at Sarah for promoting abstinence over sex education. I'm not going to criticize the Palin family for the choices each of them has made. They are human, like ALL of us. It is sad that a baby was conceived in that manner and it was wrong. What I want to point out though, is this. Why is it that everyone wants to claim the moral high ground when they are speaking of themselves but then insist on shoving everyone else's face in the mud when their mistakes are so out in the open. I wonder if their hidden flaws are any more wrong than ones that cannot be swept under a rug? Let's talk about sex education. The kind where you hear all about the birds and the bees and then are given "protection" to use, just in case you choose to have sex outside of marriage. First of all, this protection protects only against pregnancy. Why aren't parents AT LEAST concerned about all the diseases that their child WILL be exposed to. Forget for a moment the baby issue. Aren't the diseases reason enough for abstinence? And what then, about abortion? Wouldn't a mother want their daughter to know that having an abortion raises their risks of cancer? And that most women who are fully aware that the life they took was their own flesh and blood (and who haven't completely shut down their consciences) suffer the rest of their life knowing that they destroyed human life? So far, on one side of the scale we have dozens of communicable diseases, increase risk of cancer and psychological damage and on the other side of the scale we have physical, mental and spiritual health. But sex ed wins and to teach abstinence is weak. I don't understand it.

Let's look at it this way. Suppose your son or daughter is 15 and you send them off to take a driver's ed class. They learn all about the mechanics of driving, the rules of the road, and the consequences of breaking those rules. They come home and tell you all about it. You agree with them that they had a fabulous teacher and they must be well equipped to be on the road after such a wonderful class. "But there is one thing missing", you tell your child. You dig around in your closet and pull out a radar detector. You hand it to them and say, "You know what will happen if you speed and how expensive your ticket will be and that we can't afford to pay that ticket for you. So, plug this little box into the cigarette lighter and lay the box on your dash." And you go on to explain how it works. Then you say, "I know you are young and will be tempted to speed, so this will help you to avoid the consequences if you do decide to speed." There are parents out there that do that. There are also parents out there that wouldn't dream of doing that, but in the same breath they will give permission to their children for sexual "protection" to allow them to avoid natural consequences of sex before marriage. It's a double standard and it makes me ill! It's the same nation that wants to take One Nation Under God off our minds but will cry out to that same God when we face a terror like 9-11.

I hope we are all busy teaching our children a Christian worldview. And in these times, it means being very open and honest with them about what is going on in the real world and pointing out the flaws in thinking that God's spiritual laws can be avoided. His spiritual laws are just as real and valid as the physical laws. I always ask my kids, "If you jump off the roof of the house, will you go down? Every time?" I then explain that the spiritual laws (consequences) that God has set up can't be avoided any more than you can escape gravity here on Earth. Even though we can't see the spiritual laws, we can see the effects of them just as sure as we can see the effects of gravity. Not believing in gravity doesn't make it go away.

Take the time to talk to your kids! Teach them (at age appropriate times) about God designed sex and how abstinence is His idea! If you don't, someone else will and I can guarantee you, you won't like their version of the story.

11 comments:

Mary Ellen said...

REALLY enjoyed this blog Allana, I especially liked your comparison with the radar detector!!

Unknown said...

You are right on. Thanks for your insights. I think this subject is often overlooked in a lot of holiness circles and that is a mistake. I for one am not going to leave it up to someone else to tell my kids.

Faithe said...

Preach it, sister!! I agree 100%, and though we can't make our children's choices for them, as parents we certainly are responsible to train them in the way they should go. Thank the Lord there are still those in our country who do want to make a difference. I am SOOOO excited about our VP hopeful -- Sarah! She is a breath of fresh air. I'm praying our country wakes up and makes a wise choice in November!

Misty said...

Great post! I remember talking with a mom a couple of years ago that laughingly admitted she had never talked with her kids about sex...she has 3 teenagers!! I wanted to say "Get your head out of the sand!!" but hopefully I was a bit nicer than that.....

This is one thing that Wes and I both feel strongly about. I think our parents generation thought if you didn't talk about it, it wouldn't happen or we all heard "abstinence" but what about all the emotional attachments and breakups of early dating? What about all of the other physical activity that lead to more and more involvement? It was like it isn't "sex" so it is okay.

Okay, off my soapbox here!! :-)

Anonymous said...

You're right. The Palin family should be left alone. As you say, no one in the Palin family (including Bristol) should be criticized for the choices they made.

In fact, NO American should be criticized for the choices they make. Everyone should be free to make choices that are congruent with their morals and values. Too many people are passing judgment on other peoples' difficult decisions.

a tom said...

So true, so true. I have so many things I want to add and say to this, but that would make another blog. This thing about some one else giving MY child a condom without my knowing OR my permission enrages me.
You and I have had this talk before and it still scares me. I have been praying for Taylor and the boys over this same matter.
And speaking as a parent who has a child who is having a child, my heart is heavy for them. I know they are NO where near ready to be parents, but as THEIR parents, is it not better to support them then to be down on them and against them as the press is on the Palin girl and her fiance? I am not blessing the sin, but a baby is a a gift of God no matter how and when they were conceived. And to turn your back on any child, is wrong.

Jennifer said...

I agree 100%. You are totally correct about the school system. They give the condoms out and even supply a daycare for the babies. You also have to remember that you can talk and talk to your teen about morals and such and pray to God that they don't take that chance but when it comes down to it, some teens will no matter what! It hurts to know that they are taken a chance of taken a life, their own, in irresponsible hands.

O.k. I think I'm done.

A Moment in the Life of a Mother said...

I agree with you completely. As you know I'm not at that stage in my life with the girls but when that time comes, I hope to remember your blog. We need to teach them not only to abstaine from it but the reasons why we do not promote sex before marriage. A Biblical reason. I think you've done an outstanding job with this blog. Let's pray more parents see it an take action.

Florida Bozone Bunch said...

You have definitely hit a hot topic with me. In fact, I am in the process of writing my thoughts down too. The general public just does not get it. When will we learn that these decisions have such long lasting consequences. They could be avoided if we would live our lives according to God's plan. He truly had our best interest in mind. Great post!! Thanks for sharing your heart.

Tricia said...

I really liked this blog. I look forward to more like it. I like the look of your site too. Tricia Livesay Caruso

Scott and Libby said...

Wowzers girl!!! You did a super job. We should all stand up and take notice. Just because something is legal does not make it lawful. Abortion destroys families, the whole family. STD's and STI's are real concequences and lost purity damages our souls.