It isn’t often that I watch any kind of criminal investigation shows. You know all the CSI’s, Criminal Minds, Cold Case. . . shows like these. I don’t like watching the horrendous things that happen to people. But, last night I did end up watching Cold Case with Joshua, and perhaps we should have turned it off, but I just couldn’t believe what I was watching. CBS managed to make a complete mockery of abstinence before marriage, purity pledges, and promise rings. I found myself rather enraged!
You could go to the CBS website and watch the show, but here is the summary:
The show opens with a teacher handing out a paper with contraceptive suggestions to students and reminding them of the importance of “safe sex.” A girl in the back raises her hand and mentions abstinence and she is essentially mocked as unrealistic and stupid. The show progresses as we meet Carrie (the school tramp) and see her immodest dress and sexual habits. We also meet the students who have formed a “Waiting Hearts Club” which is lead by a 22 year old local youth pastor. Carrie decides that she is tired of being trampy and wants to give “Second Virginity” a try, so she joins the club. As she joins, all the internal struggles in the club become unveiled. A dating couple has recently slipped up and fear pregnancy, one guy in the group is having gay thoughts, and another girl has been going to the youth pastor and confessing her sexual sin to him. And it is infered that the youth pastor is masturbating. All of these “christian” kids are worrying about God hating them, while Carrie is portrayed as a well adjusted teen who sees herself as worth something. She also counsels her struggling peers with advice like, “its okay if you have sex, God’s not going to hate you.” Or to the boy struggling with gay thoughts, “God understands, why don’t you tell the others in the group about these thoughts.” In the end the christian kids can’t live with Carrie knowing their inner struggles so they decide to kill her. One student quotes a passage from Deuteronomy about stoning the immoral and so these kids surround Carrie and stone her to death.
When the show ended Joshua turned to me and said, “So who’s the hero? And who’s the bad guy?” Isn’t it awful how the media is portraying Christianity and morality? I was angry, upset, and then really saddened by what I had viewed. Is this how the world see’s Christian teens- hypocritical and messed up?
I am thankful for God’s faithfulness in my life and the lives of those I see around me. There are many evidences of His grace abounding to help us in our temptations to sin. There are many who have commited to remain pure before marriage, and even though it can be difficult it can be done!!! God is able to help us in our weaknesses. I’ve talked with people who have been like Carrie and are trying to change, and others who are confessing Christians struggling to remain pure. Thank God it doesn’t end up like the show and that we have a wonderful gospel that is true!!!
Home 
This has totally happened to me. Whether it’s the one reality TV character you DON’T want to align themselves with Christianity or the news specials on angry fighters who wield their Bibles like a sword (don’t they know the whole armor of God passage is a metaphor??), I always wince when I see this kind of portrayal of not just the association of Christianity with the antiquated idiot, but the secret underpinnings of a Christian culture filled with facade and duplicity. Kiiiiiiills me.
Yeah, I re-read 38B and was like – huh. That floated up out of my subconscious as a plane seat, but that just ain’t what it really is.