Learning to Discern-the problem
1) DESENSITIZATION
We are in a very real war between good and evil. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12. It is a covert war within each of us, yet it's casualties are more than any war that has ever been fought. The stakes are high, not only physical death, but eternal death. We must not treat this subject casually.
Before we can address the need to discern, we need to identify the problem. Unless we arrive at a crisis, we will not see the urgent need to change our attitudes and behaviors. Beloved, we are facing a crisis!
de·sensi·ti·zation. The mitigation of an individual's emotional response to a distressing stimulus by repeated exposure to or imagination of that stimulus.
Everyday we are being bombarded with media, and I don't mean just the news. I'm talking about TV, music, video games, internet, magazines, and movies. Our mind is like a computer which compiles information and images that are filed away and stored permanently. The more frequent any type of image or information is presented, the larger that file will be. The larger the file, the more prominent place it will take in our minds.
Sad to say, many of us have become accustomed and desensitized to what we see and hear. We accept these as part of our daily lives. Little by little we are entering an arena of utter moral decay where evil is good and good is evil.
My wife and I recently painted our kitchen a deep red colour. First we used a tinted primer that made the room appear pink. Then we applied several coats of paint. Gradually the room turned deep red after the many applications. So much so, that you couldn't even tell that the room had once been white.
We saw a mid 1950's poster of a playboy centerfold, which was very controversial at the time. She was clothed much more than, say, a Calvin Klein ad of today, yet no one has a problem with that anymore because we have been desensitized. Pre-marital and extra marital sex have been made socially acceptable, so long as you "play safe" (use a condom), as if the biggest problem is getting pregnant or getting a disease.
When I was a teenager, there was a big issue about backwards masking in our music. Today they don't even mask the lyrics, but say it straight up! Once again, to avoid legal action, the recording companies slap on a label saying "parental advisory" and now this garbage is okay to pump into the minds of kids.
Do we have a problem yet? Desensitization, the first part of the problem. The next part...Denial!
We are in a very real war between good and evil. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12. It is a covert war within each of us, yet it's casualties are more than any war that has ever been fought. The stakes are high, not only physical death, but eternal death. We must not treat this subject casually.
Before we can address the need to discern, we need to identify the problem. Unless we arrive at a crisis, we will not see the urgent need to change our attitudes and behaviors. Beloved, we are facing a crisis!
de·sensi·ti·zation. The mitigation of an individual's emotional response to a distressing stimulus by repeated exposure to or imagination of that stimulus.
Everyday we are being bombarded with media, and I don't mean just the news. I'm talking about TV, music, video games, internet, magazines, and movies. Our mind is like a computer which compiles information and images that are filed away and stored permanently. The more frequent any type of image or information is presented, the larger that file will be. The larger the file, the more prominent place it will take in our minds.
Sad to say, many of us have become accustomed and desensitized to what we see and hear. We accept these as part of our daily lives. Little by little we are entering an arena of utter moral decay where evil is good and good is evil.
My wife and I recently painted our kitchen a deep red colour. First we used a tinted primer that made the room appear pink. Then we applied several coats of paint. Gradually the room turned deep red after the many applications. So much so, that you couldn't even tell that the room had once been white.
We saw a mid 1950's poster of a playboy centerfold, which was very controversial at the time. She was clothed much more than, say, a Calvin Klein ad of today, yet no one has a problem with that anymore because we have been desensitized. Pre-marital and extra marital sex have been made socially acceptable, so long as you "play safe" (use a condom), as if the biggest problem is getting pregnant or getting a disease.
When I was a teenager, there was a big issue about backwards masking in our music. Today they don't even mask the lyrics, but say it straight up! Once again, to avoid legal action, the recording companies slap on a label saying "parental advisory" and now this garbage is okay to pump into the minds of kids.
Do we have a problem yet? Desensitization, the first part of the problem. The next part...Denial!
posted by Peter J. at 1:30 PM
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