Follow Up: America and Illicit Industry

This is a follow-up blog from my post on September 28th, 2011.

Dare I say I'm proud of American families?  Well, I'm certainly thankful to God for conviction He placed on the hearts of families that "play" together.  And yes, by "play", I mean "watch t.v.". 

The notice recently came out about NBC's TV show "The Playboy Club", being cut after just 3 episodes.  According to Reuters, the Parents Television Council stated, "We're pleased that NBC will no longer be airing a program so inherently linked to a pornographic brand that denigrates and sexualizes women".

Here's the full article from Reuters:  Parents Television Council Crows About 'Playboy Club' Cancellation

For the record, I'm no follower of the Parents Television Council, and so I don't promote their work in general.  I appreciate what they've stood for in this instance, though.

Here's the call from Parents Television Council to its followers regarding 'The Playboy Club': 
Stop NBC Airing [of] The Playboy Club

Most of television is driven by numbers, so we're told.  I wouldn't disagree.  But, I'm not naive enough to believe that God had no part in it.  I'm also not naive enough to believe that Satan is no longer king of the earth.  I am, however, gutsy enough to believe that people are still moved by the things that God cares about - whether they know this as the reason or not. 

Inside each of us is a place where God, alone, can fit.  And in this God-spot, there is a piece of His spirit infusing us with Him as we allow Him to do so.  It's a spirit-transfusion, and it's constant.  This is the place where the injustice of allowing degrading t.v. shows and abusive situations continue is questioned and is fired up.  This is  the place where, when we've located it within ourselves, we know that we can make decisions based on what we know to be true there. 

There's a God-shaped hole in all of us
And the restless soul is searching
There's a God-shaped hole in all of us
And its a void only He can fill

-Plumb, God-Shaped Hole 

 

America and Illicit Industry

Just found this quote on a Yahoo! article, a comment made by LeAnn Rimes' husband Eddie Cibrian, a star in the new t.v. show "The Playboy Club":

"When we come on to the set, we get transformed into this world that we're trying to bring to America, to kind of give a glimpse of what it was inside this Playboy Club. So it's fun," he said.*

I have no hate for Mr. Cebrian.  Perhaps it is because I have been out of America, and seen the ugliness of illicit industries such as pornography, but this statement saddens me greatly.  Is this the voice of America: to make pornography a bigger part of our world?  An actor's words are heard and seen by untold numbers of people.  Is he speaking for America?  He is not speaking for me.

But if I turn on my t.v. and watch this show, I am supporting not only the show, but the actor, the director, the writers, the network, and the message.  I cannot knowingly support such.  Not when I've seen young children and women who are thrust in the middle of sex slavery, heard their terror stories, and seen the devastation it's causet them.  It's unthinkable.

Have you ever seen the movie "Taken"?  What happens in this movie is real.  This happens to hundreds of thousands of females every day all over the world.  Most of them end up in America.  We're already in a bad spot.  Why make it worse?

Because this world is fueled by the intentions of a fallen angel.  And the allure of fame, fortune, and power are too much for some to walk away from.

So what can I do?  I can not watch the show.  I can post this blog.  I can explain to people why I won't watch the show if it comes up in conversation.  Most importantly, I can pray to combat the root issue: the intentions of that fallen angel. And I can rest in the promise that the One who speaks through me is even greater than the one who is using Mr. Cibrian.

And knowing that you, as a reader, may have no interest in the ethical dilemma this presents, look at the economical.  Hypothetically, say you indirectly participate by watching this show.  You pay the salary of the director and all other entertainment participants, you pay for the ideas from the pimps, you pay for the abuse to the enslaved, you pay for their voyage to America.  Then, you pay for their healthcare, their housing, their potential drug usage (as many are forcefully addicted by the traffickers), their recovery, their usage of public facilities, and, very quickly, their death costs.  You lose money overall, because you think you're only paying for a cable bill or an internet bill now, when you are the one who foots the bill for their cost of living eventually.

"...every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.... You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them."    I John 4:3a,4-5



*See the full Yahoo! article here: Eddie Cibrian Defends LeAnn Rimes: She 'Eats More Than I Do Sometimes'