Exposure to perverted media will corrupt us

A reader sent me the following story by an unknown author.

A father had a family rule forbidding his children from attending PG-13 or R rated movies. His three teenagers wanted to see a popular PG-13 movie playing at the local theater. The teens interviewed friends and their family’s church members to find out what was offensive in the movie. They listed the movie’s pros and cons hoping to convince their father to allow them to see it.

The cons were: it contained only three curse words, the only violence was a building exploding (something you see on TV all the time, they said). You did not see the couple in the movie having sex; it was implied off-camera.

The pros were that it was a blockbuster movie, everyone was seeing it. If the teens saw the movie then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good story, an adventurous plot, with many suspenseful moments. The special effects were fantastic. The movie stars were among the most talented actors in Hollywood. It probably would be nominated for several awards. Many members of their Christian church had seen the movie and said it was not “that bad.”

Since there were more pros than cons, the teens were asking their father to reconsider his position on this one movie and give them permission to see it.

The father looked at the list and thought for a few minutes. He said he could tell his children had spent time and thought on this request. He asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision.

The teens thought to themselves, “We’ve got him! Our arguments are well thought out. Dad cannot turn us down.” So, they happily agreed to let him have a day to consider their request.

The next evening the father called his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, into the living room. On the coffee table he had a plate of brownies. The teens were puzzled. The father told his children he had thought about their request and had decided that if they would eat a brownie then he would let them go to the movie. However, just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons.

The pros were: I made them with the finest chocolate and other good ingredients. They had the added bonus of tasty walnuts in them. The brownies were moist and fresh with wonderful chocolate frosting on top. He made these fantastic brownies using an award-winning recipe. Best of all, the hands of their own loving father made the brownies.

The brownies had only one con. The father had included a little bit of dog poop. However, he had mixed the dough well. They probably could not taste it. He had baked them at 350 degrees, so he had probably destroyed any bacteria or germs from the dog poop.

Therefore, if any of his children could eat the brownies that included just a “little bit of crap” and not be affected by it, he knew they could see the movie with “just a little bit of filth” and not be affected. His teenagers would not eat the brownies and the smug smiled left their faces. Only Dad was smiling as they left the room.

If we constantly eat unhealthy food, we become unhealthy. If we keep exposing ourselves to perverted mass media, our minds and souls will become corrupt. Jesus said, “If your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp gives you light with its rays.” (Lk 11:36) Take in only what is good for you.