The Fall of an Icon

Whether it be the rituals of religion or the whims of the world, the standards of mankind today have become progressively more lax and lenient toward idols, icons and ideas that leave an emptiness that demands greater and greater satisfaction to fill the never ending void of man’s inner quest for contentment. What touches our lives today has lost any modicum of modesty, morality or meaning. We care little of the result of our love affair with what the world offers as acceptable as it spins faster and faster toward the brink of disaster. Today’s liberal generation has been weaned on violence, immorality and selfish ideals. What has been and will continue to be the result of this modern day idolatry, this continual thirsting for the “gods” of self-gratification? How long will God remain silent to this spiritual decay?

Greed, lust and the demand for the bizarre drives the majority of society to yearn for more than just the ordinary. The world of entertainment has played to this intense desire by spinning out every conceivable and vile thought of our imagination with a desire to capture the craving of the hungry masses? No avenue is left untouched, no class left unscathed by the hype that invades every household around the world. We have become a society with a fixation, an insatiable appetite for the wild, the wicked and the weird. Books such as Goosebumps fill the minds of children with the sinister world of the supernatural, allowing Satan entrance into impressionable minds by desensitizing them to the dangers of the forces of darkness and evil. With a casual attitude of indifference and unconcern, we shrug off any attempt to thwart or destroy this escalating infatuation by conscientious groups who see our precarious position. Where will it all end? How can we fight the forces that seem bent on darkening all that represents our Christian values, and dare we take a stand against it without fear of condemnation or ridicule by those who see nothing wrong with filling their minds with such an unhealthy diet.

Has the world of movies, music, magazines and the media gone too far? Do we wander after the beast of sensationalism with an intense desire for forbidden fruit? Even the cartoons that are meant to fascinate the innocent, the pure in heart, have become an avenue to distort and divert the mind from godly behavior. Have we forgotten our accountability to God, our family and society to portray decent and sound values that will lay a solid foundation for future generations? As a desperate society seeks to drive back the pervading forces of evil, of ungodliness, where do we turn, where do we place our trust? We must ever be aware that the wheels of immorality and self indulgence know no bounds, and fueled by the desire of Satan to destroy mankind, they continue to mount unrestrained. Can we stem the tide of this raging monster or must we hear the pitiful words of God to Hosea.. “they are joined to their idols, let them alone” (Hosea 4:17) Will our heady, high-minded, obstinate love of pleasure and our unwillingness to repent of our obsession leave Satan in control of our eternal destiny?

Disney, an icon for many years, an image of “wholesome” family entertainment has fallen victim to the lure of the immoral, greed-oriented empire of Hollywood and the demand for the lurid and the sensational. They have stepped into the arena of offensive films that are less than family friendly...Priest, Pulp Fiction, The Crying Game. Disney-owned Hyperion Press published Growing Up Gay for children. Disney-owned Hollywood Records produces the death metal band Danzig. Disney-owned ABC television network broadcasts the shows Ellen, NYPD Blue, Spin City and a new anti-Christian series beginning Sept 1997 called Nothing Sacred. Disney theme parks host the annual “Gay Days” without the knowledge of vacationing families. Many of the movies produced by Disney such as Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Pocahontas are not age sensitive, and many have hidden anti-Christian messages that taint the spiritual and moral fiber of our children. Should concerned Christians and parents be alarmed at the what is being passed off as acceptable today? It’s time to be bold, energetic, unwavering champions of righteousness and purity to a dying and deceived world, boycotting that which projects corrupted values.

The “love of money” has truly been the downfall and the driving force behind the multi-million dollar industries whose passion for gain has played havoc with a complacent, self-indulgent society who longs for the excitement that reaches into the very core of their weakened humanity and satisfies their every desire. Since there is no outcry from the public to stay this constant outpouring of Hollywood hype, the madness continues. Have we passed on to our children a passion for purity and godliness, or a pitiful, passive attitude of acceptance with no responsibility to God or man? Do others see Christ in our behavior or the image of the world stamped upon our heart? The future of our children rests upon our shoulders, what legacy are we leaving them? A vision of the glory and majesty of our creator or the blindness and pride of a self-absorbed creation?

For God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6). Ready or not, God will come and he will not keep silent to our iniquity. The most urgent need of mankind today is a revival of true godliness. For this we must believe, pray and act now before it’s too late!