12 FOUNDATION STONES—CLASS 12A WHAT ARE THE STANDARDS? GOING GOD'S WAY, PART 1.2 ----------------------------------------------- Section 3: Trends and Fads ----------------------------------------------- * Whose influence? Romans 12:2—And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 1 Corinthians 7:31b—The form of this world is passing away. Colossians W:8—Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Worldly influences are all around in many forms, surrounding us in ways we don't often think about—through advertising, fashion magazines, newspapers, the people you see in the movies or on TV. They're all constantly trying to influence us and to mold our thought patterns—movie stars, sports heroes, musicians and rock stars, that beautiful girl on the billboard or that hunk of a man you see in a commercial. Some are genuinely beautiful—God's creations, the way He made them—but many are false images, unreal, synthetic, not natural. These images motivate people to act or think or strive for a certain thing, or a certain look, a certain thrill, most of which they can never attain. It's all very subtle, but a very real thing. The "ideal" figure: An example of a common trend The media can distort a girl's concept of beauty. The desire to be as slim as models, pop stars, and actresses can result in eating disorders—anorexia and bulimia—that damage the lives of tens of thousands of young people every year, some fatally. Much blame for this has been laid at the door of the media and fashion industry. > What is a beautiful figure? "I stopped buying fashion magazines completely when I was about 24," wrote one woman. "Comparing myself to the models had a very strong and negative impact." Indeed, one mother of a girl with an eating disorder speaks of the "unrelenting publicity in our newspapers and magazines and television advertising to be thin, thin, thin." She says: "Both my daughter and I like being slender, but we feel the constant barrage turns it into the most important thing in life, ahead of everything." Clearly, recovering from an eating disorder may require adopting new beliefs about what constitutes genuine beauty. According to an article in the British Daily Telegraph newspaper, anorexic models will be banished from the pages of women's magazines in the United Kingdom under a voluntary code agreed by editors. The announcement was made at a Body Image Summit organized by the government, following a damning report by the British Medical Association that claimed the media obsession with thin women was one of the main causes of eating disorders reaching a record level. Concerns have been raised about the thinness of models, actresses and singers who are seen as role models by young women. Research shows that there are 60,000 people with eating disorders in Britain. One in 10 sufferers are male, but the majority are young women. > Following the dictates of fashion can be harmful to health, plus a waste of money and time There's nothing wrong with looking nice, but today things are getting out of hand. Some people go to extremes to adjust their looks, just so they can be what they think is more beautiful. It's gotten so far out of hand these days that in some places it's even fashionable to use plastic surgery or dyes to snip it, tuck it, inflate it, deflate it, color it—you name it! When someone gets so immersed and obsessed with fashion and fads, it can grow and grow until that's all they can think about. Psalm 1:1—Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. * In contrast, God's beauty is simplicity Real beauty is more than skin deep: 1 Peter 3:4—Rather let it [beauty] be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. Psalm 90:17a—And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. Proverbs 31:30—Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. * The balance: Taking care of the temple The Lord does expect you to take good care of yourself, for you are His temple: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20—Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? (20) For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. The requirements of good health are proper exercise, cleanliness, food, sleep, and right living. Do take good care of yourself. Endeavor to stay fit and you'll feel better for it and be a better witness. For instance, someone who is truly overweight can be liable to health problems, so it is good to find a way to get to the correct weight. If you have a weight problem, you're not going to shed those pounds overnight, just like you didn't put them on overnight. You'll lose them gradually, and the best ways to do so are the old tried–and–proven methods that have worked for thousands of years: Eat less fattening foods and exercise more. A normal amount of body care and staying in good health and good shape is good, but tampering with your body and trying to change things that don't need changing is another story. ----------------------------------------------- * Points to consider What do you think is taken to an extreme as far as diets, clothing, etc? How can you make the right choices as far as clothing and style? Some questions you may want to ask yourself include: Is this style appropriate in my culture? Can I afford this? Are advertisements sweeping me up or do I genuinely need this item? Can you think of other guidelines? ----------------------------------------------- Section 4: God's Guidance vs. Media Manipulation ----------------------------------------------- Music, TV, films, books—how does the Lord see them? Let's look first at music. * The wonders of music The Lord loves music. He created it for our listening pleasure as well as a vehicle for His message. He also created certain kinds of music for fun and enjoyment—tunes that strike a chord in our hearts to thrill us and energize us to dance and jump for joy. David of old "danced before the Lord with all his might" (2 Samuel 6:14a).—And then there are melodies that comfort us in time of trial, Heavenly notes that float into our hearts to heal and soothe, just as David played music: 1 Samuel 16:23— [He] would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well. Music plays an important role in our lives. It touches emotions that sometimes even words cannot express. It's a beautiful expression of the heart and has a special communication with the precious inner feelings the Lord has placed within each one of us. It can be a very emotional experience, both good and bad. Some music can bring warmth and calmness, clarity of thought and inspiration.—Other music can bring on confusion, aggression and depression. * Choosing the music you listen to Music is spiritual. Therefore, it is advisable to use wisdom in deciding what music you listen to. Whether it is contemporary or classical, it takes discernment to judge what is edifying and what is not. If a piece of music makes you feel depressed, moody, confused or aggressive, then it's probably not inspired by the Lord! But if it makes you feel love, joy, happiness, peace, excitement, or compassion, then chances are that He inspired it. There are many contemporary musicians and composers who play some nice tunes. However, some of the music performed and composed by these musicians can be sad and melancholic and can cause emotional grief. The Bible admonishes us to "discern between good and evil": Hebrews 5:14b—...Those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Psalm 34:1a—Depart from evil and do good. Listening indiscriminately to ungodly music by ungodly artists—or even a particular piece of music that induces negative emotions in you even though you normally enjoy this artist—can bring you spiritual problems, whatever the genre of the music. Uninspiring music will take a toll on you! Something you hear doesn't have to make much sense or have much meaning, but it can still take hold and be repeated over and over and over countless times. And once it gets stuck in your head, it's hard to get rid of it. Have you ever noticed how the soundtrack of a certain commercial will stick in your mind? Hasn't it ever happened to you that you've heard a song and then the melody and words just kept running through your mind over and over? Then months or even years later, when you thought you'd long forgotten that song, suddenly it pops back into your mind. You need to be careful about what you're feeding your spirit, which means trying to avoid listening to uninspiring music. * The darker side Much modern music is a powerful vehicle for the Devil's message and propaganda of hate, destruction, hopelessness, and even downright Satan worship. The horrific message of some modern music seeps into the hearts and minds of the listeners and poisons their very souls, drowning out the voice of God's Spirit and the good and encouraging thoughts He's trying to give them. Those who are constantly bombarded with the devilish lyrics and hellish sounds, find themselves depressed, confused, and completely void of any positive goals or inspiration for living.—Or worse yet, some of that devilish music even leads its adherents to drugs, hatred of other races or the opposite sex, violence or suicide! It's so sad! * Other forms of media manipulation 2 Kings 17:15—[In this verse, talking about the children of Israel, it says:] And they rejected His statutes and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed idols, became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. The same applies to other forms of modern media besides music, such as television, movies, newspapers, radio, the Internet, etc. Does what you watch, read, or listen to motivate you to be loving and helpful to others? Does it encourage you and leave you with positive, happy feelings? Or does it bring you down the slippery slopes of depression or provoke you to aggression? TV Violence and Values The simplicity of the experiment at the day-care center and the starkness of the results stunned the parents. When a class of two- to five-year-olds watched public television's big-hearted purple dinosaur, "Barney," they sang along, marched along, held one another's hands, and laughed together. The next day, the same class watched the aggressive teenage avengers, "Power Rangers." Within minutes, they were karate-chopping and high-kicking the air—and one another. "Even though the goal of these programs isn't to teach, our kids are learning because they're always learning," says David Walsh of the National Institute on Media and the Family, who conducted the experiment. According to the National Television Violence Study, prime-time violence, on both broadcast and cable networks, has increased since 1994. The study also concluded that the way violence is portrayed in most instances—glamorized, sanitized, and without negative consequences—poses a serious risk to children. "These patterns teach children that violence is desirable, necessary, and painless," says Dale Kunkel of the University of California at Santa Barbara, where the study was done. * * * Addressing a United Nations-sponsored conference on education in Melbourne, Ms. Diane Tilmann, an American educational psychologist, cited recent United States statistics on television viewing habits which found that the average 11-year-old had watched 10,000 murders on television. * Avoid the negative! The Lord counsels us to avoid negative influence: Psalm 101:3—I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. Psalm 119:37—Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. Although magazines and newspapers might seem to be neutral vehicles for conveying the news or other items of public interest, you must also realize that aside from providing a service they also have an agenda. The management and editorial staff have views which they want to convey to their readership. Those views may not necessarily be wrong or opposed to God's view on things but God's people ought to have discernment about what they read and not swallow everything hook, line and sinker. Romans 12:2—And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Proverbs 15:21—Folly is joy to him who is destitute of discernment, but a man of understanding walks uprightly. ----------------------------------------------- * Points to consider What influences you more: Television programs, music, the Internet, or magazines and newspapers? Give examples of when you noticed a positive or negative change in your mood after watching a movie. Which music do you like to listen to because it influences you in a good way and cheers you up when you're down? ----------------------------------------------- Section 5: Conflict Resolution ----------------------------------------------- When people are having a disagreement, the solutions that God offers contrast sharply with the world's! * God's answer: Love, humility, and prayer solve all problems Matthew 18:15—Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. Galatians 6:1—Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Timothy 2:24—And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient. Ephesians 4:32—And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. Abraham's good example Genesis 13:7–11—And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. The Canaanites and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram said to Lot, "Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left." And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt as you go toward Zoar. Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. > The way of the world: Violence, lying, aggression Proverbs 10:12—Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins. Proverbs 13:10—By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom. Proverbs 16:29—A violent man entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good. Proverbs 29:22—An angry man stirs up strife, and a furious man abounds in transgression. James 3:16—For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. > The two goats—a sample of humility A man walking in the mountains observed this scene: Two goats were making their way over a narrow path on the mountains. One was ascending the trial, the other descending. He also noticed that they must pass at a point where the trail was so narrow that there was room for only one goat. He watched to see what would happen. The animals rounded a turn in the path which brought them in full view of each other. They backed up, as though ready for a lunge, and then the most amazing thing happened. The goat on the trail below laid down in the path, while the goat above him walked over his back. The first animal then arose and continued his journey up the trail. > How do wars begin? A boy once asked, "Dad, how do wars begin?" "Well, take the First World War," said his father. "That got started when Germany invaded Belgium." Immediately his wife interrupted him. "Tell the boy the truth. It began because somebody was assassinated." The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, "Are you answering the question or am I?" Turning her back upon him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door as hard as she could. When the dishes stopped rattling in the cupboard, an uneasy silence followed, broken at length by the son. "Daddy, you don't have to tell me how wars begin. I know now!" Some chilling stats In the last 3,421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war. The twentieth century came to a close with a third of the world's 193 nations embroiled in conflict. When the twentieth century began, the ratio of military to civilian casualties was 8:1. By the end of the century the ratio was 1:8. ----------------------------------------------- * Points to consider Consider the principle, "love, humility, and prayer solve all problems." How could that be applied to solve the conflicts that are currently raging? ----------------------------------------------- (continued in part 3)