Modern Innocence: The Problem with Trivialising Lust and Ungodly Pleasure
Max Fenwick
Embedded Files
STATUE OF JESUS, IMAGE: ARTURO REY
Innocence has long been a Christian subject to scrutinise, prioritise, and more greatly understand. It was Jean Jaques Rousseau, however, who was among the first major Enlightenment thinkers to systematically frame childhood as a state of natural moral innocence that would become corrupted by society. He argued, contrasting Hobbes’ view that humans are naturally selfish and corrupt, that children are born sinless and their innocence, when not attended to, becomes increasingly impure as one grows older due to social pressures and oppressive laws. In scripture, we see Jesus’ emphasis on the beauty and importance of innocence for the human: In Matthew 19:13-14, Jesus says: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” In Mark 10:13-16, Jesus demonstrates indignation when children are turned away, declaring, “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all”. Again, we see that to be childlike is essential for God’s desired and fundamental concept of mankind. Finally, in Matthew 18:6, we see how strongly Jesus condemns the harm of children and the corruption of their innocence: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea”.
Jesus’ teachings on protecting children are clear: He welcomes them, values them, and warns against causing them harm. He calls us to guard their well-being, reflect His love, and ensure they are not hindered from coming to Him. These passages are fundamental for understanding His stance on the protection of children. A 'child-like' faith is ultimately important for any Christian, which should be characterised by 'child-like' behaviour. When I became a Christian, what struck me most about my transformation in habits, other than weekly worship, beautiful new friends, and the existential comfort that comes from knowing and loving Christ, was the return of playfulness, which had, during adolescence and the first two years at university, withered and dried in a chaos of hedonism and insecure drinking habits. When I returned to church, I was invited to lunch at my now very close friend’s house. We prayed and ate pizza, enjoying the beautiful simplicity of sharing each other’s company, the powerful, loving gift of God and proceeded to play board games. Within weeks, I had developed a rather expensive habit of Lego building, playing DnD and enjoying group reading sessions, as the nights of clubbing became an ever-fading memory. The healing and the subsequent embrace of my inner child has restored my identity, and after a rather difficult relationship and experience of abuse as a child, my love for Jesus as father has taught me that when we have, as the late great Tim Keller coins, “counterfeit Gods” in our lives, we run the risk of losing our concept of innocence. The gift that God gives us and the gift that God intends for us to remain faithful to for this mortal life and then eternity.
LIGHT THROUGH THE CLOUDS, IMAGE: BEN VAUGHN
Lust: The Commercialisation of Shameful Desire
When Keir Starmer announced a ban on showing fast food adverts before 9pm, I found it at first rather ludicrous and absurd that something as trivial as food should cause so much concern. Nonetheless, we see time and time again the increase in health concerns, both physical and mental, that such food can have on the individual. One large study showed that eating fast food regularly increases the risk of depression by 40%, as well as heart disease and gut microbiome disorders later in life. The answer to why fast food even exists, other than a quick fix to lunch, is the downplaying and ignorance of sin; the commercialisation of lust and consumerist culture. We see this everywhere. Whether it is the sexualisation of children’s superheroes made attractive for older generations to entice men’s obsession with lust and worldly pleasure, or the perverse obsession with superficial beauty we find on Love Island. The rise of dating apps in the last decade has seen an increase in the dehumanisation of dating and the emphasis on lust-based relationships. Now, from a quick glimpse at somebody’s appearance and a slight but most probably inconsequential perusal of the person’s character, a person is deemed suitable, perfect even for some. The narrowness of such perspectives comes from the weight and consequence of lust and, by extension, sin, which prevents us from enjoying the fulfilment and wholesomeness of trusting in Christ and his word to truly live and love others.
Sexual Freedom: The Trivialisation of Sex
Evolutionary biology generally describes sexual desire as a natural product of human evolution and hormones. But whether those desires should be acted on, questioned, restrained, or disciplined is a philosophical, ethical, cultural, or religious question – not something evolution itself answers. Failure to do so and with a coherent and grounded approach may cause harm to the adolescent and heighten the risk for teenage pregnancy, premature, misunderstood sexual experience and the exposure of pornography to under-18-year-olds. Barna Group’s UK-focused survey found that 15% of respondents had seen porn at ages as young as 10 or under. This, of course, is a consequence of neglect and a misunderstanding of the dangers of the internet, but the trivialisation of pornography is something which must be prevented and criticised. One must be aware of sexual curiosity, but it cannot be so casually left to one side. The Christian faith responds to this by ensuring sex is exclusive to commitment (i.e., marriage) and ensuring that a relationship is grounded in trust, love and respect, not finite lust. Sexual attraction is natural, God-given and essential for the procreation of mankind, but a lust which only aims to gratify the desires of an individual is immoral and ultimately harmful.
DIGITAL LUST, IMAGE: OMAR LOPEZ-RINCON
The secular perspective on sex has led to countries such as France, Germany, China, and Japan, where atheism prevails, having the age of consent as disturbingly low as 13 years old. It is clear, therefore, that a world which does not understand the importance and divine nature of sex begins to see it as something increasingly less consequential for the individual. To use another deeply disturbing example in which laws are becoming increasingly inhumane, ungodly, and trivial is the rise of assisted dying bills in countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain, where, shockingly, a 14-year-old may request euthanasia. To say this is not a child in need of existential guidance is heinous. My claim is not, however, that there is one bad guy willing such things to be, but rather that secular moral systems ultimately may unintentionally weaken transcendent understandings of dignity and innocence that historically, and in my belief eternally, are absolute. The absence of faith in Christ is leading to the destruction of innocence itself, where an influx of sin and depravity has major influence over the laws, ideologies and ethical teachings of various societies. The only effective means of conservation will be to return to faith and understand more greatly the character and philosophy of Jesus Christ to ensure that those who maintain hegemony do not erase the importance, beauty and eternal absolutism of innocence.
Google Sites
Report abuse