Sex, morality and Lads Mags

Today's news contained comments from Michael Gove the shadow secretary for education about the contribution of lads mags to social breakdown.

Firstly I applaud his comments I think these magazines try to bill themselves as funny, sporty, whilst all they are doing is creating a malaise behind which they really are porn mags. We often feel uneasy when politicians speak out about anything in society as we feel they are distant from society, yet I think this shows that this is not always the case.

Indeed at the recent Brighton Conference hearing Philippa Stroud talk about the Centre for Social Justice and the role that can be played in reversing social breakdown, these comments show the Conservatives are prepared to do something.

The problem with these comments is that the media misinterprets them, it is communicated as “lads mags responsible for social breakdown”. Obviously no-one blames the lads mags entirely, the purchaser makes a decision when they buy the magazine, however it is in my opinion the way the cover-up what they really are.

The secondary issue that Michael Gove highlights is that they teach men to be irresponsible, he also uses the word hedonistic which captures our society aptly. If any issue is raised many people will respond “it's my life I can do what I want”, “No one can tell me what I should or shouldn't watch/read/do”. It's hedonism people looking for fun whether in sex, gossip, cars, bikes, whatever gets them going they are looking for fun without boundaries.

Mark Driscoll did a fantastic talk on Responsibility at CCK on the Sunday after the conference. As men we have a responsibility to look after our sisters, wives, mothers and daughters, let us not abdicate this through selfish desires. 1 Corinthians 12 v23 says we need to give greater honour to those the world doesn't honour and treat with greater modesty those parts which define our gender.

Whilst on this subject, I need to make an admission of guilt. I am an avid Neighbours watcher and have even been known to watch Home and Away!!! Now often I can just laugh at the terrible acting or awful storylines, but I have become more aware of the poor moral standards these programmes (soaps in general) set. The classic one is the snog, as soon as two characters think they may like each other they show a lack of restraint by snogging and inevitably this leads to sex and someone always gets hurt. There are seemingly never any marriages without infidelity or relationships without sex. The characters lack any restraint, because they lack a moral compass, what guides them or leads them? In many way this represents our generation whose moral compass often is absent fathers, tv shows and the fallout from all those experimenting in the 60s.

My prayer is that our generation will be one that rediscovers morality through Christianity and rediscovers responsibility through the church.

I am grateful that we have politicians who are able to take a stand to educate the next generation.