Affairs or Harassment?

The media is inundated with tales of one or another celebrity sexually harassing, abusing, or even assaulting different people. Most of the offenders have been married. Along with the angst at such behavior, we have a litany of queries or proposals as to “what can we do to solve this problem?” Incidentally the same question arises with each mass shooting that we endure.

Rachel Freeman, executive vice president of the Sexual Assault Center in Nashville outlines seven positive steps to combat the epidemic. (Nashville Tennessean 10/17) Like any chaotic event, the solution will take about as long to begin to have an effect as the lead-in to the problem took. Her ideas are admirable, but lack a firm foundation from which to launch. Hollywood, especially, has made a fortune from treating women and people in general as commodities to be exploited and not as individuals to be celebrated. Now we bemoan the inevitable results of such philosophies.

Affairs are often celebrated and even incidents of harassment are either ignored or minimized. In some instances, the harassment began as a mutual affair that became “one sided.” They can be innocuous until the acts become so egregious that they cannot be passed off as mischief or simple immaturity. They are then paraded all over the media, accompanied by proposed (probably futile)  solutions.

Without embarking on an extended theological treatise, I would posit a single statement. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” (This insight did not originate with me. Do not want to be charged with plagiarism.) This fundamental recognition of the worth of the individual can be expanded to all forms of sexual adventurism and perversion, including another shunned word, fornication.

The Ten Commandments were not given to “take away our fun.” They were given to reflect the holiness of God and to guide all of us in how to not violate the innate glory with which every person is imbued. Just ask any of the victims how much “fun” they had while being assaulted and even violated in the most cruel and degrading manner. Even now, ask Mr. Weinstein how much “fun” he is having. A little abstention, or better, attention to his wife, would have generated for him a much superior standing than he currently enjoys.

For comparison look at Billy Graham. His “celebrity” status exceeds that which many of our offenders sought or attained. Yet he remained true to one woman. What a strange idea. He would not trade places.

Our cultural obsession with self gratification leads to horrific consequences for those in contact with us, our families, and even our own being. Until we restore a foundational understanding of how people are to interact, we will continue to suffer the consequences of self imposed debauchery. The problem is accentuated by the current,”Me too,” campaign being waged on social media.

Incidentally, “Thou shalt not kill,” falls right in there with reflecting God’s glory in other human beings. Violating that, is not “fun” for anyone. This is almost universally testified to by the self imposed fatal shots that terminate most massacres.

We have sown the wind by banishing the Ten Commandments from our society. We are reaping the whirlwind. (Disclaimer: I did not originate that evaluation either.)