The “Fifty Shades of Grey” Phenomenon

grey-paint-cans2You’ve no doubt heard of Fifty Shades of Grey. After all, the book has sold 100 million copies worldwide and the movie released Valentine’s Day is already a box office hit. By all worldly accounts, it’s a great success.

It’s an emotional nightmare. 

Fifty Shades of Grey is, in the words of one reviewer (Cynthia Quinn), a “poorly written, 514 page book” that has introduced 100 million readers worldwide to the “kinky subculture and dark world of BDSM, an abbreviation for Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism.” The New York Times called it a “terrible” movie and US Weekly gives “50 Problems With the Raunchy Flick.”

Reviewers–secular and Christian–have warned movie-goers that this is not a warm-hearted Valentine’s Day big screen hit. It is a movie that portrays and promotes a perverted lifestyle and something very harmful to men and women alike.

I hope you can tell I haven’t read the book or watched the movie. I don’t intend to. I don’t want to put things into my mind that can’t be removed. I don’t want to let the dark and unseemly control my thoughts. It is imperative to “guard your heart.” From your heart  ’the springs of life flow (Proverbs 4:23).

I didn’t watch the Jordanian pilot burned alive by ISIS, either, You don’t have to see it for yourself to know it’s true.

What should we learn from this?

First, perversion can never be satisfied. It demands more and more. In our country, we have now tried and sanctioned almost every kind of perversion. So now we have to move to BDSM.

Second, women innately desire strength in men. With culture having emasculated many of our young men, women are looking for strength in any place, even those which are harmful. Reportedly many mothers are taking their daughters to see the film.

Sin always feeds on itself, bringing more and more harm to out lives.

Third, never forget the beauty of God’s plan. God planned gentle submissive in women and quiet, gentle strength in men. It is God’s plan and it alone fulfills the deep, long-term needs of humans.

Finally, let us teach our children the Truth. It is the Truth that sets us free to be all God planned for us. The best teaching of truth is to model Godly behavior for our children. Let them see a real, God-honoring marriage and they will desire it for themselves.

But also teach them the truth found in Scripture. God created the man and woman for one another. They were created to be “one flesh.” This is why Jesus spoke against divorce. How can you divide “one”?

Sex is a wonderful relationship given by our Creator. It is to be “enjoyed” according to God’s plan which calls for a sexual relationship only within the marriage of one man and one woman. Let everything else be off limits for those who desire to please God.

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