Picking Sides

Paul commended Timothy for his long-held faith perspective. In the book of 2nd Timothy, we find a couple of examples. In chapter 1, verse 5, he recognizes " the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also." In chapter 3, we read this:
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

I don't know how old that Timothy was at this time and to what extent he was taught in the Hebrew Scriptures, but he was a man of faith who had given his life to Christ - he had a grandmother and mother who taught him about God and his life obviously bore the fruit of that teaching. Parents - and even grandparents - have been placed in a position of influence, and in an age where there are so many ideas that contradict Scripture, there is a tremendous opportunity and responsibility to pass Christian principles on to generations to come.

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In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses spoke powerful words about the responsibility of parents to teach their children; to teach them God's principles. He stated:
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
6 "And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.
8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Governmental officials are engaged in a "no-holds-barred" campaign to protect children in their state and to empower parents.  The bill that respects parents' rights and protected young children from harmful teaching on sexuality and exposure to unbiblical LGBTQ ideas is now law.

And, one of the most high-profile opponents to the law, albeit in the 11th hour, is the Walt Disney Company, which has a notable presence in the Sunshine State with its massive theme park complex. In the weeks since the passage of the bill, we have seen Disney officials, stewarding a company once known for family-friendly entertainment, double down on their commitment to furthering the gay agenda. Just this week, lawmakers passed a bill that would strip the corporation of having its own government for its properties in the Orlando area.

One of the cast members for Disney's series, Station 19, has spoken out regarding the transgender aspect of the LGTBQ agenda, according to Movieguide, which quotes Natasha Ward, who wrote on Instagram, “When ‘your truth’ trumps ‘the truth’ and forces me to pretend that it’s not a lie, we have a very real problem,” adding, “Supporting trans freedom does not mean it’s OK to violate the rights of biological women.”  Ward also said:

“Pretending that trans women are not men who have a biological advantage, and therefore place an undue burden on biological women, is make believe and it is not science nor fact,” Ward continued. “In the long run, women will have to take illegal substances in order to beat men’ identifying’ as women in women’s sports.”

As for Disney, Movieguide, in another article, stated:

...after a recent letter from LGBTQ employees working at Pixar Animation Studios, Disney announced that it would restore a same-sex kiss between two female characters that was initially pulled from the upcoming LIGHTYEAR.

The letter of outrage accused Disney of cutting intimate scenes between same-sex characters from their children’s movies.

But, the Movieguide article questions that direction, saying:

However, by catering to a small minority of moviegoers, Disney would ostracize one of their largest audiences: Christians who believe in biblical truth.

According to Gallup, 7% of Americans identify as something other than heterosexual. Gallup also reported that in 2021, 69% of Americans identify as Christian. From a logistical standpoint, it makes sense that studios want to target the largest audiences.

According to Movieguide®’s 2022 Report To The Entertainment Industry, “92% of the Top 25 Movies had no sexual content or immorality or only light or implied sexual content...”

A key takeaway is this: "Disney’s failure to uphold moral truth is common among many companies today. Perhaps more sinister is that the studios and streamers’ open attack against Christianity and the truth of God’s word through their TV, Movies, and other media begins with children’s content." The article adds, "With LIGHTYEAR, Disney would join Netflix, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and other companies in overt over-sexualization of animated content or content geared toward younger audiences."

Could the bottom line be in trouble?  Breitbart reports: "The Walt Disney Co. is the worst performing stock in the Dow Jones Industrial Average for the past year, plummeting 31 percent in the last 12 months."  It goes on to say:

Disney’s free fall comes as the company has embraced woke, far-left politics, specifically the exposure of young children to radical LGBTQ ideology. In so doing, the entertainment giant has alienated millions of customers and picked a fight with Florida GOP leaders.

Recently leaked internal videos show Disney executives and creative leaders openly advocating for promoting a gay and transgender agenda in the company’s entertainment for young children. The leaks came shortly after Disney declared war on Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which bans the teaching of sexual and gender ideology to children in kindergarten through third grade.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek caved to pressure from a small group of employees who demanded the company abandon its neutral position on the Florida legislation and fully embrace LGBTQ activism.

Family Research Council states, "And while the freefall can't be blamed on this latest flap, it certainly doesn't help Chapek's cause. Investors who were already wary of poor returns have to be even more leery now that Disney is parents' public enemy number one."

This is yet another front in the sexual revolution and many are quick to embrace deviant sexual ideas, which have even resulted in children being harmed by not only dangerous treatments and surgeries that would attempt to change their gender, but also to consider harming themselves because they have believed the lie that they were born in the wrong body and that is being reinforced by adults in their lives. The Church should be influential in taking the necessary steps to protect children.

Parents have the responsibility before God to teach their children. And, parents should choose carefully the human teachers and cultural influences that they are allowing to "teach" them. There is a wave now in our nation where parents are exercising their responsibility, and it is producing results.