Presented on September 30, 2007, this is the second in a series of talks given by pastor and author Johann Christoph Arnold to an assembly of high school students at the Woodcrest community in Rifton, NY. Woodcrest is part of Church Communities International, whose members have practiced pacifism and conscientious objection since 1921.

Good morning everybody! If I remember right, we sat like this not so long ago. It was so beautiful that we thought to do it again. Last time, we talked about the military and the effect of the military establishment. We left a very important area out which belongs very much to that theme, and that is the power of sex—sex and what role it plays. We spoke about the power of the military establishment in society and the importance of saying “no” in order to preserve our human dignity. Today we are going to talk about the power of sex and how this topic literally consumes every aspect of society. Just watching you young people, I can see you frowning when I mention the word sex, because you are afraid to think about it, you are afraid to talk about it, and yet you are consumed by it. So you better listen.

The topic of sex is so big that this morning we can only touch on it in broad terms. On both these topics (sex and war) it’s going to take a lot more will power and prayer to simply say “no.” You know, sex is a mystery. God created it; he has joy in it; and sex has a divine purpose. We all know from Genesis that God created both male and female. He created them in his own image, he blessed them, commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, and to care for the earth.

For this very same reason Satan uses sex to destroy mankind. You see, we all have been created as sexual beings. We all struggle with sexual desires, and you young people do too. The spirit of our age advocates premarital sex, divorce, homosexuality, trans-sexuality, pedophilia, (which is sex with children), and the bestiality of sex with animals. All this is supported as a means of sexual expression. Added to this are broken homes, infidelity, and gay marriage, which is not seen as sin anymore. Children are no longer growing up in two-parent families, and as a result have no real role models.

I have often spoken in high school assemblies on different topics. Each time one speaks in a huge high school and sees students like you, you know they have absolutely no role models, and therefore they are very confused. That’s why we have such an urge to bring this message to them.

Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The same is true for women, that if she looks at a man with lustful eyes, she has committed adultery in her heart also. This is a serious saying because in the end everybody here is guilty of having done this. If one does not look up to Jesus it can bring one into a real guilt trip. This can lead to despair. I have experienced this personally and I know you will also experience it in your lifetime.

Jesus knows that we are all tempted. He knows that these temptations are part of human life as long as we live. You see, after Jesus was baptized he was led into the desert and was tempted by Satan. He overcame these temptations with Scripture. What Jesus is looking for is that we take a sharp attitude against these temptations, which will then be overcome. Jesus has understanding when we suffer under temptations and do not want them.

Now going back to the theme of war and sex and violence. They are all connected. They work together, hand in glove. My father called them cousins: where you find one, you also will find the others. When young people join the military – and please listen to this – when young people join the military they will fall prey to all the sexual vices mentioned before, which are being promoted within the military to suppress the conscience of the individual. They will stop at nothing, combining sex with drugs and alcohol to dull the effects of the brutality of war in the minds of soldiers. This is how it works. Talk to some veterans. They will tell you. I’ve heard the stories of many, many veterans in my lifetime, and the story is always the same. It doesn’t matter if it is a World War I vet, a Korean vet, World War II, Vietnam, or now the Persian Gulf..

Today the minds of young people and children have become so polluted with impure sexual images because of filthy language, DVDs, films, books and literature. It all has to do with money. Sex is big business that seeks to consume everybody. The tragedy is that schools, businesses, families, and churches are advocating this. It has become so bad that this issue of sex is now a spiritual mine field which children have to cross without support. Here is where we can help children. Here is where you can help children. When I was your age, I encountered these things in high school. But nowadays children become exposed to this filth when they are in preschool. This destroys their innocence, their childhood, bringing to mind the serious warning of Jesus: “If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

What must God think of the shamelessness of our time? In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoyevsky reminds us: “If God does not exist, then everything is permissible.” Isn’t that happening now? We need to see the rebellion behind our sinfulness. Young people, only your “No”, your individual “No,” will start to reverse this terrible trend. Like the effects of war, the perversion of sex in us needs a lot of healing. This is why Jesus (who is called the great physician) said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick.”

God gave each one of us a weapon and this is where your protection is, so listen to this. Each of us has a weapon to combat the demon of sex, and that is our conscience. Each one of you has a conscience. The conscience is our moral compass that tells us what is right and what is wrong. It is the still small voice that is in each one of us. When we listen to our conscience we will always find God.

So what are we going to do? What is the answer? You can play a very important part in this struggle. Remember that Jesus said, (and this is very important): “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matt.10:28) I want to read that again because hopefully it will sink in. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” You know, in Iraq, thousands of people are being killed in body. But the war in Iraq cannot and will not destroy their soul. It is only God who can punish us, and he can destroy both soul and body in hell. So we need to have reverence. We need to have fear of God.

In the end, you can only change yourself. Specially for you fellows, but also for you girls, seek to discipline your mind and body. This can often be achieved through hard physical work, or exercise and prayer. When impure thoughts attack you, do something active and pray. These thoughts can be overcome. If you, however, continue to live in an impure fantasy world you will fall into sin, either by masturbating, or committing premarital sex, or adultery. Or if you join the military you have a good chance of falling into prostitution. That is just a fact. That all happens if you live in an impure fantasy world. I'll tell you why. This is a huge fight. These impure demons are never, never to be underestimated. Evil thoughts are giants. They will press for realization when they are not overcome.

When you experience a victory, always praise God and give him the glory. It is important that you keep your body pure for your marriage partner. When the sexual veil is lifted, it is a holy moment. For every human being has a sexual mystery which only the married partner should know about. A marriage built on this foundation will have God’s blessing. A marriage built to satisfy our sexual urges will be devastating and will not last, and will end up in separation or divorce or both. In the end, do not be embarrassed. We are consumed by this question but we are afraid to talk about it, and we only hurt ourselves. So in the end, do not be embarrassed. Talk to your parents.

And you parents, too often you also live in a fantasy world, and do not connect with your young people. They want to talk, but too often you don’t let them. So it’s not only the young people to their parents. It’s you parents. Get your act together and talk with the young people. Otherwise you are doing them great harm.

So talk to your parents, and better yet start changing your own personal life. When you do that, then you have done your part. Please remember, your parents and also your grandparents, they were also young once upon a time, and went through exactly the same struggles that you are going through now. By chance, if you talk to your parents, you might even learn something. Who knows? Try it out, give it a try! Your parents will be your best friends and have a great understanding. That is why it says in the Old Testament that we should honor father and mother.

---

Responses to this article can be mailed to:

PO Box 903 Rifton, New York 12471