Pornography and Politics very strange bedfellows (by Joe Babendreier)
Are you paying attention to the 2004 presidential elections in the United States? You may be puzzled by the prominence given to a debate on homosexual unions. One group argues that the government should change the law, allowing a man to marry a man or a woman to wed a woman and enjoy all privileges accorded to married couples. The other group insists legalisation would destroy the American family. It may seem absurd that presidential candidates have entangled themselves in such a mess, but it is not. It may seem to have nothing to do with Kenya, but it does.
First, let me explain that I am not meddling in politics. The Church has to stay out of politics. As a priest, I have to stay out of politics. This does not mean, though, that the Church blesses the outcome of every election. If the majority vote to legalise homosexual unions, equating them with the marriage of a man and woman, the Church has an obligation to declare that this political decision constitutes an offence against God that will bring nothing but disaster for the world.
The Church has to stay out of politics, but Christians do not. On the contrary, ordinary Christians live in the middle of the world. The world belongs to them. They have a serious obligation to fight the political battles that decide elections. Christians must fight because the health of all citizens depends on whether or not they are successful. Because this is a political battle, they must use political means and win the support of others who have strong family values. As with any other political battle, ordinary citizens can influence the outcome as much as those in office. People power is real power.
The specifics of the debate on homosexual unions are not the issue. Kenya's moral problem lies elsewhere. But the political phenomenon is the same. Kenya is in serious danger and we must do something about it. As a priest, I can tell you what the danger is. As a citizen, it is your responsibility to decide how to organise others to counteract the threat.
What is the one thing about the gay and lesbian lobbies in the United States that we need to look at? They have power not because of numbers but because they are vocal, organised and determined to do whatever it takes to change the law. This is the key idea. Contrary to our assumptions about democratic rule, a handful of people can force an entire country to accept such a change. It can happen even if the majority are opposed to it. This has been happening in the US for decades. The same thing is beginning to happen in Kenya. This works both ways. A small group can introduce changes that would destroy the country. A handful of people can introduce changes that will save it.
In recent years, one such change, made by a small number of people, has forced itself into the homes of Kenyan families. It is TV pornography. If we do not stop this and stop it soon, the country will sink into moral chaos within a few years. Much damage has already been done. This has nothing to do with freedom of speech. No one should be free to get on TV and tell people to start killing each other, stirring up hatred and violence. No one should be free to broadcast images that provoke viewers to desire adultery and fornication.
I am not insisting on the moral issue. It is fairly common to lament the problem. Other writers in this newspaper and numerous letters to the editor have decried the way our youth are being bombarded with pornography. What needs to be articulated more clearly is the political side of it.
We have already reached the stage where people are accustomed to something that used to shock them. We are rapidly approaching the stage where a majority considers it harmless entertainment. How do we stop it? Learn from the 2004 election in the US. Numbers are not crucial. Determination is.
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