Teen pregnancy: An unchanging God in a changing world
Seventeen teenage girls in Gloucester, Massachusetts are pregnant. It has been discovered that some of these girls agreed to a "pregnancy pact" where they would all get pregnant and raise the children together. You may read the story at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,369290,00.html
The psychiatrist quoted in the article attributes this behavior to a search for something genuinely human in the midst of a cyber world. I think that is a valid point. I am not that much older than these girls, but I do know that the internet is far more common-place now then it was even five years ago. This young generation does not realize the explosive rate of development of the technology revolution; it is normal life to them. Likewise, we do not realize the effect this has on them. Our society has changed so quickly and drastically in the past decade that it is difficult to predict or accommodate for the ramifications.
This illustrates a basic concept of nature: a transient. I mean a transient as opposed to something that is steady. In electrical engineering, there are "steady state" signals and transient signals. Basically, a transient is the result of a change. Eventually the effects of the change diminish and we get back to steady state. So the principle is that any change in the way things are will produce a transient. We can take this deeper when we look at the rate of change. The basic principle we find then is that nature reacts strangely, perhaps unpredictably or violently, when the change happens quickly. Make abrupt changes in your everyday life and note the differences. One example is quick acceleration, like when a light turns green.
Therefore we might say that this teen pregnancy issue is due to societal whiplash.
What can we possibly do in a society like this? Is there nothing unchanging or firm that we can hold to? "I the LORD do not change," Malachi 3:6. "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us," Psalm 62:6-8. I suggest that the principles by which God commanded us to live by remain true for all people at all times. Obedience is to our benefit; God knows how he made the world to work, and He told us how to best live. No matter how things change, God's truth transcends all cultures and societies.
One such principle is parenting. "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise," Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Obviously, that does not describe many homes in America. I have no doubt that a lack of Godly parenting played a role in these young girls' decisions.
Oh God, may I seek to embrace these truths in my life.
What do you think?
The psychiatrist quoted in the article attributes this behavior to a search for something genuinely human in the midst of a cyber world. I think that is a valid point. I am not that much older than these girls, but I do know that the internet is far more common-place now then it was even five years ago. This young generation does not realize the explosive rate of development of the technology revolution; it is normal life to them. Likewise, we do not realize the effect this has on them. Our society has changed so quickly and drastically in the past decade that it is difficult to predict or accommodate for the ramifications.
This illustrates a basic concept of nature: a transient. I mean a transient as opposed to something that is steady. In electrical engineering, there are "steady state" signals and transient signals. Basically, a transient is the result of a change. Eventually the effects of the change diminish and we get back to steady state. So the principle is that any change in the way things are will produce a transient. We can take this deeper when we look at the rate of change. The basic principle we find then is that nature reacts strangely, perhaps unpredictably or violently, when the change happens quickly. Make abrupt changes in your everyday life and note the differences. One example is quick acceleration, like when a light turns green.
Therefore we might say that this teen pregnancy issue is due to societal whiplash.
What can we possibly do in a society like this? Is there nothing unchanging or firm that we can hold to? "I the LORD do not change," Malachi 3:6. "He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us," Psalm 62:6-8. I suggest that the principles by which God commanded us to live by remain true for all people at all times. Obedience is to our benefit; God knows how he made the world to work, and He told us how to best live. No matter how things change, God's truth transcends all cultures and societies.
One such principle is parenting. "And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise," Deuteronomy 6:6-7. Obviously, that does not describe many homes in America. I have no doubt that a lack of Godly parenting played a role in these young girls' decisions.
Oh God, may I seek to embrace these truths in my life.
What do you think?