Microsoft word - protected or unprotected

New Bulletin: Belief in God is good for you! A. It is good for your health. B. It is good for your soul. C. So, why has religion become the r-word? Miriam Grossman (a psychiatrist) in her book Unprotected coined the word theophobia—afraid to acknowledge or mention God. She works on a college campus and relates that in health maintenance the therapist, social worker or psychiatrist is not allowed to mention God or refer to a patient’s faith. Pschology is the study of the mind, thought, emotion and behavior. A. 95% of Americans believe in God. B. 90% pray to God at least occasionally. C. 60% attend a place of worship monthly. D. 85% consider religion “very important” or “fairly important.” E. 80% believe religion strengthen family life. F. So, why is it that young people are never asked about their faith in God? 1. Religious beliefs predict behavior more than race, education, or economic 2. Religious beliefs are protective against suicide, substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, yet ignored in psychotherapy! When true religion is marginalized in our society, there are bound to be dire consequences. Before you send your child off to college consider this important fact: God makes a difference in the lives of our young people. Faith makes a difference. The relationship they have with the church makes a difference in whether or not they will be protected or unprotected. THE REAL WORLD. A. In her book, Unprotected, Miriam Grossman sets forth the basic thesis that Faith in God and in God’s Word can protect young people from a whole host of dangers. 1. STD’s. Sexually transmitted diseases. She mentions that there are 25 STD’s that may be contracted. a. There are 15 million new cases of STD’s a year in the U.S. Chlamydia is the most common STD. 3 million new cases each year in the US. Cost: nearly 2.4 billion. May cause sterility in women who are trying to conceive. Sex without consequences is a myth! b. Promiscuity is a health hazard for our young people. c. Abstinence is the best protection against contracting a STD. “Flee fornication” is not only good for the soul, it is good for the body! I Cor. 6:18. d. HPV. Human palpaloma virus. A virus that can cause cervical cancer. 4,000 women a year die of cervical cancer. There is no cure! 43% of college coeds going in for their yearly exam are told they have HPV. e. Safe sex is a misnomer. There are always risks involved in a sexual encounter with another person, unless both parties are sexually pure and have waited for marriage. f. HIV. 1 in every 500 US college students and 1 in every 330 of our students may be HIV positive (you can carry this virus and not know it). (HIV=human imuno-deficiency virus). HIV causes AIDS. There is no cure! There are high risk groups: homosexuals, sharing needles, or a partner who does these things. (Unprotected, p. 77). 2. Depression. Prozac is the number-one prescribed medication on college campuses! 1,100 Students commit suicides each year. (Unprotected, p. 46). In a study of 6,500 adolescents, sexually active teenage girls were more than three times as likely to be depressed, and nearly three times as likely to have had a suicide attempt, than girls who were not sexually active. (Unprotected, 4). No amount of Prozac or Zoloft is going to solve this problem. Faith in God and in God’s Word can solve it by preventing it. 3. Abortion. 1 million abortions in the US each year! 52% are performed on women under 25. Two years after their abortions, 28% of women reported more harm from the abortion than benefit. 19% would not make the same decision under the same circumstances. 20% were depressed. 1% had post traumatic stress disorder, that’s 10,000 a year, 420,000 since Roe vs. Wade! You can now get either a medical abortion or a surgical abortion. Women are not prepared for a medical abortion (taking pills to abort the child). They report being traumatized by the results of the medical abortion. They see a small child and have not been told what to do with the child after it is aborted (the abortion can take place anywhere). C. These are some of the dangers in the real world! Christians are not immune to them. Faith in God is important as a defense and preventative. RELIGION IN REAL LIFE. A. The Word of God is relative to all of us today. Many of the social problems we face are tied to sin. The costs are enormous. Yet, God is marginalized by our society. B. What protection do we have? Paul answers this question in Eph. 6:10-18. 1. Loins gird about with truth. Is truth important dad or mom? Truth will help your child combat the false ideas and lies of Satan. 2. Breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is right living. It is the pursuit of God’s way for our lives. 3. Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. 4. Shield of faith. 5. Helmet of salvation. 6. Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. C. Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might! Put on the whole Real people are suffering in the real world needlessly because God is not welcome in our homes, schools, colleges, government, civic organizations, etc. If you marginalize God in your life, you will open yourself up for many dangers. Faith in God is good for you! Health to the body and to the soul!

Source: http://biblicalinsights.net/sermons/Unprotected.pdf?PHPSESSID=55b0414c4cc18e2fa53979aa5f3331a9