Relativism and child abuse

Microsoft is to shut down its free MSN chatrooms because it is concerned about child safety and spam. This was an inevitable step to stop this dissemination of ignorance.

This problem concerns me as an educator, because a sound moral value system has to be presented first of all in our education system. Relativism has made it possible for any kind of perplexing sexual and social behaviour, such as presenting sexual material to children.

Is it normal to enjoy more a sexual activity with an adult who is more likely to get involved in it? Or is it taboo, nowadays, to label something as normal? Being tolerant does not necessarily mean that something is right and healthy.

Our society was bound up with the demise of a single overarching framework of meaning, as presented by the Church, etc. On the other hand, the modern world became the site of competing versions of reality; leading to dangerous cults, extreme right-wing ideology, and eventually also to deviant sexuality and paedophilia.

This is very strange to me, and to many adults, who prefer a healthier and more interesting form of sexual relationship - which has to be between two consenting adults of course! Yet these certainties have given way to conflicting beliefs and values. Strangely enough, we seem unsure even with whom we should make love, whether a beautiful woman or a child! We have come to a peculiar situation of having to refer to justice to solve this!

Virtual pornography, with all its trappings, has come to be accepted as reality, with the entire social, moral and mental degradation these ideas imply. Pornography is also used by some to solve problems in their minds and imagination, people who are kept away from the knowledge and understanding of the real world.

Dangerous virtual material is increasing its influence out of the ignorance of reality and in so doing creates great misery and unhappiness for many people who become demoralised as a result of the contradictions between what they are told and the real life.

The lessening of the teaching of morals in a structured and trusted way caused the lessening of restrictive codes of conduct, governing family institutions and civil responsibilities in many countries.

More and more children are growing up exposed daily to violence on television and their own neighbourhoods and with a lack of moral or religious teachings. The violence on TV contributes to the desensitisation of the today's youth. Unfortunately, some children now have less respect or no regard for human life and they do not understand how precious life is and how wrong it is to take a life.