Revolting Sexual Mores—Ancient and Modern
HOW detestable was the worship of Molech, one of the Moabite gods? Paolo Mantegazza writes in his book The Sexual Relations of Mankind that the Moabites of Bible times performed obscene sexual acts “in chorus, as they danced about the incandescent statue of Moloch, after the seven bronze mouths of the god had devoured the offerings of the faithful, offerings which consisted of flour, turtle-doves, lambkins, rams, calves, bulls, and young lads.” He adds: “Any one who has read the Bible must remember the terrible curses hurled by Moses at those Hebrews who fornicated with Moloch. Baal-Phegor, too, or Belphegor [Baal of Peor], who was the favorite divinity of the M[i]dianites, was received with a fanatic enthusiasm by the Jews, and his cult was not less obscene than the rites of Moloch.”—Leviticus 18:21, New World Translation Reference Bible, footnote; Le 20:2-5; Numbers 25:1-5; Jeremiah 32:35.
The “fanatic enthusiasm” of those Jews finds a parallel today in the “new morality” that surfaced, particularly in the United States and other lands of Christendom, in the 1960’s.
In assessing the long-term effects of that sexual revolution, Drs. Alexandra and Vernon H. Mark, coauthors of the book The Pied Pipers of Sex, presented their views in the “Speaking Out” section of Medical World News, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. In 1985 they wrote:
“Over the last 25 years, society has witnessed a dramatic change in sexual mores. . . . This overturning of traditional morality has been called a sexual revolution.” After naming the medical professionals responsible for this change in sexual attitudes, the writers declared: “Out of proportion to their individual contributions, [these medics] have had an astonishing impact on society and all its institutions. Rather than owe gratitude to these entrepreneurs of sexuality, we need to diminish their influence by promoting a sane and balanced position with regard to sexual behavior and public health protection.
“The unleashing of the full fury of the sexual revolution has not yet produced any measurable benefits to the country as a whole—unless we think in terms of monetary gain. But with its emphasis on sex as a recreation and a spectator sport, the revolution has produced a host of problems that threaten us with social chaos—venereal disease for one. VD is not a new scourge, but it has now become a plague, giving rise to new strains of exotic bacteria and virus-like agents. Genital herpes, incurable in adults, has caused infant deaths from meningoencephalitis. AIDS . . . has found its way into the mainstream of our society and into the bloodstreams of innocent victims via contaminated donor blood.”
These writers come to the conclusion: “The mounting evidence indicting the leaders of the sexual revolution is impressive. They promised joy, liberation, and good health. They’ve delivered misery, disease, and even death.” The Bible makes clear where such leaders stand. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 states: “What! Do you not know that unrighteous persons will not inherit God’s kingdom? Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.”—See also Jude 7.