Joel Belz: Doing what’s right for society

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, January 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up: WORLD classic commentary.

WORLD Founder Joel Belz wrote this column on pornography back in 1986. His message on the faulty logic of political extremes could not be more relevant.

JOEL BELZ, FOUNDER: Sometimes society at large, or even the small components of society, we more easily control get paralyzed in efforts to do what is otherwise good just because someone is standing there to say, we can't do that because of what it might lead to. An example of that kind of response appeared last week. A widely syndicated columnist ridiculed the Presidential Commission on Pornography, not so much for the substance of what the commission had found and recommended, but because the controls it did recommend, the columnist somehow knew, would automatically lead in the future to more serious forms of censorship which are altogether unacceptable to society.

The problem is that we have been too thoroughly taught by the old story of the camel who stuck his nose under the edge of the tent and ended up claiming the whole tent for himself. As is usually the case with a good parable, we've over applied its truth, and forgotten that it was only one of many important insights.

Now, we need an equally memorable parable to teach us this additional truth. If there's good reason to keep the camel's nose warm, and we are able to control the situation, go ahead and let him stick his nose under the edge of the tent. The fact is, of course, that almost anything we do could establish a pattern for some other form of related behavior that is unacceptable. Eating leads easily to overeating. Viewing a little TV has the potential for making addicts of us. Even conversation degenerates quickly to hurtful gossip. But appropriately, we have not totally forfeited good activities in moderation, just because of what they might lead to if carried to the extreme.

So, why should American society be so fearful about doing what is clearly right only because of what such action might conceivably lead us to? To stand with our hands tied and refuse to put restrictions on the flow of vile sexual exploitation of women, of children, and of men as well, just because someone fears that we won't have the good sense later on not to censor something else? Well, that is to exalt freedom of the press to a pedestal no single value deserves. One earmark of true civilization and a special contribution of a Biblical perspective is the ability to avoid thoughtless extremes.

Fearful columnists, along with folks like the American Civil Liberties Union, think censors of any kind are extremists. But aren't the real extremists the ones who would forbid all censorship just because of where it might possibly lead?

We Christians have made the same mistake on occasions, a confession we’ll spell out some other time. But this time it's the pornography industry that has sold society a bill of goods along with some very faulty logic.

REICHARD: That’s Joel Belz, reading his column titled “Camel’s Noses and Pornography” from his book, Consider These Things. The column originally appeared in the June 2nd, 1986 issue of WORLD Magazine.

NICK EICHER, HOST: Today is Wednesday, January 4th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Nick Eicher.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Next up: WORLD classic commentary.

WORLD Founder Joel Belz wrote this column on pornography back in 1986. His message on the faulty logic of political extremes could not be more relevant.

JOEL BELZ, FOUNDER: Sometimes society at large, or even the small components of society, we more easily control get paralyzed in efforts to do what is otherwise good just because someone is standing there to say, we can't do that because of what it might lead to. An example of that kind of response appeared last week. A widely syndicated columnist ridiculed the Presidential Commission on Pornography, not so much for the substance of what the commission had found and recommended, but because the controls it did recommend, the columnist somehow knew, would automatically lead in the future to more serious forms of censorship which are altogether unacceptable to society.

The problem is that we have been too thoroughly taught by the old story of the camel who stuck his nose under the edge of the tent and ended up claiming the whole tent for himself. As is usually the case with a good parable, we've over applied its truth, and forgotten that it was only one of many important insights.

Now, we need an equally memorable parable to teach us this additional truth. If there's good reason to keep the camel's nose warm, and we are able to control the situation, go ahead and let him stick his nose under the edge of the tent. The fact is, of course, that almost anything we do could establish a pattern for some other form of related behavior that is unacceptable. Eating leads easily to overeating. Viewing a little TV has the potential for making addicts of us. Even conversation degenerates quickly to hurtful gossip. But appropriately, we have not totally forfeited good activities in moderation, just because of what they might lead to if carried to the extreme.

So, why should American society be so fearful about doing what is clearly right only because of what such action might conceivably lead us to? To stand with our hands tied and refuse to put restrictions on the flow of vile sexual exploitation of women, of children, and of men as well, just because someone fears that we won't have the good sense later on not to censor something else? Well, that is to exalt freedom of the press to a pedestal no single value deserves. One earmark of true civilization and a special contribution of a Biblical perspective is the ability to avoid thoughtless extremes.

Fearful columnists, along with folks like the American Civil Liberties Union, think censors of any kind are extremists. But aren't the real extremists the ones who would forbid all censorship just because of where it might possibly lead?

We Christians have made the same mistake on occasions, a confession we’ll spell out some other time. But this time it's the pornography industry that has sold society a bill of goods along with some very faulty logic.

REICHARD: That’s Joel Belz, reading his column titled “Camel’s Noses and Pornography” from his book, Consider These Things. The column originally appeared in the June 2nd, 1986 issue of WORLD Magazine.

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