last week millie came home from school and told me about a video that she had watched in science class. a bill nye video.
who doesn’t love bow tied nerdy bill nye?
not me anymore. and i am quickly losing love for the national science foundation which gave the $$$ to make this “educational” video.
and the “educational” quotes is a correct usage of quotes. because here is what millie learned from the video.
“mom, i listened really well and tried to understand what he was saying. and i swear that he was saying that the reason we have sex is to prevent parasites. how can sex prevent parasites?”
certainly she got this wrong. misunderstood happy little bill nye. but she is a pretty smart girl so how could she have missed this by a mile?
so i googled bill nye and “evolution of sex” (she remembered the name of the video so that i didn’t have to google “bill nye” and “sex video”) and lo and behold they have the whole thing on youtube...
millie and i watched it together. i stopped it every few minutes or so to explain to her what he was saying. what the REAL scientific theories were and what the HUGE LEAPS and OUTRIGHT LIES were that we shown in this ADD inducing jumble of “funny skits”, quips, insults (telling a child in a classroom that he is here only because his parents got drunk one night), various scenes picking up women in bars, and actual video of animals having sex. lovely. so appropriate for high school students.
as my husband pointed out, some of the images used would get him fired for sexual harassment if he emailed them to someone at his office.
and then there is the overall message. that sex prevents parasites. ummm, bill how about pointing out that it is actually that REPRODUCTION of an individual with diverse genes from two parents that can prevent parasites (disease) in subsequent generations? not really new info. i think gregor mendel covered this with pea plants. diversity is good in genes (that is why it takes a man and a woman to make a baby and a family). and it is God’s idea. not bill nye’s. not the national science foundation’s.
so bill’s continual ascertain during this whole 30 minutes to LOTS of people on the street that “sex prevents parasites” is not quite telling all of the truth here. though the 10 seconds that he spends rapidly talking about STDs certainly will empower the poor students who saw this and now believe that if they go out and have sex that they will be saving themselves from a freaky parasitical attack that is IMMINENT!
i also love the last few minutes where a SINGLE GUY (wonder why he is still single?) explains how we don’t really have a choice in who we fall in love with (or who we are sexually attracted to) because it is just our genes telling us who to have sex with. GREAT another nice message for a bunch of high school students to hear.
i can hear the hallway chatter now, “let’s go out tonight and prevent parasites.” or “i am genetically predisposed to having sex with you. who can fight science like that?”
for once i am glad that some of the students may have been texting their bffs and not watching the video.
and i THANKED GOD for a daughter who saw this and knew that is was full of lies but the fast pace of the video didn’t allow her to really think about what was being presented. as we went through it together and paused it, we were able to talk it through and she came to some great conclusions on her own and with some support from me. and i THANKED GOD that i had just finished studying and teaching a 6 week study for high school students on apologetics. and that is was prepared to give her an answer for the hope that i have...
one of my favorite things that we talked about was the hormone oxytocin. it was mentioned in passing in the video. and it is one of my favorite hormones. and i think it shows the TRUTH of the Bible through chemicals.
“and the two shall become one” isn’t just written in the Word to talk about marriage. it is written in our genetic code about God’s plan for sexuality and parenting.
if the Bible had chemical equations in it, it would have the equation for oxytocin after that verse in ephesians and after the verse about a “how can a mother forget the baby at her breast?” since oxytocin is released during breast feeding also (and at birth which is why we look at the wrinkly little red squished face and declare that it is the prettiest baby that we have ever seen. it is the prettiest baby we have ever seen through our drug induced high of oxytocin). millie has seen her baby photos. she know understands the power of oxytocin.
so what to do about these videos being shown at school? what is the burden on my soul? where are my boundaries here?
at first i wanted to take her out of school and homeschool her and ONLY tell her the truth. but it would be me teaching her. enough said.
or send her to a private Christian school. where bill nye is banned and no one speaks his name.
is there a place of no lies? a place where she is safe?
and then the sun rises on my life every morning and it looks like it is spinning around the earth. and that is a lie.
and people die and it looks like they are gone forever. and that is a lie.
and bad things happen, and children starve, and mommies leave their families, and daddies hurt their children and it looks like God isn’t in control. and that is a lie.
and seasons change and some things never change. and it looks like it doesn’t make sense. and that is a lie.
and it feels like it is all about us. and that doing what we want to do is the right thing to do. and that is a lie.
and life is about being happy. making our lives easy. and that is a lie.
and that it is safest to keep our lives far away from the misery. and that is a lie.
and that money in the bank makes us happy and wise and protected. and that is a lie.
and that if we live in the “right” neighborhood in the “perfect” house that all will be right and perfect. and that is a lie.
and that pretty people are important people. and that is a lie.
and that if we check all the boxes and do everything right that we will be okay and we will be “good” and get what we deserve. and that is a lie.
and maybe just maybe, if i can teach her to spot the OBVIOUS lies in this video... i can teach her to spot the lies that the world tells her everyday in every way.
could i make her life lie-free? no.
but He can.
Hebrews 6:17-19
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, He confirmed it with an oath.
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
i need an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. i still don’t know if i have made the right choice. i don’t think i will know this side of heaven. there will always be questions...
and there will always the the Answerer. i search for answers in the Words He has given. i search His Word for guidance, for wisdom, for what i need for the living of these days.
and i don’t want this to seem like a “i can’t protect her from all lies, so who cares about another lie”. i hope it doesn’t come off like that. i am merely a parent wanting what is best for my children and knowing that what is best is hard to find. and harder still to grasp in my imperfect hands, wrap my imperfect mind around.
this is just a realization on my part that God’s Word is powerful. powerful enough to save. powerful enough to stand up to the lies. powerful enough to have defeated all the lies. once on the cross. and again every moment of every day when we are faced with the lies. no matter where they are and who is speaking them (or videotaping them). may i realize that. and may it anchor my soul.
millie knew this video was a lie. she knew to come to me that i would be able to see through it and explain it to her (or know where to look for answers). she trusts me for answers right now. i don’t want to take that for granted. i want a relationship with her that is open, honest, and unafraid. i want to meet these challenges with a “bring it on” attitude, almost an excitement to dig through and solve this like a puzzle. with an answer. with the Answerer.
may my children realize where Truth is to be found and may it anchor their soul. firm and secure. may they know this Truth so deeply and solidly that it grounds them. it alone will set them free from the lies. there is no other fount i know...