By Lonnie Wilkey
Editor, Baptist and Reflector
When I was a kid, adults very seldom monitored cartoons. Other than the violence of Wile E. Coyote dropping an anvil or boulder that was supposed to fall on the Road Runner (but usually somehow ended up on his own head) and a few other characters, cartoons were tame, for the most part. Cartoon heroes like Yogi Bear, Fred Flintstone, Bugs Bunny and others were meant to be funny and entertaining.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case anymore. “Funny” is apparently no longer one of the criteria for cartoons (or animated children’s programs as they seem to be called today). And, it’s not just network television that is the culprit.
Public television recently aired a program depicting a same sex marriage on an episode of “Arthur,” a PBS Kids show chronicling the adventures of an “elementary school-aged, anthropomorphic aardvark.” I’m an adult and I have no clue what that actually means.
A May 14 episode of the PBS animated children’s show “Arthur” depicted the same-sex wedding of the title character’s elementary school teacher. Screen capture from PBS Kids/Baptist Press
But from reading the article, I know that the same-sex marriage on the program was an intentional decision by producers of the program. It didn’t just happen.
Instances such as these are another stark reminder that parents (and grandparents) can’t take for granted what their children and grandchildren are watching on television. On the surface, “Arthur” appears to be a fun, wholesome show for children. Beneath the surface, however, people are using a children’s program to promote their agenda by sending a message to children that same-sex marriage is normal and just a part of life.
The reality that much of the world does not want to admit or hear is that homosexuality is still a sin as defined by God in His Holy Word. The “Arthur” producers apparently forgot to mention that “truth” in the program.
Do you know what your children and grandchildren are watching?
