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Welcome to the Family Beacon, your source for news and commentary on life, family, and religious freedom in Minnesota and beyond! 

• Watch or listen to the podcast! 
• Blog: Pornography is a Problem We Can't Ignore
• Freedom United Conference from Agape First Ministries
• Join the #HelpNotHarm Campaign!

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Pornography is a Problem We Can't Ignore

A recent Wall Street Journal investigation offered a glimpse into the world kids see when scrolling through Tik Tok, the most popular social media platform among America’s teenagers. It wasn’t pretty. The journalists set up 31 fake Tik Tok accounts posing as 13–15-year-old users and discovered that the algorithm very quickly started showing them sexually explicit content, sexual violence, and links to OnlyFans. The fact that the age set on each of the 31 accounts was set at 15 or younger made no difference as pornographic content and links made their way into each account’s feed.

It’s not just Tick Tock — in their book Treading Boldly Through a Pornographic World, Daniel Weiss and Joshua Glaser report that, while 18% of 13–17-year-olds report that they seek out pornographic content on a weekly basis, over 20% say that they come across it unintentionally on a weekly basis. We live in a pornified culture, and parents today are presented with the challenge of navigating a world in which most children will have been exposed to pornography by the time they turn 13 and a growing number of children are addicted to pornography. In light of this sobering reality, it is imperative that families and churches gain a clear understanding of this issue and respond wisely as we embrace beauty of God’s design for sexuality and reject the distortions that our culture offers.

Pornography use is increasingly common among Generation Z, with 57% of young adults and 37% of teens regularly using pornography, and this problem increasingly affects girls as well as boys. Although pornography has traditionally been treated as a male problem, it is regularly used by one in three young women between the ages of 13–24. As Shane Morris recently noted on Twitter, “The received wisdom is that girls aren't visual creatures like guys. Porn doesn't care about the received wisdom.” Parents need to equip themselves to guide their daughters as well as their sons through a pornified culture by directing them toward the goodness and beauty of God’s design for sexuality, and both men and women need to flee temptation, seek out accountability, and put sin to death. Nowhere does Scripture teach that only men are capable of lust or that women’s lust is less sinful.

Freedom Unites Conference from Agape First Ministries

From Agape First Ministries:

We want to make the name of Jesus famous as we declare His transforming power through our worship, testimonies and teaching. This conference is for EVERYONE who desires to be encouraged in their faith and empowered to stand for the truth of the Gospel:  
Jesus Transforms. 

When:         October 8 (6:30pm—9:00pm)
                    (DOORS OPEN AT 5:30pm)
                    October 9 (9:00am—9:00pm)

Where:        Plymouth Covenant Church
                    4300 Vicksburg Ln N
                    Plymouth, MN  55446

Cost:           FREE

Click the link below to get more information and register online!

Join the #HelpNotHarm Campaign!

Children shouldn’t be sterilized.

They shouldn’t be mutilated.

And they shouldn’t be left to deal with the regret that follows.

Yet right here in America, that’s what’s happening to children who are struggling to accept their God-given bodies. Instead of real, compassionate help, they’re met with hormones and a scalpel.

Our children are in danger. At an age when they can’t even buy cough syrup over the counter, they’re being pushed to stop puberty, take cross-sex hormones, and even prepare to amputate healthy body parts. This shouldn’t be happening.

That’s why today we are pleased to announce the launch of an important new initiative by Family Policy Alliance with full support from Minnesota Family Council: Help Not Harm.

Help Not Harm is our answer to the gender war on our children. We have a vision of a country where children are offered real help, not the harm of experimental hormones and surgery. A nation where wounds are healed, not created. A place where children have room to embrace the person God made them to be – not pushed to change their entire body.

But to get there, it will take all of us. 

Help Not Harm gives you the tools you need to get involved. When you visit the Help Not Harm page, you’ll find opportunities to:

• Take action by signing the petition that asks leaders to protect children from dangerous transgender interventions
• Share the truth with friends using ready-made social media posts and hashtag #HelpNotHarm
• Learn about the realities of transition and get equipped with the facts

We're Hiring!

Come work for Minnesota Family Council in our exciting LEAD program for young adults as a Program Assistant! If you're interested in getting more information on this part-time position, email LEAD Minnesota Program Coordinator Patience Griswold at [email protected].

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For life, family, and religious freedom,