Where is the Shame?
A leading candidate for the presidency is accused by multiple women of sexual harassment. Is he guilty, or the victim of a combined attack to destroy his credibility and knock him out of contention?
A major American university is rocked by the revelation that its storied football program sheltered a coach accused of sexual molesting multiple pre-teen boys. The long serving coach and the college president are fired.
And a young under age singer is accused of fathering a child in what sounds like a case of statutory rape. It becomes fodder for another presidential candidate to joke about on late night television.
We have become a people with no shame. We no longer are shocked at such revelations. Have we come to expect this type of behavior and character? It appears we have.
The Penn State scandal is truly appalling. As each day goes by more information comes out. Whatever happened in those locker rooms is a stain that should not be covered up and washed away lightly. What I am hearing from the reports is at the very least an attempt to cover up the disgusting immoral behavior of a coach, in an effort to preserve the reputation of a major college football program. A football program–nothing more than a boys game. A game that has cult status in American society. Highly educated people are willing to sacrifice their personal integrity to preserve the reputation of an institution of higher learning. This is shameful and exposes the hypocrisy of college athletics and frankly much of what passes as "higher education".
It is past time to expose the filth and slime coming from these arenas.
I ask myself how and why people will turn a blind eye to such behavior? Is it only the money? The Penn State football program brings in $50M a year in income. Is this the amount that causes people to lose their moral bearing and allow a man to molest ten year old boys? Is this the price for one boy, or a dozen? Shame on any athletic institution that covers up such actions by its teachers and coaches.
Christ asked, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" (Mark 8:36 ESV). Tolerating bad behavior in any situation and to any degree is unacceptable.
I know some fine students who graduated form Penn State. They would not condone such actions and must be embarrassed that their alma mater is doing through this scandal. This does not detract from their standards and the lives they try to lead. But I would hope they, and any decent person, would learn not to let sin to remain and infect any noble effort they support. All of us need to learn to draw a line in the sand of our life and know the proper boundaries of conduct. Expect excellence and righteousness in yourself and in others. It is the only way to maintain high and Godly standards.
I am aware of the saying, "those who live in glass houses should not throw stones". But there is a corollary to this saying. It is, "go and sin no more". The first step to rolling back future episodes like all mentioned above is a finely tuned sense of shame. We could all use more of this.