O.K. so just what is a “Strong Man”?

First let’s go to the national authority on men in our country - Hollywood.

Much of Prime Time T.V. portrays men as nothing more than toys for women to manipulate, play with, and throw away when they're done. The children on these shows give the picture that it is perfectly acceptable to disrespect dad and treat him as if he's a moron. Men are often made out to be incompetent idiots and losers, and the men aren’t the only victims here. Parents in general are made out to be insignificant and unnecessary. Often, men are portrayed in such a way as to suggest that we aren't able to have meaningful relationships, that all we are is detached and unable to think or feel and that we would rather run away, than put out the effort to build and keep lasting meaningful relationships with our wives and children. This has been a slow, subtle, twisting and re-painting of what was originally a masterpiece of original design.

Big deal, you say? It’s just TV. Well, let me ask this; have you noticed how much the “entertainment” industry has influenced our culture? You’ve seen as much as I have, a blockbuster movie comes out and then it seems that the very next week the toys, shirts, bumper stickers and posters show up everywhere. Do you think that if a movie didn't 'influence' people enough to sell millions of dollars in products, they would be on the shelves?. It seems fairly evident how much influence entertainment has on us. I believe that entertainment, to a large degree has shaped our culture, which wouldn't be so bad if the influence was all good, the trouble, is that the scales are tipped in the other direction.

O.K. let’s contrast that to the other side of Hollywood’s view of men in our society, the action hero. His is the world of super guns, super cars and super girls. He's the guy that the women drool over, wishing they could have him for one night. You’ve seen him, the guy who can take out 10 other men at a time, plan elaborate schemes to save the fair maiden, flip race cars over a bus while killing the bad guys, land on the other side unscathed, calmly get out of the car and say something thought provoking like, "Boy, I really like this car".

Add another element into the “real man” recipe and you find yourself at the fight arena. Some are meant to be actual entertainment, and those guys really have to be in top physical shape to even consider being there, but there is another element to these also, it's how the women are portrayed. In many of these venues, the women are paraded around half naked, as if that's the only way men like to see them. It's a shame really, television likes to make people think, that's what men are all about.
There are others, however; that should not be considered entertainment. They are real fights intended to show who the physically strongest or meanest is. Some of the men in these arenas get pretty torn up. Some of the more violent fights can end in death. In the past, the United States has typically banned these extreme fight arenas, but you can see what certain segments of society find entertaining and manly.

So there's a snapshot at what the world thinks of men. Don’t get me wrong. Some movies have story lines that are worth looking at. Others are intended to be entertainment but also give a focus on some really big problems facing society. They are put together in a format that will draw a crowd. If you can draw the right crowd, you can get a big issue in front of a lot of people and sometimes bring about change more quickly (there's the influence part). Those shows can be entertaining and also do some good. But let’s face it, those are the exception and not the rule. The question is this: can you see past the entertainment factor to the message that is being given about men?

The effect of all of this has taken time to see but it is now right in front of our eyes. Society has a more skewed view of men, family and marriage than ever before.
What has stood for generations as one of the pillars of our society - FAMILY – is now being deemed obsolete.

What would you expect to happen if you take the main support pillars out of any large structure? How about the Empire State Building. It would be a disaster!
In a very short time, here in America, we have seen the decimation of the family as well as the emasculation and feminization of men. Add to all of this, the so called “alternative life styles”, the women’s liberation movement, pro-choice, and the genocide of millions of unborn babies. Since the passing of Roe v. Wade, more babies have been exterminated in this country than all the people Hitler had killed during WWII (Hitler statistics drawn from Wikipedia of approx. 11 million; abortion statistc drawn from Life News of approx. 55,772,015).
Get onto the internet and do a little searching for current statistics on marriage, divorce, abortion, gang activity, alternative life styles and couple’s living together outside of marriage. The statistics stand as monuments of a society that claims to have it all together. We proclaim that we are smarter now than ever before.

Via the Huffington Post:
The number of children living apart from their fathers has more than doubled in the last fifty years, from 11 percent in 1960 to 27 percent in 2010. That’s one of the key findings from a new report on fatherhood in the United States that was released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends project — just in time for Father’s Day. The findings paint a grim picture of many fathers’ lack of involvement in their children’s lives, using data from over 10,000 people to determine the percentage of “absent” or “non-resident” fathers in America, which the report defines as those who do not live with their children. A decline in marriage rates may be partially to blame. In 1960, 72 percent of the adult population was married; that share had dropped to 52 percent by 2008. Eighty seven percent of children ages 17 and younger were living with two married parents in 1960 compared with 64 percent in 2008. According to the report’s co-author Gretchen Livingston, an increase in divorce rates over the last half-century may also play a role.

So let me ask this; if Hollywood, the main producer of "entertainment" has the influence it prides itself on, sends its message about men, out among the throngs for long enough, doesn't it make sense that many will actually begin to believe it? To put it differently, if parents start early and call their kid "stupid" for long enough, that child will eventually believe it, I've seen it happen. So yes, if you send a message out for long enough and speak as though it's the truth, you can shape someone’s thinking!

“If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed.”
~Adolph Hitler

What can we do? Is there an answer? Absolutely! The solution takes effort, time, and commitment. Are we, the men of God - willing?

Next: God’s View