Just a thought about Ed. Miliband wanting to ban pay day loan adverts during children's programmes.  Mr Miliband says that  these type of ads. influence children.  Recently, parents called for musicians to reconsider their music videos as they are too provocative for younger minds.  So, now people are admitting that what we see and hear DOES influence our behaviour.  So that is why companies pay out millions of pounds to advertise their products! Laugh Out Loud.

Yes what we see, hear and read does have a profound influence on our thinking.  If a political party wants to get people on side, they pander to the media, especially the press, more importantly, The Sun, the UK's largest selling paper.

Going back to music and the influence songs play in our lives.  When people protest against songs that degrade women, call for the murder of gays or try and promote gang culture, people say that we cannot be influenced by such things as we have a mind and can think for ourselves.  That is what those in power would have us believe.  By subtle, and sometimes not so subtle suggestions we can be lead to believe the spin that those in power want us to believe.  A subtle suggestion that the nation was lead to believe: When Poland joins the EU we will be over run with the Polish stealing our jobs.  Yes there were a few thousand Polish coming to the UK, but not the invasion we were lead to believe.  But then again, there were not many politicians coming forward with this fear but a game of 'Chinese Whispers' getting the UK citizens worried that there would be no jobs for UK citizens.  A not so subtle suggestion was the rantings of any coalition MP saying that the austerity measures had to be taken because of the 'financial mess that the last administration had left us in.'  Well, when one looks at the figures between 1997 and 2010, it would show that in fact the UK GDP was doing quite well.  However, to get people to believe that the nation was in a financial mess the coalition MPs would bring up the subject every chance they got.

So, it is just a thought, if what we see and hear and read can be so powerful, is that why so many people refuse to hear the gospel?  Because by hearing what Jesus has to say will convict the heart and lead the hearer to repentance and a life with Jesus?  That is what Satan does not want!  The Bible says that we are all born sinners.  But sin only takes effect when we reach an age of understanding.  An understanding of sin and wrong doing.  Until that time the love of Jesus Christ covers all individuals until the time of the understanding for the need to repent.  This does not mean that if people do not hear the message of repentance they will automatically be 'saved' or 'go to Heaven'.  No, once we are at an age where we can distinguish good and bad we lose the security of Christ's covering.

But how can people know about repentance if they are not allowed to hear, see and read?  That is why Satan disguises well meaning and lies.  There is nothing wrong in telling children about the Bible.  However, well meaning folk say that children should be left to discover things for themselves and not be force into religion.  Unless children are taught history, will they know about William the Conqueror?  Furthermore, in teaching children how to love and live with their neighbours may mean living in peace.  Just a thought!