The advertising industry is big and a powerful industry. There are many proofs of this. Take for example the slogans of many products. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz, is the product line for Alka-Seltzer. “You deserve a break today” is one from a food franchise. “You can have it your way” is another one from the food industry. There are other slogans that you can think of to show which show how power this method of business. There is some well meaning but confusing messages that has been produced by these same people. Let us consider some of these messages.
- Drink responsibly. Is this even possible? A person loses his sense of responsibility when he drinks. Yet, this is the message given in advertisements regularly seen on television. When recommending that one person drink moderately, or responsibly, is still a recommendation for that person to drink. There are certain people that will not inherit the kingdom of heaven, one of them is a drunkard (1 Corinthians 6:9-11; Galatians 5:19-21). But a person may ask the question, “but they are not drunk, only drink responsibility.” How many drinks does it take to affect one’s thinking? Who is going to be the judge of this? Are you or is God? Whom will you face on Judgment Day? What standard will He use? Notice what the Wise man said, “Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again” (Proverbs 23:29-35). “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Proverbs 20:1).
How can one be demonstrating responsibility when he is purposely consuming a beverage specifically designed to rob him of his good senses?
- Don’t drink and drive. This is a slogan widely heard during times of pervasive imbibing, such as the holiday season and the high school prom season. Most of those who drink during prom season are underage. How and where do they get this type of beverage? Do their friends? Do their parents? In either case the law of the land is broken. Yet most parents think nothing of providing them with this kind of drink, yet will cry to the high heavens when something happens to their innocent (?) child.
However, is it acceptable for one to drink as long as he does not take the wheel of an automobile? By this slogan the idea is given that as long as someone has a “designated driver,” he then has license to designatedly drink himself into oblivion. Drinking without driving can be just as injurious to one’s health, not to mention one’s spiritual well-being. The passages mentioned above will be applicable to this section as well. Alcohol will still bite like a snake. Alcohol will make one say stupid stuff. It will still make you stagger and fall just like the Wise man said (Please read Proverbs 20:1 and 23:29-35). And remember that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (Galatians 5:19-21). Many a man would argue this point but the Bible is still true. They cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
- Don’t drink and smoke if you are under age. There are activities in which some adults may acceptably take part, but are unacceptable for children – for example, driving an automobile. There are activities which are particularly unsafe for children, but drinking and smoking are neither safe for children or adults! What kind of message is an adult sending to a child when the adult who drinks or smokes tries to correct the child engaging in the same harmful activities? “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).
- Practice safe sex. This slogan truly came into its own when AIDS first became a widespread problem in the 1980’s. Parents and schools alike are teaching children to practice “safe sex.” However, the only true way to remain safe from sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual immorality. Strange, but his is exactly what God teaches mankind to do: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body: but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
One does not have to accept confusing messages as truth. If one does become distracted by these messages he can turn to God’s message of absolute truth: For God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33).
Editor’s note: This article was written by Lee Moses. He is the editor of Fulton County Gospel New. I am not sure how to get it but if one would go to the internet and place the name of the publication in goggle, then you can go to their site and find out all about how to get issue either by snail mail or email.
This article is not as it appears in the above publication, some editing was done. Scriptures and comments were added. The fact is still true we do not need to be fooled by the advertising industry. We cannot let them fool us into believing something is right by their cute slogans. We must ever keep up the fight to do what is right. We must also teach our children to do what is right. It is a never ending struggle but let us keep at it.
Love, Keith
