What Happens In Vegas, Stays In Vegas?

Have you seen the commercials for Las Vegas? I am talking about the ones for the city, not the television program. There is a variety, but the main thrust of them all is that you can go to Vegas, assume a fictitious identity, be who you want to be , and here is the catch phrase for each one, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. While the problems of Las Vegas are far removed from those of Sodom and Gomorrah, what they have in common is their attitude toward their sinful lifestyle and reputation. A boastful pride and arrogance. Totally unashamed. But it is not only a problem in Vegas, it is a national problem. I grew up in a "Leave It To Beaver" world. That world also had it liars, adulterers, drunks and more. The difference was, we were not "proud" of their actions. Those who promote television programs like Las Vegas, Desperate Housewives, etc. tell us that they are only portraying reality - the way the world really is. But what they don’t tell you is that they are also, in the process of portraying reality, encouraging an acceptance of the reality as the normal form of behavior. I will be the first to admit that "Leave It To Beaver" was not a portrayal of reality. I never saw my dad or any other man in my world, sit down to dinner in his suit and tie. But the difference between the two types of programs is in the lifestyle they encourage. Programs of my early days encouraged moral, responsible behavior. Programs that do that today are few and far between. Remember the frog in the kettle? I know it is an old, old illustration, but it is a true picture of our world. Slowly the temperature is increased until the frog finds himself in boiling water. Because the degree of change in temperature was so slight he never knew what was happening. We don’t either! A little here and a little there and you wake up one morning and find yourself saying, "I can’t believe they said that - did that - on TV! Soon there is no more "shock and awe". It makes you wonder just how far we are willing to go in this downward direction. If we have come this far in a little less than 60 years, what will the next 60 hold? We have been so desensitized that there is not much we see today that will make us blush. The age of innocence is long gone. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"? Not really, it comes home with you. Your character is changed and molded by your actions and thoughts. "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas"? Not really, "So the LORD told Abraham, "I have heard that the people of Sodom and Gomorrah are extremely evil, and that everything they do is wicked." Gen. 18:20 NLT. Heaven knows.