There are a multitude of lessons in retrospect from the sinking of the huge cruise liner off the coast of the Italian island, Giglio. “Pride goes before a fall,” and who can deny the foolish pride of the ship’s Captain, who would put the safety of his passengers far below his desire to impress people around him to his own aggrandizement, while sailing the luxury liner into an immovable rock outcrop below the surface a few hundred yards off the island’s shore. People in such positions of power should nurture and exhibit a huge portion of humility, which is, unfortunately, also greatly missing in the political leaders who “rule over us” or allegedly on our “behalf.” But one of the greatest lessons coming from the sinking of this ship, weeks after the 100^th anniversary of the Titanic’s encounter with an iceberg, is the erosion of moral chivalry in civilized society. Civil society is no longer interested in honoring, which includes protecting, women and children. Apparently, as the vessel Costa Concordia was tilting on its side and sinking, men, both passengers and members of the crew pushed women and children aside as they rushed for the life boats. Even the Captain who put their lives in jeopardy tended to his own safety over the lives of his passengers, particularly women and children.

The historic sinking of the Titanic told a totally different story: the life boats were filled with women and children before any men, and the life jackets went to women and children of first priority. What has brought about the erosion of such chivalrous action in our day, and we can also say, moral action taught in the Scriptures? The dishonoring of women and children through the flood of the multi-billion dollar industry of pornography, the evil and violent behavior toward them engendered by the pornographers and those who clamor for their products, the massive sex slave trafficking of women and children, not just abroad but all over America, the proliferating of abortion mills, and the thousands of babies that are slaughtered in the womb every day, every hour, every minute, has been at the forefront of eroding away an essential character trait of any civilized and moral society: the honoring and protecting of women and children. The sexual, physical, and mental abuse of children, mostly in the alleged “safety” of their own homes has produced all kinds of evil throughout the culture to include the explosion of homosexuality in the last century.  America now sends women to fight her wars!  And at the forefront of the defense of all of the above, even if unwittingly, has been the great majority of the Feminist Movement, which has most every male leader running scared to dare stand in its way or of being accused of chauvinism, which is anything that dares question any part of the Feminist agenda. Every governing body, every legislature in the world is still made up of a majority of men, apparently men of weak character, who can find no solution to slow the tide of mayhem on women and children throughout the world.

The protection of women and children in God’s agenda is taught in the Scriptures from the Garden of Eden to the pages of Revelation. Adam failed to protect Eve from the serpent Satan and even tried to blame her for his own sin. God’s instruction for Israel when battle or crisis was imminent was the protection of their women and children. The nurture and instruction and discipline of children were aimed at their protection from the evil of this world and from Satan. (Deuteronomy 6 among numerous texts) The Psalmist expressed God’s desire for men to care for widows and orphans.  Jesus pronounced great judgment on those who would abuse children or lead them astray. (Matthew 18) And the Apostle Peter spoke of women and by proper inference, children, as weaker vessels deserving of honor and protection. Despite all of Hollywood’s fictional attempts to create and depict “Amazon women” the facts overwhelm their fantasies; women by a gazillion percent over men are raped, assaulted, battered, and physically tormented by men. Many men at the Judgment will hang their heads in shame and horror at their utter failure to acknowledge God’s command to honor and protect weaker vessels, women and children, whom He created.

At the Paul Anderson Youth Home we seek to teach the young men God sends us chivalrous manners in order that they might begin to consider God’s concept of what it means to truly be a man!

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About the author

Stephen Leonard
Stephen W. Leonard is a retired military chaplain with over 34 years in the Army. He served in combat as an Infantry Officer before becoming a chaplain. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and has been the pastor of several churches. He is the founder of a national Youth Leadership Conference and has been the Director of National and International Chaplain ministries. He has degrees from Wheaton College in Illinois, Covenant Theological Seminary in Missouri, and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Stephen is the writer of the weekly devotional series, Strength for the Day. He has also written the booklet "How to Pray for Your Child" as a resource for parents. Stephen is married to Glenda Anderson Leonard, co-founder of the PAYH.