Harold Keller / L’Observateur / September 27, 2000

This past weekend, the city of New Orleans was again the site of a convention – Internet Audiotext 2000 – a smut convention.

But why New Orleans? Erin Noonan, assistant show manager, said, “New Orleans seemed like the perfect venue. Obviously, we needed a place thatwas ‘adult-friendly’ and had an atmosphere for night life, because the parties after are more important than the show.”The convention came in rather quietly, without any protest. Organizers ofthe convention said that the Internet smut trade is making quick millionaires out of those who can stand the stigma. It’s estimated that the total industryvalue is between $1.4 to $1.8 billion a year.According to the news report, the convention drew cash-hungry sin-sellers the world over. One man who flew in from Berlin said, “The porn business iseasy.” He added that he makes about $20,000 a month selling nude malepictures. “The people here want to rip them out of my hands. It’s a veryprofitable trip,” he said.

How can a business like that flourish in a nation supposedly “One nation, under God?” The answer is the same for any successful industry – supply and demand. The sin-sellers supply what the customers demand.The Bible speaks about the sins of the flesh. One is lasciviousness, which isthe promoting or partaking of that which tends to produce lewd emotions, anything tending to foster sexual sin and lust. Lust is one of the sevencapital (sometimes referred to as “deadly”) sins, together with anger, envy, greed, gluttony, pride and slothfulness.

It amazes me how terribly empty the lives of some people are. They will doanything and spend money to fill that vacuum.

The scary thought about this week’s convention is that after all God has done for this country, we have allowed this type of activity not only to flourish but also to prosper.

I have to keep in mind that all people have a choice. In fact, the Bible remindsus that God puts us before life and death. It suggests that we choose lifeand its blessings because if we choose (spiritual) death, we will get the curses that come with it, including eternal damnation.

The newspaper article referring to the convention had an excellent headline: “Smut Convention Visits New Orleans.” Smut is described as a matter thanblackens. It will definitely blacken the soul.As a point of information – the conventioneers must have made the Gore supporters happy. They endorsed him.

HAROLD KELLER writes this column as part of his affiliation with the Get High on Life religious motivational group.

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