Web Evil Doers Running the Show
How alarming is it then to realize that there are places children routinely visit, unsupervised and unprotected, where they are at spiritual, emotional and physical peril on a 24/7 basis?
Countless unholy places are within instant reach in millions of Catholic homes in this country. They have been largely overlooked, or worse yet ignored, by Catholic parents and guardians with the unhappy consequences of leaving our beloved sons and daughters in harm’s way. The places I allude to populate the Internet, where pornography reins.
Catholic children are at risk today in America. If you harbor any lingering doubts about the pervasiveness of pornography, type in the word SEX on Google, a popular search engine. Within 3.7 seconds 784,000 pornographic matches, of a hair-raising variety, will appear. At any given time on the Internet, 10 million child pornography images can be accessed. School-aged children make ideal targets for cyber predators who are adept at twisting Web technology to intrude on their privacy. Out of embarrassment, or fear of a parent-imposed Internet embargo, children frequently leave Mom and Dad in the dark about troubling Web encounters, a behavior pattern that plays right into the hands of Web evil doers.
The nation’s law enforcement officials recognize the Internet as an invaluable communication technology, but all emphasize the importance of parental guidance to avoid pitfalls in cyberspace that lead children astray. A Crimes Against Children study reports that one in five children who go online regularly will be solicited by strangers for sex. Unsavory intrusions work against the wholesome Internet environment envisioned for children's education and are a far cry from the Web’s intended purpose.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft warns against “the new marketplace for child-pornography that often leads to actual molestation, so that indulging in pornography,” he said, “can no longer be viewed as harmless diversion.”
An Alternative for Concerned Catholics
We are pleased to announce that Catholic Exchange will be the ongoing provider of a viable, child-safe Internet filtering service for the Catholic community in this country. Our service, Catholic Exchange Connection, will provide you with completely child-safe Internet access, along with all the Internet bells and whistles you have become accustomed to from Web providers.
Click here and you will never again have to worry about what your child will be exposed to on the Web or who is watching over your child’s shoulder online!
Once a child's innocence is lost, it is lost forever. Years of careful, attentive, protective parenting can be undone in a split second if your child is exposed to any of the millions of filthy images polluting the Net. Our new Internet safety initiative balances appreciation for the amazing technology that provides children with instant access to the world around them with a solution for responsible oversight of the Web environment in the home.
Our Responsibility in Society
Catholic Exchange Connection is the first major Catholic-based Internet service that filters pornography at its root. But it is much more. Our organization is moving quickly to meet the need to protect families and our most valuable resource, our children, in these troubling times. This resource will remove, at its source, access to both pornographic and violent material. With Catholic Exchange Connection, horrific images will not pop up on your screen, unwanted and unsolicited.
You will never have to feel terror, shame and embarrassment when such material suddenly appears on screen, because it no longer can while you are online helping youngsters do their homework.
The threat to Catholic values that exists with today's technology extends beyond our particular homes and families. We need to see to it that the e-world depravities corrupting our society are replaced by a wholesome environment conforming to the Catholic values we cherish. You would do well to talk to neighbors and friends, alert them to the pervasiveness of Internet pornography and ask them to join the effort for clean Internet access.
One thing you can do to help right now is sign up for Catholic Exchange Connection. It is easy and seamless. It is simply a matter of switching from your current Internet connection service (AOL, Earthlink, etc.). Catholic Exchange Connection provides safe Internet access from over 7,000 local dial-up points in the US. You will receive a new Catholic Exchange E-mail address, evidence of the pride you take in being a Catholic Exchange member. And it will show more: that you care about your family and community and are taking meaningful steps to ensure that a safe, clean Internet will be a reality for our society in keeping with the wishes and urgings of Pope John Paul II.
Catholic Exchange enlists your assistance in helping us thwart purveyors of pornography who hold to the idea the Internet is their own private preserve and safe harbor for the nasty game plan they have secretly devised for kids in America. Please join us in transforming today’s Internet into a wonderful tool of discovery, communication and inspiring research — and a source of unbridled hope for Future Generations.
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