Police have smashed a global internet pedophile ring, rescuing 22 children and rounding up more than 700 suspects worldwide, including four Australians, the AFP say.I just don't understand. I mean, how does somebody get a thrill out of doing or watching something like that? I'll be honest, before I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ back in 2001, I watched a lot of porn. I'd get home from work, take a shower, sit down at the computer, and spend hours surfing. But even then, I was only ever into "legal" porn (for lack of a better word). I would never DREAM of doing the kinds of things these guys did.
The raids, dubbed Operation Lobate in Australia, involved detectives from England, Australia, Canada and the United States targeting an internet chat room where members from 35 countries swapped thousands of indecent pictures and films of children.
Sixty-three people were arrested internationally as a result of the ongoing investigation, with 14 of the arrested dubbed "contact offenders'' - those actually in physical contact with their victims. The operation also resulted in the rescue of 22 children, the AFP spokesman said.
So, how does somebody get a thrill out of it? What is the force that drives these men to do stuff like this? Well, it's the same force that drove Adolf Hitler to murder 6 million Jews. It's the same force that was behind the Soviet Union. And it's the same force that is, in fact, behind all the evil that has occured since Cain killed his brother. But it's not a "force", per se. It's Satan. The one who took 1/3 of the angels and rebelled against GOD. And even after this pedophile ring got busted up, guess what? There are countless other ones out there. That is why Peter said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour..." (1st Peter 5:8). Watch Discovery Channel, or Animal Planet. When lions are stalking prey, which ones to they go after? Do they try and chase down the fastest and strongest? No. They pick off the weak, the slow, the ones that aren't paying attention.
This admonition from Peter should be engraved on a plaque and given to all new parents. Because Satan is just willing and ready to pick off the children of parents who don't exercise control over their children. Parents who say, "Oh, I trust my child to make good decisions." Guess again! Genesis 8:21--"The imagination of man is evil from his youth." Remember the book "Lord of the Flies"? That may have been a bit of an exaggeration. Or was it? If children grow up without parents, what's to keep them from destroying themselves, and/or others? Nothing! How do I know this? I see it in the projects where I preach. Kids growing up without parental guidance. The parents (or, more often, a parent) are there...physically. But, they don't teach them or corect them. That's why, when they get to be about 8, 9, 10, they wind up being a runner for drug dealers.
And don't think this is limited to the projects. How many times to white, middle class, suburban parents say, "Oh, I don't want to put limits on my kids," or "I don't think of myself as his/her parent," or some similar nonsense. So, they let the kid do whatever they want, go wherever they want. And they're shocked--shocked!!--when their daughter winds up pregnant, or their son gets arrested. "How could you do something like this??" I'll tell you why. Because you didn't teach them! Whenever they wanted anything, they asked, and you ponied up the dough to get it. Whether it was beneficial to them or not. Proverbs 13:24--"He who spareth his rod hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him [promptly]". And yes, that word "hate" means what you think it means.
Which brings me around to the pedophile ring. How did these children--many of them infants!--wind up being used, abused, exploited in this manner? Did the parents turn their back, and whoosh they were gone? No matter how careful you think you are, no matter what steps you think you can take to protect your child, do yourself--and your child--a favor and go a step further. Don't let your child become the center of a story like this. Be a PARENT! Don't try and be their "buddy", or their "pal". Discipline them, teach them, keep them close. How many times do we hear kids moaning about how their parents don't care what they do? Kids not only need discipline. Down inside, they want it.
