Resolution on Decency in the Media and on the Internet

Resolution on decency in the media and on the Internet adopted by the 124th Supreme Council Meeting of the Knights of Columbus on Aug. 3, 2006.

WHEREAS, contemporary society has been deeply and adversely affected by the ready availability of pornography and sympathetic depictions of promiscuity in the popular entertainment media; and

WHEREAS, pornography has a corrosive and destructive impact on marriage, family and the foundations of society generally, and in its extreme forms, such as child pornography, involves the criminal abuse of children; and

WHEREAS, pornography debases human love, rendering it empty and devoid of meaning; and

WHEREAS, many in the entertainment industry have deliberately and systematically contributed to a general degradation of standards of common decency in movies, television, radio programs, music, magazines and now the Internet to an extent that makes it extraordinarily difficult to raise children in a healthy environment in modern society;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Knights of Columbus condemns pornography and indecency in all of its forms, and calls upon the entertainment industry and Internet providers to raise their standards; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we commend and thank those in the entertainment and retail industries who maintain a high standard of decency and family friendly media products, and pledge our support to them as consumers, and that we commend and thank those in the law enforcement community who enforce laws that prohibit obscenity, child pornography and the criminal victimization of children; and

FURTHER RESOLVED, that we encourage our councils and members to support the work of groups such as Morality in Media as part of their effort to restore community standards of decency.