The long-running children’s show “Sesame Street” has taken to social media twice in June to recognize “lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender” Pride Month, with one graphic symbolizing the Pride flag rainbow via characters of different colors holding hands and another utilizing the likenesses of Big Bird, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Elmo and others with a rainbow heart in the center. While being applauded by many, some commenters have pointed to the Word of God, noting that it is not loving to promote sin but to rather urge others to turn from it.
“On our street, we accept all, we love all, and we respect all. Happy #PrideMonth,” the broadcast tweeted on June 11, with an emoji of the Pride flag. A graphic accompanying the tweet depicts various show characters holding hands to create a rainbow flag.
“Love always wins. #PrideMonth,” Sesame Street wrote on June 16, using the various colors of characters, from the yellow of Big Bird, the red of Elmo and the blue of Cookie Monster to form a rainbow heart in the center.
While the posts generated thousands of likes — 131K for one and 8k for the other on Facebook, 65K for one and 12K for the other on Twitter, 167K for one on Instagram (the second was not posted) — some left comments expressing objection that the acceptance of homosexuality is being promoted to children.
“Not an agenda that should be pushed by a children’s TV show. Children should be just children,” one commenter wrote.
“This is the opposite of love. To indoctrinate vulnerable innocent children into accepting and possibly living this abomination is to condemn them to an eternal fire. It is #demonic! God’s Word does not change,” another stated.
“Actually, God always wins. You might be loved and accepted on earth, but God didn’t create you to do whatever you want. Your sin has consequence,” a third outlined. “The loving thing I can tell you is read the Bible and obey God or face eternal consequence. Ain’t going to sugar coat it. Life vs. eternity. You decide.”
As previously reported, this is not the first time that “Sesame Street” has acknowledged Pride Month, writing in 2017, “Sesame Street is proud to support families of all shapes, sizes, and colors.” It also shared a photograph of various Sesame Street characters lined up in a manner to reflect the colors of the rainbow flag.
“Happy #PrideMonth from your friends on Sesame Street!” it posted last year, featuring an image of a jean jacket with rainbow buttons, one of which featured Big Bird and the year 1969, in reference to the Stonewall Riots.
Billy Porter, an openly homosexual actor known for wearing dresses and gowns, is also scheduled to appear on the broadcast this season — an announcement that has generated both applause and concern, with at least two groups taking up a petition to ask PBS not to “indoctrinate children” with taxpayer dollars.
Cartoon Network also is observing Pride Month throughout June, and left a series of rainbow hearts under Sesame Street’s June 11 post.
In addition to expressing support for those who identify as homosexual, Sesame Street has also been teaching children the practices of meditation and mindfulness with its “Monster Meditation” episodes, which are a partnership with the organization Headspace.
As previously reported, Headspace was co-founded by Andy Puddicombe, who, according to the group’s website, was ordained in India as a Tibetan Buddhist monk after spending years studying meditation.
HELP AND HOPE IN CHRIST
As previously reported, while the Bible teaches kindness toward others, it also instructs that men are not to take pride in their sins but to humbly repent of them — no matter what the transgression (Isaiah 1:16; Jeremiah 4:14; Mark 1:16).
Scripture states that the unregenerate man is naturally drawn to desire what is verboten as all are born with the Adamic sin nature (Romans 5:19), having various inherent feelings and inclinations that are contrary to the law of God and being utterly incapable of changing by themselves (Job 14:4).
All men are therefore lawbreakers and guilty in the sight of God (Romans 3:19), evoking His wrath.
“[W]e all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others,” Ephesians 2:3 outlines.
“All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned every one to his own way,” Isaiah 53:6 reads, “and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”
It is why Jesus came: to do what men could not do for themselves, to “save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).
Scripture outlines that Jesus came to be the propitiation for men’s sins (1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10), a doctrine in Christianity known as substitutionary atonement, and to save men from the wrath of God for their violations against His law (Romans 4:25, Romans 5:9, Romans 5:16), a doctrine known as justification.
In light of Christ laying down his life for His enemies (Romans 5:10), God calls all men to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Acts 2:38-40 exhorts, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. … Save yourselves from this untoward generation.”
The Bible also teaches about regeneration, as in addition to sparing guilty men from eternal punishment, Christ sent his Holy Spirit to make those who would repent and believe new creatures in the here and now, with new desires and an ability to do what is pleasing in the sight of God by His indwelling and empowerment (Ezekiel 11:19, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Titus 3:5).
Jesus said that men must be born again — a work of the Spirit transforming their very nature from being in Adam to being in Christ, or they cannot see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3-8).
“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world,” explains Titus 2:11-15, “looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
“These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.”
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