| We must set sexual boundaries By Edison M. Amos The stark and tragic revelation of major pedophilia cases in the Roman Catholic Church has brought to our conscience the tragedy of sexual desires being perpetrated upon young children. The tragic murder of Danielle van Dam in San Diego gripped our conscience and our hearts. Along with these sorrowful revelations, other events relating to sex and sexually-transmitted diseases must be addressed by people of conscience, and especially by Christian people. The stories of sexual licentiousness seem to be legion. The major method of spreading HIV and AIDS is sex. Some have estimated that 40 million people are infected with this virus. Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that the AIDS plague is now pandemic. Nelson Mandela has called for help with the AIDS problem in South Africa. Bishop Felton May has declared war on the AIDS crisis. Miami and Baltimore were among the cities in America with the highest increase of AIDS and HIV in 2000. Washington, D.C., wasnt far behind. Cases of the major sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, gonorrhea and syphilis, continue to grow in our major cities. Our culture is possessed by sex. For example, some of us thought the close of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City was a spectacular event, especially the passing of the light from the young boy of Salt Lake City to the young girl of Torino, Italy. Then when Christina Aguilera came on with her sexual performance, it was over for me. It was an affirmation of my thinking when even USA Today reported that it was bad. Just imagine, none other than Sheryl Crow stated that some of todays younger rock stars are nothing more than porn stars. Recent data reveals that most children born in our major cities, especially Baltimore and Washington, are born out of wedlock. Many teenagers are having babies, although it has also been reported that there has been a slight decrease in the number of teenage births in the last two years. It is an alarming sign of the demise of our moral boundaries that the vast majority of young people in our nation have had some type of sex by the age of 19. Fortunately, there are people who are concerned about this lack of moral values as it relates to sex. Dr. Anthony Fauci from the National Institutes of Health has warned people with HIV and AIDS that there is no magic medicine or medical cocktail which will bring a cure. In addressing the AIDS epidemic, Fauci called for behavior modification. That should have a ring of truth for Christians. If there is going to be any improvement in the countrys moral standards and the setting of sexual boundaries, surely it must begin with each of us. Our faith emphasizes behavior modification and transformation in all areas of life, especially when it relates to sexual misconduct. The Rev. Edison M. Amos is a retired clergy member of the Baltimore-Washington Conference. He lives in Port St. Lucie, Fla. | 
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