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The Danger of a Seared Conscience

The fear of God should be our chief means of self-preservation. It sounds an alarm in our conscience when danger is near. That’s why the Bible calls it “the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). They are unwise who cancel its sound.

The five senses of hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, and smelling weren’t given to us solely for pleasure. We can enjoy beauty, hear good music, tenderly touch a loved one, smell a mouthwatering fragrance, and taste delicious food. But these senses also play a vital role in self-preservation. We back away from a vicious dog, don’t touch a prickly cactus, spit out that which is bitter, retreat when we smell a skunk, and we should be alarmed to danger when a train blasts a warning horn.

“The fear of God should be our chief means of self-preservation. It sounds an alarm in our conscience when danger is near.”

Music takes us into another world. It can lift us from the boredom of everyday life into a land of great joy. The experience can be intensified with earbuds, or high-quality custom-fitted headphones that have the ability to cancel external noise. However, as with so many great things, there’s a kickback.

When I try and get the attention of these music-lovers—to ask them to come on-camera to share the gospel with them—it’s as though I don’t exist. I watch them walk by, cross the street, ride on bikes and drive cars, all in a blinding world of sound. Years ago, researchers gave this blindness a name:

“…Dr. Richard Lichenstein researched and found that from 2004 through 2011, there were 116 reports of death or injury among pedestrians wearing headphones. Their research found that this trend is becoming more prevalent: in 2004-2005, there were 16 reported incidents while in 2010-2011 there were 47 reported incidents. Lichenstein and his team said that the distraction of the music causes inattentional blindness.”

“Don’t sear your conscience. Keep it sensitive, so that when it sounds an alarm, you will hear it and step out of the path of danger.”

“In October 2014, [a] 16-year-old daughter, Tiffany, was hit and killed by a train while walking along the tracks near her home in Maple Ridge, B.C. She didn’t hear the train’s warning whistle because she was wearing headphones. One recent study found that the number of pedestrians who have been killed or injured while wearing headphones had more than tripled in six years.”

So don’t sear your conscience. Keep it sensitive, so that when it sounds an alarm, you will hear it and step out of the path of danger.

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters, a bestselling author, and has written more than 100 books, including, The Evidence Study Bible. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, which airs in 190 countries.

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