Almost imperceptibly, the level of filth, debauchery and immorality has been steadily increasing in the homes of virtually all Americans, as well as those in many other lands. This is happening through television, a medium that, once upon a time, parents could trust was guarded by thoughtful adult executives with an eye toward common decency.

This ought to be of concern for every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The very sanctity of the home is at stake, as are the lives of young children who need to grow and develop in an environment that allows them to become sensitive to the Spirit.

So-called "reality" shows are now pervasive. Many of them have a simple aim — to place young and beautiful men and women in compromising situations for no other reason than to titillate the audience. In one new show, a woman explains all the superficial qualities she wants in a mate, then agrees to marry whomever viewers nationwide choose for her, sight unseen. In another, contestants parade nearly naked in front of a panel of judges who make raw and sarcastic remarks as they rate their looks, a scene that conjures images of slave auctions hundreds of years ago — except that these participants are there of their own will and choice.

It has gotten so bad that Brent Bozell, president of the non-profit Parents Television Council, lashed out at a recent Federal Communication Commission hearing that the government has abandoned its duty to protect the public.

Speaking on behalf of American families, he said, "They are disgusted, revolted, fed up, horrified — I don't know how else to underscore this — by the raw sewage, the ultraviolence, the graphic sex, the raunchy language that is flooding into their living rooms day and night though the television screen, and poisoning the minds of an entire generation of youngsters whose parents' concerns are dismissed by an industry that admonishes them instead to stand guard over the sets, perhaps with a baseball bat, to keep impressionable children away."

The Parents Television Council recently studied 38 such "reality" series on regular broadcast channels for a total of 125.5 hours. It documented 847 instances of sex, foul language and violence, or 9.5 instances per hour. The results for cable programs were much worse, with 29.4 instances per hour.

Imagine such a thing only 20 years ago. Imagine if programmers had attempted to air such filth during the medium's infancy 50 years ago. The outcry would have been deafening. But today, few complaints are heard. People have been conditioned to accept such things. "And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21.)

Prophets have warned about such things for decades now. President Spencer W. Kimball spoke boldly more than 23 years ago when he said, "We need to constantly guard against immorality, pornography, and sexual permissiveness that would destroy the purity of the family members. What must we do? We must be constantly alert to their evil presence in our homes and destroy them as we would the germs and filth of disease. We must hunt them from the closets of our minds, freeing ourselves of such worldliness, quenching the embers of wickedness before they become destructive flames." (Ensign, May 1979.)

Television can be a source of much good. With myriad viewing choices, families still can find worthwhile programs and an array of educational and wholesome entertainment. However, concerned parents often have to hack through the thick underbrush of thorns and noxious weeds to get to the good. The need for careful monitoring of viewing choices has never been so great.

Satan is anxious to infiltrate the homes of people who fear God. The reason is clear. "There is nothing any of us can do that will have greater longtime benefit than to rekindle wherever possible the spirit of the kind of homes in which goodness can flourish," President Gordon B. Hinckley said. (Liahona, June 1996.)

"Reality" can mean different things to different people. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is the ultimate reality. It unites families and seals them together for eternity in the presence of a loving Heavenly Father. Members of the Church must guard their homes zealously to make sure that reality is allowed to take root and flourish.