Movies Books and Television

[Mark]

This is an area that many struggle with and many more choose not to struggle with. I'm interested in knowing what others think about the us of our time and how we allow our minds to be filled.

We didn't have a television in our house for a long time. When Grandma moved in, cable moved in with her. What is the criteria for determining what you allow into your home through media based upon our desire to live righteously?

[messimom]

Yikes. You got me. I know that many would consider me a prude compared to other parents, and yet I feel I still fail every day. We watch way to much tv at our house. When my kids are watching tv I closely monitor what they watch. Very few cartoons are available to them, they mostly get to watch OPB programming. Evening tv "primetime" is just as bad too. If a show is on that I consider inappropriate for my kids (oldest is almost 8) we either change the channel or my kids go do something else if my husband and I want to watch the show. Lets see...some criteria. Nothing inherently evil comes through our tv. We won't watch any show that deals with demons/Satan/witch craft. You know the kinds of shows I'm talking about...the show is on for 2 minutes and you can feel the demon slink out of the tv and come sit on the couch beside you. This also includes many popular kids cartoons of the day "YuGiOh" "Winx" "Witches" and MANY other cartoons that don't even try to hide the witchcraft they contain. We also don't watch programs with lose morals or promoting drugs or sexual immorality. There are some shows we like to watch that sometimes have episodes that have that in them, so we don't watch those episodes. So, I think compared to some other believers we could be considered "loose" but to many in this day and age, like I said I would be called a prude. If I had the resolve I would like, our tv would get thrown out with the trash. I go back and forth on this so often, as does my husband. We also had no tv for quite a while and lived just fine...its just so much of an ingrained part of our lives we keep it around. I like it for the fact that we can keep tabs on the world and, in a sense what Satan is up to. It is our most convenient form of knowledge of things outside of our community. I just wish tv also wasn't such a huge avenue for evil. There's some of my 2 cents.

Messimom

[Vaneide]

Shalom,

Sometimes I don't know what is good and what is bad on tv, because most of the programs seems very bad, and the good ones have bad things too. But, what can we do? Wacht or not wacht nothing anymore? I do have problems with that, because I like to wacht a good program.

Vaneide

[Mark]

It is a terribly thing that we have become so comfortable with vile depravity as it is so often displayed before us. At the first encounter we probably turned it off. Next we sat and squirmed uncomfortably through the scene because, all in all, it was a good program. Finally, we are numb to and adon't even recognize it as wickedness at all.

What is a good program versus a bad one? Is a good show one that has mostly good in it but a few bad things? By what standard we turn it off? If the Cleavers sit down to a ham dinner, do we shut the thing down?

How bad is bad? Is it that which contradicts righteousness as defined in Scripture or that which pushes the envelope in our society? Is it okay if good people do wickedly in order obtain a just end? Is it okay if the good guy's character is "flavored" with depravity, so long as he is generally considered noble?

The Psalmist said in Psalm 101, "I will set no wicked thing before my eyes." To what extent does that apply to us in this realm of personal entertainment and amusement?

[q27]

Mark

We had this discussion in our home and the result - the TV stays off on Friday nights. Fortunately here in the land of Oz we have two public TV channels and one radio network with about three channels - most without ads and then only a few between programes.

But this still does not illiminate programs that are sus ... so some nights no TV at all.

If we are not comfortable with the program then the program looses - that is very subjective but it seems to work.

We have a blanket ban on commercial TV - not necessarily because of the programs but because of the ads. The ads are really a form of psychological warfare - they are designed to make you dissatified with yourself - that you are somehow loosing out - this leads straight into coverteousness - so no commercial TV.

I even have a problem with my extensive CD collection - not that there anything really bad in it - just that some of the messages are not 'right' - besides buying CDs supports are very corrupt music business - but then I do like some of my selection - so ....

I guess it gets back to me personally - what is it about me that wants to watch, read, listen to .... ? If it is not 'life promoting' whats going on with me?

[messimom]

Just before(if I remember correctly) my husband and I came to understand the Hebraic roots of our faith, we went through a very rigid cleansing process in our lives. We had just come through a very low point in our marriage and knew that some drastic steps needed to be taken to survive the aftermath. At that point we went through all of our belongings(and I mean EVERYTHNG) and threw away anything that wasn't G-d centered. That included music, movies, clothing--anything that promoted a heathen lifestyle. We threw away hundreds of dollars worth of stuff. We did not sell a thing--for fear of causing someone else to stumble or profitting off of an unhealthy lifestyle. Let me add, I'm not talking drugs or extremely adversive types of things... We threw out things like "The Beatles White Album" and other things which promoted anything other than G-d. We prayed for cleansing in our lives. It was a very healthy move for us. We grew a lot in our walk with HaShem and each other. In turn YHVH filled our empty spaces in our souls with truth and light. We became observant within that time frame.

Now, a good couple years have passed, and we are no longer so rigid as we were then. But, as we have matured, we are also better equipped spiritually to deal with the less pure things in life, without being sucked in by them. This is not an excuse. There are still many things we do not allow into our house. And some others we do, and shouldn't, but give into the weak nature of the flesh. grrrrrrr. It is a daily struggle but, at least we struggle. As we know, YHVH judges the heart. Are we trying to combat the evil in our lives? When we fail is it because we thought "If I do this I'll get a spanking....I'm gonna do it anyways..." because I can recognize those times in my life. Where I can almost physically feel the push through the spiritual wall trying to stop me from straying off the path. It is those times where some real praying and intense repentance needs to take place. And then there are other times when we all simply lose our footing, and need a hand up.....when we need to log on to "YHVH maps" and get a little course correction. (and of course prayer and repentance) I have found that for us, the less evil we allow into our lives to begin with, the less correction we end up needing in our daily walk.

I wanted to say, that I've been impressed with the amount of honesty in this subject. With how many people admitting they watch and do things they acknowledge they maybe shouldn't. It is so tempting to lie by omission with things like tv....where so many of us are weak and we know it. I have a feeling that by the end of it all, the guilty pleasures of tv will no longer be an issue for much of any of us. As our walks mature, our desire to be with and know YHVH will outweigh our desire for CSI or Desperate Housewives and then there won't even be a question as to what we will do.

Messimom