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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

What's Controlling You?

I had a bit of an epiphany last night. While chatting with friends, the subject of a certain television series came up. One of the ladies present said that she had purchased the series, having heard that it was quite good. It chronicled the marriages of Henry VIII of England, and all the political intrigue that went along with them. This lady admitted that she hadn't watched television in about three years, for various reasons. She brought the dvds home and suggested to her husband that they watch an episode. Not long into the program, a rather explicit sex scene unfolded. She fast forwarded the dvd, hoping that there would be no more. Alas, along came another one. They stopped the dvd, and didn't watch any further.

My friend was shocked at the sexual content of this program. She returned to Walmart, and expressed this to the clerk, stating that it was nothing short of pornographic. She couldn't believe that this type of thing would be allowed on televisoin. At first I was tempted to think that she was exaggerating. Then I realized that she was right on.

The first time that I watched the same program, I was shocked by the sexual content. I decided that I wouldn't watch any further episodes. But as is too often the case, I found myself tuning in again. I justified this by telling myself that having no cable or satellite, I didn't have much of a choice in programming. Also, I reasoned that perhaps the next episode wouldn't have such blatant sexual scenes. I was wrong.

As I sat and listened to my friend express her shock, I was convicted of how lax I had become around what I was watching on televison. Not only television programs, but movies that I rented or borrowed from the Library. All too often, they were filled with cursing, violence and sex.

In the morning of the same day, I had listened to an interview on a Christian radio station. A woman author was talking about her book. In it, she encourages parents to do all that they can to guard their children from being polluted by the influence of a morally bankrupt worldview. She told of how parents were so shocked to find that their young sons were viewing pornography on the Internet. "What do they expect? Garbage in, garbage out," was her response. She was referring to the influence of televison and movies on children and teens today. Sexual content has become commonplace, and we are being de-sensetized to it.

Thinking about these things has brought me to a resolution to be stricter about what I allow myself to take in, when it comes to televison and movies. My flesh doesn't object to mindless consumption of garbage from the idiot box, but I know from past experience that whatever I watch is automatically saved in my memory bank.

There seems to be no limit to the crudeness and blatant sexual innuendo that is allowed on televison today. It's not only the children that need to have their minds protected; we adults have to make sure we choose wisely what we allow to enter through our eyes and ears. So much of what is on television and in movies today is nothing but sin in action; we accept as "normal" what God finds offensive and an abomination. I don't know about you, but I think I had better find other things to occupy myself with for "relaxation". There doesn't seem to be much on televsion that is edifying or glorifying to God these days.

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." Rom. 4:8

5 comments:

Walking Church said...

My measure of stuff I watched...was/is if I could sit down and watch a program with my daughter...who was not an adult then (child or teens)...now is.

The measure still applies.

I doubt Jesus, who lives in me, is much into porn.

I still think the T.Austin Sparks' question is great: 'What is the measure of Christ in this thing or activity?' Cuts to the qwick.

Ike said...

Few things in our culture are more spiritually numbing than the television. Even the so-called "good" shows are by and large banal and low-minded and anything but cultivating of a rich, deep capacity to enjoy God. And when you add to that the barrage of suggestive advertisements that accompany virtually every program, I do not wonder why so many of our professing Christians are spiritually incapable of experiencing high thoughts and deep emotions.

Now please excuse me Maureen..."Cheaters" is coming on:-)

Maureen said...

Walking Church: I like the Sparks question. A very good measuring stick indeed.

Maureen said...

Ike: I agree. Television is something to be approached and used with caution. We need to guard our hearts and minds, and it, along with the internet, is (imo) the number one tool that the enemy uses to pollute our world.

Suppresst said...

After living out of state for years I returned to my hometown in an area reknowned throughout America as Christian-conservative.

One has to live here to experience how this Christian-conservatism is lived out. The women - mostly blonde - dress conservatively and even their skin appears to be squeaky clean and fresh, like peaches. However, I soon discovered that nothing was more common than, when working out in the YMCA in proximity to these "peaches", to find them - with crucifixes bouncing amidst their cleaveage - to find them giving rapt attention to the latest MTV video featuring lesbians kissing. Not even the secular men I know are such blatant hypocrites.

Thank goodness there are, by God's grace, a few women like you still left Maureen.