Who here has a TV in the home?

I would especially like to hear from those who don't. Has the absence of the TV been good or bad? How bad was it for the family when you threw it out ?

Im considering blasting it with my shotgun, setting it on fire, mixing the ashes in water and drinking it.

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Joe
Presbyterian Reformed Church of Charlotte
SC

I have one. We watch it very little. I probably should burn it.

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1689 Baptist Confession

Psa 55:16 As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.
Psa 55:17 Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
James Farley, Wilderness Road Baptist Assembly.
Husband of Melissa and father of Ann.
www.wildernessroadbaptist.org

Sounds like a plan - I detest the thing with an abiding passion. My apartment just has a computer monitor for watching the occasional movie. I do not miss the tube in the least.

They are ALWAYS blaring in my parents' home, and the constant background clamor makes me want to scream sometimes.

When I'm married, I do not plan to have a TV in the home.

I commend you for this plan of action, and request to see photographs .

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Scott - Dallas, Texas - PCA

"It is not what a lawyer tells me I may do; but what humanity, reason, and justice tell me I ought to do." - Edmund Burke

We got rid of ours for a while (originally giving it away during my undergraduate years so that I could study w/o distraction), but then we purchased another a few years later.

The big difference the second time around is that we have never subscribed to cable, or even wasted time with local programming. Our television set is only used for two things now, a) watching movies or educational DVD's, or b) allowing dad to stomp all-comers at SuperMarioKart DoubleDash.

Okay, we have a few more games besides, but that is basically what we do with it. This allows us to use the set as a tool for family/friendship, rather than just as a temptation to veg out.

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Soli Deo Gloria

Our family (not talking about my childhood) has never had one, so I can't say about the transition. The absence, at least for me, has been good. I get a visceral reaction whenever I see one on. It has nothing to do with piety. It has to do with aesthetics.

My brain falls out onto the floor, which is not pretty.

Even when I was growing up, I grew to hate it. I once stood outside our house on a cold winter night: the stars were blazing clear and the Northern Lights were starting to flicker. I looked into the window at my family: they were staring slack-jawed at some old guy falling off of a tricycle. The contrast spooked me hard.

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R.Vic Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I use my television for occasional DVDs, gaming, and the History and Discovery channels. But I spend much more time on the computer surfing the PB, etc.

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DAVIDIVS DOCTVS VTRIVSQVE LINGVAE
Husband of Emilia
Member: First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham (RPCNA) - Durham, NC
Currently in the process of transferring membership to an as-yet-undecided church in Chapel Hill
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German Literature and Classics

I have one and am retired and choose to watch only the travel, discovery and history channel plus selected options on PBS. The rest of the programming I find offensive and am thankful to hear of families that have chosen not to have one at all! Such a benefit to the children! I too often watch DVDs loaned to me by my children.

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N.L./ www.foundersbaptist.org
Spring, TX

Television is just like any other tool or object. Use with discretion; keep the meat and toss the bones.

I have one and wouldn't think of not having one. Like I said, just use it intelligently.

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Richard T. Zuelch, M.Div
Ruling Elder, OPC (not currently serving)
Westminster Presbyterian Church, CA (OPC)
www.reiterations.wordpress.com
www.foft.wordpress.com

"When I cease to preach salvation by faith in Jesus, put me into a lunatic asylum, for you may be sure that my mind is gone." - Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)

TV for Mom and Dad only, and that is mostly for Angels baseball, medical shows, and 'The Office'.

Kids have DVDs and Game Cube.

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http://www.villagecommunitychurch.org/

Television is like having a huge sewer pipe coming into your living room. Open it wide and spit out the bones! You just have to use discretion.

We've been TV-free for about 13 years. Our family hasn't missed it.

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Chad
He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved. (Psalms 15:5 KJV)

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J. B. Atken
John Knox PCA
Layman, M.A. student at Louisiana College

Hi. My name is Anthony. I am a recovering TV-junkie. It's been several months since I watched a TV show. It is easy for my brain to shut down and I'll watch hours of TV. But I've stayed too busy for it, and I'm happy to say I've missed dozens of popular shows.

We do not have cable, but can pick up several channels. I still like to watch movies on my TV, and look forward to when the prices for HDTV becomes reasonable.

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R. Anthony Coletti
Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Jonesborough, TN
[i]et venite et arguite me dicit Dominus[/i]

Gotta have the history and discovery channels. I also like renting movies. I'm kind of a film buff...but not really.

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Caleb
Trinity Baptist Church
Spokane, WA

Should be Dodgers baseball, dude. Much more edifying and spiritual.

I am a TV junkie. Before we moved here in November of last year, we said we would not get cable when we moved to our new home. We also did not arrive with the TV. Initially it was hard not having the latest show/reality show to watch but eventually we got over it and had some extra family time. As time has passed other things have taken the TV "spot". Computer time...email, myspace, PB, news, movies, weather, AIM, games. Since living over here in Japan, it is nice not having the "world" in our face as much, but getting rid of the TV is not the only answer, its DISCIPLINE!!!!

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Meghan Thomas
Central Baptist Church
Okinawa, Japan
Mother of Dustin 5, Lily 3, Annie 1

TV = "The One Eye God"

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Gil Garcia
Rehoboth Reformed Church (RCUS)
La Habra, CA


"Indeed, one might say that as far as the doctrine of justification
is concerned, if you are not on the road to Wittenberg or Geneva, then the old proverb is indeed true: all roads lead to Rome." Carl Trueman

Should we start a support group?

We have two enormous TVs in the house. We do not subscribe to any programming. We use it for DVDs, teaching vids, and Xbox. I am an Xbox junkie.

I have found that using a TV for DVDs, et. allows more control of what comes through it.

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Geoff/Reformed Baptist
Acworth, GA
John 6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.


"Show me your war face."

Blast my big screen??? Don't think so!

Seriously. While there are many horrible things on television, and it is perfectly in one's liberty to have one, or not to have one, television can be a fun source of entertainment. We don't watch a whole lot of tv, but there are certain show we watch regularly when in season (Lost, 24, and Heroes). We also love renting a good movie on the weekend.

Christians should certainly guard what they watch, but I think that there are shows that are not too bad at the same time.

BTW, we do not have cable either. Just an antenna.

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Jeff Bartel
Mechanical Engineer
Member - Trinity Reformed Church - RPCNA

"To believe in the power of man in the work of regeneration is the great heresy of Rome, and from that error has come the ruin of the Church. Conversion proceeds from the grace of God alone, and the system which ascribes it partly to man and partly to God is worse than Pelagianism" (The Reformation in England (London, 1962), Vol. 1, p. 98)

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Another question. Would those of you who are dead set against TV throw out your internet as well? Granted there are differences, but I don't think that it's a huge stretch to say that they are very similar and just as bad (and worse!) in many ways!

to Vic. My main hatred of the thing is aesthetic more than it is moral.

As to Jeff's point, the Web is every bit as bad, and it's something that has to be addressed as well. For my part, I have to watch that my internet usage, especially once I have a family, doesn't mirror the TV usage of my parents that drives me as nuts as it does.

Although I'm dead set against TV for me, I'm not dead set against it for you.

But no, I use the internet completely differently from a TV. I like reading. I turn the sound off on my computer. I can click away from fluff or distracting content. The TV, on the other hand, is noisy, preprogrammed, and hard to control. (Although I understand it is getting easier to control all the time).

Internet use, at least for me, is active, like picking up a book. TV, again, for me, is passive: stuff is pumped in rather than sought out.

But I do have to admit that some websites bring out the same reaction as a TV. If a company's website has some sort of animated ad pop up, I email the company and tell them that it annoys me and I'm disinclined to buy from them. If a website has flashy graphics, I usually turn it off. The closer the website is to the printed page, the more likely I'll look at it.

Again, for me its aesthetic. Maybe I have a predisposition to epilepsy or something, but when I sense a zombie effect being directed at me, whether it be the internet, radio, movie, whatever, my response is minor rage.

Really, though, I'm not that uptight about it. I only used to shoot old TVs because the imploding tube makes such a neat sound.

Tell us what you really think Chad.

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Kevin Rogers
Sovereign Community Church, PCA
Moncton NB

I haven't had a TV since I moved out of my parents' house. Haven't missed it.

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA): "A bunch of hippie Calvinists"
Winston-Salem, NC

We had a t.v. without any reception for a number of years. We were only able to watch videos. It was nice then, life almost seemed simpler. We now have cable (supplied by the landlord), it is a waste of space, but nice when the wife wants to watch a cooking show.

While I wouldn't want to drink the ground-up ashes of the t.v., I would often like to chuck it out the window.

Though I am not dead set against the t.v., I would often like to chuck the computer out the window. We have a laptop that resides most of the day in a closet, other than at work, I would need to take it out of the closet and set it up to use the Internet. This is very nice, as it greatly reduces the amount of time spent surfing the net.

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Matthew
Free Grace Church
British Columbia, Canada

"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn't being said. "
-Peter Drucker

In our house we have two TV's one in the kitchen and one in the living room. It may sound like with the location of our TV's that we are TV junkies but we have literally went without watching any regular TV programming for about 8 years. We do watch about 1 movie a week, usually Friday night is movie night if we are not busy doing something else, but other than that, I only turn the kitchen TV on for about 5-10 min. in the morning to see what the weather is going to be for the day. My wife and I even hold each other accountable not to watch TV unless it is for research purposes and that we write a critique of what we say from a Christian perspective.

I think that my wife and I have only been able to accomplish this task because we decided early on that we will fill our house with things that Christians ought to saturate their minds with. One way that I have been able to do this, is that I purchased MP3 compatible CD players for each room and I have found good Christian material to play throughout the day. We usually play the Bible in MP3 but we have also found the Catechism set to music and various other audio for educational purposes. I personally like those free seminary lectures that RTS had recently made available as well as anything reformed that I have been able to find on-line, but my children are not ready for that level of material yet.

We homeschool and eventually I plan on having all of my children study all of the incredible material that I have been able to collect over the years. The favorites in my collection is men like Greg Bahnsen, R.J. Rushdoony, Richard Pratt, John Frame, James White, George Grant ect.

My goal is to give my children the finest Christian education that I can possibly give them by taking advantage of