TV or no TV ?

[Croghanite]

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.

 

[Blueridge Believer]

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.

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

 

[Theoretical]

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 .

 

[Archlute]

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.

 

[VictorBravo]

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.

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.

 

[Davidius]

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.

 

[christiana]

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.

 

[bookslover]

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.

 

[KMK]

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

Kids have DVDs and Game Cube.

 

[Ambrose]

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.

 

[RamistThomist]

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.

.

 

[Civbert]

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.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

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

 

[bookslover]

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

Kids have DVDs and Game Cube.

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

 

[Megaloo]

Discipline!!!!!

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!!!!

 

[SolaGratia]

TV = "The One Eye God"

 

[Civbert]

I am a TV junkie.

Should we start a support group?

 

[Reformed Baptist]

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.

 

[Arch2k]

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.

 

[Arch2k]

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!

 

[Theoretical]

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.

 

[VictorBravo]

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!

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.

 

[Kevin]

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.

Tell us what you really think Chad.

 

[SRoper]

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

 

[matt01]

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.

 

[Answerman]

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 all of tremendous material that has become available through technology and the internet. Of course the PB and APM has helped contribute to my collection.

You may think that I am straying off topic, but my whole point is to give other members of the body of Christ some help as to what I have discovered is a great way for Christians not to be conformed to this world (by watching too much TV to be entertained) but to transform ourselves and the world to the image of Christ. I just wanted to let other Christians know how I believe is a good way for us to overcome the temptation to allow the anti-Christian culture to entertain us to death (or into complacency) and inform our thinking and replace it with whatever things are just, true, noble… Not that we should totally cut out TV but that we watch TV with our Christian minds engaged and intact or better yet take over television as a means to proclaim the Gospel through the various tools that are available to us, with TV and the internet being two of the biggest tools we have. The biggest thing that I believe Christians in our day and age need is to the self-discipline to make wise choices as to what we are going to fill our homes with and what we are going to allow to occupy our time. I am constantly twisting (gently) the arms of the Christians I work with to buy and MP3 player so they can listen to all of the great Christian material available in audio format, in fact I am so enthusiastic about it that I sometimes offer to by them an MP3 player if they promise to listen to it.

I am through venting now, I need to get back to work (while listening to Greg Bahsen, what a great thinker!!)

 

[Ravens]

I am constantly twisting (gently) the arms of the Christians I work with to buy and MP3 player so they can listen to all of the great Christian material available in audio format, in fact I am so enthusiastic about it that I sometimes offer to by them an MP3 player if they promise to listen to it.

I agree 100%.

The amount of sermons, seminars, seminary courses, and lectures that are available online is absolutely mind-boggling. I purchased an ipod for music purposes only; however, over the past year, I've been taking off music (and I have a 30 gig) just to put on more sermons and seminary courses.

If you do have the luxury to listen to mp3's at work, or on commute, the blessing is inestimable. John Greer, Joel Beeke, Ian Brown, Edward Donnelly and others have gotten me through many a long, dark night at work. Sometimes its like the Puritan Board: It has the potential for so much blessing that you just need to turn it off and ponder what you've already heard, instead of just glutting yourself on ingesting more and more.

 

[Answerman]

Sometimes its like the Puritan Board: It has the potential for so much blessing that you just need to turn it off and ponder what you've already heard, instead of just glutting yourself on ingesting more and more.

Glutting myself on ingesting more and more, is something I need to be careful of, I have found that listening to a good lecture multiple times is very benifical, I end up remembering quotes almost word for word when I do this.

My hard-drive based MP3 player was a 20GB but I upgraded it to an 80GB when I found a laptop HD for $60. Maybe a little overkill, but I find that I don't have to keep pulling MP3's off to put new ones on and it doubles as a nice portable HD.

 

[Answerman]

I am hoping that if enough Christians begin educating themselves in this way, they will be a little more discerning as to what they call solid Biblical teaching and be better equipped to not waste their time on the wishy-washy fluff that most american Christians are used to, as well as to be better equipped to see the antithesis that exists between the Christian and non-Christian view when they do turn on the tube or whatnot. I used to listen to a lot of "Christian" radio, but now realize that I wasn't getting fed the gun-powder dusted meat that I saw was going to be necessary to transform individuals and whole cultures for Christ.

 

[kvanlaan]

We sold our TV a couple of years ago and haven't missed it. We still have a computer w/DVD player for occasional movies.

Here's the thing: We just went to the US to get my daughter Esther's adoption finished and her passport/cert. of citizenship. We had a TV in our room and didn't turn it on at all for 3 or 4 days (we were 200 yds from Waikiki beach, go figure.) But when we did start watching it on night 4 or thereabouts, we were indeed inundated by a massive amount of sewage coming into our room. We watched only Discovery channel for the most part but that didn't matter. "Build it Bigger" was great, except that Danny Forester took the Lord's name in vain at least 2 or 3 times. But the worst part was the commercials. We had to make Esther turn away each time they came on (and had to turn away ourselves several times, or change the channel altogether). One example: a commercial for the new movie called 'Stardust'. In it, we see Michelle Pfeiffer as a pagan queen of some kind, hear a number of New Age-type comments, and a shot which initmates that Ms. Pfeiffer will be completely naked at some point in the film. I could go on and on with different examples but the point is this: even if programming could be guaranteed as perfect and respectable, the commercials are simply satanic. No, there are no Black Masses or child sacrifices taking place but the "indulge the lusts of the flesh" message, coupled with "because you deserve it" would actually shock the hell out of me were it not so vigorously endeavouring to get in.