TV ... Whats Pleasing to God?

[reformedcop]

OK ... I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. The last thing I want to do is spoil a thread that you all are enjoying ... But, I have kind of a serious question about TV in general that maybe some of you can help me with.

The subject of House kind of made me think about it. I have enjoyed House as some of you have mentioned, but there have been a few shows that have really been kind of troubling to me. On occasion, watching House has left me with the thought, "Would God be happy about me watching this?" The one show that sticks out in my mind is the one that ended with House soliciting a prostitute. There have been a few other instances with House that have pricked my conscience.

So, my question is ... Where do we draw the line? There are many shows out there that I totally refuse to watch (e.g. Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, etc., etc.). The list of shows that I will watch is getting smaller and smaller. 24 is still on the list Because some of those shows are totally saturated with iniquity, does that make them more inappropriate then others that that just throw a little in here and there?

Anyway, just so nobody misconstrues ... my only intention here is to sharpen iron among other brothers and sisters in Christ.

 

[MW]

An old saint once gave me a useful piece of advice. If your children shouldn't watch it, neither should you: "in malice be ye children," 1 Cor. 14:20.

 

[Scott]

Those are good questions. This will not directly answer your question but may help inform our thinking. In 1930 the newly created motion picture industry adopted a production code called the Hays Production Code. It set the standards for what should be in movies and what should not. The movie industry used this code until the 1960s when it abandoned it. The ideas apply equally well to TV.

The preamble contains this, in part:

Motion picture producers recognize the high trust and confidence which have been placed in them by the people of the world and which have made motion pictures a universal form of entertainment.
They recognize their responsibility to the public because of this trust and because entertainment and art are important influences in the life of a nation.

Hence, though regarding motion pictures primarily as entertainment without any explicit purpose of teaching or propaganda, they know that the motion picture within its own field of entertainment may be directly responsible for spiritual or moral progress, for higher types of social life, and for much correct thinking.

The General Principles section of the Code offer these high-level principles

General Principles
1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin.
2. Correct standards of life, subject only to the requirements of drama and entertainment, shall be presented.
3. Law, natural or human, shall not be ridiculed, nor shall sympathy be created for its violation.

The Code then goes on to detail treatment of specific sorts of conduct. Here is one example:

II. Sex
The sanctity of the institution of marriage and the home shall be upheld. Pictures shall not infer that low forms of sex relationship are the accepted or common thing.
1. Adultery, sometimes necessary plot material, must not be explicitly treated, or justified, or presented attractively.

While there are a few parts I would disagree with, the Code is in my opinion for the most part incredibly wise. I think anyone who limits what he watches to movies or TV that comply with the Code will do very well.

 

[Blueridge Believer]

OK ... I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question. The last thing I want to do is spoil a thread that you all are enjoying ... But, I have kind of a serious question about TV in general that maybe some of you can help me with.

The subject of House kind of made me think about it. I have enjoyed House as some of you have mentioned, but there have been a few shows that have really been kind of troubling to me. On occasion, watching House has left me with the thought, "Would God be happy about me watching this?" The one show that sticks out in my mind is the one that ended with House soliciting a prostitute. There have been a few other instances with House that have pricked my conscience.

So, my question is ... Where do we draw the line? There are many shows out there that I totally refuse to watch (e.g. Boston Legal, Desperate Housewives, etc., etc.). The list of shows that I will watch is getting smaller and smaller. 24 is still on the list Because some of those shows are totally saturated with iniquity, does that make them more inappropriate then others that that just throw a little in here and there?

Anyway, just so nobody misconstrues ... my only intention here is to sharpen iron among other brothers and sisters in Christ.

I will say this, but not intending to bind anyones conscience as I do on occasion watch T.V. Television is a horrible waste of time. The less time you you spend watching it the better off you are. I can't watch anymore that an hour without thinking I'm sinning by not devoting the time to some spiritual pursuit. I tried to watch a couple of the bowl games but couldn't make it through any of them. It is nothing but the world pushed in your face. It's like having a hole into hell in you living room. Again, not trying to be a Pharisee about it, but it is a terrible waste of time. Just my

 

[toddpedlar]

I will say this, but not intending to bind anyones conscience as I do on occasion watch T.V. Television is a horrible waste of time. The less time you you spend watching it the better off you are. I can't watch anymore that an hour without thinking I'm sinning by not devoting the time to some spiritual pursuit. I tried to watch a couple of the bowl games but couldn't make it through any of them. It is nothing but the world pushed in your face. It's like having a hole into hell in you living room. Again, not trying to be a Pharisee about it, but it is a terrible waste of time. Just my

Since we consciously made the decision to not watch TV at all anymore about 7 years ago (and subsequently, having moved to an area where there is nothing available over-the-air, so there isn't even temptation to turn it on) we have felt both blessed with loads of time for family, and freed to do other things with our evenings. I am so glad that we have no commercials to watch, no inappropriate programs to stumble over while seeking the needle in a haystack of "good" programming (if there are any truly worthwhile programs on at all). We read together, play games together, study the Bible together, catechise the kids, etc., to our hearts content every night. There's nothing like drop-kicking the TV to fuel healthy family life.

The amount of time some of our friends (even church-going families) spend in front of the tube is really sickening to me, and shows me how bad it really was in our home in the late 90's. I would encourage any of you who do watch a lot - even if you only have one show you *have* to catch (have you listened to how that sounds? *HAVE* to catch it? I can't miss "House" or "24"? Why not?) to consider dropping it. There are much better ways (in my opinion, probably not as humble as it should be) to spend time.

Todd

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

I believe to go cold turkey on watching TV or not is a matter of liberty, although I do understand that it may also be a matter of prudence as well in our day and age.

TV is a great consumer of time which could otherwise be spent in reading the Bible, Christian literature, exercise, hospitality and many other worthy endeavors.

But I think it is also important to remember that it is just a thing which like all things can be used and abused. The TV has a lot of garbage but it also provides for news, weather, civic awareness/involvement (C-Span), history, education, documentaries and other helpful and edifying media opportunities. Not to mention the means by which edifying videos or DVD's can be watched without the perils of channel surfing.

I don't defend most of what appears on TV in the slightest. It is a vast cultural wasteland. But there are pockets of goodness to be found and encouraged, in my opinion. For me, like using the internet or any other media, a healthy use of TV requires the exercise of good judgment and discernment, as well as responsible setting of priorities and time management. For me, there is a "baby" that keeps me from "throwing out the bathwater."

For those who have benefited from unplugging the TV, I think that is great. For those who find themselves too enamored with the TV, (with all of its Christological deficiencies) there is a Keith Green song worth listening to. For those who do watch TV let these verses be our guide:

1 Cor 10.23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Phil 4.8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.