I myself am a christian but i never saw a problem watching TV, as long as it wasn't interfering with my relationship with God. But one day I met a girl over the internet who was also a christian but didn't watch TV...i don't talk to her anymore but one thing she never really answered was "what's her reasoning behind that??"

So then i did some research & found out that some pentecostals are into what I like to call "pointless restrictions", they aren't allowed to watch TV, the girls must never cut their hair & must always wear a dress, the guys can't wear jeans, no jewlery is allowed. Those who believe in that say they have scriptures to back it all up, but if you ask me it's all pointless. I mean, God doesn't care about any of that stuff...he cares about your heart. Not watching tv isn't going to improve your chances of getting into heaven, know what i mean.

So for all the christians who are on this board the question is simple...Do you watch TV or are you against it?

Honestly - if it's not in the bible then it's not relevant. There is evil in everything and there is good in everything. Let just say if you go looking for evil, you will find it. I watch TV (I have a media studies degree so I don't take it seriously). I am very careful about what I let my kids watch. If you think a TV show has bad language or attitudes or values then avoid it but it's silly to cut it out altogether. God gives us free will so I guess that means that he expects us to use our judgement.

I agree all the way. God allows us to make our own choices, both good & bad. In the bible this is said by "choose either life or death, blessings or curses", i don't remember the exact quote but that is what it says. I don't remember reading anywhere where he says we were restricted from doing anything(besides the 10 laws we must follow in the commandments). It is up to us, the individual to decide what choice to make.

There is nothing wrong with TV, not everything is bad. There is plenty of good things on tv but the media, the general public, the world tends to focus on the bad things instead of the good...that goes for pretty much everything, not just TV.

Did this person say the she didn't wattv due to her religous beliefs?

Since when does Jesus care about the idiot box? What about the religious programming?

^^^I know. I never met the girl before so i don't know what it's like for her. She just says she's too busy for TV & that her and nobody at her church watches it. I mentioned to her about religious programming, she just says she'll get bored watching it & would rather be in a church than watching it. Her problem is that she is too busy for a lot of things, i mean my goodness...sit down & take it easy for a while lol. But she loves to watch plays & is involved with theatre. It's all weird if you ask me

A lot of people boycott TV. I have an aunt and uncle who do not even have one, but it is not for religious reasons (and they are Christian BTW).

But when religion comes into play it gets weird. That reminds me of some of the Mormons who say that they can only read Mormon literature. I think that when a church tries to control your exposure to certain things it can get scary – it is very similar to an abusive relationship. That is when it starts turning into fundamentalism.

On the other hand, there are a lot of good reasons for avoiding the boob tube. As long as it's not her church telling her to stay away, I think it's admirable. I wish I could pull myself away from the darn thing sometimes! :D

That does seem illogical. Many television shows are really just plays that are broadcast and chock full of paid sponsorship.

Suupa-I forgot to answer your original question. I am Christian, Catholic to be specific, and I watch tons of television, all kinds of things. My children do too and I think it is good for them, even the bad stuff on the news. It gives us an opportunity to discuss things and share our values. Lots of moms I talk to won't let their kids watch the news! Yes there are terrible things going on, so many that you could never hope to hide all of them. When the war was getting so much coverage, my kids learned about geography, different cultures and what approval ratings are! I'm not trying to pretend like I'm Miss PBS/Homeschool/Churchy mom, but TV is a good reminder tool for me. It helps me remember to talk to them about stuff like strangers or fire escapes, and without TV, theres no guarantee I would think of stuff like that on my own. Also, I let'em go at the Playstation way too much.

We are kind of the same way about music, too. Some kids can't play at our house because once I had Kid Rock on when a lady came over to pick up her kid. Word got around. I think God will be pleased with the job we are doing with His kids.

BTW - I am Lutheran, ELCA - so I'm pretty liberal. :D

Why do I have 109 channels on my cable, but feel less entertained that when there used to be only 5? I am less troubled by specific content of programs than their complete lack of creativity and substance. I hardly watch the major networks, anymore. Local evening news is a joke, and the newscasters always seem like their talking to a bunch of school kids. Also, why do television shows need to make "political or social statements" when I'm trying to be entertained?

There are lots of alternatives to watching tv. (Funny, the technology keeps progressing, but the content keeps regressing. I don't get it.

Peace,

Jay.

Back to the original person who posted this, suupanova.


I watch TV, but I do try to be careful what I watch, especially when it comes to movies. What I believe can be summed up in the phase "Garbage in, Garbage out" What we watch, see, and listen to does affect us. But here are some reasons, back up by the Bible that I am careful what I watch.
The first is Philippians 4:8
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
There are plenty of things that will not hold up to this "test".

There is also the issue of Freedom as a Christian. Here are a couple of other verses:
Galatians 5:1, 13-14
1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
13You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love. 14The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 & 31-33
"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive. 24Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- 33even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many

I CAN watch anything I want but, SHOULD I watch anything I want to watch, regardles of the content? I don't think so.

Here is another verse that I think is appropriate to what take in.

Proverbs 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

What we take will influence us, possitively or negatively. Don't kid yourself that this is not the case. I have found that, as a Christian, the best thing I can do to change and improve is to memorize verses from the Bible. Here is the last verse I will list and I think it makes a strong case for memorizing the verses from the bible:
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-*edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

You are changed by God's Words in the Bible.

TV is a hypnotizing thing. When you sit still and your eyes aren't moving, that sends a signal to your brain that it's time to go to sleep. I'll never forget when my brother and I were watching tv when we were younger (we would sit in front of that idiot box for hours at a time) and a commercial break started and we COULD NOT remember what we were just watching.

There's a lot of good stuff on tv too, I dig the history channel, discovery channel, etc., but it's definitely not something I want to spend too much time with. Also school test scores dropped nationwide progressively from the year that television was invented.