Does Jesus Say, Turn Off the Television?
by Sylvia Cochran - Staff Writer


Is your toaster evil? 

Once upon a time... there were three wise men. Let's call them DeForest, Nipkow and Baird. They were so smart that they were able to invent something that nobody had ever seen before: they invented a machine that could transmit pictures from one place to another. These wise men were so successful, that they machines were used to transmit speeches of high ranking officials of the realm as well as local jousting events!

If all had gone well, this could very well have been the way that television sets would have been remembered to children, but all has not gone well. On the contrary! Today's parents eye their television sets with a mixture of revile, suspicion, and downright disgust. What happened?

As early as 1950, with the advent of cable television, America discussed the possibility of TV violence impacting children. In 1965, American children were shown the Vietnam War on television, in color. In 1967, the FCC ordered that cigarette advertisement on TV needed to include some kind of warning that smoking could be harmful. In 1969, children were able to see Neil Armstrong take humankind's first step on the moon. In 1972, they cheered on the athletes in the Munich Olympics. Today, they can watch anything from sexually charged shows, drug use, and Rock'n Roll (what now passes for it, anyways), albeit the somewhat feeble warnings of the v-chips generation and public service announcements.

Give it to me straight...how bad is it?

With the 24-7 availability of news channels with their competitive reporting of local and world events, such as natural disasters, war and crime reports, many a child from birth onward will be exposed to such fare, causing them to experience the same stress, anxiety, and fear the parents face, only more so! After all, a 2-year old in rural Kansas will not understand that a Mount Saint Helens will never ever erupt in her backyard; all she will see are the smoldering houses, the dead and burnt animals, and the crying and devastated homeowners.

Similarly, the incessant drone of contemporary music, combined with the scantily clad females who are delivering it, may very well contribute to the incredible numbers of girls and women who go out in public with their bellies and other body parts exposed.

Anyone who ever read anything about childrearing will tell you that children and adolescents imitate what they see and hear. What do your children see and hear? Are they chronically and persistently exposed to a television fare that includes violence, sexual acting out or sexually charged innuendo; are they being bombarded with commercial messages, turning them into brand name junkies from the crib?

Where Is The Plug? 

What is the answer?  Should we send dad up on the roof and rip down the satellite dish? Should we move to Amish country to make sure our children do not have friends who will expose them to television? Should we, as parents, take responsibility for what our child will watch on TV? Should your teenager only be allowed to watch a purple dinosaur and nothing else? Since all of these have been attempted and failed, where can one turn for an answer to this problem? One can turn to what seems to be the most unlikely place for an answer: The Bible. No kidding.

The truth...can you handle the truth?

The latest trend in the American Society is an almost unquestioning tolerance of tolerance.  Tolerance at its best enables us to live next-door to a bagpipe player who serenades the sunset every evening. At its worst, it is elevated to political correctness so unquestioning, that we invite its racist, misogynist, anti-family rhetoric into our living rooms and children's brains.

And what about the lie that has been served to adults from every possible angle, the "You will be a happier/more desirable/better adjusted/smarter person if you own product x." message. Children are not immune. On the contrary, they have long since been in the crosshairs of the boardrooms of big business. This ruthless commercialism of today's society has created a time where the makes of shoes or jackets can cost someone his life.

It used to be that children would think their dad was the strongest man alive. These days, many children don't know who their dads are. Those families that are fortunate enough to have a dad in the home may not see him all that often, partially because he is so busy holding down 3 jobs to support his family's consumerism. Gone is the male role model, but fear not: television has given children a variety of new ones to choose from, yet they all seem to have one thing in common: they earn the respect of young viewers by violence. They are the strongest, fastest, and baddest of them all; they can throw bombs, shoot with their eyes closed, and carry more weaponry and armor than you can shake a stick at, if you were inclined to do so.

Here are some no-nonsense steps we must take with our children to help them combat what they will be exposed to, if not in our homes, then in the homes of their friends:

1) Explain to your child why commercials are made. Ask the child if he or she remembers the items they asked for last week. Chances are they don't. If you make a game of it, asking them to keep track of what commercials are trying to sell them, and how, you will raise up a discerning consumer and become one yourself. For those who have not been scared off by Jesus's name, look at Luke 16:15 and it will become very clear that as parents there will be times when saying no is best and throwing the whines of a fashion conscious 5-year old to the winds. This is a great opportunity to teach a child of any age about budgeting, saving, and earning money. This is also a great time to de-spell the myth that money comes out of walls or small plastic tickets can be used in its stead whenever the wall didn’t spit out any cash.

2) Become a role model yourself by restricting what you watch on TV when your children are around. Perhaps you can go easy on the news, watch some more sports, and beef up on educational programs. Check out Matthew 5:13-16 and tell me I'm wrong!

3) Share your role models with your children. Why were they your role models and how did you choose them? And if you are not sure they are appropriate, read Proverbs, notably 3:31, which cautions anyone not to look up to a violent man or seek to imitate him. This flies in the face of anything that TV holds dear.

4) Limit the number of television sets in your home...if your laundry closet gets cable and your garage is wired, you need to take a step backward and ask yourself how your family life is going.

5) Develop your own personal convictions about what you want to invite into your house via a cable and see if it fits within the precepts of Philippians 4:8; don't just mindlessly take whatever you are given.

6) Develop your own personal convictions about what you want to invite into your house via a cable and see if it fits within the precepts of Philippians 4:8; don't just mindlessly take what you are given.

Parents have choices, yet it appears that far too often we choose not to exercise them. Why do we fail to speak out, or maybe even be aware of the garbage that is piped into our homes at our own invitation? If you claim to be spiritual, yet the f-word resonates around your house, you are more secular than you realize. Perhaps you are afraid to upset your child. Maybe your interpretation of Jesus still clings to that depiction of him as a limp-haired, pathetic figure who would never cause any trouble.

Christian parents need to regain the conviction that Jesus was a radical who never spoke in a wishy-washy, religious tone. Similarly, parents need to remember that the more a muscle is exercised, the stronger it becomes; if you exercise your choices, they, too, will become stronger.

In closing, should we, as parents, take responsibility for what our child will watch on TV? Well, if we don't, who will?

previously published at http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/practical_christianity/100734

You can reach Ms. Cochran at SylviaCochran@ucd.net

 

© 2004 Sylvia Cochran.  All Rights Reserved