My goodness, what in the world has happened to TV? I mean really! It seems that it has become impossible for us to turn the TV on and watch something that is wholesome—no bad language, scantily dressed girls or sexual connotations. We have always censored what our kids have watched on TV, we have always been very selective. But it feels like it is becoming increasingly difficult to find ANYTHING that we actually approve of these days.
I remember a few years ago when Survivor first started. It was pretty decent–every bit of bad language was beeped out. Wow, how that has changed. This season is horrible—bad words flying around all over the place. Contestants being so mean and malicious toward each other—to the point where it is not even part of the “game”. Our family loves watching American Idol–clean and decent. BUT, every time it is time for a commercial break, we have to change the channel! Does anybody in the entertainment industry care that Idol is a family show? That there should NOT be commercials for some raunchy TV show, or the next best drug for some sexual dysfunction? Prime time television is NOT the place for that stuff. My goodness, it is HORRIBLE! Obviously Hollywood does not care about our childrens innocence.
Mmmm, so we figure we will just let the kids watch cartoons—kids stuff will be so much better. Not! The things on those “kids” shows are just as bad. They are disrespectful and ungodly, they teach kids the opposite of what we are trying to teach them at home. So often we have heard one of our children say something wild that takes us by surprise, when we ask them where they heard it, it is always from some cartoon.
The Salem’s have had enough. We’re taking control. We have turned our TV off! It will only be used for DVD’s which WE choose—-things that will not be contrary to the principles we are trying to teach our children. My children do not need to be bombarded with commercials for the latest “got to haves”—the latest toys and electronic devices. They just do not need it while they are still so young—there will be many years of that later in their lives. They do not need to learn to have hearts that are ALWAYS wanting the next-best-thing—instead of learning to be content with what they have.
We will continue to spend our evenings reading together, playing games and just being together. We have so much more fun being together as a family—not having to sit at the edge of our seats, with remote control in hand, waiting for the need to flick the channel to something else before the kids see something that their eyes should not see.
As for Anthony and I—I so clearly remember our pastor preach a message many years ago, it has always stuck with me—he said that if a movie or TV show is not good enough for a child to watch, then why should it be good enough for an adult to watch!
“Your eyes are too pure to look on evil, you cannot tolerate wrong!” Hab 1:13
