Most people today consume a lot of
various media content. This may be in the form of television shows, movies,
music, books, magazines, the internet, and, perhaps some other forms of media
of which only teenagers are aware. Most people are aware that some content–such
as pronography, for eample–is not compatible with the Christian faith, even if
they are not sure why this is. But in many other cases, it may be difficult to
determine whether a movie or a song is appropriate, or whether it is compatible
with the Christian faith. I hope that the following points will prove helpful
in this matter.
That is correct: you only live once.
Somehow, this very helpful reminder has become a license to do things that one
would otherwise be prudently-hesitant to do. But this catchy phrase should
really remind you that there is a limited amount of time that you have in this
earthly life. We rarely value this time, even though on a smaller scale, we all
understand what it is to have a large task and very little time to finish it.
We all know what it is like to work against a deadline (think of writing a
paper the night before it is due). It is the same in our lives: we are working
against a deadline. This deadline is our physical death, and the task is truly
great–we must prepare for life with God. And this means that we must have our
priorities in an order that will help us complete this great task. Now think of
how much time you can spend watching useless television shows, movies that
excite your senses in the moment but leave you with nothing worth having
two-and-a-half hours later, or browsing other people’s lives on social media,
instead of living your own. If you spend only one hour each day on this (many
people spend a lot more!), that is an entire day missing out of your month, or
an entire week out of a year. Maybe this does not sound like much, but it amounts
to an entire year by the time you are fifty–a whole year completely wasted! If
you were given a year to do whatever you wanted, would you really just sit on a
couch watching TV and “liking” other people’s FaceBook posts? So, this is the
first problem: television wastes a lot of time that can be much better spent
living the life that God gave us for a specific purpose: to learn to be with
Him.
You
Are What You Eat
We often have a lot of good sense about
what we eat. If something is fresh and healthy we eat it. If something is
rotten or poisonous, we stay away from it. And we know that if we eat something
poisonous, we will become ill and can even die. Why, then, do we not have the
same good sense about our brains? Why do we allow things that are poisonous to
enter into our minds? What we allow to enter into our minds through the eyes
and ears can be even more dangerous than bad food. Bad food can only afflict
our bodies; bad television can corrupt our minds and souls. Well, is it ok to
watch something that is only “a little” bad? Is it ok to eat food that is only
a little spoilt? We would not do that. We would not take the chance of getting
sick. Why not apply the same wisdom when it comes to our minds? Once you see
something, you cannot unsee it. Your stomach can vomit, but your mind is not so
easily cleansed.
Many television shows and movies are
not produced for our benefit. Their goal is to earn money for those who produce
them. And producers will appeal to every base and sinful passion in order to
keep our attention. There is a reason why shows are steadily becoming more
sexualized and violent–sex and violence capture and keep people’s attention.
But they also introduce sin into our minds. This sin in the form of thoughts
and memories remains in our brains long after the show is over, and buries
itself deeper into our being. In this we see that “we are not just struggling
with bad habits, pornographic television, and the various weaknesses of our
bodies. We are also struggling with evil spirits, and we must take the fallen
angels and this struggle seriously.” Media influence on our minds is
tremendous. Often people will believe a lie just because they saw it on TV,
become accustomed and desensitized to sin just because “everyone” in movies is
doing it, or go and buy something that they had no idea existed, but an
advertisement told them that they deserved it and had to have it.
What
to Do About It
1. As
Christians, our primary goal is life with God. Make a rule to spend at least as
much time on your spiritual life as you do on entertainment. This spiritual
life has many different expressions: prayer, reading from the Scripture,
participating in church services, or helping and supporting other people. But
it is important that in fifty years, you will not have spent an entire year of
your life sitting in front of a screen, but instead working on your
relationship with God.
2. Guard
your soul at least as well as you guard your stomach. Be vigilant about what
you put into your mind at least as much as you are vigilant about what you put
into your body, and even more so, because your soul is at stake. Remember the
words of the Apostle Paul: “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever
is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there
is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these
things” (Php. 4:8).
3. Try
technology-free days. Perhaps, once-a-week, perhaps, once-a-month, but try
turning off your television, telephone, computer, whatever other device and
engaging with the world which God has so beautifully fashioned. The best time
for limiting technology distractions and time wasted is our fasting periods. In
Russian, the word for ‘fast’ is the same as the word for ‘guard.’ Be on guard,
guard your soul from those who want to exploit the weaknesses of your nature
for their personal gain and from demons who want you to be as filled with filth
as they are.
By Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov
Source: https://frsergei.wordpress.com/2014/12/24/is-it-good-to-watch-tv/
CONVERSATION