We don't own a television. And we like it that way. We do, however, watch certain movies and television shows on our computers. So how do we make these decisions and why do we draw the lines where we do?
Well... First of all, I know quite a few people draw this line at a different place than we do and yet have very similar goals for their families. This just is not an issue that you can nail down in a black and white type of way. We all need to pray and seek God's way to guide our families and keep their hearts and minds pure while still living in the world we live in.
So, we don't have a television because it is very difficult to find wholesome things to watch, and even when you do, you can't control the ads that are shown. We prefer to know what is going into our children's impressionable little minds. Television watching tends to become addictive. People tend to spend more and more time watching, which leaves less and less time for other, more important things. It tends to trivialize life and cause people to live in an unreal world.
But, there are wholesome, educational, and innocently entertaining movies available. Just as there are books that fall into these categories. We enjoy allowing our children to watch movies that fall into these categories.
So our goal in all of this is to provide things for our children to watch and read that are appropriate for their age and maturity. We want them to be constantly stretching their minds and learning, but also to be gaining maturity and the ability to decide for themselves what is wholesome and up building.
Some people draw the line at no movies whatsoever. I feel this can be a dangerous position because children and young adults can tend to lump all movies into the "bad" category. They do not learn to be careful and discerning about what they look at. I've known of many young adults who have been drawn in to watching things that they should spurn watching simply because they have been taught that movies are bad, so they feel guilt whether they are watching "
Little House on the Prairie" or "
Fill In the Blank With Something You Consider Inappropriate".
Our end goal is to raise children who know boundaries in all things, and who are equipped to make good decisions about recreational activities.
Of course I haven't even mentioned the negative aspect of watching too many movies, be it on the computer or on a television. We all know that there is nothing like real life activities to fulfill children's needs for recreation and education. This is something to do in moderation, obviously. But I do believe that this is just another area where we can teach our children to be careful and God-honoring in their decisions.
I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless... Psalm 101:3
