According to A.C. Nielsen, in a 65-year life the average American will have spent 9 years glued to the TV. Now think about that for a minute. Nine years of their life spent - doing what? Achieving what? Can we imagine in our wildest dreams that this is what God wants for us?
Statistics also tell us that on average, parents only spend 3 - 5 minutes per week in meaningful conversation with their children. And yet the average child watches television for 1,680 minutes per week. So who is raising these children? Parents or the TV? Who is molding their minds, values, and attitudes? Why do so many Christian children rebel and turn from God in their teen years? Is there a connection?
We all know that a household of godly LOVE balanced with loving DISCIPLINE is the ideal for bringing up children. But I want to put it to you that HOURS OF INFLUENCE also make a huge difference. I once wrote an article pointing out the two biggest factors in this: TV and SCHOOL. In other words, TV hours and Peer pressure. These 2 things alone have the power to change your child´s life. And many times they are ripping them away from God. In that article I recommended getting rid of TV and also starting to Home- school. Many thought I was too radical. But we have seen it work big-time. And we learnt the hard way.
What do children do when they have no TV? They read books, they create things, they play with others. And they grow up without that awful worldly cynicism and rebellion in their eyes. And of course there are always DVDs if we want them to watch something.
We just had another minor "storm" on our Facebook page over this quote from Leonard Ravenhill - "If you want your child to go to hell, buy him a T.V. all for himself and (it´ll) destroy him!"
There were quite a few reactions - both for and against - so we are going to discuss this on our website too. Here were a few of the comments from people:-
David - "I agree... my husband and I have been without TV for about 2 months and we have seen God more clearly than ever working in and through us. No more TV for us!!"
Mishael - "I am soooo anti-video games and t.v. We just got rid of our t.v. in September. I hated it at first but am finally used to it! Now when I watch t.v. at friends´ houses, I am shocked at what I see because I´m not desensitized to it anymore."
Austin - "I like what Paul Washer says about T.V. Men don´t do great things by watching other men do nothing."
Sandi - "In this modern day of technology, we can also include the internet and our cell phones too. These modern day conveniences can really preoccupy us, and take us away from Bible study and prayer."
Marilena - "I agree to this, except that I only bought a TV for my daughter so I can show her Christian DVDs on it and some cartoons that are carefully selected by me... TV is a means of feeding things into your heart... what seeds do you want in there? They will grow."
Mark - "I´m not supporting TV but I´m also not supporting laws to live by... If you have a problem with watching unclean things on TV or the internet or doing anything unclean, making laws to control it is not the answer. Something is wrong inside you. Laws are for the unrighteous..."
Judah - "It wasn´t until I got the TV idol out of my life that I started experiencing personal revival and hearing the call of God to Street Preach."
Sally - "Even many (or should I say "most") of the so-called Christian programs are eroneous, hypocritical, and/or phony. According to God´s word, we are to set no unclean thing before us. Is this law? or is this wisdom?... If you think TV is fine, I challenge you to try turning it off for just a week or a month and see if anything changes. If nothing else to prove to yourself that it´s just a harmless box."
Marilena - "It is not a matter of a law, but it is a matter of what´s profitable and what is destructive."
-Please add your comment to this discussion at the site below-
http://www.JohntheBaptistTV.com/
God bless you all.
Andrew Strom.Submitted 5/19/2010 3:08:13 PM | Author: Andrew Strom
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