TV in the christian home

Television in the Christian Home

Introduction

Hypnosis is defined as "a trance-like condition that can be artificially induced, characterized by an altered consciousness, diminished will power, and an increased responsiveness to suggestion." It sounds like a psychoanalyst swinging a watch or other shining object and asking a patient to concentrate, doesn't it? But isn't this also an alarmingly accurate description of what television does to so many of us? Watch your children the next time they're watching television.

According to the Boston Globe, the average American child watches 25 to 30 hours of television weekly. By the age of eighteen, a child has viewed some 15,000 hours of television! This compares to 11,000 hours spent in the classroom. The only thing a child does more than watch television is sleep. But numbers don't tell the entire story.

Immediate Effects

Social. It's no exaggeration to say that television is an established member of the American household. It is seen and heard almost everywhere, making its way into our lives almost unchecked. Recently there has been concern about certain aspects of television's effects - the superficiality of commercials, the manipulation of children for the sale of toys and cereals, and especially the stark portrayal of violence. The main problem, however, is the overwhelming captivation of people's minds by the "tube". It is not so much what we watch, but the fact that we watch. The average American watches television three or four hours daily. What does all this watching replace?

The most important activity replaced by television is the interaction of family and friends. Television can slowly control our lives and cast out the natural family experiences of daily conversation and personal sharing. As a diversion, it deprives parents and children of meaningful relationships. It offers an easy way out of family conflict by eliminating opportunities for family members to get to know each other better. Friends and relatives visit less often, or if they do, there may be little communication as everyone sits and watches. The television set indeed hypnotizes and silences everybody in a room when it is on.

Once this kind of thing is allowed to happen, the character of a home can actually change. When communication falters, a social vacuum is created; the home is only a place of residence. In it, each person is still alone, isolated, centered on self. The spirit of sharing, of mutual activity and love and help - all the things a family should be - get lost or weakened.

 

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Warmest Thoughts and Prayers, 

Chantel