| |
Top 10 Reasons To Get Rid Of Your Television
Research shows that the average American watches 4 hours and 35 minutes of television per day.
Additionally, 82 percent of households have more than one television at home. In fact, 30 percent of kids say
they watch TV in their bedroom. That means there’s a whole lot of watching going on and families are n’t doing
it together.
T.S. Eliot once said, "The remarkable thing about television is that it permits several million people to
laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely." What happened to togetherness? What happened to roller
skating, reading and playing cards? It seems that America is addicted to television and it’s one of the
cultural culprits destroying communication within the family.
Nielsen Media Research reports that people watch television more than any other activity. Wikipedia,
an online encyclopedia, even lists things to do that will help if you think you might be addicted to what
author Marie Winn calls, “The Plug in Drug.”
Other statistics support America’s television addiction:
- A television set is turned on for more than a third of the day — eight hours, 14 minutes, in the average
American household.
- America’s 15.9 million children aged 2 to 5 watched an average of 3 hours and 40 minutes of television
a day during the 2004-2005 TV season.
- The typical American home received 104 television channels in 2006.
Are you getting the picture? Television rules. It has its own special place usually in the center of the living room like a
little god. It gets more attention than any family member and everyone is paying for it, especially children.
Some parents complain that they don’t have enough time in their day to work, shop, clean, take care of their spouse, spend time in social activities and with their families. In an address to the National Press Club, William Bennett said, "The two statistics I am trying to get together are the one that says the average American adult has very little time to spend with his family … [and the one]that tells us the average American adult watches 21 hours of television a week.Now that seems to me that if it's easy as that, we can just … turn off the TV … and check the homework or something."
It's not only parent-child relationships that are being negatively affected; children also aren't connecting in person with each other. Between iPods, cell phones, and television, we're dancing a dance of isolation.
Unfortunately, many parents never consider that the television is like an evil babysitter with a corrupting influence that can be a big obstacle in building godly character in their kids. Imagine your confusion if you were five again and your mom said, "Don't hit anyone," then allowed you to watch a daily TV program during which people pummeled each other. If you want your parenting job to be easier, don't send contrary messages to your kids by allowing them to watch ungodly programming. And if your kids do see something you disagree with, use it as a teachable moment about what not to do. Otherwise, it can keep them from developing the kind of character you desire.
Here are 10 good biblical reasons why you should strongly consider getting rid of your television:
Reason #1: We have a direct commandment not to bring it in our homes. (Deuteronomy 7:26)
Reason #2: Overcomers are not to set any wicked thing before their eyes. (Psalm 101:2-3)
Reason #3: It is fellowshipping with the works of darkness. (2 Corinthians 6:14)
Reason #4: It pollutes the pure stream of righteous thoughts. (Philippians 4:8)
Reason #5: We are not to waste time, but redeem it. (Ephesians 5:14-16)
Reason #6: We are to mortify all that is unclean and idolatrous. (Colossians 3:1-6)
Reason #7: It is a filthy communication that we are commanded to put off. (Colosians 3:8)
Reason #8: It is a polluted fountain out of which proceeds cursing and bitterness. (James 3:10-12)
Reason #9: We are to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)
Reason #10: Television encompasses all three temptations Satan introduced in Eden. (1 John 2:15-17)
|
|
|
|
