kevin and jenna [dot] com

What IS tv, anyway?

November 21st, 2007

This is part 3 of a three-part series: TV - The Good, The Bad, & The Entertaining.

I know all of you have been waiting with bait on your breath to hear the answer to my question: Am I against the majority of tv viewing? I think the answer might surprise you - Yes.

I’m not a fan of tv watching. I think there are far greater uses of my time and energy than to sit and be entertained by a talking box. So why do I watch tv? For one reason, it provides conversation pieces. I am able to see how non-Christians view the world through these programs because we talk about them. A friend asked me the other day, “How did you like Dancing with the Stars?” She doesn’t get much time to herself, with 2 kids and studying to take licensing exams, so she was able to have an hour to be entertained. Do I condone her for this? No!

It also provides conversation pieces for our family. Colby and I talk about the things he sees on tv… places, things, emotions, etc. And, Kevin and I are able to track the plot and wonder what exactly is happening in the situation.  Also, there are sensory inputs given off by tv (the lights, colors, sounds, etc.) that no other vehicle can replicate.  So it really is an educational tool, if used correctly, not to mention the use of channels like Discovery, Animal Planet, History Channel, and the like, for educational purposes.

Another friend told me she only uses her tv for watching movies. I can’t tell you the last time I went to the movie theater. I am so against watching the majority of movies, primarily because of the use of swear/cuss words. I like the movies that appear on tv because all of that “junk” has been edited out, or at least a majority of it. The DVDs we do watch have been carefully screened before Colby can watch them - for example, even “Finding Nemo” has to start after the scary shark part, and “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” is still a little too scary for him, in my opinion.

Why else do I watch tv? Probably for the reason that most Americans watch tv - for entertainment value. It is nice to “take a break” from it all. There are many people I know that look forward to their tv watching with the same excitement they would look forward to their spouse coming home at the end of the day. I have problems with people that have this mindset.

I’ll let you come up with your own views on tv, because it took me awhile to come up with mine. But once you decide, be sure and make it known to your family. Make your decisions constant, just like anything else in your household.

“But choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” -Joshua 24:15

Entry Filed under: Life