Mention The Bachelor Something-Or-Other. Or House Hunters (or is it titled something else???). Or Top Chef (I do think I got that title right...) and I get the glazed over look really fast.
Mention The Biggest Loser, Chuck, The Voice or any other NBC show and most likely if I haven't watched it (and I don't watch a lot) I've at lease seen the ads. The beauty of being too cheap to pay for tons of TV. ;-) And I can keep up a rambling monologue with the best of 'em.
I don't watch a TON of television, and since we lost our connection, I watch even less, only a few select shows on Hulu.
But I did take up watching SMASH! the new hit show on Monday nights (or whatever night I get to it). And because I watch so little TV, I really want to think about what I watch.
In case you haven't heard what the show is, it's about two woman vying for the part of Marilyn Monroe in a new hit Broadway production about the same. It's filled with drama, tension, some really great acting and an excellent setting. Every moment of the show pulses.
From a writer's perspective, I've tried to analyze why I like watching the show. What keeps me coming back week after week? Does it carry it enough of an "edge" that carries my interest deeper with each episode?
The writer in me would say yes.
However...(and you knew there was a however coming) the Christian in me continues to take a step back and look, look, look.
The gay acting does bother me, I don't mean that as a slur, it's just how I feel. I don't like that Debra Messing's character is fighting the mistake she made years ago in the affair she had. This IS life, I just wish she would step away from temptation.
And I don't like the sexual content.
Now many could argue, (and it's there in the front of my head) is that the content is minimal to a great many other shows. Should I let it bother me? Or turn my head and ignore those 30 second scenes?
But I don't want to become immune to immorality. Wrong is wrong, no matter how one looks at it. And thus I come to a fork in the road: do I ignore and watch the show, to cheer Kathryn on, push her higher up that Broadway ladder? Or do I shake my head at one more show who has to throw around the sex just to "spice things up"?
It's a conundrum that I think is decided in the heart and conscience of each individual viewer.
Discussion: what are your thoughts and stands on issues of immorality in television shows? Do you tend to see how it plays out, or immediately give up and pull the plug?
I hate that most and TV shows have sex and TONS of swear words.
ReplyDeleteI really like movies and TV but because of those things I don't like to watch them. But I feel like there isn't anything good to watch, so I just watch the shows and try not to let everything get to me......
Isn't it discouraging? It is what is coming from living in an amoral society.
DeleteI am selective in what I watch on TV anymore - so many of the comedies they have, in my opinion are too "trashy" for my liking. I had been watching a couple of them, but once I get a feeling that what I am seeing or hearing is very wrong I stop watching the show. What is "wrong" to me might not be the same for someone else though. Almost all shows begin to add in the sex factor sooner and sooner in their programming now and it ruins it for me. When the show becomes more about the subject of sex and you lose what the show started out to be - it causes me to step back and wait to see how bad it is going to get and if it never gets back to what the show is about then I will stop watching it. Almost all shows are having someone gay in them now. I know they are in our world and have "come out," but I honestly do not wish to watch a show where they act out what they do behind closed doors - it is none of my business, even though they have made it our business. I find it sickening and if there is too much of that in a program as well I will stop watching. I know it goes on, but I believe it is not something I need to know about nor do I wish to watch it.
ReplyDeleteI do believe, as you said Casey, that it has to be each individuals decision about what they will watch and accept and what they won't. I think as Christians we are all given the ability to ascertain if what we are watching is okay or not and then it is up to us to decide whether we will subject ourselves to it if we get the feeling it is wrong to be watching it.
Good example is a friend of mine loved watching Desperate Housewives, but once she became a Christian she could not stand to watch it any longer and the reason why is because Christ gave her the ability to SEE what is right and wrong and once it got to a point of being uncomfortable for her after she became a Christian she had no interest in the program anymore. Let God be your guide in what you watch - I am sure He will let you know when it is overboard for you.
What a really GREAT comment! Wow, you should have written this blog post. ;-) I loved what you said about the sex factor. They ARE adding it sooner and sooner, and I'm afraid SMASH is going towards all sex here pretty soon.
DeleteI know the NBC show, CHUCK started out this way and went the "sex" angle, but after about half to one season, they REALLY cut that out and the show wasn't focusing on that as they were on the characters and their growth. I'm trying to decide if I'm willing to let SMASH go back to the characters or if they won't...
Wow Casey, once again we have something in common. We have never spent the money for cable and so we don't get many channels on our TV. I don't watch much in the way of weekly broadcasts, I do however buy a lot of movies and TV shows on DVD. I have found for myself that I am not as discerning when watching TV as I am with reading books. In my book reading I will put a book down for sexual content and excessive foul language. But for movies I don't do that. I guess I tend to put up with those "30 second" spots for the rest of the good in the show. When my girls were younger I tended to be much more conservative in what we put on the TV. My guilty pleasure for TV is the series Bones. My advice to your question of whether or not you should continue to watching your show is this: if you feel strongly that God is telling you "this is not for you" then it is time to stop. But remember that for some people it may not be wrong, our convictions have to be our own. I mentioned that I am careful with what books I read, that doesn't mean that those books are wrong for someone else. That just means that I have been clearly told "not for you" from the Lord. Make sense? A great post Casey and food for thought for all of us.
ReplyDeleteIt makes perfect sense, Julie. I know if I'm watching a movie or like you said a book with excessive foul language or explicit scenes, I stop and turn it off. But TV shows I tend to be more lax, and I'm not sure why. Maybe because they have so many more opportunities to change their tune and make a change to the angle of the show. But a movie or a book only has a few concentrated hours of my time. Definitely food for thought!
Delete"Whether therefore ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." What does "all" mean? Can those shows be watched to the glory of God? Remember the Holy Spirit lives within you, and whatever you take in, He is forced to associate with also.
ReplyDeleteGREAT comment. Yes. Love that. Thanks Kandra.
DeleteI agree! That is a great comment!
DeleteLove this, Casey, especially because I was wrestling just this week with the same questions...about the same TV show! I've never had cable TV and grew up watching very little TV, but in recent years - with the joy of Hulu - I've watched more. And honestly, I don't like what it's done to my sensitivity. I don't want to be okay with sex and swearing and worldviews that so oppose Christ. It's not that I want to shelter myself from a very real world, but that I know I need to take seriously those verses about dwelling on whatever is pure and holy.
ReplyDeleteI think that means praying about what I watch, being willing to give up something if that niggle in my spirit persists. I do think there's value in entertainment and sometimes we can find truth in unlikely places on television...but if it's so lost under layers of immorality, well, there's got to be a line...even if that line looks differently for each of us.
I just realized I should clarify something. I'm totally cool with sex in the contest of marriage. Hehehe...realized that might've come out wrong. :)
DeleteYes, yes, YES Melissa! You've said my sentiment exactly. I don't want to become insensitive to the morals--or rather lack of--in our world, but I don't need to wallow in it either.
DeleteI know I used to watch once in a while the comedy EARL and it always left me feeling dirty after viewing it. And I stopped watching it. I guess I like to look at it this way more often than not, after watching a show, can I turn around and go pray to my Creator? Would He be pleased with how I just spent my last 40 minutes? Hmm. REALLY stops me in my tracks.
But I got ya, Melissa! ;-) Have you noticed they seem to "shut the door faster" on couples who are married than they do with couples who aren't though?? Boy is that twisted...
DeleteI just realized in my reply to my comment, I said in the "contest of marriage" rather than "context." I'm sure there's something funny I should say about that, I just can't figure out what!
DeleteYou're right, they do close the door faster on the married couples. So skewed!
Hey Melissa, have you watched this week's episode? They took the show places I honestly did NOT expect them to go. At one point my eyes popped. It's turning into a soap opera for me--I'm done giving it my time.
DeleteWhat were YOUR thoughts (if you've seen it)??
So glad you were brave enough to post on this! I just started watching back seasons of 24, and although I love it, already it's had a gay kissing scene, which immediately puts me off. Do we have to have this in there to move the storyline forward? NO. But it's like the token thing of the last couple of decades, pushing it on us whether we approve or not. (desensitization) We had actually started watching Downton Abbey and then stopped, b/c we were put off by the homosexual sideline going on there. So I guess, if I feel it's going to be woven into the tapestry of the show, we'd avoid it.
ReplyDeleteI'm shocked how many words are NOW acceptable on prime-time TV. The "b" word is no longer off-limits. Times have certainly changed. We get maybe three TV channels through our DTV router and our kids don't watch anything on there. Instead, we do Netflix so we can screen what shows they watch. Works for us!
Oh I know, Heather! Goodness, the language is everywhere! At least they still bleep some words like on Biggest Loser or the reality shows. Movies we aren't as fortunate. It's just so sad, because this show really has a lot of good qualities in it. And I want to cheer on the characters, but is it worth it with everything else the show has going against it? I don't know yet.
DeleteGreat post, Casey! About two years into my Christian walk, I was still watching shows like Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, and Grey's Anatomy. Basically, I had made these shows like an idol. I couldn't miss them, and I would actually be annoyed with anything that interfered with me watching then. Then something changed for me, and I knew that I had to let them go, not just for the content, but that I was putting them above other things. So, God pruned that out of my life, and it actually wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I don't miss watching those shows at all. I hardly watch any TV at all now, and if I do, it's most likely a cooking show.
ReplyDeleteIt feels good to have freed up my time for other things that are a better use of my time, and that would help me grow in my walk with the Lord. That's not to say that everything we do "has" to be spiritual, but we do need to be discerning. Is what I'm watching or listening to glorifying to God? If not, then it's probably something that needs to be "pruned" out.
Family members will ask me if I watched a certain show, or did I see "such and such" on TV, and I'll say, "No, I don't really watch TV." At that point they get that questioning look on their face, and say, "really?" like it's so out of the ordinary not to watch TV. Oh well, let them think I'm weird,lol. We're to be in the world, but not "of" the world, so I guess that's just one of the ways that we can shine our light.
Great comments, Michelle! Yes, when we do give something up for the Lord, it can be hard at the start, but putting us in His perspective makes so much difference!
ReplyDeleteI know after losing TV, I have a lot more time for my books, which I love! I'm not as tempted to just turn on the TV for no good reason. And since I really don't like watching shows on my computer, I am tending to be more restrictive about what I watch.
I'm so glad you shared today, thank you!
You're welcome, Casey! And I agree 100% -- I now have more time for books! : )
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought, if God was sitting next to us on the couch, would we be watching the same show, reading the same book, listening to the same music?
ReplyDeleteHe is there in spirit, but I mean as an earthly man.
Doreen
Yes! This touches base a little bit with my comment about, "can I go and pray to my Creator after watching this." It is a great emotional check for me.
DeleteI can relate to not having many channels, (we have less than 20). I can honestly say that I have not heard of pretty much any of the shows you mentioned...I miss the days of family friendly television. Not TV for kids, but TV that parents can watch with their children and not have to cover their children's eyes or ears.
ReplyDeleteI think it's always good to restrict your TV, and think about what one views.
LOL! Which is like 18 more than we have. ;-) Oh I agree! The times when families could sit down and laugh or learn and have a good time, without censoring the trash. Now it seems that even kids are seeing the trashy and thinking nothing of it.
DeleteJoining the conversation late.
ReplyDeleteAnd quite a conversation it is.
I've wrestled with these questions for myself, for my kids ... and now I've got an 11 year old in my house and we're walking through it again.
It should be easy, shouldn't it?
And I hear myself saying, "This show isn't appropriate for you" to my younger child -- and sometimes I wonder "Why is it appropriate for me?" (Not that I'm watching anything racy, mind you.)
But there's little out there to watch anymore ... which is probably why I watch so little TV.
But always welcome, Beth. I understand your statement, completely. Even though I'm old enough to make my own choices, I often think, when a scene gets uncomfortable, would I want to be watching this with my mom right now?? Boy if that doesn't make me stop!
DeleteIt's probably why so many of us here are sticking to more and more the GOOD books.
We have wonderfully creative minds that can be used to glorify God or our worldly nature. Most shows represent the latter. Unfortunately, we are drawn to drama and use it to escape. It is up to us to put on our spiritual filter when watching shows that have potential to lead us to sin...to filling an unmet need for love, companionship, fellowship, a relationship with our creator, etc. My hope is that TV will take a turn in years to come. That Christian producers, screenwriters, and actors will turn out top quality productions which we could be proud of. I am amazed by the wonderful music selection we Christians now have to choose from! Lets pray the same will happen for the TV and movie world...stories of redemption, overcoming addictions, families restored, and comedy to boot! Angel
ReplyDeleteAngel, you bring up some excellent points. I think like Christian fiction and music has come so very far, movies and TV still have a long way to go. You have the GOOD movies like Sherwood pictures, but the majority of Christian films are poorly put together and just, to be plainly honest, not that great. I'm with you: I look forward to the day, Christian movies really take an upturn and get better!
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