The Danger of Entertainment’s Enticements

Have you ever stopped to consider the awesome effect Hollywood has on our society. Virtually every home in America has a television. With the prevalence of cable channels, theaters, VCR’s and video stores, “Tinseltown” has innumerable opportunities to impact the hearts and minds of us all.
Are you aware that the average preschool child watches up to 54 hours of TV per week? It is the most time consuming activity in the life of the average American child. Sadly, television and movies occupy too important a place in the life of many families.
We should be concerned about the influence of these media on morals and values. Made to look socially desirable, cursing, selfishness, and social drinking are common TV and movie themes. Violence is so prevalent that by the time the average preschool child is age 14, he will have witnessed 18,000 murders on television alone, not to mention countless muggings, rapes, and other acts of violence on the “tube” or the such-like in movies. Surely no one believes that being constantly bombarded by this stuff has no effect on adults and children. Immorality and immodesty of all kinds are standard TV and movie focuses. A real danger exists here, especially since these shows all too frequently emphasize adultery, fornication, homosexuality, and teenage sex as alluring lifestyles. Displayed in a tantalizing way, many young people and adults find these evils hard to resist or denounce. TV and movies are hacking away at the very foundations of the family and spiritual values.
One terrible tragedy in all of this is that we can and are becoming indifferent (desensitized) to all kinds of sinful behavior. This can and does lead to a tolerance of ungodly lifestyles. It is not long, then, before one accepts, appreciates, and justifies all manner of depraved and dishonorable living. How long can it be before some would adopt for themselves the vile behaviors exhibited and extolled by the entertainment industry in movies television and videos?
As Christians, we must have the courage to be selective in our movie, television, and video viewing. Parents and children must exercise “righteous judgment” (John 7:24) in this regard. Parents must lead the way so all can stand against these “wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). Do not act “ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Mark Hanstein