"Mine eye affecteth
mine heart...." (Lamentations 3:51)
Numerous movies and TV
shows have portrayed Christian values in a positive light and provided good
examples of what men and women ought to be. (e.g., "Father Knows
Best," "Leave It To Beaver," "The Andy Griffith Show,"
"Little House On The Prairie," etc.) But there is need for caution.
The heart is trained and moulded by what is continually fed into the mind and a
lot of modern entertainment trains the heart to accept distorted values and a
distorted view of relationships. For example, movies and TV shows in which the
only white male that appears to be a gentleman or normal is homosexual, or in
which same-sex couples seem to have better relationships, is a big reason that
homosexuality and same-sex marriages are increasingly considered normal and
acceptable.
A homosexual is more
likely to be murdered or assaulted by a homosexual than by a heterosexual, a
homosexual is more likely to suffer domestic abuse than a heterosexual, and
people in same-sex marriages are more likely to commit adultery than married
heterosexuals. So why don't we see or hear anything from the liberal media
about the homophobia, violence, domestic abuse, and infidelity within the
homosexual community?
How did illicit
cohabitation become so widely accepted in modern times? A woman shacking up
with a man without wedlock is far more likely to suffer domestic abuse and
violence than a married woman, and couples that live together before marriage
are far more likely to end up divorced than those that don't. But the theory
that illicit cohabitation is a good recipe for domestic tranquility and marital
happiness has been a recurring theme in movies and TV shows for half a century.
For over half a century
the theory that an egalitarian partnership is the key to wedded bliss and
domestic tranquility has been a recurring theme in movies and television, and
movies and TV shows have often portrayed different versions of the story of the
husband that is such an inept boob that his wife must assume headship, and the
story of a man of bad character or extreme immaturity that just needs the love
of a good woman to reform him or make him whole, and the story of a wife that
divorces her husband because everything isn't going exactly her way and goes on
to have a great career and a fulfilling life, and the story of a couple that
cohabitate and copulate before marriage and have an ideal marriage as a result,
and the story of a woman of bad character or extreme immaturity that is either
an ideal wife or a good example for adult women to emulate or both.
Over the years pastors
and Christian counselors have told me that they have had to counsel married
couples who had severe relationship problems or ended up divorced because one
or both (usually the wife) was addicted to soap operas and the continual
viewing distorted the mind and perception of reality. The only good a soap
opera provides is examples of what not to do, and how not to behave, in a
relationship. Unfortunately, getting caught up in the drama hinders watching
them from that perspective, and instead moulds the heart. How do soap opera
characters approach relationships? They confuse venting with being authentic or
assertive, they base their expectations about relationships and marriage on
fairy tales, fantasies, and conventional wisdom (one of the biggest contributors
to domestic disputes and divorce is unrealistic expectations), they hold their
lover or spouse responsible for their happiness (a guaranteed recipe for
unhappiness), when things go wrong they automatically blame their partner, and
they expect to change someone to suit them (in other words, what they are in
love with is whatever they expect their partner to become after their
remodeling efforts).
Romance Novels (including
"Christian" Romance Novels), Soap Operas, and numerous movie dramas
(E.g., "Angel & The Badman," "A Walk To Remember,"
etc.) often portray the recurring theme or story of a man of bad character or
extreme immaturity that just needs the love of a good woman to reform him,
convert him, or make him whole. When women keep feeding their minds with this
trash it trains their hearts to prefer men of bad character (often expecting to
change someone) and makes unmarried (& married) women become indifferent,
unfriendly, or rude towards respectable gentlemen while gravitating to men of
bad character. Often after they ruin their lives or go through numerous abusive
relationships they lament that they always fall in love with the wrong kind of
man without listening to what they are saying about themselves. This affects
men as men are naturally prone to emulate that to which women are strongly
attracted. Thus, the importance of the roles of headship and helpmeet is lost.
Many movies and TV shows
portray Middle School and High School students as small children in the bodies
of youths and present this either as typical and expected of every teenager or
as an example to emulate. Encouraging extended childhood, and discouraging
emotional and intellectual growth, jeopardizes future relationships, makes
people more easily persuaded to reject the influence and values of family (and
church), and makes people more easily indoctrinated in secularism, humanism,
and statism.
The entertainment media
also promotes distorted, and often antichristian, values and philosophies
through talk shows and pop psychology, and it is amazing that so many are quick
to assume that any expert opinion, documentary, or media presentation is an
honest, unbiased, and objective viewpoint and above scrutiny.
Through all this and more
the entertainment media has had an extremely negative impact on marriage and
family in the society in which we live.
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