Is it a sin to watch certain TV shows?

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goofyjim said:
NOYB. The tv shows don’t influence me either way. That is objectively true whether anyone likes it or not.
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Again, I apologize, I’m not trying to make it personal.

We all sin. We are led to sin in part by our fallen nature, and in part by our environment. Television today is a huge part of that environment. Pretending we’re unaffected by rampant displays of immorality is doing ourselves a disservice.
 
James22 said:
And I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be too uncharitable, but I’d be willing to bet that your insistence that you aren’t affect by it is virtually proof positive that you have been.

If you had not been affected by it, you would not be able to stomach it. Its said that if we were able to truly recognize sin for what it is, then we would be rightly repulsed by it. You are clearly not repulsed by watching people commit sin. It stands to reason that you have been numbed to it.

I’m sorry, I don’t mean to point the finger at you, I’m not trying to make this an argument about you; the above applies to myself as well. We’ve been numbed to; that’s why we’re able to watch shows like Grey’s without taking offense.
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Then I guess we can get numbed to sin by reading Scripture. There are lots of people in the Good Book who sinned. In fact, we all sin every day, so I guess we are numbing each other.😃
 
goofyjim said:
Then I guess we can get numbed to sin by reading Scripture. There are lots of people in the Good Book who sinned. In fact, we all sin every day, so I guess we are numbing each other.😃
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Ok, touche, point taken.:hmmm:

We’re not supposed to take pleasure in it though, as entertainment. 90% of the entertainment value of some of the shows we’ve mentioned comes from the ‘scandal’ of who’s sleeping with whom.
 
It would be a sin to NOT watch “The Shield” – a complex, morality tale in which “ends justify the means” approaches wreak temporal havoc in people’s lives, and where you just KNOW the anti-heroes are going to get their comeuppance, so you have to watch all 7 seasons to see it happen… o.k., o.k., I couldn’t keep typing this with a straight face.

I just really like The Shield. Final Season on FX coming up.
 
Hi,
I myself like lots of things, all the star trek shows, star wars, harry potter, lord of the rings, indiana Jones, and more. I don’t really care for the simpsons, they’re ok, would be even better if fox would put them in Descriptive video for me so i know what’s happening on the screen. But I really like South Park. It’s just funny and makes me laugh. I have most of the shows on my computer. I watch it every now and then. But south park hasn’t caused me to become less faithful or anything like that. It’s just a really funny show I think. just the way the characters talk and explore certain issues in a commical way.
 
If a large number of people watch a show it gets renewed. By watching it you are “casting your vote” for its continuation. Maybe watching a story in which the characters are sinning does not tempt you to sin, but you can see how it could tempt others who may watch it who are less morally upright than you are. So by watching it (voting for it) aren’t you collaborating in their sin and thus incurring guilt by inabling or something? I think moral theology has the words for what I mean.
 
Well Nice Topic, I watch all kind of Movies and Tv. And I am sure I am doing sin of my eyes. Most of Movies and Tv are consists of minor and major nudedity. Which I thought in major Religions are forbidden for example in Jewish faith, Christian faith and Muslim faith. But People are used to of it. May One and Only who is High Above guides us all and stop us watching but again its part of westernization. Look at the dressess of women thats also bad. This is one of the sign of judgement nearnest. Anywayz Yeah it is a SIN OF EYES from Muslim point of view and our body part will be witness for us in judgement day and speak out against us. My advise to you close your eyes and fast forward the vulgar part.🙂 Take Care & Thanks For Asking Such Question. God Bless You.
 
goofyjim said:
As for the commercials, products must be advertised, even Viagra. If we’re going to be upset by that, oh well…
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Do you have kids? It’s pretty bad that you can’t watch television during the daytime without a commercial about viagra, some medication to reduce the outbreak of herpes, ky jelly, male enhancement, etc. Heck, companies can’t sell hamburgers without using Paris Hilton in a skimpy outfit advertising for them. Our society is in decay. But as you said earlier, “If we’re going to be upset by that, oh well…”:rolleyes:
 
ainjell said:
So by watching it (voting for it) aren’t you collaborating in their sin and thus incurring guilt by inabling or something?
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Absolutely, positively not. If I’m watching something “sinful” on television I have none of the guilt. But I guess this might go back to the fact that I don’t feel guilty about much of anything I watch on TV.

chewie
 
Lee_M said:
Do you have kids? It’s pretty bad that you can’t watch television during the daytime without a commercial about viagra, some medication to reduce the outbreak of herpes, ky jelly, male enhancement, etc. Heck, companies can’t sell hamburgers without using Paris Hilton in a skimpy outfit advertising for them. Our society is in decay. But as you said earlier, “If we’re going to be upset by that, oh well…”:rolleyes:
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I actually tend to agree with this point, but I’ve got to ask – if these products & services shouldn’t be advertised during the daytime hours, when or where should they be advertised?

chewie
 
Well most of the sexual crimes happened because of this all publicity and nudeness. Infact its common thing in school to talk about kids this reproduction stuffs. Man i am worried about my kid if I will have one day I can’t stop him or her from the environment. For how long. Kids get pregnant in teenage year. One of the sign of judgement day coming closer. Kissess openly. Too much drinking which causes deadly crashes. Marriages crises fall into divorces. No family life. Two much increasing of women in western country as compares to men. Vulgarity on top. Can anyone agree with me please response me and Is this one of the sign of judgement.
 
Wow, this thread got very weird.

My view is that the sinfulness of a TV show depends on the viewer. Everyone’s temptations are different. Some people really did watch NYPD Blue for the stories, and the occasional bare butt was not a problem for them; maybe others couldn’t handle that. But I don’t think anyone can judge the “sinfulness” of most shows absolutely.

That said I also agree that even for a viewer capable of recognizing and avoiding potential temptations on TV, there is a desensitizing process that needs to be considered.

In the end, I personally avoid the blatantly prurient shows, but will watch shows that portray inappropriate behavior if on balance they’re worth watching. A good example is Eli Stone, which takes political and moral positions that as a Catholic I disagree with but is otherwise interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining.

I view it similarly to the way some of the apologists talk about reading non-Catholic theology–if you have enough knowledge to separate out the errors from the good, and there is something to be gained, it’s not wrong to read it. And if you do, make sure it’s not slowly chipping away at you.
 
This is one thread I haven’t read through completely – just the first and last two pages – so I apologize if this has already been said. While I don’t think watching a particular show can be a sin for all people, a lot of the shows on the tube are definitely near occaisions of sin. I have enough battles such that I don’t need any visuals to give the enemy further ammunition.

However, I must say that the way the Cubs are hitting tonight on the game I’m watching is sinful. Thankfully, while I still love baseball, it’s no longer a second religion for me. I must say, though, that there are times I wish I could justify ordering that cable package that allows access to all the major league baseball broadcasts. However, I think that would be a sin – since I’m not in the sports business – since the money could be better used for Catholic Charities and my time could be better used in prayer or spiritual reading or reading these forums. My .02!

God bless,
Dan

P.S.: Cubs just lost.🤷
 
When done with these 3 attributes,
  1. Serious matter;
  2. Knowledge or firm belief that the act is seriously wrong prior to committing the act;
  3. Full consent of the will,
the following are considered to be mortal sins…
  • Destroying the innocence of another by seducing or introducing them to immorality
    -Viewing pornography in books, magazines, movies, the internet, etc.
  • Reading sexually explicit materials
  • Dwelling on impure thoughts or fantasies for the purpose of arousal
(taken from the following site:)

web.archive.org/web/20020305105633/www.catholicparents.org/oxcart/examination.html
 
Rubicon said:
Wow, this thread got very weird.

My view is that the sinfulness of a TV show depends on the viewer. Everyone’s temptations are different. Some people really did watch NYPD Blue for the stories, and the occasional bare butt was not a problem for them; maybe others couldn’t handle that. But I don’t think anyone can judge the “sinfulness” of most shows absolutely.

That said I also agree that even for a viewer capable of recognizing and avoiding potential temptations on TV, there is a desensitizing process that needs to be considered.

In the end, I personally avoid the blatantly prurient shows, but will watch shows that portray inappropriate behavior if on balance they’re worth watching. A good example is Eli Stone, which takes political and moral positions that as a Catholic I disagree with but is otherwise interesting, thought-provoking and entertaining.

I view it similarly to the way some of the apologists talk about reading non-Catholic theology–if you have enough knowledge to separate out the errors from the good, and there is something to be gained, it’s not wrong to read it. And if you do, make sure it’s not slowly chipping away at you.
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Eli Stone, the TV show where the lead female character has “just sex” with a coworker? Give me a break. Don’t try to sell fornication here. This is a Catholic forum.

Peace,
Ed
 
crenfro said:
  • Dwelling on impure thoughts or fantasies for the purpose of arousal
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Any one else think its fair to say at some level that these shows, especially like the ones aimed at the young adult crowd, are displayed sexually charged content for the purposes of arousal - and people are watching for the same - even if it isn’t explicitly pornographic, in the sense of showing skin?

Think about a show like Gossip Girl, or again, Grey’s anatomy. Characters end up in these tense sexual situations. Even if it doesn’t go much beyond that point for the viewer, isn’t the excitement and interest taken there a form of sexual arousal? I think this goes for men and for women. Producers know that sex and sexual subjects can reel in an audience hook, line, and sinker, because it arousing, in a literal sense.

So perhaps this is a “grave matter.”
 
edwest2 said:
Eli Stone, the TV show where the lead female character has “just sex” with a coworker? Give me a break. Don’t try to sell fornication here. This is a Catholic forum.

Peace,
Ed
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Ed, I’d prefer if you respond to the substance of my reply rather than accusing me of “selling fornication”. That’s some serious judging of my motives, particular since in my post I acknowledge that the show contains pieces I disagree with as a serious Catholic.

Three serious questions for you:

–Why would you presume to jump to conclusions about my motivation of “selling fornication” rather than engage in a debate on the spirit of my response, which was an attempt to get back to the original question posed in the thread?

–Are you implying that anyone who watches or reads something containing a character who sins is explicitly endorsing and encouraging that behavior? If so, it would greatly limit the “Ed Acceptable Art and Entertainment” library, and would force you to exclude whole swaths of fiction over the last five hundred years and, frankly, most of the Old Testament.

–You seem to know a lot about the shows you use as examples. Are you (a) watching them or (b) reading synopses? If the answer is (a), do you feel you are sinning? If the answer is (b), do you feel you are competent to judge the context in which the sinful behavior is portrayed to then make a further determination if simply watching the program is inherently sinful?

I ask because while I respect your overall point–that entertinment is increasingly inappropriate–I find your way of addressing others ineffective and inappropriate.

Even if you truly believe others are sinning–which in my case I’m assuming that’s what your Non-Catholic Fornication Salesperson label implies–and you want to help them, engaging in a dialogue about the content will be more effective than throwing than calling people names. When you do that, it makes your wishes of “peace” feel pretty hollow.
 
I work in the media. I do watch certain programs on occasion to keep track of the increasingly sexual, perverse and immoral content. I’m a writer, and I understand the storytelling process. I’m a moderator on another forum and I feel I have a good handle on non-Christian debate; i.e. most of the people there are atheists-anarchists-leftists and a few agnostics. I can count on them to parrot the curent party line as it relates to their belief system.

Most of the posts I read here tend to err on the side of the worldly and the secular. I have seen too few comments that take a Biblical approach or even quote the Church’s position. If anything, I’ve seen way too many examples of people here writing exactly the same thing I see on the forum I moderate. I also see a lot of “questions” that are little more than Catholic marketing/opinion surveys.

It is my sincere belief, based on personal experience and research, that the movies and TV, and the world of politics, for that matter, have become increasingly sexualized. The restraints that were in place were gradually loosened. Had they been loosened all at once, most everyone would have noticed. This is not a good thing. But here I only see, at best, vague negativity. At worst, I primarily see: “Don’t tell me what to do. You, you judgemental person. Shame on you!”

Everyone seems to have ignored the fact that the Catholic Legion of Decency existed from 1933 to 1970 and began as an appropriate reaction to the pornographic films being put out in the 1930s. It also had something to say about the JD (Juvenile Delinquent) films of the 1950s.

I am particularly concerned about TV programs where two single people just happen to have sex like it’s nothing. There is no one I look at as any sort of role model. Television has gone 180 degrees against Christian values and beliefs. Which is why the radicals-leftists-anarchists hate Leave it to Beaver - it’s normality frightens them since what they want is a profoundly dysfunctional and dehumanized way of life. There are still people who are not like that, but the media spotlight is currently trained on those who are and those who portray people like that on television and in movies.

God bless,
Ed
 
James22 said:
Any one else think its fair to say at some level that these shows, especially like the ones aimed at the young adult crowd, are displayed sexually charged content for the purposes of arousal - and people are watching for the same - even if it isn’t explicitly pornographic, in the sense of showing skin?
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I think you’re exactly right James22 – sex sells. Plain and simple. It always has and it always will. Though I’m not sure that network TV is selling sex for the purposes of arousal (though it’s certainly a side effect). Networks are there to make a buck – plain and simple.

If network TV (cable TV is a separate beast altogether) was all about good “wholesome” content there wouldn’t be anymore network TV. Television, books, etc. are forms of entertainment. If the shows that we were watching were about good Catholic boys and girls living their lives you know what they would be – BORING. No one would watch them. The entire idea of having any antagonistic relationship in a story necessitates SIN. In order for there to be a “good guy” there has to be a “bad guy”.

Getting back to the original point of the thread: “Is it a sin to watch certain TV shows?” For me, it comes down to this – am I sinning by watching others sin… NO. Am I sinning by being entertained by others… NO.

More later…

chewie
 
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