Is it a sin to watch certain TV shows?

[blessedtoo]

I do think, however, that there is no such thing as reading something “purely” for enjoyment, without taking anything away. If anything, your citing Jesus’ parables proves my point. That’s why he taught that way. Human beings are incredibly complex, and we are constantly internalizing and processing the things which happen in the world around us.

."

I agree but I think your are making the jump here that “taking something away” must equal something bad. I remember, back in the olden days, my mom would watch her “stories”. There is nothing filthier on TV than soap operas and even back then, when they first began, they were considered quite risque. But what she cheered for was seeing the bad guy get his due. She clapped and applauded when the fornicator got caught or the adultress was thrown out of the house.

There are very few, if any, TV shows that are PURE EVIL. Many of them, to some extent, attempt to show the reality of living a life of debauchery. Heck, I even saw something of moral value of MTV tonight!

The OP’s question was pretty specific and really deserves to be addressed. Objectively, a TV show can not be sinful. It can be immoral, it can be extremely offensive (which most are) and it can be titilating or tempting. If we give our Catholic brethren the benefit of the doubt, then it should be up to their own discernment whether a particular TV show is LEADING them into sin. If watching a program that uses frequent foul language has you suddenly spewing expletives all over the place, then it’s probably best to avoid that show OR make yourself aware of how it is effecting you.

I agree also with comments made early on the thread that everyone is in a different place in their spiritual journey. There were many TV shows I watched when I first came back to the Church (Rescue Me was one) that I simply can’t stomach today. Mainly, they offend me because the characters on the show seem beyond redemption. I tend to favor shows that portray characters that take the moral high ground because that is what I can relate to. Watching people wallow in self-inflicted misery is just not enjoyable, IMO.

Ed, I understandstand that this is your cause and I do respect your tenacity. But your opinion on specific programs is still subjective. I’ve seen people (who shall remain nameless) become apoplectic about Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek, X-files, Friends, and on and on. Where does it end and who gets to choose what is a “sin”?

 

[blessedtoo]

However, the point needs to be made: there are those who simply flip on the TV giving no thought to what they’re watching outside of the fact they’re bored and it is the easiest, quickest fix.

And how does that make it sinful?

One should also look at the intent of the TV program creators. Take Californication starring David Duchovny, formerly of the X-Files. A group of writers and producers had to sit down, talk about the idea and pitch it. A lot of thought went into it. And, to me, it reeks of the “What’s the big deal?” mentality that is so pervasive in Hollywood.

Or how about Dexter? A nice seeming guy who works at a police crime lab, has a police officer sister and a girlfriend with kids who like him. But, in his spare time, he tracks down “bad” people and executes them. There was this one guy who was cut up using a chain saw. Again, the justification “What’s the big deal?” comes to mind.

Who are you arguing against, Ed? Who here is saying that the decline of TV is “no big deal”?

In the late 1990s, one of the actors on NYPD Blue was asked about the ‘controversial’ nature of the show, which refers to the profanity and partial nudity. His reply? “It’s the 90’s.”

People, including Catholics, have been programmed to believe ‘things change.’ Or ‘the future’ demands things to be different. Did anyone you know become wiser or smarter or enlightened the moment the calendar changed from the 20th to the 21st Century?

Once again, are there any Catholics on this thread making such claims? Perhaps you are confused and think you are on the other forum that you moderate?

Yes, it is a sin to watch certain TV shows if your primary purpose is to leer at women or get some vicarious thrill from watching a serial killer kill his victims.

So you’ve finally said something that has solid content. I think we all agree that if you watch a specific program with the intent to illicit a specific immoral response in yourself, you might just well be sinning. But who here is arguing in favor of that? And the OP specifically stated:

…obviously it has many themes that are contradictory to the Church, but I don’t watch the show FOR those themes, and watching those scenes don’t make me doubt my faith or feel any less strongly about the Church’s stance on premarital sex or homosexuality (for example).

and yet here you are speaking to your brethren as though we were children who can not discern for ourselves what might be, at best, an immoral act.

What did Jesus deal with? While talking to the religious leaders of the time, he referrred to the “murderous and adulterous generation.” The woman at the well had 5 husbands. The woman who was about to be stoned to death had been caught committing adultery. And Jesus had very specific things to say about marriage, divorce and adultery. Instead of revenge, He told His followers to love their enemies.

And how is any of that relevent to the topic?

The Bible tells us to flee immorality. I can only handle an occasional viewing of certain programming, because most of it makes me cringe. Being a writer myself, I’m aware of the amount of work that goes into telling a story. It would be wrong to think for a moment that anything you see is not carefully planned out.

I don’t believe that everyone who writes, directs, produces, and stars in TV and film is out to get us. And even if that were true, some credit should be given to the American people for making their voices heard. You have taken note of the decline in box office revenues? TV, being less voluntary than going to the theatre, may be more relentless in pushing the trash BUT that does not mean people all people are taking the bait.

It doesn’t seem to be too popular here, since, once again, too many look at it as an old book from another time, but the Bible has value for all things. We are told to read it, medidate on it and take the wisdom it contains and put it into practice in our daily lives. Note that we are also told “With wisdom get understanding.” Jesus’ disciples were often asking Him what He meant to make sure they understood.

Well, you keep bringing this up so I’ll ask: would you have all Catholics read ONLY the Bible for entertainment? And is that it’s purpose? Can we read other books as well or do we have a problem with books also?

 

[Joe_5859]

I was just staying with the level of seriousness of the topic.

CDL

Oh, okay.

 

[Joe_5859]

I know the whole idea of “gray areas” is kind of suspect (and not without good reason), but the reality is that there are legitimate instances where we must use our God-given reason to discern what action to take. This includes watching TV.

I do respect Ed’s conviction, but I think he overstates things (which is perhaps part of his strategy to make the point that TV can be harmful). Is there a general trend towards more and more risque TV shows? Yes. Are there some shows (such as the same 6 or 8 shows that Ed repeatedly brings up) that we would do well to avoid? Absolutely. But does this mean that every good Catholic ought to throw their TV out the window. I don’t think so.

The fact is, there are shows (like “Lost”) that do not compare to the litany of “dysfunctional” shows that Ed repeatedly calls to our attention. We do need to exercise discernment.

I think that our time would be better spent in talking about how to discern the good from the bad than in making the argument that all Catholics should live without TV. Such an argument seems doomed to fail. First, because most people tend to dismiss such extremism out of hand. If someone’s telling them they need to stop watching TV completely, they’re more likely to tune out whatever the person is saying and just continue watching everything indiscriminately.

Second, even if all Catholics did listen to that argument and follow through with it, it would only further remove Catholics from the media. In a sense, we would be “surrendering” that territory to those who only want to promote things that are antithetical to the gospel. It seems that it would only make TV that much worse.

 

[edwest2]

I agree but I think your are making the jump here that “taking something away” must equal something bad. I remember, back in the olden days, my mom would watch her “stories”. There is nothing filthier on TV than soap operas and even back then, when they first began, they were considered quite risque. But what she cheered for was seeing the bad guy get his due. She clapped and applauded when the fornicator got caught or the adultress was thrown out of the house.

There are very few, if any, TV shows that are PURE EVIL. Many of them, to some extent, attempt to show the reality of living a life of debauchery. Heck, I even saw something of moral value of MTV tonight!

The OP’s question was pretty specific and really deserves to be addressed. Objectively, a TV show can not be sinful. It can be immoral, it can be extremely offensive (which most are) and it can be titilating or tempting. If we give our Catholic brethren the benefit of the doubt, then it should be up to their own discernment whether a particular TV show is LEADING them into sin. If watching a program that uses frequent foul language has you suddenly spewing expletives all over the place, then it’s probably best to avoid that show OR make yourself aware of how it is effecting you.

I agree also with comments made early on the thread that everyone is in a different place in their spiritual journey. There were many TV shows I watched when I first came back to the Church (Rescue Me was one) that I simply can’t stomach today. Mainly, they offend me because the characters on the show seem beyond redemption. I tend to favor shows that portray characters that take the moral high ground because that is what I can relate to. Watching people wallow in self-inflicted misery is just not enjoyable, IMO.

Ed, I understandstand that this is your cause and I do respect your tenacity. But your opinion on specific programs is still subjective. I’ve seen people (who shall remain nameless) become apoplectic about Battlestar Gallactica, Star Trek, X-files, Friends, and on and on. Where does it end and who gets to choose what is a “sin”?

Maybe-ism, who-knows-ism. If a Catholic has a solid moral compass, the questions posed have easy answers. Right and wrong are not opinions. The Ten Commandments are not opinions.

God bless,
Ed

 

[edwest2]

I know the whole idea of “gray areas” is kind of suspect (and not without good reason), but the reality is that there are legitimate instances where we must use our God-given reason to discern what action to take. This includes watching TV.

I do respect Ed’s conviction, but I think he overstates things (which is perhaps part of his strategy to make the point that TV can be harmful). Is there a general trend towards more and more risque TV shows? Yes. Are there some shows (such as the same 6 or 8 shows that Ed repeatedly brings up) that we would do well to avoid? Absolutely. But does this mean that every good Catholic ought to throw their TV out the window. I don’t think so.

The fact is, there are shows (like “Lost”) that do not compare to the litany of “dysfunctional” shows that Ed repeatedly calls to our attention. We do need to exercise discernment.

I think that our time would be better spent in talking about how to discern the good from the bad than in making the argument that all Catholics should live without TV. Such an argument seems doomed to fail. First, because most people tend to dismiss such extremism out of hand. If someone’s telling them they need to stop watching TV completely, they’re more likely to tune out whatever the person is saying and just continue watching everything indiscriminately.

Second, even if all Catholics did listen to that argument and follow through with it, it would only further remove Catholics from the media. In a sense, we would be “surrendering” that territory to those who only want to promote things that are antithetical to the gospel. It seems that it would only make TV that much worse.

Hi Joe,

Extremism? I did not create a TV show about a seemingly nice guy that kidnaps people and cuts them up. The fact that you can’t get this is odd to say the least. Or a TV show called Californication which is about as in your face as such titles go. You can try to tune that out, but it ignores the facts.

In your second point you concede that TV promotes things which are antithetical to the gospel, so which is it? I don’t surrender anything to a store that sells porn by not buying anything there. If everyone else did the same, it would go out of business.

I don’t believe in erring on the side of TV. I get my news from the newspaper.

God bless,
Ed

 

[Joe_5859]

Hi Joe,

Extremism? I did not create a TV show about a seemingly nice guy that kidnaps people and cuts them up. The fact that you can’t get this is odd to say the least. Or a TV show called Californication which is about as in your face as such titles go. You can try to tune that out, but it ignores the facts.

In your second point you concede that TV promotes things which are antithetical to the gospel, so which is it? I don’t surrender anything to a store that sells porn by not buying anything there. If everyone else did the same, it would go out of business.

I don’t believe in erring on the side of TV. I get my news from the newspaper.

God bless,
Ed

Yes, extremism. This above post is a perfect example of that. I’m not trying to tune anything out. I’m not at all trying to defend shows like Dexter or Californication (as I thought I made clear from my previous posts). But when you point to the extreme examples of shows that are obviously bad and use that as a springboard to condemn all TV, then, yes, I would call that extreme.

I’m not trying to “err on the side on TV”. I’m only trying to avoid the two extremes of “Everything on TV is just fine and dandy” and “TV is evil, throw it away!” Is there no middle ground? Simply because I don’t agree that all TV is bad, doesn’t mean that I therefore believe that all TV is good.

 

[Fitswimmer]

I’m a Law and Order junkie-have been for years. Are there immoral things that I see on those shows? Definately. Do those immoral acts have negative consequences for those who commit them? Most of the time they do. The good guys don’t always win, but nothing suggests that the actions of the bad guys are any less bad because they “got away with it”.

There have been episodes of the L&O franchise that I have not been happy with because of some of the lines that appeared to be anti-religion. When those shows have aired, I’ve written the network, and the shows producers about them. It’s a drop of water in the ocean, I know-but I feel better for having done it.

I’ve never seen a lot of the shows that have been discussed here, so I can’t comment on them… All I can say is that in all the years I’ve been watching L&O and other crime dramas, I have never been tempted to commit a crime or do anything that the characters do. I have always been able to tell when the behavior I’m seeing contradicts Catholic teaching and I would think that most people who post here would have no problem doing the same.

 

[blessedtoo]

Maybe-ism, who-knows-ism. If a Catholic has a solid moral compass, the questions posed have easy answers. Right and wrong are not opinions. The Ten Commandments are not opinions.

God bless,
Ed

Thou shalt not watch TV? Did I miss that Commandment?

Why do you refuse to answer direct questions, Ed?

What would have us do? What is your solution?

The beauty of our Catholic faith, which is FREQUENTLY accused of being too rigid and rule-laden, is that She allows us the freedom to use our faith, reason, intellect, and conscience to discern for ourselves what might be temptations to immoral behavior and thought. Some would have the Church speak infallibly on EVERYTHING that effects human existence but fortunately, our Church believes in our own innate ability to make good choices. Whether you like it or not Ed, there is no specific prohibition against watching TV and until there is, everything you “authoritatively” assert as fact is nothing more than personal opinion.

In actuality, we all do agree on the basic premise that TV has deterioted into a cesspool, for the most part. But so has nearly every other form of media. Ed, you say you get your news from the newspaper. Well, I CAN’T read most newspapers because, IMO, they are demonstrably liberal, anti-Christian, and not representative of my views. They also carry advertisements which are offensive to me and that could easily be considered immoral. Should I be telling all Catholics, including you, to throw away their newspapers? Is that really up to me?

 

[edwest2]

Yes, extremism. This above post is a perfect example of that. I’m not trying to tune anything out. I’m not at all trying to defend shows like Dexter or Californication (as I thought I made clear from my previous posts). But when you point to the extreme examples of shows that are obviously bad and use that as a springboard to condemn all TV, then, yes, I would call that extreme.

I’m not trying to “err on the side on TV”. I’m only trying to avoid the two extremes of “Everything on TV is just fine and dandy” and “TV is evil, throw it away!” Is there no middle ground? Simply because I don’t agree that all TV is bad, doesn’t mean that I therefore believe that all TV is good.

Hi Joe,

Well, as you have noticed, whenever someone posts about a subject like this, the starting point is not the Bible or the Commandments, it’s compromise.

It reminds me of the story of the teenager who goes up to his priest prior to his hot date and asks him how far he can go before, you know, it’s a sin. That’s what I’m seeing here. “Well, what about if I…? Or how about…” And the teenager walks away disappointed because he can’t go as far as he’d like.

I could put up a list of all the TV shows that provably, according to Catholic moral teaching, should be right off any Catholic’s list. But, I think the focus would immediately shift to: “OK, but I can watch this, right?” Which misses the entire point.

If you’ve read my previous posts, what I am showing is that most people, including Catholics, have lost their sensitivity to sin. I was watching TV one day and talking to a fellow Catholic who did not even notice something immoral until I had pointed it out. That’s how “invisible” immoral behavior has become to Catholics and non-Catholics. Too many Catholics have mentally decided, “Oh, what’s the harm?”

I was reading the obituary of a renowned Catholic artist. He was quoted as saying beauty comes from nature and to present ugliness is perverting art which is a gift from God. A gift that should inspire and uplift people. Too many of the writers and other creative people involved in television are perverting their gift. That’s what I’m saying. As a creative person myself, that’s what I’m saying.

God bless,
Ed

 

[blessedtoo]

Well, as you have noticed, whenever someone posts about a subject like this, the starting point is not the Bible or the Commandments, it’s compromise.

Ed, how do you know what the “starting point” is for others? How could you possibly assume to know what my discernment process is regarding my TV viewing habits?

It reminds me of the story of the teenager who goes up to his priest prior to his hot date and asks him how far he can go before, you know, it’s a sin. That’s what I’m seeing here. “Well, what about if I…? Or how about…” And the teenager walks away disappointed because he can’t go as far as he’d like.

That is a ridiculous analogy. Pre-marital sex is objectively sinful. The pursuit of pre-marital sex or the acts that lead up to it would indicate that the teenager in question is seeking an immoral goal. What immoral goal is being sought by watching TV?

I could put up a list of all the TV shows that provably, according to Catholic moral teaching, should be right off any Catholic’s list. But, I think the focus would immediately shift to: “OK, but I can watch this, right?” Which misses the entire point.

Which is, again, one of the reasons why the Church entrusts the faithful with the ability to properly discern what is immoral and what is not, for them. Ed, if the Church believed that viewing TV was, IN ITSELF, inherently evil or sinful, don’t you think they would pronounce on it?

Whether you are comfortable with this or not, there certainly is room for “maybe-ism”, as you call it. I prefer to call it proper discernment.

If you’ve read my previous posts, what I am showing is that most people, including Catholics, have lost their sensitivity to sin. I was watching TV one day and talking to a fellow Catholic who did not even notice something immoral until I had pointed it out. That’s how “invisible” immoral behavior has become to Catholics and non-Catholics. Too many Catholics have mentally decided, “Oh, what’s the harm?”

I think it’s a very big stretch to assume that most people have lost their sensitivity to sin because of TV. In fact, I would say more harm has been done to the Catholic sensibility by poor Catechisis, luke-warm homilies, and ambiguity on moral teachings that SHOULD be black and white. If our priests spoke on the issues of fornication, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion from the pulpit, people would NATURALLY gravitate toward more wholesome TV and feel repulsed by programs that glorify sinful lifestyles.

I was reading the obituary of a renowned Catholic artist. He was quoted as saying beauty comes from nature and to present ugliness is perverting art which is a gift from God. A gift that should inspire and uplift people. Too many of the writers and other creative people involved in television are perverting their gift. That’s what I’m saying. As a creative person myself, that’s what I’m saying.

I agree that too many creative people are exploiting the medium of TV for some sort of profit. BUT, I think it’s important to present a balanced view as well. The creators of the TV show “God or The Girl” did an excellent job of portraying Catholics and our faith. On the TLC network, I watched a beautiful mini series called “The Monastery” which was transformative and probably reached milliions of households with it’s positive message of God’s loving forgiveness (and yes, there were sinners on that show). This "throw the baby out with the bathwater: mentality does not help your case.

And I have to say this - for someone who is so fanatically opposed to TV, you know more about indecent programs and characters than I do! And I watch a lot of TV! I don’t have HBO or any of the pay channels. I don’t watch any of the shows you mentioned and yet, my TV is on constantly. If I am capable of making good choices about my viewing habits, why on earth should I throw out my TV?

 

[edwest2]

As you are aware, my replies are to everyone.

As far as what I’m aware of, I can’t comment on a book or movie if I haven’t read it or seen it myself.

To give you an idea of how far the television industry wants to go regarding indecent programming, read this:

broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6534791.html?q=censor

God bless,
Ed

 

[Joe_5859]

It reminds me of the story of the teenager who goes up to his priest prior to his hot date and asks him how far he can go before, you know, it’s a sin. That’s what I’m seeing here. “Well, what about if I…? Or how about…” And the teenager walks away disappointed because he can’t go as far as he’d like.

I can appreciate and agree with most of what you are saying, but I think this analogy underscores why you are receiving a little flak from people (like myself ). Many of us are not teenagers, and when someone talks to us as though we are teenagers who don’t know any better, it’s a little off-putting.

 

[blessedtoo]

As you are aware, my replies are to everyone.

As far as what I’m aware of, I can’t comment on a book or movie if I haven’t read it or seen it myself.

To give you an idea of how far the television industry wants to go regarding indecent programming, read this:

broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6534791.html?q=censor

God bless,
Ed

Ed,
Your argument falls on it’s face because you can’t support your assertion with anything other than extremist rhetoric and generalizations.

Since you are so passionate about this topic, you might consider fine-tuning your debate skills and toning down the “sky is falling” approach.

 

[edwest2]

Sorry about that Joe. But I am talking about adults.

1. Most of the adults I know watch pretty vile stuff, and some of them are Catholic.
2. Too many adults I know would keep their kids from watching certain things, but, they think, “I’m an adult and adults get to watch adult stuff.” I am speaking generally here. But it’s interesting to point out that “Adult Bookstores” do not have big signs out front that read “We Sell Porn.”

It is also important to note that prostitutes that end up on video are not called prostitutes but “porn stars.” And that prostitutes on video is called “adult entertainment.”

Once again, I’m speaking generally and I know there are some here that take a “I’ll watch what I want” attitude. No, not you.

Hope this clears things up,
Ed

 

[Lee_M]

Ed, how do you know what the “starting point” is for others? How could you possibly assume to know what my discernment process is regarding my TV viewing habits?

That is a ridiculous analogy. Pre-marital sex is objectively sinful. The pursuit of pre-marital sex or the acts that lead up to it would indicate that the teenager in question is seeking an immoral goal. What immoral goal is being sought by watching TV?

Which is, again, one of the reasons why the Church entrusts the faithful with the ability to properly discern what is immoral and what is not, for them. Ed, if the Church believed that viewing TV was, IN ITSELF, inherently evil or sinful, don’t you think they would pronounce on it?

Whether you are comfortable with this or not, there certainly is room for “maybe-ism”, as you call it. I prefer to call it proper discernment.

I think it’s a very big stretch to assume that most people have lost their sensitivity to sin because of TV. In fact, I would say more harm has been done to the Catholic sensibility by poor Catechisis, luke-warm homilies, and ambiguity on moral teachings that SHOULD be black and white. If our priests spoke on the issues of fornication, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion from the pulpit, people would NATURALLY gravitate toward more wholesome TV and feel repulsed by programs that glorify sinful lifestyles.

I agree that too many creative people are exploiting the medium of TV for some sort of profit. BUT, I think it’s important to present a balanced view as well. The creators of the TV show “God or The Girl” did an excellent job of portraying Catholics and our faith. On the TLC network, I watched a beautiful mini series called “The Monastery” which was transformative and probably reached milliions of households with it’s positive message of God’s loving forgiveness (and yes, there were sinners on that show). This "throw the baby out with the bathwater: mentality does not help your case.

And I have to say this - for someone who is so fanatically opposed to TV, you know more about indecent programs and characters than I do! And I watch a lot of TV! I don’t have HBO or any of the pay channels. I don’t watch any of the shows you mentioned and yet, my TV is on constantly. If I am capable of making good choices about my viewing habits, why on earth should I throw out my TV?

I can almost guarantee you that if you asked 100 priests back in the 1950’s if watching a show like Brothers and Sisters or Grey’s Anatomy or Dexter or Nip Tuck was sinful, it would be an overwhelming “Yes” that it is sinful to watch shows like this. Yes I agree the luke warm homiles don’t help but neither does the smut that is on our televisions now days.

 

[Tracy10]

Interesting question below. I also saw another interesting question on this site about why we need Jesus so I’ll give my opinion on that one first since it seems to relate. Often I think that if we didn’t have a spiritual hero to judge our actions by, we would become too selfish and maybe even turn to drugs or liquor instead.

When it comes to deciding whether watching TV shows is a sin I would say NOT. However, I think better questions are:

(1) “Is this the type of show that would PLEASE JESUS if he were sitting in your living room watching it with you?”

(2) "Is this the type of show he would recommend for higher spirituality within yourself, or might he suggest instead, that there was a possibility it could diminish your spirituality somewhat?

(3) “Is this the type of show he would recommend for your children in hopes that it would help create a better world and better attitudes toward others?”

(4) “Would Jesus feel this show had any damaging effects on you or your children with regard to morals, ethics, courtesy, empathy and love for other humans or animals?”

(5) Would Jesus feel this show had a positive effect on how you should relate to your spouse and how you and your children should relate to each other - or might it give them ideas they would be better off not listening to?

My feeling is that most shows today would upset him quite a bit.

I myself prefer to stay away from filthy-mouthed shows of any sort (particularly those labelled “comedy” when they are in actual fact little other than disguised “filth” or “sexual deviance”). I also prefer to switch channels every time I see someone lying in a pool of blood or killing anyone.

Too many of these shows can “harden” people to the point where they no longer feel spiritual within themselves, until they no longer feel anything for anyone, and until they no longer even get upset when they see others harmed. They can also teach people to laugh at a lot of deviance, thereby minimizing it & possibly causing them to more readily accept it in their own lives as adults, as well as promote it to their friends.

Besides, what good are shows that do nothing but provide blood, gore, and filth, sexual deviance etc. even if they do so under the guise of comedy?

Once people teach their children to enjoy documentary movies and movies from the learning channel, they will actually “come to prefer” those types of movies to the types that are generally more destructive. (So will you.) Teaching them to prefer better shows could also add a great deal to their intelligence.

It’s my feeling that watching shows that send negative messages wouldn’t be a sin, but I can certainly see that they could affect people’s behaviour negatively.

So for that reason, if you even have to ask the question, I think it’s because you already know the answer, and that is that if Jesus were forced to sit in your living room watching such shows, he might not be too pleased and would more than likely direct you to shows that you would KNOW within yourself, by your God given instincts, would be healthy and beneficial to watch.

---

I’m so torn on this issue…I don’t watch a whole lot of tv, but there are certain shows that I am hooked on - Grey’s Anatomy being one of them…obviously it has many themes that are contradictory to the Church, but I don’t watch the show FOR those themes, and watching those scenes don’t make me doubt my faith or feel any less strongly about the Church’s stance on premarital sex or homosexuality (for example). So, am I sinning by watching shows that condone or somewhat glorify immoral behavior even though it doesn’t cause ME to support or engage in the same immoral behavior?

On that same token, is it a sin to go to movies or watch tv shows or purchase music from singers/ actors who are outspoken about their support of abortion or homosexuality, etc. If so, that pretty much eliminates nearly all secular movies, shows and music…

I go back and forth on this issue a LOT…

 

[rusty20]

One specific TV show that hasn’t come up in this discussion, LOST, so happens to be the only show that I bother watching. I’m curious to know what others on here think of it.

I think Rush’s questions are very good ones, and LOST for me is a good example of applying them. There sometimes is sex on it (though it’s extremely rare; there hasn’t been any this season), but I’m drawn to the show for the depth of its characters and for the themes of suffering and redemption, faith, fate, etc.

I agree. LOST is the only primetime show I watch. It has great themes, none of which are morally corrupt in any significant way. The violence is only present to add to the intense storyline, and sexual content is rare (contrary to most TV these days).

 

[jkenn337]

Hi,
what do you all think of Star Trek? It’s one of my favorite shows. I only watch south park once in a-while like maybe once a week or once every two to three weeks. But star trek I really like and watch everyday. I also enjoy star wars(there’s a difference between the two shows/movies, people often confuse them which bothers me.) I think star trek has good moral values in it. My wife’s dad or parents rather who are borderline fundamentalist christians(they are not catholic they are nazareen) said a few years back they think it is satanic or of the devil or something like that. But that’s their opinion so they can keep their opinion if they want, but I think star trek and star wars both explore lots of christian/catholic issues within the storylines.

 

[goofyjim]

Hi,
what do you all think of Star Trek? It’s one of my favorite shows. I only watch south park once in a-while like maybe once a week or once every two to three weeks. But star trek I really like and watch everyday. I also enjoy star wars(there’s a difference between the two shows/movies, people often confuse them which bothers me.) I think star trek has good moral values in it. My wife’s dad or parents rather who are borderline fundamentalist christians(they are not catholic they are nazareen) said a few years back they think it is satanic or of the devil or something like that. But that’s their opinion so they can keep their opinion if they want, but I think star trek and star wars both explore lots of christian/catholic issues within the storylines.

I love Star Trek. If anyone wants to argue that it is a sin to watch it they better be ready for some fisticuff action.