Is watching TV (usually) a sin?

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i think it is… unless one is watching Sesame Street or something…

Someone gave me a TV… i wish he hadn’t… Now i am tempted to turn it on eveyr now and then to see what is on… :rolleyes:

What i usually find is: Nothing… :hypno: :doh2: big surprise… :yawn:

No, it is worse than nothing… it is sex, sex and more sex…:eek: :mad:

2 1/2 Men… That show is beyond disgusting…

I only see a minute here and a minute there of that stupid show, as i am flipping through the stations… and without fail, it is ALWAYS about sex… unmarried sex… gay sex… etc…

I am thinking of throwing the thing away… except that then i couldn’t watch educational videos… but i am kind of disillusioned about those too… educational videos don’t always tell the whole truth… to say the least… (the Catholic side of things)… so… well, what can i say??

I would like your opinion…

thanks…
 
No - there’s good stuff like cooking shows, DIY shows, sports, shows about art which I love. I think you can safely watch most of them. Just skip the ‘sitcoms’ and ‘dramas’ and be careful of which movies - and don’t believe everything you see in the history documentaries!
 
LilyM said:
No - there’s good stuff like cooking shows, DIY shows, sports, shows about art which I love. I think you can safely watch most of them. Just skip the ‘sitcoms’ and ‘dramas’ and be careful of which movies - and don’t believe everything you see in the history documentaries!
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what is DIY???

Good advice… except for one thing:

i hate sports… 😃

except for football… 🙂
 
distracted said:
what is DIY???

Good advice… except for one thing:

i hate sports… 😃

except for football… 🙂
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DIY stands for Do-It-Yourself (things like gardening shows, home renovation shows, stuff like that).

Skip the sports if you don’t like 'em, sheesh!

Another thing I like is music - docos on classical musicians or broadcasts of classical concerts or operas.
 
I haven’t watched the broadcast stations in years except for the news… and even that is usually CNN.

First of all you have EWTN on Cable and a few… note I said few, of the protestant history shows on their channels are good too.

You have the History Channel and History International, both very worthwhile. They have many specials on Biblical interpretation, and often they do a good job about what the different interpretations are among Christian groups.

I watch SciFi some because Battlesstar Galactica (the new one), while laden with sex, is one of the deepest theological dramas ever made for television. If you haven’t ever seen it or only watched a few episodes you probably won’t understand… let me just say imagine the plight of the early Hebrews during Abraham’s time moving from poly to monotheism.

There is Boomerang which is mostly cartoons from the late 60’s early 70s (and a few newer ones like Batman-TAM, Superman and Justice League) - if my kids are going to watch cartoons I would rather it be that than the trash on Cartoon Network.

There is NOGGIN, literally preschool on TV. If you have young kids, this is great. It’s pretty much the only TV my sons could watch except for Sesame Street until they were 3.

In regards to the pay channels we have been able to DVR some great movies and saved having to rent. However there is mostly just trash on them.

We do like to watch the Tudors on Showtime but some of the early episodes bordered on pornography IMHO. We got to where we just (my wife and I) talked about something and ignored those parts so we could watch the rest of the show. Amazingly it’s been very pro-Catholic during the first two seasons and somewhat unkind to the Anglican Church. I can’t recommend it though due to the content… I think I actually went to confession after one of the episodes so - forewarned.

We watch a lot of HGTV (Home and Garden TV) which has stuff about houses, how to decorate, market prices etc… and the DYI is how to fix things around the house.

Closing though I’ll go back to EWTN. There are good shows in the afternoon for the kids (I would say Kindergarten / K4 age), some good shows for teens, The Journey Home and other good information about our Faith.

Like almost anything, a Television can be used for good or ill. It can be a temptation or in some ways an educational tool for both scholastic and religious instruction.

I definitely believe it’s worth having, we have DISH with pretty much everything so that when we DO watch we can find something good. However I would guess the kids still only get about 30 minutes at our house a day during the week and that is going to sleep (usually Justice League on Boom) then an hour at my mom’s while they are doing other things. That will decrease as they get older though as I expect at least a couple of nights we will spend the night reading - on their own, as they get older. Books are much better for the imagination.

Right now though we usually spend half our time at night outside playing or inside on the computers playing educational games on Noggin, Cartoon Network, Disney or Nick Jr.

Joe
 
No. Just the act of watching TV is morally neutral. So, of course that means that watching certain shows can be sinful. Or what may be sinful for you may not for me and vice versa. It is an area of modern society where we need to judge for ourselves if it is having a positive or negative impact on our lives. We are free to watch/not watch, own a tv/not own a tv…etc etc etc.

If you feel it is sinful for you then by all means stop watching!
 
What Malia (Feanaro’s Wife) said.

You could take up reading for leisure. The library has tons of books.
 
jwashu said:
I

I watch SciFi some because Battlesstar Galactica (the new one), while laden with sex, is one of the deepest theological dramas ever made for television.
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anything laden with sex is BIG turn-off to me… I absolutely HATE the way sex is portrayed on TV… and it shouldn’t be portrayed there in any way, to speak of… because sex should be a private affair. I don’t understand those actors who can do “all that” on TV, iwth all those people watching… to me, that is totally disgusting and i am sure God agree with me…

Yes there are good things on TV but i don’t appreciate my mind being poisoned, if only “momentarily” as i look through the stations to see if there is anythign worthwhile on… so i think i might just toss the thing in the trash…

Wanna buy it for $20??

Just kidding… I think i will toss it so it will never again be able to mess with anyone’s head… 😃
 
distracted said:
i think it is… unless one is watching Sesame Street or something…

Someone gave me a TV… i wish he hadn’t… Now i am tempted to turn it on eveyr now and then to see what is on… :rolleyes:

What i usually find is: Nothing… :hypno: :doh2: big surprise… :yawn:

No, it is worse than nothing… it is sex, sex and more sex…:eek: :mad:

2 1/2 Men… That show is beyond disgusting…

I only see a minute here and a minute there of that stupid show, as i am flipping through the stations… and without fail, it is ALWAYS about sex… unmarried sex… gay sex… etc…

I am thinking of throwing the thing away… except that then i couldn’t watch educational videos… but i am kind of disillusioned about those too… educational videos don’t always tell the whole truth… to say the least… (the Catholic side of things)… so… well, what can i say??

I would like your opinion…

thanks…
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Have you watched EWTV I think thats what its called. I watch that every now and then and in the mornings sometimes.
 
Some shows I really enjoy that are morally neutral are:

HGTV: lots of remodeling and decorating…usually on a tight budget…I get lots of really good ideas on here! 🙂

Extreme Home Makeover: I really enjoy the spirit of giving in this show as the design team and friends and family pitch in to rebuild a deserving family’s home.

Nanny 911 and Supernanny: DH and I have gotten some good parenting tips on here! 😛

TLC’s What Not to Wear: a wonderful show for women who want to dress better/look better but don’t know where to start. I love Stacy and Clinton! 😛
 
Re: Is watching TV (usually) a sin???

Since I returned to the sacraments, I, personally, don’t watch T.V. that often except for an occasional good movie, the news and an occasional program on EWTN or PBS. Most of the programs are inane, some are outright offensive, and 50% of the commercials are an occasion of sin. At most, I watch TV about 5-6 hours a week. But this is a personal decision and I don’t judge others concerning the matter.

Is it a sin? That’s between your conscience, God and your priest I suppose. (and your remote control)

Paul
 
I think if the TV is upsetting you this much you should definately toss it!🙂
 
Nordar said:
I think if the TV is upsetting you this much you should definately toss it!🙂
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LOL…I don’t know if this was directed at me or not but I’ll jump in anyway. I’m kind of attached to the big blank black stare the one-eyed monster gives me most of the time. Besides, if I toss it, I’ll have to vacuum a Mt. Everest of dust behind. :eek:

Paul
 
PHX_Paul said:
LOL…I don’t know if this was directed at me or not but I’ll jump in anyway. I’m kind of attached to the big blank black stare the one-eyed monster gives me most of the time. Besides, if I toss it, I’ll have to vacuum a Mt. Everest of dust behind. :eek:

Paul
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LOL nope it was directed at the OP, yep that would be kinda messy:D
 
If all you watch is network swill, of course there’s “nothing on.”

Cable has a lot of great stuff.
 
I used to be a TV addict.

Now I find I actually don’t watch much at all. I work odd retail shifts, so I’m sometimes home during the day, but I never turn the box on.

Normally, my watching is limited to:
  • on American network TV: Jeopardy!, NCIS, the odd* Law and Order*, and the “Headlines” segment on Leno. And I’ve generally been following Last Comic Standing.
  • Canadian TV: Corner Gas, CTV News.
  • Cable stuff: The channels watched most, in descending order of watchedness, are Food Network (Donna is a ‘foodie’), Discovery, History Television, and TLC.
The only cable shows we watch with any regularity are Daily Planet, Iron Chef America, Holmes on Homes, What Not To Wear, and anything with Jamie Oliver, Nigella, or Alton Brown.

Oh, and the odd episode of Happy Days from the really early seasons (before they jumped the shark – literally or figuratively).

Chucking the TV because of network dreck is like burning your library card because they have Henry Miller. Invest in a TV Guide or get your listings online, and be discriminating. TV is a tool.

And if worse comes to worst, just buy/rent decent DVDs.
 
With as much good programming as there is now (unlike a few years ago), I’d have to say it’s a sin NOT to watch TV 🙂

Shows like Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, Chuck, etc are great entertainment.
 
I must admit, I tend to sometimes watch the wrong thing. I think as long as you’re careful not to let bad ideas into your thoughts there’s not necessarily anything wrong with it.

My advice though is to buy a TV guide and decide what you’re going to watch and when, channel surfing is probably the biggest opportunity to waste time and expose yourself to inappropriate content.

From my limited experience of American TV, the thing I’d be even more worried about than the sex is the violence and fear. Everything on US network TV is about crime, it’s CSI this and Law & Order that. I got the impression that if I spent my life watching such things I would very quickly become someone who is scared of their neighbours and scared of everyone in society. Even American news channels are obsessed with crime. Just remember not to believe everything you see on TV!

I gotta admit, my one guilty TV pleasure is Family Guy, which is funny despite being quite adult, inappropriate, politically incorrect and downright blasphemous at times. As long as you know it’s only a cartoon I don’t see that it’s too much of a problem
 
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