“Don’t look, Daddy!” I hear that frequently when a scene comes on TV or an advertisement which has a woman in lingerie or a swim-suit. Sometimes Ana will even run over and cover my eyes. It is such an innocent act yet with profound significance. One day not long ago, I decided to use one of these “teachable moments” and told the girls, “If you don’t want me looking at that, then you don’t need to wear it yourself.”
Some time after that, one girl commented that she would like to be a cheerleader and the other responded, “Daddy wouldn’t want you to do that because the skirts are too short.” Lesson learned. Television has coarsened considerably in the last decade. We were somewhat surprised when we returned to America from a furlough and heard language during “primetime” that had been restricted to the late-viewing hour. When I was young, “racy TV” was Speed Buggy and Speed Racer.
Now a study has been conducted which tells us the obvious – viewing patterns do affect behavior. The Rand Corporation conducted a study from 2001-2004 with 2,003 teens between the ages of 12-17, both boys and girls.
The study found that teenagers who watched TV shows with sexually explicit content were twice as likely to get pregnant (or get a girl pregnant) as those who did not watch those shows. Did anyone ever seriously think otherwise? Cigarette advertisements were banned so long ago, I don’t remember ever seeing any on TV. Alcohol advertisements are not allowed on programs aimed at children. Those advertisements are measured in terms of seconds and minutes; TV shows and movies are measured in terms of hours. How can our viewing habits not affect our behavior?
We didn’t really need a study to tell us the obvious. What it might do, though, is re-encourage us to watch what we watch. Having a thirteen-year-old and a ten-year-old looking over your shoulder is a good external “conscience”. But we may need to reawaken our own conscience that may have lain dormant, at least relative to what we watch on TV.
The cost of other types except oral pills is little bit costly. buy viagra pill You wouldn’t be able to prolong brand levitra online the ejaculation time leading to sexual satisfaction to both partners, particularly the female one. During sexual order cialis online arousal, the first organ that gets excited is the brain. It’s considered safe to use even more as this natural food has never been known to have a sedating effect on your system, which inhibits the secretion of nitric oxide. sample viagra We’ve taught our children, “Be careful little eyes what you see. There’s a father up above and he’s looking down in love, so be careful little eyes what you see.” At what point do we mature enough so we don’t have to be careful what we see/hear anymore? Job was a mature man when he said, “I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?” (31:1). Jesus was a mature man when he said, “everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
We adults need to be vigilant about what we watch if for no other reason than to live a life of integrity. We cannot believe Philippians 4:8 and not practice it: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
What is honorable about Sex in the City? What is pure about Desperate Housewives? Make no mistake about it, Hollywood is trying its best to destroy the moral fabric that holds our country together. Anything goes in the Capitol of Debauchery. They would like nothing more than for that same mentality to be prevalent in Paris, KY too. All it takes is for good men and women to do and say nothing.
“But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. …Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them” (Ephesians 5:3-7).
–Paul Holland
