Dangers of Televison

by Spencer Johnson
When the television first made its appearance in America, more than 20 years ago, spiritual and thinking people felt that it posed a tremendous danger the spiritual life of the nation. Today, with more than 90 percent of the families of our nation owning a television sets, time has proven it to be one of the most morally ad spiritually destructive forces of all ages. It is dangerous physically, mentally and spiritually.
Scientists and congressmen have told us that radiation from the average colored television set is injurious for a distance of twenty-five feet. Dr. Jean Mayer of Harvard University blames television for obesity and lack of physical activity in children. He says, “While thoughtful persons are concerned with the effects of television watching on the minds of children, not enough attention has bin paid to its effects upon their bodies. Our long-term studies of schedules child activity showed a drastic decrease in spontaneous physical activity and marked increase in activity and marked increase in sedentary vieing of television.”
The mental and moral deterioration caused by T.V. Is far worse that the physical effects. In a review of a Federal Communications report published in Reader's Digest, Feb. %, 1965, it reveals that the average child between the ages of 5 and 14 would view the violent destruction of 13,00human beings. Dr. Jesse L. Steinfold, former U.S. Surgeon General, in an article entitled TV Violence is Harmful (Readers Digest, April 1973) writers:”Every day some 0 million American children age two through eleven tune in to their family television sets for average of 3½ hours of watching. By age twelve,they total an estimated average viewing time of 13,500 hours apiece- far more than double the time they spend in schoolroom. In the process, they will have watched 101,000 violent episodes, including an estimated 13,400 deaths.”No wonder that the Surgeon General's Scientific Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior reported that televised violence adversely affects our younger generation!
Other eminent authorities such as Dr. Armand Nicholi feel that television has an influence on the lack of sexual restraints that is so prevalent today. (Christian Medical Society Journal, Fall Issue 1972)
it seems evident that much of the sex violence and aggression of our time is a direct result of our television viewing. The soap operas and the displaying of nearly nude women on television has had a demoralizing effect on many homes and without doubts has contributed to the all time high of the divorce rate in our land.
Admittedly there are other contributing causes, but race riots and mob violence were almost unheard of before the advent of television in America. Teachers' strikes, student sit-ins, and the disruption of the orderly process of education in schools was unknown before the Bible was removed and the American public had become addicted to television. The noted Japanese scholar, S.I. Hayakawa, appearing before the American Psychological Association in San Francisco in 1968, likened television to a powerful sorcerer who snatches a child away from his parent for three or four hours a day. The important fact, he said, is that “you have no interaction with it. A child sitting in front of television set gets no experience in influencing behavior and being influenced in return. Is there any connection between his fact and the sudden appearance in the past few years of an enormous number of young people from educated and middle class families who find it impossible to relate to anybody- and therefore drop out?” Looting by both whites and blacks in riots, he suggested, may be an explosive response to television's materialistic world and its depiction of violence as a way of life.
The effect of television on the spiritual life of people is appalling! Many families no longer take time for family prayer and Bible reading. They were once student of the Word but now the rush through their devotions or neglect them altogether so they can watch their favorite programs. The viewing of ball games, wrestling matches and other sports events with the attendant beer and tobacco ads has fascinated many people to the point of idol worship.
The efforts advocate by the worldly, silly, selfish, church leaders to control the programs have proven a complete failure. Any thinking person knows that to control in one must see what is on and of course by the time a person saw it, the evil would have made its impression on the mind.
As a result of this compromising leadership the churches have become despicably worldly. Preachers' Wives, young women, and grandmothers dress so immodestly as to bring disgrace upon the cause of Christ. Often bobbed haired women dressed in mini-skirt appear on the platforms to sing or play the piano and organ . Clergymen dressed in sporty clothes, sissy ruffled shirts, and wearing long hair and hippie-types sideburns fill the pulpits and preach on the pleasing platitudes. In many places the Sunday night preaching attendance is down until it is almost impossible to have an evangelistic service. The prayer meeting crowd is mere token of what it once was. Churches that once had two or three week revival campaigns now have week-end meetings or Tuesday over Sunday revival meetings. Many of the district are selling their camp grounds because they can not get enough people interested to come camp meeting.
In the light of so much evidence that television is having such a detrimental effect on the spiritual and moral life of so many families what should one do? Vice Admiral Hyman Rickover of the U.S. Navy appeared with a group of school children before the joint atomic energy committee in Washington. He said, “I advise these young citizens not to look at television. It is one of the most painful influences in this country.” if you want to be a sincere Christian and you have a television set the only safe thing to do is to dispose it. A devout chase a television set, fr he would not want to contribute to an industry whose predominate influence is so degrading. In view of increasing pressure of secularism, and the consequent difficulty of maintaining a close walk with Christ, a Christian can not afford to bring a device into his home which would further occupy his time and thought with that which is so earthly and cheap. Further more a Christian would not want to lend his influence to something that would cause others fall. “I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will no wicked thing before mine eyes.” (Psalm 101:2-3)”Abstain from all appearance of evil.” (I Thess. 5:22) “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father but of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust therefore: but he that doeth the will of God the will of God abideth for ever.” (I John 2:15-17)