November 2006
No. 251
WHAT HAS CORRUPTED TODAY’S YOUTH?
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WHAT
HAS CORRUPTED TODAY’S YOUTH?
TELEVISION
Television has come a long way since the
post-World War II era when a television became a common household item.
Television’s role in the home has grown tremendously over the past decades. In
the average American home, the television set is on for seven hours and forty
minutes, even if nobody is watching. The average American watches four hours of
television, so there’s three hours and forty minutes the television on without
being watched. That means the television has come to be a comfortable fixture in
a home and another part of life. It is no longer just a simple source of
entertainment. In a 2005 study, forty-five percent of parents said that if they
have something important to do, they will use television to occupy their child.
Television has become a babysitter.
Television has a huge amount of influence.
In the previous article, music’s dangerous influence was studied. Music
influences its listeners audibly. Television influences not only audibly, but
also visually. So today’s society can see and hear foul language, sexual
references, sexual images, sexual situations, and violence . . . and that’s
just the commercials. More and more is being accepted and tolerated.
Television’s impact on youth comes in
specific ways. There are television channels made to target youth. Can this be
so bad? It doesn’t create a problem if the programming on these channels are
actually appropriate, an unlikely situation. There are several channels whose
influence on youth is alarming. The obvious one that comes to mind is MTV, Music
Television. Then there’s a channel that may surprise some in its influence:
Noggin, or the “N.” Both of these channels are dangerous because of the
influence on the age group watching. These channels create the “normal”
image for youth.
Recall the influence that music has on
adolescents. Now combine that with television’s influence, and simply the name
Music Television gives a clue as to it impact on youth. Corrupt music lets the
listener hear of sex, drugs, and the glorified lifestyle that goes with it.
Music Television shows the listener
the sex, drugs, lifestyle, and the provocative dancing that music encourages.
Sight is a powerful sense and a dangerous one. As the saying goes, “Monkey
see, monkey do.”
MTV’s music influence is bad, but there
is something worse that influences youth to a greater extent, “reality
television.” Most people will agree that “reality television” is hardly
reality at all, but it makes up most of the programming on MTV. Youth will watch
these “reality television” programs and learn how who they perceive as
“normal, regular people” react to certain situations. Remember that at this
age adolescents are trying to develop their individual identity. They are trying
to figure out who they are and what “normal” people their age or older are
doing. So youth will attentively watch these “reality television” programs,
soak in the information they receive, and then adopt the “tactics” they have
learned. All of these “reality television” programs promote everything music
does, and then adds an acceptance for homosexuality and a complete disrespect of
elders.
There is a channel possibly worse than MTV.
It is Noggin, the “N.” Noggin is very young children’s programming, and
then at some point in the day it becomes the “N” and shows much different
programming. The characters depicted on the shows on the “N” are closer to
the age of the audience than on MTV. Therefore, the influence of the “N” is
potentially more dangerous than MTV’s. The “N” displays and promotes
sexual situations, acceptance of homosexuality, disrespect for elders, and
profanity in such a way that youth want to
experience everything the characters endure. The youth want
the relationship hardships, sexual encounters, and “bad-boy/girl
lifestyle.” Second Timothy 2:22 tells us we should desire otherwise: “Flee
also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them
that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
Even more disturbing, these shows are under
a television rating of “TV-PG.” The “N” is made to grow up with youth.
As more shows are added, there is an increasing intensity of the content. I have
seen commercials for several shows that are on the “N,” and I have seen
something disturbingly wrong in them. To see what the youth of this day and age
were watching, I watched two of the shows on the “N.” I can say I was
honestly appalled. When I viewed these shows I was eighteen and figured I had
been exposed to plenty. However, I was shocked by these shows made for viewers
younger than me. These are popular shows; I’ve heard people younger than me
discussing them in school. These shows have a profound influence on what youth
accepts. From personal experience, I have found that the youth in the ages of
about 12-15 are far, far more accepting of homosexuality and display far more
disrespect for authority than those closer to my age of 19.
Is television the single factor for the
cause of corruption in youth? Compared to the previous factors we have viewed,
television has the greatest influence. If narrowed down to video games, the
Internet, music, and television, television is the single factor most
responsible. However, television is not the one and only factor to blame.
Television offers many channels, and sometimes we forget the remote control
comes equipped with an “OFF” button. There is one more factor to review, and
it provides youth with more influence than any of the others.
BEN
NEXT
ARTICLE: WHAT HAS CORRUPTED TODAY’S YOUTH? – PARENTS
APOLOGIA
Question:
In 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 it appears that the writer is telling us that we cannot
associate at all with unbelievers. Is this correct?
Answer:
The passage under consideration reads as follows:
“Be
ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath
righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth
with an infidel? And what agreement hath the
temple
of
God
with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my
people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be
a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6:14-18)
The passage does seem to forbid us from
having associations with unbelievers and if it were the only passage that we
could find in the Bible on this subject this would be the correct view. However,
it is not the only passage that the Bible contains dealing with the association
of believers and unbelievers. Methods or principles of interpretation indicate
that a passage should not be interpreted independently of all others that have a
bearing. We need to consider what the other passages in the Bible have to say
about this subject.
Does the Bible mean that we are to avoid
unbelievers in an absolute way? The answer we would have to give to this would
be “No”. If what Paul meant was that we should never in any way have any
association with unbelievers then there are several passages that make no sense.
Take for example the following:
1.
How
old was Moses when his mother put him in a basket and hid him among the reeds on
the
Nile
?
2.
Psalm
10 asks God to do what to the wicked man?
3.
What
was Amos’ occupation?
4.
The
Jews attempted to stone Jesus for saying that He preceded whom?
5.
In
Galatians, Paul said that not even Titus was compelled to what?
ANSWERS NEXT MONTH . . .
and
remember last month’s questions?
1.
Who
made Adam and Eve coats of skin? GOD
(Gen. 3:21)
2.
What
did Cain say to the Lord about his punishment after killing Abel?
MY PUNISHMENT IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. (Gen. 4:13)
3.
What
did Christ call Herod when the Pharisees told him that Herod would kill him?
A FOX (Luke 13:22)
4.
Christ
made us free. What are we not to be entangled with?
YOKE OF BONDAGE (Gal. 5:1)
5.
Which
of the 10 commandments was not carried over to the New Testament?
4TH COMMANDMENT: KEEP THE SABBATH
Two years have passed since Ray McManus
passed away. Ray began the HARVESTER and continued to publish it for over
eighteen years. Ray’s family and friends now continue the work he began on the
HARVESTER. We would like to thank all of those who have kept us in their
prayers. We would like to thank those who assist in producing the HARVESTER both
physically and financially. Thanks are also extended to those who have sent in
articles. Please continue to send in updated meeting times, articles, and
address changes.
