Time to Change the Way I Think

As you may have read before, my family has decided to implement a few new rules around our house. (See Previous Blog) One of the new rules will probably be that our children may not watch movies, television shows, view web-sites or listen to music that is not appropriate due to age or morally. This got me to thinking. I watch a lot of movies. My family and I have been active members of Netflix for at least two years. We, mostly me, have watched all sorts of movies. Our kids definitely do not watch anything rated R or above. My wife and I don't watch anything rated above R. There are; however, a few movies rated PG or PG-13 that do push the limits of what is appropriate or not, that we have watched or are currently on our cue list. Movies like Transformers. My kids (ages 10 + 12) and I loved this movie, but is this movie really age appropriate? There is bad language, some sexual humor, and plenty of violence (just not gory!). Under our new rules, would I allow my children to watch this type of movie? It's a tough call, but one that has to be made.

It reminds me of a story...There were these two teenage children who lived in a Christian home. They were raised by good parents, although not perfect, who tried to raise their kids with good values and good decision making skills. One day the children came home with a group of friends with a movie they wanted to watch. The movie was rated PG-13, or R depending on the story. The father asked the girls what the movie was about and after hearing the movie's details, the father quickly decided this was not a good movie for the girls to watch. "But it only has a little bit of bad language. It only has a little bit of sexual themes in it.", the children insisted. The father, being a wise man, made a deal with the children, he would make a batch of brownies and if the children would eat the brownies then they could watch the movie. The children agreed. So the father went to the kitchen and gathered all his ingredients. He got flour, sugar, eggs, brownie mix and then he got a little bit of dog poop from the yard and mixed it in with the brownie mix. After cooking the brownies, he set them out for his children to eat. Before they started to dig in; however, he told them about the "surprise ingredient" he had added. "Gross!", his children asked. "But it only has a little poop in the brownies!", the father said. It was then his children realized what the father was trying to teach them. It doesn't take a whole lot of "crap" to be in a movie, T.V. show, or the music you listen to, in order to taint it.

It may look and even taste like a great brownie, but inside of it there is something that makes you sick. The movie may be a "great" movie, but hidden inside is the agenda of someone who wants to make you sick. Satan will do anything to turn us away from God. How many of us, myself included, have been feeding our kids "tainted brownies" and letting them watch programs they have "just a little-bit" of bad stuff in it. For that matter, who much "poop" have we been feeding ourselves.

Maybe it's time I change the way I think.