In my class yesterday, I was asked to respond to this question
"Are media such as music, movies, and video games causing children to be more violent?"
Usually when one thinks of a question such as this we tend to jump right on the wagon and say "YES!!!". We like to blame shift like Adam and Eve did in the garden of Eden. But lets think about this a bit more. Is the assumption that media can cause our children to be more violent true? I would have to say yes. But before we "carpet bomb" the media, I think it would be wise to first consider a few factors in our children's lives.
1. Our children are not born "good people". They are born sinners (Psalm 51.5, 58.3, Ecc 9.3, Jer 17.9, Gen 6.5, 8.21). They are born with a bent/inclination to lie, cheat and do evil. That's just the plane old biblical truth!!! Thus the desire to do "bad things" comes natural. TV may enhance the desire, but its not responsible for its birth. Sin is!
2. Our generation promotes such violence by endorsement. The more we watch and give ratings to violent and indecent television, the more exposure they will have.Without ratings, they get no endorsement, and without endorsements, they get no airtime. Therefore, we can partly blame ourselves for the airwave inundation of violence on our television. Just like the old slogan, "sex sells", I guess violence does too.
3. What ever happened to parenting? Why are we so quick to mimic Adam and Eve in blaming another for our faults? We plop our children down in front of the TV and expect them to be good people!? However, much of tv these days is anything but "good". When they rise from the tv wanting to hit people, we blame the networks for showing that kind of violence.
What happened to mentoring our children? Spending time with them, teaching them godly principles, life skills and the gospel? Parents would be amazed at how much a child can learn at a young age. If we would but parent them, we would see a world of difference.
Not only that, but it is the mandate of God to raise up and disciple our children (Deut 6.6-7, Psalm 78.1-7, Eph 6.4, Titus 2.2-8)
So, in reference to the aforementioned question, we can probably give a hearty yes. However, lets not get carried away. The factors are real and the effects are felt. Its not all the medias fault. I think its safe to say that the cause of all evil is sin! So how about we do battle against sin in living godly lives and raising our children in a godly fashion.
If a house has severely cracked walls that seemed to come out of nowhere, no amount of putty or new sheetrock can fix the issue with a guarantee that the cracks won’t return. That’s because the issue is not with the walls, but with the foundation of the house. The more the foundation shifts, the more cracks you will see in the walls. So instead of putting bandages on the walls, how about we fix the foundation!
Lets not pray for our children to behave better or act a certain way. Lets pray that God would do a work in them, saving them! The behavior will change with the renewing of their heart and mind. Discipline may be necessary from time to time, but a true converted soul will seek to please God and thus please you as the parent.
What are your thoughts?