Wed, Jun 6th - 2:07PM

The Impact of The Entertainment Media on The Family

"Mine eye affecteth mine heart...." (Lamentations 3:51)

Numerous movies and TV shows have portrayed Christian values in a positive light and provided good examples of what men and women ought to be. (e.g., "Father Knows Best," "Leave It To Beaver," "The Andy Griffith Show," "Little House On The Prairie," etc.) But there is need for caution. The heart is trained and moulded by what is continually fed into the mind and a lot of modern entertainment trains the heart to accept distorted values and a distorted view of relationships. For example, movies and TV shows in which the only white male that appears to be a gentleman or normal is homosexual, or in which same-sex couples seem to have better relationships, is a big reason that homosexuality and same-sex marriages are increasingly considered normal and acceptable.

How did illicit cohabitation become so widely accepted in modern times? A woman shacking up with a man without wedlock is far more likely to suffer domestic abuse and violence than a married woman, and couples that live together before marriage are far more likely to end up divorced than those that don't. But the theory that illicit cohabitation is a good recipe for domestic tranquility and marital happiness has been a recurring theme in movies and TV shows for half a century.

For over half a century the theory that an egalitarian partnership is the key to wedded bliss and domestic tranquility has been a recurring theme in movies and television, and movies and TV shows have often portrayed different versions of the story of the husband that is such an inept boob that his wife must assume headship, and the story of a man of bad character or extreme immaturity that just needs the love of a good woman to reform him or make him whole, and the story of a wife that divorces her husband because everything isn't going exactly her way and goes on to have a great career and a fulfilling life, and the story of a couple that cohabitate and copulate before marriage and have an ideal marriage as a result, and the story of a woman of bad character or extreme immaturity that is either an ideal wife or a good example for adult women to emulate or both.

Over the years pastors and Christian counselors have told me that they have had to counsel married couples who had severe relationship problems or ended up divorced because one or both (usually the wife) was addicted to soap operas and the continual viewing distorted the mind and perception of reality. The only good a soap opera provides is examples of what not to do, and how not to behave, in a relationship. Unfortunately, getting caught up in the drama hinders watching them from that perspective, and instead moulds the heart. How do soap opera characters approach relationships? They confuse venting with being authentic or assertive. They base their expectations about relationships and marriage on fairy tales, fantasies, and conventional wisdom. (One of the biggest contributors to domestic disputes and divorce is unrealistic expectations.) They hold their lover or spouse responsible for their happiness. (A guaranteed recipe for unhappiness.) When things go wrong they automatically blame their partner. They expect to change someone to suit them; in other words, what they are in love with is what they expect their partner to become after their remodeling efforts. The list could continue but hopefully this will suffice to make the point.

Romance Novels (including "Christian" Romance Novels), Soap Operas, and numerous movie dramas (E.g., "Angel & The Badman," "A Walk To Remember," etc.) often portray the recurring theme or story of a man of bad character or extreme immaturity that just needs the love of a good woman to reform him, convert him, or make him whole. When women keep feeding their minds with this trash it trains their hearts to prefer men of bad character (often expecting to change someone) and makes unmarried (& married) women become indifferent, unfriendly, or rude towards respectable gentlemen while gravitating to men of bad character. Often after they ruin their lives or go through numerous abusive relationships they lament that they always fall in love with the wrong kind of man without listening to what they are saying about themselves. This affects men as men are naturally prone to emulate that to which women are strongly attracted. Thus, the importance of the roles of headship and helpmeet is lost.

Many movies and TV shows portray Middle School and High School students as small children in the bodies of youths and present this either as typical and expected of every teenager or as an example to emulate. Encouraging extended childhood, and discouraging emotional and intellectual growth, jeopardizes future relationships, makes people more easily persuaded to reject the influence and values of family (and church), and makes people more easily indoctrinated in secularism, humanism, and statism.

The entertainment media also promotes distorted, and often antichristian, values and philosophies through talk shows and pop psychology, and it is amazing that so many are quick to assume that any expert opinion, documentary, or media presentation is an honest, unbiased, and objective viewpoint and above scrutiny.

Through all this and more the entertainment media has had an extremely negative impact on marriage and family in the society in which we live.

-Arnold J. Saxton