Pornography on Television and in Movies

Sadly, there is an abundance of pornographyon cable television and in movies. Professionally made pornographic movies bring in billions of dollars each year—more than the combined revenues of all professional football, baseball, and basketball games. While this type of pornography is very dangerous, the greater danger for Christian boys and girls is the kind of indecent material that appears on popular television shows and movies. It is more dangerous because it seems less harmful. Sexual relations have become so casual in prime-time sitcoms and dramas that people usually don't think twice about a scene with a man and woman in bed, yet this may be pornographic, too. It may not be as graphic as some pornography, but it still has a subtle and negative influence on our minds.

The Bible says, "The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 15:26). To the Christians in Rome, the apostle Paul wrote: "Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts" (13:13-14). "To be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).

Fortunately, television and movie pornography is fairly easy to avoid. First, always check the ratings of movies you watch. You and your family should have a rule about what movies are acceptable for Christians to watch. Second, choose what you watch on television before it comes on. It is easiest to fall victim to pornography when channel surfing, especially when alone. Third, have your parents consider purchasing filters such as TV Guardian or Clearplay, which can remove most  of the filthy language and/or scenes from television shows and movies.

Just remember to be on guard constantly so that you don't fall victim to the continual temptations of the flesh. As Paul exhorted Timothy: "Keep yourself pure" (1 Timothy 5:22).

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org