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One of the songs we teach little children reflected in
the title of this article, warns them to be careful what
they do with their eyes. All of us need to remember this
lesson as we decide which TV shows and movies to watch,
which books to read, which songs to listen to, and what
to do on the Internet.
Recent Studies
U.S. News and World Report reported that teens who watch
sex on TV are more likely to start having intercourse (USNews.com,
9/7/04).
Researchers at the RAND corp., the study referenced in
the US News and World report above, found that it didn't
matter if kids watched sexual behavior or if people just
talked about sex on TV; the result was the same -- kids
who watch TV shows with sexual content are more likely to
be sexually active.
The conclusion in the RAND study states that "watching
sex on TV predicts and may hasten adolescent sexual initiation."
Also that "reducing the amount of sexual content in entertainment
programming, reducing adolescent exposure to this content,
or increasing references to and depictions of possible negative
consequences of sexual activity could appreciably delay
the initiation" of sexual activities (PEDIATRICS, Vol. 114,
No. 3, September 2004, pp. e280-e289).
A new study released in Pediatrics this month concluded
that "exposure to sexual content in music, movies, television,
and magazines accelerates white adolescents' sexual activity
and increases their risk of engaging in early sexual intercourse"
by as much as 2.2 times (PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 4 April
2006, pp. 1018-1027).
Jesus Said It
These studies prove what we already know to be true. Jesus
said, "The eye is the light of the body; so then if your
eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But
if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness.
. . ." (Matt. 6:22-23).
Jesus tells us that we will become what we watch with
our eyes. If we view good things, this will help us be good.
But if we view evil things, this will encourage us to be
evil.
Evil Companions
Paul warns us, "Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts
good morals'" (1 Cor. 15:33).
If we watch evil entertainment, we are prone to imitate
the evil things we see. If we watch sexual content, we are
prone to imitate the sexual behavior we see. If we watch
violence, we are prone to imitate the violent behavior we
see.
All of us should determine to turn from the deception
of Satan, turning away from wickedness that corrupts good
morals.
Be Committed, Like David
David's commitment was, "I will set no wicked thing before
mine eyes" (Ps. 101:3).
All Christians should make the same commitment. It's not
possible for us to avoid all the evil that is in the world.
But we can avoid evil in many respects, including TV, movies,
the Internet, video games, books, magazines, and music.
If you haven't made the same commitment as David, why
don't you make it today? Set no wicked thing before your
eyes!
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