So, what's your tolerance with entertainment?

[Tronora]

On 7/24/2024 at 1:22 AM, BLEmom said:

 

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2018446

 

I love the image that starts the chapter. I don't have at TV. I only use streaming services. If something I watch contains something objectionable, I fast forward. I don't throw away the whole "apple", IF, and only IF, removing the "brown" will do.

 

Reading online about series/films BEFORE I put them on, has saved me from unpleasant surprises.

 

[justenoire]

Entertainment has always been a thorny area for me. Yes, we make these decisions for ourselves but at the same time we need to be shrewd, foreseeing and avoiding danger, not running right into it and figuring we can get ourselves out of trouble. But for me that's way easier said than done when it comes to entertainment, because I find myself interested in a great many things. Due to disability I'm limited in how "busy" I can really be in things outside the home so entertainment is a part of my life. Since you're newer in the truth, here are two things that have helped me a lot when it comes to making better choices (the kind of choices that help me draw closer to Jehovah):

 

1. If you're worried you'll get bored or run out of things to watch/read/listen to if you cut things out, don't. There are many thousands of books, shows, songs, and so on. I've found plenty while avoiding much. And don't discriminate against older properties due to their age. 

 

2. Making the decision to discontinue something because it's tugging at your conscience is easier the sooner you do it, and it is always rewarding. It feels good to do something like that for Jehovah, to just cut it off. The longer you stick with it, there's the feeling of "I might as well finish" or, in the case of music, "I just love this song too much". Ironically, these feelings "taint" the experience so it's not as enjoyable anyway. But even so, it's still good to cut something out even if you've held onto it for a long time. Since I'm really into music, I once did a personal study project analyzing some of my favorite songs and looked at what each underlying message was and it was really illuminating.

 

I still struggle with entertainment and at the same time I'm still entertained. I like the struggle because I don't want to go with the flow of this world and I like that I've become more attuned to things that are harmful to me, even if they might not seem that way on the surface. 

[Ostria]

7 hours ago, justenoire said:

Since I'm really into music, I once did a personal study project analyzing some of my favorite songs and looked at what each underlying message was and it was really illuminating.

 

 

Oh gosh, Joe Diffie's "Third rock from the sun" taught me that songs have stories if you pay attention, and that doomed me and made me see some of the songs in a different light

 

8 hours ago, justenoire said:

like that I've become more attuned to things that are harmful to me, even if they might not seem that way on the surface. 

 

Ngl i like and hate it at the same time. Before last yeqr i could walk into a spirit halloween no problem, i went in one a few weeks ago (yes some have been open for a bit down here in sc (good ol 'bible belt')) because my son (3) wanted me to go in with him and his father, and im just looking around like "ew..."

[justenoire]

9 hours ago, Ostria said:

Ngl i like and hate it at the same time. Before last yeqr i could walk into a spirit halloween no problem, i went in one a few weeks ago (yes some have been open for a bit down here in sc (good ol 'bible belt')) because my son (3) wanted me to go in with him and his father, and im just looking around like "ew..."

 

I used to feel that way. "Ignorance is bliss" says the world, but Jesus says "The truth will set you free" because we are slaves to sin no matter how ignorant. And slavery always takes a toll. He also says that he is the truth, and his load is light. Opening our eyes and following in Christ's footsteps is not to make our lives more difficult, but more genuinely peaceful, joyful, and loving. It's a matter of really putting faith that the things Jesus said (that he got from his Father) are true for us. It takes faith but even faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains. Entertainment will be a trial until the end of this system of things, then under God's Kingdom we will be able to experience pleasure with no painful consequences attached. But even this trial is one that, through endurance, we can gain Jehovah's approval. 

[fix it shop]

I enjoy early comedy ( golden age of television ) Sid Caesar ,Fractured Flickers, some Jonny Carson - music , from Symphonies -  Annen Polka, Beach Boys , Bebop ,Jazz , Dixieland, Hazel Scott , Nat King Cole , Judy Garland , Petula Clark , Folk Music - The Seekers , Kingston Trio , Harmony Music , Production Background Music , Hollywood Spectaculars - Ben Hur ,early Rock - 50s ,70s music - the Association , The Doors , The Animals , some 80s music , less we not forget our Kingdom Music from the Pink Song Book and Lp's to cassette , CDs , and what we have today . A little bit what I listen and more - but one can never go wrong  with kingdom music or our videos - some early 16mm film "Herritage" and some others .

[Katty]

Fiction entertainment shows that are just for entertainment are definitely not harmless. There's a reason why past totalitarian governments have invested in 'entertainment' shows for their propaganda. It works. It affects how you view morality, how you conduct relationships, and even how you see reality. Also, when it comes to shows that portray angels and demons, it can be demonic propaganda trying to influence us to see things from their perspective, and that can be extremely dangerous. I know people will think I'm a little kooky for saying this, but I think David Tennant might actually be demon possessed in real life. I mean look at past interview and the more recent interview where he talked about "whingy little people who will be gone soon" talking about the people complaining about Dr. Who become a very blatantly overt platform for trans propaganda. You can just see the demonic rage seething from him. I've never seen him in past interviews or anything be anywhere near that level of hatred or resentment. 

 

I used to watch a lot of these shows that promoted worldly morality and it did affect my view of reality. I used to watch Glee and a lot of Netflix feminist shows, and I do think they often made it easier for me to engage in bad association, because I was already spending a lot of time with fictional people who lived all kinds of diverse sexual lifestyles. 

 

These days, I'm a lot more careful about my entertainment even than when I was a regular pioneer, because we have a toddler who's nearly 2 and I find children are so easily affected particularly by portrayals of violence and sexuality. When I was my child, my first introduction to sex was on television and I didn't really understand what was going on and it just imbued me with a bit of guilt and shame regarding thoughts on sex, kind of like I understood this was not meant to be something for me to see. I think that sense of shame made me more vulnerable to sexual abuse, but I'm digressing. Like I said in the other thread, I plan on working really hard to keep me little girl as innocent as possible.

On nights we don't have Eliza with us we might watch various things like comedy shows--I find the UK tends to have a higher tolerance for the f word than the US. They openly use words like this on late night TV where it's bleeped out even late night in the US, but we still try to limit our profanity in entertainment--or we'll watch spoofy comedies or Bridge of Spies or something along that line. When it comes to TV shows, we'll occasionally watch the Simpsons: the older episodes that were funnier, and I think the only show we watch that's on TV right now that we watch is Bob's Burgers. Yeah, Gene is sometimes a bit of a potty mouth, and sometimes there are gay or very promiscuous characters, but their appearances tend to be relatively rare. I find most of the episodes tend to have a really positive message, I like that the dad is the voice of reason in the family and the mum is kind of a ditz sometimes. It makes me feel like our family is more normal. I get tired of seeing the inept husband/domestic goddess wife trope, because as a mom with ADHD I feel like it subjects me to really unrealistic expectations. We also watch Studio Ghibli films with the exception of Spirited Away and  Kiki's Delivery Service. I think On Poppy Hill is one of my favourites. We do sometimes watch "My Neighbour Totoro". It's the kind of film that might bother the conscience of some, but we find it's more about mythological creatures than straight up magic or witchcraft. We've also watched Anime series like Toradora and Your Lie in April. 

We find that when it comes to fantasy, there is a big distinction between books like, say, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, and the Harry Potter series. The former is more of an alternate fictional universe with it's own set of in-world rules, and the latter is a book that incorporates real world spells into a fictional universe. I get that not everyone makes this distinction and some Christians will see all fantasy as bad.

 

When it comes to music, such as Christian music, I think it's more of a conscience matter. You have to consider the background of the music and whether the particular song promotes false teachings about Jehovah. I find a lot of contemporary Christian music is more about generating good vibes than any particular doctrine and also I think a lot of country music overlaps with Christian. We like a few country songs that talk about God in them, personally. 

Edited April 5 by Katty

[ladiife]

What we allow our minds to feed upon shows what is in our heart. It is written to cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit. How can Jehovah's spirit not be grieved if we are allowing our minds to feast upon violence, witchcraft, magic, murders, adultery, fornication, and everything else Jehovah hates? 

 

These things should not even be mentioned among us. It is reasonable to conclude that if we are inviting them into our homes on a screen, they are being mentioned among us. 

 

I personally do not own a television. My television blew up, and I chose not to waste my money on another one. Time is too short to be wasting it on sitting in front of a screen when I could be researching, reading, and choosing what I want to learn about. I'm focused on personal growth in every way, spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

 

From what I've heard some of the friends say about the entertainment agenda that is being pushed at present, I know Jehovah is not happy. Every now and then, I'll watch a movie on the laptop with my grandkids and son. We tried watching a newer movie the other night and they snuck in homosexuality. 

 

We quickly picked an older cartoon movie, Madagascar. Of course there is other entertainment in the form of the arts, music, etc. The same bible principals apply. 

Because if we are not careful, we end up allowing these people to entertain us, and its inevitable that we start mimicking them some type of way.

 

One sister, a pioneer was mentioning getting a BBL to enhance her butt. So yeah.