At the Fullness of Faith, David has posted Throw away your Television, quoting a song by "Red Hot Chilli Peppers." He says "Not only is the telly full of mindless junk, not only does it eat into spare time that could be used for prayer, study, family and Blogging...it is also largely inimical to all that our Catholic Faith stands for. Why do we pay to watch it in the first place?"Well, I sold my presbytery's television in January 2003 and have not had one since. I thought this would be a sacrifice but actually, I never missed it, even slightly. I watch films occasionally, using a DVD player and a projector. Sometimes, I look at EWTN on the internet, especially if I want to get a good Catholic version of a major news story. It was great to see some of their coverage of the election of Pope Benedict. Again, very occasionally, I check an item on the BBC website for information; I am always pleased when there is a transcript available because reading through the text is so much quicker than having to watch the footage.
This issue is problematic for families. Their children are made fun of at (Catholic) school and I have often heard people involved at various levels in (Catholic) education speak as though the absence of a television makes a family abnormal so the peer-level comments are never effectively challenged. Yet families without a television (or where its use is very strictly regulated) do have a much richer life. It is natural that this should be so: they have so many more hours to do interesting things, visit interesting places, grow plants, look after animals, play sports, read books - and of course pray together.
A couple of good websites in connection with this are White Dot and The Center for Screen Time Awareness.
There is a story that St Elizabeth Ann Seton had a vision of the future in which she saw a mysterious black box in every home in America. In one version I heard, the devil was coming out of the box. In another, it had two wires, leading down to hell. She did not understand the vision at the time...
If anyone can confirm this or let me have a link or a reference, I'd be most grateful.
18 comments:
Interesting. I grew up without television due to my Wesleyan father's very similar opinions on the subject.
At this point in my life, I would join you, but for one thing: sports, especially American football.
Finally, in contrast to St. Elizabeth Ann's alleged vision, didn't St. Claire of Assisi also have a "television" experience?
How about my problem of spending too much time on the internet?
Yes, she is Patron Saint of Television.
Do note that there is no Patron Saint of Thumbscrews.
I was brought up without television and when we did eventually get one it was on strict understanding that it would be watched with permission and for a purpose. That discipline has stayed with me and I always plan my programme watching - thus usually one evening a week there is no "need" for t.v. except perhaps to watch the news. I see EWTN over the internet when desired.
Matt - yes, spending too much time on the internet can also be a problem. But at least you can choose the content.
Anon - great approach, but I think the "News" is quite problematic. Certainly here, the BBC imposes values that distort events and I find it better to find out what is happening via the internet.
Does anyone know of a legal way to opt out of paying the TV licence fee, while keeping TV; this at least would remove the pain of having to pay the BBC for its daily outpouring of filth and violence? Satellite TV is almost a necessity in that EWTN provides a truly substantive education in the Faith that is vital to replace the suppression of doctrine that is the norm in many parishes now. Not to mention also Telepace, CTV etc that give us live contact with Pope Benedict's teaching.
regards, Ken
This issue is problematic for families. Their children are made fun of at (Catholic) school and I have often heard people involved at various levels in (Catholic) education speak as though the absence of a television makes a family abnormal so the peer-level comments are never effectively challenged.
I grew up without a television in the house. Not at all. Not even just with a vcr. It didn't hurt me. We read a lot, played outside a lot, did lots of crafts, and our parents read to us a lot as well. I wasn't ever really resentful about not having a tv because I didn't really know what I was "missing". I think parents who remove a tv (rather than starting off without one) from the house would have a lot harder time with their kids on the issue. As a young adult I am now very grateful that I grew up without a television.
As a young adolescent, I became aware that it was easy to slump in front of the television, and at the end of the evening, feel that I'd wasted my time. Somehow, in order to absorb television, I felt that I had to switch off something inside me that were better left switched on.
When I married, I found that my wife agreed with this. We were given a telly in the first few months of our marriage and after turning it on (and off) a couple of times, we put it out for the beachcombers. We decided that we'd live without it. Later, on a couple of occasions, we borrowed a telly over the Christmas period; and after the second time, agreed that we wouldn't do that again. Thenceforth, we were resolutely atelevisual.
Our children put up with this state of affairs until their early teens, when they started to question their parents' wisdom - as is only right and proper. As they grew into their stoppier years, their protests grew - for a while - increasingly stroppy. We maintained the position that although television isn't evil per se, we had chosen not to have it in our house, and it was our house. Moreover, we had chosen for two reasons: first, that we had found that television stifles inter-family conversation; and second, that since everyone else had TV, it would be good for society to have a control group that didn't. Perhaps whatever took its place would be found valuable.
Now grown up, my children all roundly endorse our decision - my sons especially, both of whom have gone so far as to thank us for taking the stand we did.
I think that Fr Tim hits on something important when he says that society at large tends to marginalize people who (perhaps resolutely, like us) distance ourselves from the mass culture. My children no doubt did suffer, for a time, when their peers made fun of them for never having heard of Terry Wogan or Kermit or what (or whom) ever (or vice versa). I am particularly pleased that they may have learned what it is to take a modest stand against the Zeitgeist.
Also, I agree with him that it is not correct to compare browsing the Internet with watching television. The vital difference is that with the Internet, one is scanning and choosing content for oneself - much like browsing books in a library. With television, the content is chosen for us. The more channels you can hop, the more obvious the difference becomes - I think.
Oddly enough we have recently increased our TV equipment with the purchase of Sky.
This gets us heaven knows how many channels but these include the UKTV channels which show the best of mainly BBC repeats of sitcoms and proper dramas etc of the last 40 years. The kids watch a fair bit of cbeebies which is harmless.
If we watch any of BBC1.BBC2.ITV.C4.C5 its very rare these days. I also got to see the Popes Midnight Mass sermon in full on EWTN at Christmas.
Personally I do spend far more time on the internet than watching TV these days, however in some ways that is more anti social as surfing is a solitary activity wheras you can watch TV as a family. I prefer the internet though, you are an active particpator not a passive viewer.
Yes, I think that Sky, cable etc. are much better than being restricted to the terrestrial channels. It means that the viewer can choose what to watch. I think the important thing is to decide "I want to watch this." and only switch the TV on for that purpose. It is the zombie-like channel-hopping and "sseing what's on" that does the most harm.
Of course, we have to be disciplined about surfing too. But that's for another discussion!
Well, I went to public school (parents weren't particularly religious at the time), and I did have a TV, and I was still made fun of (parents wisely didn't let me watch the Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead, MTV, etc.). I think many kids are generally cruel to those who don't fit in anyway, be it due to lack of television or anything else.
Wasn't able to find anything on the vision of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, but apparently St. Claire of Assisi is the patron saint of television because once, when she was too sick to attend Mass, she was miraculously able to see and hear it on the wall of her room. Neat.
Oh, I agree with you that children and young people can be cruel about all sorts of things. It annoys me, though, that schools can be so selective in what merits support.
I havent any time for beavis and butthead MTV etc, but I do like the Simpsons. It operates on two levels a child level and a simultaneous satire which is only "visible" to the adults, allowing the whole family to enjoy it.
This is something you used to get with british television (when I saw "Dads Army" as an adult again all manner of things were revealed that I did not comprehend as a child) but most british television is far too crude and in your face to allow such cleverness anymore.
I used to look down on USA television but I seem to spend more and more time watching american shows like "Mythbusters". Perhaps because there is no moral free for all on mainstream USA television (if anything its gone the other way in recent years), programme writers still have to entertain rather than gratify.
Much food for thought in the above replies.
I love football, cricket and other sports - so the TV remains! lol.
Also I have sky and can receive radio3 in great clarity. Radio reception is not too good here.
regards
fr paul harrison
A true story that happened in Dallas, TX, was at the Parish of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Plano, TX.
There is a Marian group in Dallas that would put on Marian events(Queen of Peace Center). They had selected this parish at "random".
The person who came as a healer was Ann Marie Hancock of the Richmond, Virginia area. This happened about 1994/1995.
Ann Marie was accompanied by her spiritual director, a Benedictine Monk. Also at this service was Father Santos Mendoza, who came originally from the Philipines and is highly regarded as a holy priest (he had occasions where he would see his guardian angel).
For the healing service, Ann Marie had brought a relic of the True Cross and a relic of Elizabeth Ann Seton. She did not know that the service was going to be in the Parish of Elizabeth Ann Seton.
During the healing service, an image appeared on the wall -- like the image of a Televsion. It was Jesus on the Cross.
Eventually, the healing was stopped and each person went near the image to venerate it.
So people that I knew that I considered holy said they saw the "Immaculate Heart of Mary" and the "Sacred Heart of Jesus".
I later investigated this by talking to the Abbott from Richmond, Virginia about the experience, as well as Father Santos Mendoza.
People who were present did not talk about this event -- brag about it. They thought it was such a holy experience and was so moved by it that they did not share it with others.
What does this story have to do with the Prophecy of Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Television? The image gradually disappeared by a TV image does when a TV is turned off. The image stayed on the wall for about two weeks before finally disappearing.
After two hours, it was hard to make out the image.
My personal interpretation of this event is that TV is causing Jesus great suffering in heaven -- the pornography, violence, foul language, other immoral acts, etc -- as well as the general twisting of morality (Virginity is bad -- fouling around and sex is good by TV/Hollywood standards).
God bless...
cmhoss@catholic.org
Scientists who study the television have discovered that there are serious underlying problems with this form of communication. For it is a little known fact (because the broadcasters control the news) that when the television has been introduced into any society there has always followed an epidemic of social problems. This was emphasised by the last country to get TV, Bhutan. Bhutan was a quite tranquil country until 1999 when they first received television broadcasts; this event was soon followed by the country’s first crime wave. With violent crimes becoming common within six months of TV’s introduction even unheard of murder and rape.
At CUT (Catholics Unplug your Televisions) we believe there should be a television boycott. Families who give up the TV are finding that without it they are happier. Their children are happy, intelligent, and well adjusted, they have more time for each other, they play more, and learn better. But don’t just take our word for it go to our web site www.cutunplugtv.co.uk where we have referenced many independent scientific studies on the nefarious effect of the TV on children and society If anyone would like a free copy (or copies to distribute) of our newsletter of please email us at mazzeo@waunllydan.fsnet.co.uk
Yours with prayers
Stefano Mazzeo
CUT (Catholics Unplug your Televisions)
I came here trying to look up the St Elizabeth Ann Seton story. We are a catholic family with young children and have been tv free since ours broke in may 2007 right before the first one was born. I too watch EWTN on the comuter and don't really miss tv all that much. I just read a piece of Peter Kreeft Snakebite letters in which he talks about this subject.
Years ago I heard the same prophecy - but at that time it was attributed to St. Frances Cabrini.
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