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Post by Jayne on Jun 30, 2017 19:31:18 GMT -5
There seems to be some interest in this subject since it came up in a thread where it was off topic.
I guess that I am showing my view of television by starting this thread in the Culture War subforum. So much of it seems to be about indoctrinating people into society's values instead of Catholic ones.
But I do not consider myself in a position to tell anyone else what they should do about this.
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Post by Pacelli on Jun 30, 2017 20:00:48 GMT -5
Fortunately for us, Pope Pius XII gave us the principles to use in regards to T.V.:
From the encyclical Miranda Prosus, 8 December 1957:
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Post by Clotilde on Jun 30, 2017 20:14:57 GMT -5
I was going to link the whole thing but... well, here it is www.papalencyclicals.net/Pius12/P12MIRAN.HTMI do not think any discussion on media can be had without this. Note that Pius XII does not say that anyone has to throw out their television set. He leaves it to the lawful bishops and priests of the Church to help guide people, and furthermore he tells parents to do their duty towards their children. He lays out how to judge and how certain factors may be different from person to person,depending on the circumstances. Given the nature of our authority, I do not think it is a good practice to specifically advise people we do not know, nor have authority over. To avoid the risk of scandal or scrupulosity, I might even suggest that two people discussing specifics about themselves do so privately. It is the responsibility of the Church to bind people. The short of it is: Form your conscience well, taken your faults into consideration, and follow the advice given in the encyclical. I am being purposefully general here because I refuse to have a silly argument over a film, radio program, tv broadcast, or electronic device. (Not saying anything about anyone here, this is something that has happened in the past and I'm not going there again.)
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Post by Voxxkowalski on Jun 30, 2017 22:14:48 GMT -5
Silly arguments are the rich heritage of forums...why stop now?
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Post by Barbara on Jul 1, 2017 5:05:26 GMT -5
I haven't watched tv for about 30 years, except when I have to, like last night at the Jiffy Lube. But I am not going to preach on the subject to anyone else.
Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much fight in this melancholic-phlegmatic.
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Post by Jayne on Jul 1, 2017 7:50:07 GMT -5
I haven't watched tv for about 30 years, except when I have to, like last night at the Jiffy Lube. But I am not going to preach on the subject to anyone else. Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much fight in this melancholic-phlegmatic. I tend to be choleric and even I don't want to fight about this. I am grateful that some of the first posts to this thread were quotes and references to Miranda Prosis. That did a great job of setting the tone I was hoping for. There are real spiritual dangers involved in television and it is worthwhile to discuss them. But the discussions tend to become acrimonious when people seem to tell others what they must do. I know that I've spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours watching shows that I never should have watched and letting my children watch them too. So I suppose that I am fair game for anyone who has an urge to lecture people about TV.
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Post by jen51 on Jul 1, 2017 8:50:55 GMT -5
Thankyou for the wonderful reference, Pacelli.
We don't have cable, but keep a TV around for carefully chosen movies. We don't let our oldest, who is 17 months play with the iPad or computer more than a couple minutes at a time, not because we think it is sinful, but because we don't see it as helpful to their developing, curious minds. Perhaps when they are of the schooling age, we will use these devises as learning tools.
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Post by Clotilde on Jul 1, 2017 10:58:08 GMT -5
Silly arguments are the rich heritage of forums...why stop now? By all means, go ahead. Find a film, pick apart the plot, the actors, their private lives, the scenery, the director' third cousin and then tell anyone who watches said movie, they are in need of confession. Not for me. Lol, you go right ahead.
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Post by Clotilde on Jul 1, 2017 11:00:06 GMT -5
I haven't watched tv for about 30 years, except when I have to, like last night at the Jiffy Lube. But I am not going to preach on the subject to anyone else. Sorry to disappoint, but there's not much fight in this melancholic-phlegmatic. I tend to be choleric and even I don't want to fight about this. I am grateful that some of the first posts to this thread were quotes and references to Miranda Prosis. That did a great job of setting the tone I was hoping for. There are real spiritual dangers involved in television and it is worthwhile to discuss them. But the discussions tend to become acrimonious when people seem to tell others what they must do. I know that I've spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours watching shows that I never should have watched and letting my children watch them too. So I suppose that I am fair game for anyone who has an urge to lecture people about TV. Nope. Not at all. You do what is right for your family and it isn't the business of anyone else.
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