Choosing Movies and Music: What’s Going Into Your Mind?

Young people just want to have fun. But how should one decide what music to listen to and which movies to see?

by Larry Greider

Let’s go to a movie!” These familiar words are repeated countless times on weekend nights around the world. But which movie or film to see? The choices are almost endless. Science fiction, action, westerns, comedies and love stories abound. Does it really matter which forms of entertainment we choose? And if it does, how can we apply biblical standards to our options?

Today there are some 32 million 12- to 19-year-olds in the United States alone—the largest teen generation ever, and with plenty of buying power. In 2000, U.S. teens spent an estimated $105 billion and influenced their parents to spend an additional $48 billion. So the choices made by teens are quite relevant to merchants. We’ve never seen a time in which so many young people have had the leisure time plus the money in their pockets to simply have fun.

Choices, choices, choices. What movie, CD or video game should I spend my money on this time? What’s cool and what’s going to be exciting and fun?

Not all options are good

It’s obvious to those who’ve been watching TV and movies for more than a few years that they contain more violence and sex than ever before—actually, quite a lot more. Every major American network has a show, often in prime time, featuring a gay character, not to mention all the shows that glamorize extramarital sex.

Are these shows, which admittedly entertain and stimulate people, really good for you? Are the big screen’s latest features appropriate for Christians to watch? According to one author, “Most television programming is insipid, illicit, and idiotic” (Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., “How the Bombarding Images of TV Culture Undermine the Power of Words,” Modern Reformation, Jan.-Feb. 2001, p. 39).

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn46/choosingmovies.htm

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