TV Bad - Bible Good

[formergothardite]

Ooh Off Topic: How is the Wii Zumba game? I have been thinking of getting it.

[O Latin]

Really, though...what is that supposed to be saying? What does it mean if someone could name all the gospels or the commandments or books of the bible? IMO, nothing significant; they just have a good mind for trivial facts. It doesn't make someone a better person because they have knowledge of the bible. I can name the gospels and the commandments but it doesn't make me any less of an atheist.

If 20-25% of Americans have read the entire Bible, than I'm impressed. I've heard plenty of pastors admit they've never read through the entire Bible.

As for knowing the ten commandments, I don't think that's a great measure of devoutness, either. My friends and I decided to play name the commandments one Sunday after church and it took about four choir members and two church staff people to come up with all ten off the top of our heads. And finally, even if TV suddenly vanished from the face of the earth, there are a lot of things I would do to occupy my time before I would decide to just sit and read the Bible.

[NurseNell]

We don't have a tv and I can name the 4 gospels and 5/10 commandments.

And I'm an atheist.

What does that make me?

I didn't watch TV until I retired, I now watch about 4 hours/week. I didn't grow up with TV, had no TV in college, no TV after college, and after I married we had a TV but I didn't watch it except for Mash and Perry Mason. From 1977 to 2007 I didn't watch TV except for breaking news, like 9/11. I seldom go to movies either. But I read about 4 books/week, the Bible isn't among the books I read. But I can name the 4 Gospels and all 10 Commandments.

[debrand]

Former Lurker, just joined.

Since I know Kelly Bates, although I am not a fundie by any stretch of the imagination, I always feel called upon to defend her. Kelly is a very humble woman who tries very hard to be a good wife, mother and Christian. Some of the messages on her blog reflect her lack of ability to put into writing what she is thinking. Although both she and Gil have drunk deeply of the Kool-Aid, they do not try to push their beliefs on others, and they do freely associate with us heathens. Kelly's older brother is dying of cancer and this is causing her great stress, which might explain some of her topics. I know this is about snark, and I do snark about her belief system, which is, jmho, crack pot. Reading the Bible doesn't interest me, reading anything else, to include the phone book if nothing else was available, and watching TV do interest me. I don't know where Kelly's statistics came from, possibly Gothard induced?

What are you defending her from? It doesn't matter if the fundies are sweet or kind individuals. Most of them, I am sure, are actually nice in real life. Kelly has vile beliefs that she is passing on to her children. Her daughters really won't get the tools to be anything beyond the jobs their parents have chosen for them....wife and mothers. Taking choices from your kids is pretty reprehensible to me. That doesn't seem humble to me.

It can be difficult when you know someone in real life to take a step back and consider how hateful their beliefs really are. So, I can have sympathy for you but you might want to reconsider defending her. This is a woman who decided(and yes, she damned well decided) to have kids that she has difficulty affording. She chooses to endanger her life regardless of the effect it will have on her already existing kids. Having endless numbers of children is dangerous for her body. That is selfish. Plus, she and her husband have decided what is right for their children's adult lives. They have set up their homeschool so that the girls are prepared for little more than child bearing. That is arrogant, selfish and cruel.

I am not trying to jump on you but I think that it is fair to point out that being sweet doesn't make a person less responsible for harmful beliefs.

[lilwriter85]

It would be funny to see how they explained a pregnancy out of wedlock. Probably it is the TVs fault.

They probably would. Some people really do believe TV shows or movies can be very influential. Sometime back I was reading through a Mormon woman's blog and she had gone to see the Footloose remake and she said that she wouldn't let teens see it, because they can be influenced easily.

[shangrila]

Tv has been around for about ... 80 ys? I might be wrong. Printed literature for a few centuries. Adultery and co must have been around since before biblical times, maybe since the beginning of humankind - or else how could they have made it to the bible, mentioned in commandments? Mrs Bates - I'm sure you have a good explanation to this, too.