Why I Don't Have a Television — Mose Stoltzfus

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Greetings this morning in the name of the Lord Jesus. It is just Transforming to me to sit here on a Sunday morning and Absorb the Ministry of the word in song or in the reading of the word or comments that are made.

I just find myself going through a Uplifting and transforming experience time after time and this morning was again another one of those well, we Are glad that each one of you have come. God bless you visitors for coming.

It's a privilege to have you amongst us here this morning again. Few of you I guess we're here in leadership seminar and are back again and we appreciate that. Well this morning I I have for a long time pondered on preaching a message like this and I've tried to figure out how to do it and If it should be done and I finally come to the persuasion that it should be done needs to be done and I would like to do it this morning if you will allow me to I'd like to speak on the subject of why I don't have a television Thought about this.

The Speaker’s Conviction Against Television

Like I said for numerous times numerous times and How to build that conviction In the hearts of our people one thing that alarms me so greatly is that we often say that we don't want to have the attitude that this church is the only church and that this church is is the right church or is.

That we're the only ones right and and God forbid that we should ever develop an attitude about that. But I have struggled over the years With seeing people leave a church like this or others similar to it in the country in the county here and very shortly thereafter they have a television and then I wonder what all the philosophy or thoughts are behind that what makes people think that.

Those things are okay and delve right into them young couples and sit in front of it and are glued by it, even though we have had some teaching over the years against it and So that has developed into a conviction on my part to preach on the subject Clear enough that I trust will help you make that decision whether you go to church here or anywhere else.

That you would be able to develop a conviction that no matter where you go to church You would be able to make and have sound discernment concerning it. I'm not speaking about the box in a literal way this morning even though that Perhaps there is even a case to be made on that.

But I would simply like to talk about The Word of God and what it speaks about that we have a lot of people who would consider a message like this to be legalism and would Cringe or would denounce it from the beginning that anyone should even speak on a subject like this.

I Lived in a church for years first of all I was raised in a home that didn't have one and Then I lived in a church for years that had a clear standard that you cannot have them and that of course Was a benefit to me perhaps in my younger years in my Undiscerning years that I didn't have to make that choice as a child.

I'm very grateful that I did not have to make that choice as a child. Whether I would want to watch one or not but As I grew older and became married and all that There are choices that all of us have to make concerning these things when we start our own home.

And I'm not here to say this morning that there is absolutely nothing good on it. But I believe that by far 90 plus percent of the people are not able to control them. And so I'm going to speak from the realm that somehow we Sit upon that we we would sit in front of them and turn them on.

We are bombarded with things that we did not choose to see or to watch in the beginning perhaps They just so happened and so numb Our souls and our hearts and our lives and desensitize us gradually. You May think this morning.

Well if you did not grow up with one yet, you may not know what you're talking about. But I do have to tell you that as a young boy. I Will confess to you that we did not have a telephone and our telephone was a half a mile away at a neighbor's house and we had a business going there and a farm and we needed to use the phone quite regularly and so us young boys were sent to run up to the neighbors and make a phone call and call for the feed man or call for the gas man or call for this man or that man or the other man and We began to develop a habit that we would take the newspaper and watch at which time a Certain show was on in the evening and then try to go to the neighbor at that specific time and watch our free write Western show.

I Did that for a number of years, but at the age of 15 I became converted and all that drastically changed but when I got married and And went into the government service. I served in a Hospital the first year and four months in a mental hospital.

And I was thrown in the midst of an environment of television that was on almost constantly For therapy for the patients we they did not have television in the rooms they were all supposed to gather in a family-like atmosphere in the kind of a living room there with the television on and we were supposed to intermingle with them and Of course that brought me under the direct influence of the television about eight hours every day for two years.

The last eight month I Worked on a on a floor where it was in all the rooms. And of course every time you would enter a room or most of the times to take care of patients. Whether or not you wanted to watch it or look at it you heard it commercials and its programs and caught glimpses of its shows Continually likewise and Although then I left that and Made a choice not to have one in my home and for many years had virtually no exposure to it whatsoever.

In the latter years in As I did a lot more traveling in the as you know it is being played a lot more in the airports and various places. Like that it was indeed shocking to me as I had about a 20 year lapse or a 15 year lapse of hardly seeing such a thing and To see what had happened from my youth to this point here today when I occasionally have seen some scenes on it have been Needless to say a very shocking as I see the gradual the gradual Degeneracy that has come about on this Machine or this electronic marvel of of our age.

One of the reasons I'd like to speak to you about it is because I don't believe there has been any other Given thing that has been so influential in world thought not us but world thought and behavior as the television has and I also would like to ask you Does the scripture speak on about it and many people would say?

There's nothing like that mentioned in the Word of God and therefore you have the freedom In living by the Word of God to either have one or not have one. But I would like to show you that the scripture speak directly on the subject and if you do not think it does I would like to help you to see that it does and that if a church makes a decision or Or speaks directly like I will speak directly on the subject.

They can speak it clearly out of a direct Word of God Application or not even may I say much of an application the Bible speaks directly concerning this subject and I'm hoping that I'm not here this morning just to make another rule and That's not my desire, but to build conviction because here has been some of the concerns.

I And when we first saw a few things like on a machine like this we were absolutely flabbergasted. We couldn't believe you know this Exciting thing that we would see in our unconverted state of mind but As time went on of course a person gets drawn more and more into those kind of things and and and Desires them.

But one of the things I noticed the reason I'd like to build conviction is I noticed many boys That grew up as I did if they have a chance that one they can't get their eyes off. I Remember that we used to go to Lancaster to buy hats.

There was a hat man Who would make our Amish hats and form them and shape them and make them the way we wanted to and our Fathers would take us to Lancaster to buy hats and of course every Amish family Father and sons that would go in there was of course entertained by a television at the time.

He was waiting on the hats to be fixed and made and it was very Ironical we were a people who were playing and did not and went in there to buy a plain hat But were filled up with television while we bought it.

Those are some of the exposures I had in early life, and then of course And I and I Have only bits and pieces and a lot of the information or a little bit of the information I will give you I have gotten from articles.

I Had considered whether I would want to sit down for a couple of hours and with a pencil and a Tablet and simply mark all the breaking of pencils in a given show Sometime, but I have never felt the freedom in my spirit to even do that because of all the first of all the example it would be and And Simply not wanting to defile my own self for many hours to try to make that proper evaluation so I'm going to take the evaluation that others have made some there and enough of what I have caught glimpses of and put the two together to make a Conclusion as to why I don't have a television now.

I do not want to say that everyone who has one is wrong and Make it sound like everyone who has one is lost. I'm not going to make any judgment like that. I only say there are few people in this world that are able to control these machines.

Television’s Influence on Children and the Imagination

The average child spends about six years growing up on television and about four months in church. It gives you the contrast of the input a normal child in America has Into their soul into their spirit through the eye gate and the ear gate the combination of which Many people are able to retain large amounts of what they see in here.

If you only hear it not so much. But if you see in here we are able to retain and many of us I think that sit here would have to confess that we are struggling to this day with some of the scenes That we may have come upon.

Especially those of you who grew up with one and were saturated with it in your childhood your formative years. It is considered that the violent episodes on a televisions are at the rate of about 30 an hour.

And those six years that a child spends on television are actually equate out to be about 17 ,000 hours. One of the things I noticed and that grieved me much as a child when I first beheld this machine was The frequency of a gun being pulled and shot at another person and of course a simulation of death and pain or Injury and that was indeed Shocking to an innocent child such as myself being raised on a country farm Not having ever known or seen anybody got shot or get hurt like that.

Proverbs 4 and Avoiding the Path of Evil

Let us turn the Bibles now to Proverbs chapter 4 and I'd like to go through some scriptures. First of all that I believe speak directly on this subject Proverbs chapter 4. I was reading this the other day.

And I just went down over some of these scriptures. And I just saw how directly they speak to our situation in our day and I would like to say even though I've chosen to speak on the Television there are many other instruments.

There are many other Electronic marvels that likewise have made their indelible mark upon our society. Such as the movie the internet and many other things similar to it. Proverbs 4 verse 14 says Enter not into the path of the wicked and go not in the way of evil men.

I Think it is without the necessity of much proving to you that the television is absolutely filled with Evil actors and actresses Who are have been married? Anywhere from one to five times or are just living in fornication or adultery most of their lives.

They are Alcoholics many of them they smoke they do all kinds of wicked things they live wicked lives. And without a question the Bible speaks directly That in the Proverbs here about a voice of the wise men Solomon through the Spirit of God that we as God's people are not to enter into the path of the wicked and We believe and simply are saying that's without margin.

It's without close question That those people are wicked people and it says go not into the way of evil men. And without question or without a close proximity even To being righteous we must say they are wicked and evil men and women.

The Bible says in verse 15 Avoid it Pass not by it Turn from it and pass away Without Question. Solomon is saying here if you enter upon a situation like that Don't go by it don't Don't go near it turn away from it and go the other direction.

The next verse says for the that for they sleep not except that they have done mischief and that is certainly true as usually the The intensity of sinfulness increases through the night on these things.

I Was in an airplane. I? Think either going to or coming home from Africa with brother Ross about. I think it was maybe ten years ago. It was my first trip to Africa When I remember brother Ross saying to me that time.

I don't know if you remember that brother When he mentioned to me have you ever noticed the glorification of sin. They had a film playing on the airplane on our trip that time and I had something I never forgot the glorification of sin and the mockery of God and good and just Things the glorification of sin whenever that is done is a statement directly against the laws of God.

Television’s Celebration of Rebellion and Violence

And I want to look at some of the clear Glorification of sin as I would see it. One of the things I noticed is that there is a clear glorification of Rebellion and the ridicule of parents you can even have a family show a family Situation.

But the little boy is usually a smart aleck that is Mocking his parents and thinks he is so much smarter than anybody else in the house. And the father is often made to look like a dummy or a fool and so it glorifies Rebellion and the ridicule of parents.

According to Mark chapter 13 verse 12 the Bible says. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death and the father the son and children shall rise up against their parents And shall cause them to be put to death and I believe the seeds for that are taught by television in America.

I wonder what Jesus meant when he said in Luke 22 23 28 weep not for me. But weep for yourselves and for your children. The specific fulfillment of that was spoken to the Jews perhaps in all the trouble They would come to in that next generation when Jerusalem would be destroyed.

But I had to think how much it is applicable even in this way weep for yourselves and for your children in the Bombardment of evil and sin and the glorification of it that has come upon our Society in our day and even though we have chosen not or I have chosen not to have a television Even so it comes to us and knocks at our door in In so many other forms in society, which we know in first Corinthians chapter 10 verse 21 is A verse that says You cannot drink of the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.

You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table of devils. I would like for you to think with me if anything could describe this situation any clearer than a cup of devils. I Looked at the sins that I believe are played and are promoted and glorified on television and I believe that everyone mentioned in Romans 1 Galatians chapter 5 and perhaps every other place or chapter in the New Testament is clearly done glorified acted out promoted on television and I believe this morning that it is the cup of devils and it is not I who say that you Cannot sit there and freely watch something like that and still be a Christian because the Bible says you cannot Drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils.

You cannot reach out and be a partaker of the Lord's table and eat Also at the table of devils and expect to grow in your Christian life and expect to develop Spiritual truths and character and go the right way when you sit hours and hours and see sin Promoted in front of your eyes and also Ingested into your spirit in one way or another.

The next verse says do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he who do we think we are that we can sit down and and Watch all that barrage of evil Against us and still expect that we are strong enough to ward it off and not be affected by it.

Another thing in the recent years from what I hear although I have seen Very little evidence of it myself is direct demonic influence the acts and the Witchcraft are being displayed. The advertisements of poem readers are now on television.

I would have never Never ever seen anything like that as a boy. Demon possession is glorified and is lifted up and witches are somehow made out to be good witches and are not the bad and the horrible things that we Perhaps have been taught from our society in the past.

The occult is glorified in every form the playing of Ouija boards or the Seances or things like that are clearly depicted in both movies and television, I believe There is a glorification of the food God.

I have numerous time caught glimpses of an advertisement of just cheese being poured out Upon a a meat sauce or something like that and the picture of it is so incredible that you can imagine that Any picture can even made to look so good and so appetizing and what this does is simply fuel The the the gluttony the gluttonous spirit or the food God of this world Where the Bible says that whose God is their belly.

Separation, Idolatry, and the Renewal of the Mind

Often the word Irresistible is used concerning everything from a cookie to a french fry and everything in between. That is considered so powerful of a of a appetite teaser or a desire that we call it Irresistible meaning that your resistance is broken down and you are made a slave to food and you have to succumb.

And go buy some and go get some at your earliest opportunity because it is simply irresistible. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 verse 16 and 17 the Bible says What agreement has the temple of God with idols for you are the temple of the living God as God has said I will dwell In them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them and be separate stairs the Lord and here's what I want and Touch not the unclean thing. I believe without question that television is basically unclean in Most of its content and that God asks us that we are Not to touch the unclean thing.

It has a direct Relationship to the matter of Idolatry, and I believe this is truly the American Idol where all men women and children basically in the nation bow down to the shrine and Let it do its thing in their living room in their hearts in their minds, and it is truly an idol.

Because people are addicted to it people are Captivated by it. We often hear the word They are glued to their television meaning they are so held by it that they can't get loose. People go in to visit other people and they cannot lift their eyes long enough for a cheery greeting simply because there are glued to their favorite sports program or other program of some kind and they are held by that as Slave to it and therefore I believe according to the Word of God that it fits the description of idolatry in Philippians 4 8 where the scripture teaches us that we are to think on things lovely and of good report if there be any virtue Be any praise where to think on these things and I believe that television pollutes the pure stream of righteous thought Constantly pulling your thoughts in the direction of filth and a perversion and a violence and a Sexuality and all these kind of things immorality immodesty and all that in Colossians 3 Chapter 8 or verse 8.

Colossians 3 8 the scripture says. But now you also put off all these anger wrath malice Blasphemy Filthy communication out of your mouth. I believe these things are simply its programs are filled with filthy communications and also a display of anger and wrath and violent men and women who treat each other Roughly and meanly and kill each other and all those things are depicted clearly on these programs.

But in the last year's news articles even in religious periodicals make mention of how filthy communication is ever worsening and ever increasing on television. In Romans chapter 13 verse 12 the scripture says.

The night is far spent the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. You answered to me the question in your heart this morning whether this Electronic marble that is in all of the American homes practically except a few Radical people who will not have it is the works of darkness or the works of light.

That's the question you need to answer if it is a work of darkness. Then you must believe the scripture that we are therefore cast it off in James chapter 4 verse 3 and 4 we have He asked and received not because he asked amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts.

He adulterers and adulterers is know you not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God. Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. By far 90 plus percent of all things that are shown on television is the pure and raw World and a man who is simply sits in front of it and in just or takes in all of that programming will be drawn to be a friend of the world and Addicted by it and come to love it and come to not even think much about the things that are so offensive to him anymore first.

John 2 16 Tells us that for all that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life is Not of the father, but is of the world and is on these three principles. That this machine and its programs Run on the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life even the commercials are made to Attract the lust of a man's eye and the desire of his flesh the lust of his flesh even in Everything it the cars you just have to have one you you it is so much better than anything else and you are drawn into it and Enticed by the world in much of its programs the media leaders 90 of them favor abortion 91 of 91 percent are known to favor Homosexuality and only 14 percent of them attend any kind of a church.

Television mocks Christianity. What would happen do you think? If someone would curse the Pope on television if someone would curse Mohammed openly on television but you can use our Lord Jesus Christ name in vain in a profane and Blasphemous way and hardly anyone blinks an eye, but if you would do it to the Pope you would probably be Called into question or maybe even taken to Judgment for it.

Christians are made to look like fools on television. It is made to seem like Christianity is totally absurd it is outdated. It is out. It is something that is old grandmas and old grandpas perhaps used to believe in.

That is how Christianity I understand is depicted on this machine. It promotes immorality and Immodesty. Virtually everyone is married and remarried numerous times and many now are not married still having love affairs with each other.

Most of the dress code is Absolutely bizarre. It is immoral and immodest from the word go and the display is made in order to Attract the eyes of men and women to it. Many are living together outside of marriage.

Sinful lifestyles are promoted. And I have to think concerning lots house in the city of Sodom once again. We are at the time in the recent years now the recent five ten years that the Sodomites are on the porch.

Trying to break down the door to get into your life into your heart Into your family and seek approval for their activity. That is exactly what has happened in the last five years violence. The Bible teaches in before the flood that the earth was filled with violence and I believe that violence is again promoted and glorified.

So much so that years ago when men were wrestling they used to they tell me that they used to burst capsules of fake blood or red red colored dye or whatever to To show themselves hurt or bleeding. But today Wrestlers cut themselves and draw blood out of their own bodies to make this scene more gory.

Amos chapter 6 verse 3. Ye have ye that have put away the evil day and caused the seat of violence to come near. Television has caused the entire Seat of violence to come near to every house Every person and then they can't understand and are trying to search the realms of psychology and psychiatry and humanistic philosophers as to why all at once we are Have such a increase of violence in our schools and among our youth.

But they are so ignorant and so blind to not see that they have filled a Society with violence and then wonder why they are violent. It shouldn't take more than a ten-year-old to be able to understand such common sense that if you feed a people with graphic violence like the television does in the movies that they won't become numb and desensitized to violence.

Redeeming Time and Protecting Children

It is a terrible waste of time. In Ephesians chapter 5 verse 14 and through 16 We are called upon to redeem the time because the days are evil and that is to buy out the time and to make good Use of the time.

But not so with television. Those who are bound and captivated by it are normally sit there for countless hours in a week and Watch it rather than redeem the time in a good way. Mark chapter 9 verse 42 it offends little ones.

Mark 9 and 42 says That whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me. It were better that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he were cast into the sea. And I know of no greater way in which Little ones are Offended are caused to go the wrong way then by sitting them in front of a television.

Approximately five hours a day. It offends little one. And how many fathers spend their weekend gorging on sports while neglecting their wives their children and God. Anton LaVey the popular Satanist says this way.

An article. In a book. I think maybe this is an article by Ken Ham who gives this critique of Anton LaVey's books. LaVey is the author of the Satanic Bible and a number of other books written from a perspective of a Satanist.

What he has to say is revealing. To put it mildly he calls the television Set the satanic family altar. He sees television as a major mainstream infiltration of the new satanic religion. He likens the energy Entertainers and newscasters as the TV clergy.

He says that TV's infiltration was so gradual. No one noticed. He refers to the TV guide as a concordance. He says we maintain the illusion of choice by flipping channels. Ken Ham says that there are different forms of Satanism but for LaVey it boils down to the worship of man.

Man is an animal and Set the rules. This philosophy is evident in most television programs. He points out that acceptance of evolution is basic to humanism and all other forms of Satanism. Other scriptures.

Job 28 28 says and on the man He said behold the fear of the Lord that is wisdom and to depart from evil is understanding. Psalms 37 27 says depart from evil and do good and dwell forevermore. We are to go away from evil.

We are to depart. We are to go the other direction from evil is that evil. Proverbs 3 7 be not wise in an own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil. Proverbs 8 13 the fear of the Lord is to hate evil pride and Arrogancy and the evil way in the froward mouth.

Interesting word the word forward there is something we don't use in our English language hardly, but the word forward there means perverted and Perverted is the word or Pervert is what we well understand today when we call and hear of men that are perverts, but is also our word perversion which we understand where it comes from.

A Forward mouth is the perverted mouth that speaks perversion and The Bible here teaches us in Proverbs 8 that the fear of the Lord is not to be kind to evil and gentle and loving to it, but is to hate evil to hate pride and Arrogancy and the evil way in the froward mouth.

Do I hate and all five of them are? Repeatedly I believe hundreds and thousands of time in a day on a given television. Hate or excuse me pride Arrogancy the evil way and the froward mouth in Proverbs 13 21.

The Bible says he that walketh with wise men shall be wise. But a companion of fools shall be destroyed. And I believe as I see the amount of people who take their own lives at an early age Who have been actors and actresses.

I believe that it is truly the companion of fools. Isaiah 116 says wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil. Brethren what could speak more plainly on the subject.

The Word of God is not silent. Television is mentioned in the Bible. Clears crystal. We are to wash you to make ourselves clean and put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes cease to do evil.

Romans 12 9 let love be without Dissimilation. Abhor that which is evil Detested throw it away from you. Cleave to that which is good honest true lovely and so forth. 2nd Timothy 2 19 nevertheless the foundation of God's sin the sure.

Having this seal the Lord knoweth them that are his and that everyone that nameth the name of Christ. What is it? Depart from Iniquity. You love the Lord this morning. You want to grow close to him. You want to serve him.

You want to go to heaven when you die. Depart from iniquity. First Peter 3 10 and 11 for he that will love life and see good days. Let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips that they speak no guile.

Let him That's true evil and do good. Let him seek peace and a suet ensue it that s2 evil. That word s2 simply means to abhor it to shun it. I think shun is the word in the Strong's concordance and James 3 10 talks about the fountain out of which good and evil Cannot come but we know that this is a fountain out of which proceed cursing and bitterness.

Family Life, Quiet Time, and Spiritual Development

A father and mother and the children would sit in a circle and discuss in the evening and Share together and discuss many things and that's how I knew that even though my home was not Christian. Nevertheless, there is a common-sense Blessing upon the family in the fact that instead of all sitting in a in a circle all facing some other Visitor in the room and learning from it or him we would Dialogue and I believe that because of the television in the last 50 years most of America does not know each other in a given family.

That is the great problem in America today. The parents don't know the children the children don't need it don't know the parents and Many times the parents do not know each other because of television.

My second one is that it destroys quiet time. Because a lot of people get into the addiction and are afraid they miss something it is on in most waking hours and As far as having quiet time few of them have the discipline to turn it off and it doesn't seem Conducive anymore to have quiet time when you are constantly used to Following its noise and its programs and its pictures.

But it destroys quiet time and instead of a man thinking through life and considering The steps of his feet. He only lets it his thoughts be filled with others. Family devotions number three usually disappear.

There's just one goes with the other. Few families that listen to television in any regular way have any worth of a family devotion in their home. Somehow the two don't fit. I walked into a home in Indiana one time.

It was a young family a young married family that had left the church and was going the wrong way. And immediately I noticed the large television set setting in the living room and a Bible on top. Before I left the home.

I asked the man of the house How do those two get along? And I forget how his answer was he kind of thought that well somehow maybe it could happen. But the fact of the matter was and they have proven it with their life this couple because I think they separated some years later.

That those two don't get along it destroys proper mental and physical development. Even psychologists have been concerned for years over that have been concerned about that for years that. Somehow if children just sit in front of a television.

They are not developing like the child that is out playing with Wagons and sticks and dolls and what have you and becoming innovative and putting their mind on different things and making things. But when they just sit there and everything is spoon-fed to them it hinders development.