What to Read and What to Watch?

There is so much media out there which claims to be "family friendly", but the question is, are they "God friendly"? Do the movies and books glorify the worldly life, dress, and attitudes? Do they create fairy-tale thoughts of mother nature coming to the rescue of men instead of prayer and God?

To give an example, in the original version of Heidi, it is the biblical story of the Prodigal Son that eventually brings the grandfather to redemption. When a newer adaptation came out in the movies, it was the "mountains" that saved him! The Creator God was removed from the picture entirely and the new age thinking of "mother nature" replaced Him. This is what "family friendly" can often mean but it surely does not make it "God-friendly" for the discerning Christian home. (I am not saying that watching this particular movie is going to jar your faith, but it is simply a small example of the latest perversion in Hollywood to some of our dear classics.)

Here is some criteria we use when purchasing media (books and movies) for our family and I hope it inspires and benefits your household as well.

• "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes..." (Psalm 101:3)

• "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) 

• "Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep, for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter." (Paxton Hood)

• "You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read."  (Charles Jones) 

The characters in books and movies are role models for our children and we must exercise caution when introducing our family to them. Bad company does corrupt good morals (1 Corinthians 15:33)! If your children are spending time with these people via book reading and/or movie watching then they are being influenced in some direction. May our prudent choices as parents steer them toward "what is good".

“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten;

even so, they have made me.” 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

You may be interested in our Wholesome Video List.  Do you have any family favorites to add?

This post may be shared with some or all of the following link-ups: The Art of Home-Making Mondays, Modest Mom Monday's, Monday's Musings, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Good Morning Mondays,  The Scoop, Titus 2sdays, Titus 2 Tuesdays, Roses of Inspiration, Tuesdays with a Twist, Raising Homemakers, Wise Woman Link Up, Homestead Blog Hop,  Wow Us Wednesdays,  Coffee and Conversation, Homemaking Thursdays, Home Sweet Home, Our Simple Homestead, From the Farm Blog Hop, Front Porch Friday Blog Hop, Awesome Life Friday Link Up, Five Star Frou Frou Friday, Simply Natural Saturdays and Clever Chicks Blog Hop. Thank you lovely ladies for hosting these.