Video Stores

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Dear friends,

I thought I'd just share an experience that I had last evening.  It made me
stop and think.  My two-year-old son, Eli, is terrified of 'monsters.'  He's
never seen an actual picture of one that I know of, but the two-year old
mind can, I'm sure, conjure images heretofore unanimated in the worst horror
films.  At any rate, my wife and I, who have a monitor, went to the local
video store last evening to rent a film . . . something wholesome, no cussing,
no sex, etc.

We were walking through the aisles of assorted tape cases, and Eli jumped back,
'Dad, there's a monster.'  Sure enough, just at his eyelevel was a horrific
demoniac.  I pulled him the other way.  A few minutes later he picked up a
case and looked at it.  I don't know the title, but the man and woman on the
cover looked like they'd never heard about Eve eating the fruit.  I was so
shaken up by that time that we couldn't even rent a film.  I told my wife
that I couldn't, in good conscience, take my son to that store again.

God pricked my heart.  I remembered a time in my life when I never even
watched TV let alone entered a video store.  We, who are so dead set against
theatres, arguing that we must 'shun the very appearance of evil,' think
nothing of going into a video store.  When you are in the line at the theatre
no one knows if you're going to see 'Bambi' or 'Nightmare on Elm Street.'  But,
the same problem arises when we cruise the aisles of these video stores full
of Family Features and pornography (often located in close vicinity to one
another).

I felt very convicted and am not planning on a return visit.  I'm not trying
to be preachy (I've got a mote in my own eye, thanks), but I thought some of
us might need to look over our shoulder to some of the stances and convictions
that we believed in and held onto before the General Conference approved
videos for 'educational and inspirational purposes.'

Just some thoughts.  Blessings to you.



Matthew Shaw
00mcshaw@bsu.edu