Violent Entertainment

Isaiah, one of the prophets who spoke against violence.

Isaiah, one of the prophets who spoke against violence.

A repeated lament of Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel was that violence was being done in Israel and Judah. The New Testament also rebukes violence.

Not just doing violence but being entertained by it is dangerous. The Universities of Michigan and Iowa State undertook studies which showed that violent media numb viewers to the suffering of others.

Different studies were conducted by Brad Bushman and Craig Anderson. They demonstrated that exposure to violence in media and in video games makes people slower to respond to others who are being attacked, and to downplay the seriousness of violent actions such as fights.

In a backhanded way these findings endorse the wisdom of David, another Bible writer, who, in one of his psalms, vowed to put no evil thing before his eyes.

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