Regardless of society wanting to deal with some of the major issues, we need to deal with the issues! Blame guns all day long, blame Republicans, democrats, or independents the rest of your life…it still remains…the world we live in has a tremendous problem. Here is a tremendous and well-researched article that I present for your consideration. It is a lengthy dissertation but I feel everyone should read it. Below I have put the introduction from Rabbi Lawrence Kelemen…the PDF is available for download and reading.
During their wanderings, ancient Jewry happened upon some of the most abominable practices of the pagan world, including child-sacrifice. The contrast between the world’s wanton violence and promiscuity on the one hand, and the Torah’s pristine standards and sensitivities on the other, must have been astounding. For those who had seen the dark side of polytheism and yet knew of a brighter truth, nothing could have been as repulsive as cultures of idol worship. One would think there was little danger of Jewry being drawn into pagan rituals.
God did not feel the same confidence. He saw a vulnerability through which even those who knew both paganism’s horrors and Torah’s wholesomeness could succumb: If Jewry would bring idols into their own homes, even for aesthetic enjoyment or academic study, they could corrupt Jewish sensibilities. “Do not bring an abomination into your house since you will become accursed like it,” He warned His chosen people. “You should utterly detest [an idol] and utterly abhor it, for it is an objectively cursed thing.”(1) Ancient Israel needed a commandment to detest the detestable, abhor the abhorrent, and keep it far from their homes, the Torah teaches, because once even the most crass influence passes within, it grows gradually less offensive and more acceptable.
Traditional Jews long understood that the home is not just a dorm and restaurant: It is the center of the child’s world, and it is the heart of the family. As such, it demands protection. Heart infections kill. Influences that are only offensive on the streets can be deadly in the den.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF ARTICLE BY RABBI KELEMEN: The Dangers of TV