God and Television? [Archive]

WannaWitness

17th November 2007, 11:01 PM

SwirlingEd

17th November 2007, 11:07 PM

Big Love

Joykins

17th November 2007, 11:51 PM

Joan of Arcadia.

I was such a huge fan of that show and so disappointed it got canceled.

edb19

19th November 2007, 03:28 PM

Yes, believe it or not, there have been a few programs over the years. Not so much now, but there were some mainstream (popular) shows in the past that covered (either always or often) topics about God and Christianity... in a reverent way.

Such as "Little House On The Prairie", "7th Heaven", "Touched By An Angel", "Waltons", and even some of the later episodes of "Walker Texas Ranger".

Any I missed?

OK - I'm really sad here, I'm sure there should be more, but can't think of any right off hand. How sad is that - can it be that there are so few that I can't think of any.

I can think of shows that have the obligatory Christmas or Thanksgiving episode - but on a consistent basis can't really think of any aside from the very few mentioned.

Joan of Arcadia.

I was such a huge fan of that show and so disappointed it got canceled.

I never watched that but have heard so much good about it.

edb19

19th November 2007, 10:44 PM

still thinking . . . . . :sigh:

footprints1973

19th November 2007, 11:00 PM

Ok, I'm in between a lib and a moderate, hope you don't mind if I post here..

I liked the topic title!

Did anyone mention "Highway to Heaven"? That was a good show.

Laura

Joykins

19th November 2007, 11:15 PM

re: Joan of Arcadia

I never watched that but have heard so much good about it.

It's out on DVD. You'd probably find it worth renting.

WannaWitness

19th November 2007, 11:50 PM

Did anyone mention "Highway to Heaven"? That was a good show.

:doh: I'm surprised I forgot about that one. Yes, that one was very inspirational. Sure wish I could see it again.

edb19

24th November 2007, 04:32 PM

WannaWitness

24th November 2007, 08:35 PM

http://bestsmileys.com/bumping/2.gif

Sad to say I've been thinking and thinking on this - while I can think of "episodes" that may have incorporated God/church/faith/religion into a given episode - I really can't think of any (other than the above) that did so on a weekly basis.

I'm afraid you might be right. These days, much of the TV programming is about as far away from God as one can get, even to the point of making a mockery out of God and His followers.

Sad, but true.

progressivegal

25th November 2007, 05:47 PM

What about the Simpsons?
Religion/God is mentioned a lot. Unlike similar shows they are often critical of religion, but not of God. Heck God even has five fingers!

higgs2

26th November 2007, 01:14 AM

Big Love

I love that show.

:crossrc: God forgive me.

higgs2

26th November 2007, 01:16 AM

Remember "God, the devil and Bob"? And "The Book of Daniel". :)

progressivegal

26th November 2007, 02:02 AM

Remember "God, the devil and Bob"? And "The Book of Daniel". :)
ooh, I liked
"The Book of Daniel" I was so dissapointed that it was cancelled so quickly, I wanted to find out what happened.

Oh, and what about "Six Feet Under"? Faith/religion/God played big rolls in that show.

higgs2

26th November 2007, 07:00 AM

ooh, I liked
"The Book of Daniel" I was so dissapointed that it was cancelled so quickly, I wanted to find out what happened.

Oh, and what about "Six Feet Under"? Faith/religion/God played big rolls in that show.

Yeah, I liked it too. We jokingly (sort of) called it "Desperate Episcopalians". :)

Never saw "Six Feet Under".

I have to say that "Big Love" treats faith and religion and relationship with God in a very respectful, non mocking way.

progressivegal

26th November 2007, 10:17 AM

Yeah, I liked it too. We jokingly (sort of) called it "Desperate Episcopalians". :)

Never saw "Six Feet Under".

I have to say that "Big Love" treats faith and religion and relationship with God in a very respectful, non mocking way.
I think so too, I like Big Love a lot as well.

Rochir

26th November 2007, 01:35 PM

Does Pope Town count?:sorry:

Personally, i always liked 7th Heaven, and watched the Waltons when I was a kid.

WannaWitness

26th November 2007, 10:51 PM

Then there was "Amen", with Sherman Helmsley as the cantankerous Deacon Ernest Frye!

Nothing mocking in that program; it just shows that church people make mistakes, too!

And an added bonus: Andre Crouch composed the theme song!

Taylor43

29th November 2007, 09:52 PM

I love little house and 7th heaven. Sadly there is not many shows on that promote Christian beliefs. I tend to watch nature shows at night even though it comes across evelution views, i hold firm of Gods Creation.

WannaWitness

12th December 2007, 02:24 AM

\I tend to watch nature shows at night even though it comes across evelution views, i hold firm of Gods Creation.

Unfortunately, secular nature shows on mainstream television lean toward the evolution point of view rather than creation. It's like many of the secular sitcoms around Christmastime that exalt Santa Claus rather than the birth of Christ. When watching mainstream TV, there are just some things that we as believers naturally take with a grain, and pass them off as the secular way of thinking.

I'm sure there are some special programs that exalt creation science, but they're very hard to find. I do know Kent Hovind has some very good commentary on creation vs. evolution in his series of videos.

WannaWitness

26th January 2008, 01:35 PM

edb19

26th January 2008, 02:08 PM

Here's a notable mention I forgot:

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"!

This is a classic TV favorite of many for over forty years, with Linus openly quoting from the Bible about the real meaning of Christmas.

it's funny you mention that - our local newspaper had an article about "A Charlie Brown Christmas" back in December. Evidently when it first aired folks complained because it quoted Scripture. We tend to think of that as a new phenomenon, but it's obviously been an issue for generations. Goes to show - nothing new under the sun.

WannaWitness

26th January 2008, 02:31 PM

it's funny you mention that - our local newspaper had an article about "A Charlie Brown Christmas" back in December. Evidently when it first aired folks complained because it quoted Scripture. We tend to think of that as a new phenomenon, but it's obviously been an issue for generations. Goes to show - nothing new under the sun.

How right that is. But Charles Schulz, being a Christian, was bold enough to mention Christian topics -- first in the strip, and then on TV.

I think that's downright admirable.

MrSnow

26th January 2008, 03:39 PM

Father Dowling (or whatever the show was called)

WannaWitness

26th January 2008, 07:03 PM

Father Dowling (or whatever the show was called)

From what I remember, that was a pretty good program.

HumbleMan

3rd February 2008, 01:21 AM

There was a show (very short run) that starred Dan Ackroyd as a Catholic Priest. IIRC, he didn't play the role for laughs.

Recently, I watched Eli Stone, and really enjoyed it. It's not overtly religious, but there are Christian themes that run through it.

And to the poster who mentioned the Simpsons, I've heard many atheists say that they wish more Christians would be like Ned Flanders.

edb19

3rd February 2008, 01:41 AM

And to the poster who mentioned the Simpsons, I've heard many atheists say that they wish more Christians would be like Ned Flanders.

don't know if this is still the case - but The Simpsons has been one of the few t.v. shows my pastor watches (he has very eclectic tastes - he was a X-files fan and also watches 24 - that's about it). Anyhow, his reason for watching the Simpsons - Ned Flanders.

BTW - he wouldn't agree with some of the other shows listed here (Touched by an Angel, 7th Heaven - too watered down, poor theology, that sort of thing)

Izdaari

3rd February 2008, 08:23 AM

This Christ-follower very much enjoys South Park. It's not a Christian show. It's vulgar and profane, and if I had young children I wouldn't let them watch it. It sometimes mocks Christianity, as it sometimes mocks everything. So why do I love it? Because it punctures all pretensions, including liberal and secular ones, and because it takes no prisoners in doing so. Because the humor is actually funny, and because its targets generally deserve it. Because one of the creators of the show is a Republican and the other is a Libertarian... and that's far different than most everything else on TV.

From the Wiki on the term "South Park Republican" (which I don't dare link to): ""We find just as many things to rip on the left as we do on the right," Parker claimed. "People on the far left and the far right are the same exact person to us." In summary, Parker states, George Bush doesn't know what's going on. Michael Moore does not know what's going on. And Alec Baldwin definitely does not know what's going on."

Valentine

3rd February 2008, 09:10 AM

:wave: Other than the few programs mentioned here I know of little that is Christian on television. I've almost given up on watching much of anything because of the vulgar language. I used to enjoy X Files since scifi is probably one of my favorites, but tv land is tough.

LovebirdsFlying

3rd February 2008, 10:37 AM

Father Dowling (or whatever the show was called)
That's what I was going to say. Tom Bosley as a priest and Tracy Nelson as a nun. :)

WannaWitness

4th February 2008, 11:27 AM

Oh, and I think I forgot to mention "Walker, Texas Ranger". There was a lot exalting God toward the later seasons of the show. In fact, they even started drinking coffee in C.D.'s bar instead of beer.

WannaWitness

4th February 2008, 11:38 AM

BTW - he wouldn't agree with some of the other shows listed here (Touched by an Angel, 7th Heaven - too watered down, poor theology, that sort of thing)

At least, however, those shows weren't disrespectful of God and Biblical topics, which sadly so many modern shows are so free about doing. True, those programs are hardly what one would call "evangelical", but I believe they were safe for a Christian (especially one who is well-grounded in the Word) to watch as guilt-free, wholesome stories.