Entertained by Sin

What do you do for entertainment? What do you read? What do you watch? With what do you fill your eyes, ears and mind? I was reading a book the other day written about Pope John Paul II. The author made a comment that in older generations, especially in Europe, the images that filled their minds were icons, religious paintings or statues but in the United States, our minds, eyes and ears are filled with images from Hollywood.

We, as a nation, entertain ourselves with the ills of the world. We watch movies about gruesome murderers, rapists, drug dealers and other criminals filled with disasters, explosions and sex. The good guys aren't always so good and they don't always win. We watch movies that mock religion. We listen to music that is filled with violence and disrespect. We read magazines rife with celebrities, their lives on display. Magazines full of gossip and sex tips. We play video games full of violence. We become desensitized to others pain.

The author's comment got me thinking. Do I entertain myself with sin? I would have to say, yes, maybe a little bit. I don't play video games of any sort. I don't really watch too much TV and we rarely go to movies anymore since they are so filthy. I especially won't watch anything that glamorizes infidelity, disrespect for marriage or the gay life style as 'normal'. I read a lot of different types of books: fiction: romance, suspense, mysteries and non-fiction: biographies, poetry and religious books, mostly. The romance books I read are not all heaving bosoms and muscular chests but nearly all have pre-marital sex. The mysteries and suspense are more psychological than gruesome. I don't read People or US or Cosmo. Those deal in gossip and pain. They are full of unhappiness: you'll never be rich enough, sexy enough or just enough.

What about you? Do you entertain yourself with sin?