Romanian Orthodox leader condemns TV for "poisoning souls"

[Crvena zvezda]

Romanian Orthodox leader condemns TV for "poisoning souls"
August 20, 2007 11:19 AM

CLUJ, Romania-A Romanian Orthodox Church leader on Wednesday criticized television stations for manipulating viewers and "poisoning the souls of Romanians" with violent programs.
"We are becoming a savage and uncouth people," Metropolitan Bartolomeu Anania told a gathering of more than 100,000 pilgrims at the Nicula Monastery in northwest Romania.
Anania, who is one of the possible successors to Patriarch Teoctist, who died last month, contended that violence on television was harming people's personalities.
"It's a diabolical technique which causes people to not be able to discern good from evil," the 86-year-old Anania claimed. "It is a slow crime that destroys the conscience and personality."
He said, however, that he watches television and owns a computer. He added that he was not "against modernity" or television itself, though he disapproved of the way he said it was used.
The Orthodox Church, which is predominate in Romania, is to hold an election on Sept. 12 to choose a new leader to replace Teoctist, who worked to improve ties with the Vatican.
Observers believe that Anania, if elected patriarch, would reverse a trend toward dialogue with the Catholic church.
On Wednesday, pilgrims flocked to the Nicula monastery, where Anania spoke, to kiss an icon believed to have miraculous healing powers. According to legend, the icon of the Weeping Virgin, painted in 1691, wept for 26 days in 1699. The first miracle is believed by the faithful to have occurred in 1701 when it is said to have cured an army officer's wife who was going blind.

[meadhbh]

Who hasn't heard this before. But the thing is if yor going to become this horrible person because of something you saw, well then there was something wrong with you to begin with. What people seem to forget when they blame TV and other media sources for a persons bad behavior is for that one person who snaped there are thousands of others out there that lead normal lives.

[Marcus Marulus]

Originally Posted by meadhbh

Who hasn't heard this before. But the thing is if yor going to become this horrible person because of something you saw, well then there was something wrong with you to begin with. What people seem to forget when they blame TV and other media sources for a persons bad behavior is for that one person who snaped there are thousands of others out there that lead normal lives.

I don't think this priest wanted to tell that TV is source of all evil. Such a statement would be a nonsense. Probably he meant that TV programs, such as they are, pander to all base insticts in man and incite him to bad deeds. Because any human has good and bad instincts, inclinations and desires in himself. If you promote this bad side (through contents of TV programs, for example), it is more probable that you will have bad and immoral attitudes generalized in the population.

Not watching TV (except for news and some useful educational programs) is one of the best things one can today do for their mental health. But it's not so easy, because many people became literally addicted to the boob-tube.