Friday, August 7, 2009

spirits into the minds

the last two nights my son has been coming down with a fever of nearly 100 degrees. when i came home on tuesday from counseling sessions he was laying in my bed with liz watching classic casper cartoons on hula. it was truly a cute scene. then i realized something...i was NEVER allowed to watch casper the friendly ghost cartoons. so i seriously laid there watching it with them for about 10-12 minutes when i had to go do something else. 20 minutes ago we finished another 2 episodes, which are only about 10 minutes long each. he doesn't have a fever tonight he just crawled up into our bed and laid down and said "dd." thats how he tells us he wants to watch a dvd or anything that is broadcast on the computer.

i thought of 2 perspectives one might have on children's cartoons, of this context, that portray controversial figures as viewing pleasure for children. there is the ever so popular idea that, no offense mom, i believe my parents had, which is, "these are inviting spirits into the minds of children who will one day practice such witchcraft or not know how to deal with it." my mom never said those exact words but i am sure she thought it...am i right lolly? the other perspective is the extremely childish exhibition that said cartoons display. maybe showing these in such a light sheds a greater amount of revelation on how foolish it is to be afraid of ghosts and so called underworld characters. i know that, as of now, dutch has no real ability to decipher what is real from fake. so dreams are in so many words more real than he can imagine. as of late i am believing how much he can take in. but honestly, watching these cartoons gives me more of an impression of how foolish it might be to be afraid. quite frankly it boosts my confidence to another level in the spiritual authority i carry over said creatures. i know this all is in the context of a biblical worldview and an understanding of the power of the cross...i guess i have pinpointed my audience on this post, have i not? fear not little children for the lord thy god is with thee. i was never allowed to watch shows with any type of magic or mystical plot lines. i am not bitter, just opinionated.

6 comments:

Lolly said...

no, you are not right. That was not what I was thinking. I was thinking witchcraft, sorcery and communicating with the dead are things real people do when they are under the influence of the father of lies and I didn't want you to think it was another just another imaginary thing that happens in cartoons. Thereby making it seem harmless and acceptable.

Lolly said...

But I am not at all worried that you watch it now!

Lolly said...

And, you did watch shows that contained those things just not shows that majored on those things. Robinhood-crystal ball, fortune telling. Alice in Wonderland-what WAS that caterpillar smoking??? And what was it that made Alice "see" all the things she saw?

bullets said...

just so people know. parents, not cartoons, should teach kids what is harmless and acceptable. the kid who grows to think something is harmless and acceptable is a product of bad parenting NOT video games, cartoons, t.v shows, movies, or any other form of entertainment. that is my opinion anyway. critical analysis skills are vital for parents to teach children so that when they do reach an age to choose for their own they are able to interpret what is actually godly, good, and righteous. i have never seen a toddler experiment with witchcraft. i have seen uneducated teenagers who have not been taught proper critiquing skills BY THEIR PARENTS dabble in darkness.

the child:
views it young - proper parenting applied - (later) challenged to engage - remembers the parenting and applies to choice - finds no need to adopt the belief into his/her worldview.

LIZZY said...

in my defense, the 1950's Casper was the most innocent, least scary option and I went with it.

Lolly said...

Lol!!! I'm not worried about it!