Does one's choices in entertainment media or the books they choose affect their faith in their chosen belief?

Question

Do the books, movies, television, music a person chooses influence their chosen belief or how deeply they believe?

I'm an Agnostic. I listen to a wide variety of music but I have a particular liking for groups such as Pink Floyd, Rush, Nine Inch Nails, Ozzy, Rob Zombie & Rage Against the Machine. I read all sorts of books but mostly non-fiction on the subjects of sociology, psychology, science, theology and history. As for television I watch very little unless its on Discovery or it is sports.

I do not feel as though what I choose affects my beliefs that deeply, some but not to the point of being the defining factor. What do you believe?

;o) Dev

Answer 1

I think it might be a two-way street. What you believe will influence the type of entertainment that you seek out; what entertainment you seek out will tend to reinforce your belief.

Answer 2

I'm agnostic too. I believed in God when I was young, I never really thought about it, I just believed because people told me to, as I got older people started shoving religion in my face and I didn't like it. So I thought to my self if everyone is taking this so seriously then maybe I should look into it. I read the Bible and study many religions. I came to realize that it was all hog wash. I became angry that people would find me so gullible as to believe in there wacko concepts. Talking donkeys, snake and bushes. It's insane.

By the way, you gotta love some Rob Zombie. He's the best!

Answer 3

It depends on whether the subscription to your worldview was arrived at through emotional factors or intellectual ones. When a set of beliefs is brought about by emotional compulsion, you find that books, movies and television have very little to do with how you formed your perspective. Instead, the books, movies, and television shows you choose to expose yourself to are a byproduct of your worldview.

Now if your philosophical stance was created as a result of your intellectual pursuit of truth, then yes books, music, movies, and television can greatly influence your perspective, especially books

You can usually tell those individuals who arrived at their worldview as a result of visceral forces because every piece of literature, every movie they have seen, and every TV show they expose themselves to merely edifies their prejudices. They don’t actively seek dissenting voices. Those who formulate their positions on intellectual grounds have a more balanced repository of ideas stemming from books, music, and other types of media. They read books that elucidate both sides of an issue. They watch T.V shows and movies that convey themes that maybe inimical to what they think is true. They listen to music that has messages that are subversive to their mindset.

I would like to think that I am the latter kind of individual.

Answer 4

I do because the brain is like a a little recorder ... so it is always in there after you read it or watch , you may not be able to recall it but it is there an could cause you to have a problem later on

Answer 5

I really feel bad for anyone who lets entertainment and mass media influence his or her beliefs. I would think that it should work the other way around, that what one believes would dictate the choices one makes when it comes to entertainment choices.

Answer 6

Try reading Donald Miller's Searching for God Knows What.

I am about halfway through and it is a pretty good explanation of Christianity.

Answer 7

Every experience from your earliest memory on should add to your knowledge and thus affect your beliefs.

Answer 8

Yes, whatever goes through your eyes and ears is what will affect who you are and what you choose to believe.

Answer 9

Yes, the world around you influences everything about you.

Answer 10

I am a christian who likes PF & NIN but it doesn't change the way I believe.