Giving up Television to Save your Soul

[Paul]

I have tried the Douay-Rheims Bible, and I like that it's free of modernism, but I have trouble with the language. Can you recommend a good resource for learning the English of that time?

At this point, I mostly use the Revised Standard Version, but I check the Douay-Rheims when a translated verse seems to be influenced by modernism.

[Shin]

There's a John Litteral who's updated the spelling somewhat of the original Douai.

I have Dr. von Peter's already finished version, who has updated the spelling but not the thee's and thou's like the above.

Is English your second language Paul? I would never have thought it if so?

I don't know any resources for learning older English, my apologies. I learned it myself for the most part just from casual reading and realizing the word meanings from the context, and experience. The archaic words will be in some dictionaries unless very old. I do like to read some of the older English prayers when I can find them, we used to have some on Saints' Prayers, they haven't been put back up yet after some revisions. St. Robert Southwell wrote old English prayers, and an e-book of his work that way is being prepared.

A little knowledge of Latin helps a bit, and simply sounding out the old English words. There can be modern equivalents simply spelled a little differently, not sounding too much different.

FWIW the Douai's the only translation I know that hmm.. truly translates from a Catholic perspective, rather than, a historical-critical perspective that has more of a blank slate or different priority for what the word meanings will be.

[Paul]

English is my first language, but Douay-Rheims English is not. I have a Catholic Comparative New Testament, so I can use more modern Bibles as a Rosetta Stone, but then I'm using modern Bibles as the standard, when I should be using the DR as the standard.

[odhiambo]

English is my first language, but Douay-Rheims English is not.

I like that. So you see how disadvantaged some of us are. I realize of course that the blame lies squarely on our shoulders, after all, the Bible was not originally in English.

[Paul]

For commentary, I use the Navarre Bible. I haven't really looked into a whole lot of other commentaries, mostly because it drives me nuts when two commentaries can't agree; I end up believing neither of them.

One thing I do is go through books of the Bible (mostly the New Testament at this point) and take notes, looking at what a straightforward reading will give me, and then I think of ways to apply it to my life. This method has already helped me a lot (I've been doing this on and off for a year). Since I know the Catechism well, I don't need to worry that I'm going to come to a conclusion contrary to Church teaching.

I have Eerdman's exhaustive concordance for the RSV (and it includes deuterocanonical books), Nave's Topical Bible (I've seen it featured in Catholic apps and recommended on Catholic Bible study websites, so I bought a copy and have found it very helpful), the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge (that is, Nelson's updated version).

These are very helpful when I want to study a particular topic, or a particular person, or how a word is used in the Bible.

[odhiambo]

For commentary, I use the Navarre Bible. I haven't really looked into a whole lot of other commentaries, mostly because it drives me nuts when two commentaries can't agree; I end up believing neither of them.

One thing I do is go through books of the Bible (mostly the New Testament at this point) and take notes, looking at what a straightforward reading will give me, and then I think of ways to apply it to my life. This method has already helped me a lot (I've been doing this on and off for a year). Since I know the Catechism well, I don't need to worry that I'm going to come to a conclusion contrary to Church teaching.

I have Eerdman's exhaustive concordance for the RSV (and it includes deuterocanonical books), Nave's Topical Bible (I've seen it featured in Catholic apps and recommended on Catholic Bible study websites, so I bought a copy and have found it very helpful), the Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge (that is, Nelson's updated version).

These are very helpful when I want to study a particular topic, or a particular person, or how a word is used in the Bible.

I now know where to come when I need some unraveling of  a particular Scriptural text   

[Paul]

I've cut down considerably on my Internet use. I check my email, and I'm mostly sticking to this site and Amazon (even this is mostly for pious books), but I'm not doing much else online.

I'm finding that the time is far better spent studying the Bible (and through it, God helped me decide to quit a particular venially sinful vice this week), browsing the religion section of my local used bookstore (which is where I got my concordances and Bible dictionary), reading a spiritual classic (such as The Imitation of Christ or True Devotion to Mary), playing with my pets, riding my bike, cleaning up, or doing anything else. Even doing nothing is more productive, since that, at least, qualifies as rest.

Computers were supposed to save us so much time, but any time they save, we waste online! My schedule is still quite full, and I'm wondering how I ever found so much time for Internet surfing.

I'd like to get to the point where I can say, "The Bible is my Internet, the concordance is my Google, and the cross-references are my hyperlinks."

[odhiambo]

I've cut down considerably on my Internet use. I check my email, and I'm mostly sticking to this site and Amazon (even this is mostly for pious books), but I'm not doing much else online.

I'm finding that the time is far better spent studying the Bible (and through it, God helped me decide to quit a particular venially sinful vice this week), browsing the religion section of my local used bookstore (which is where I got my concordances and Bible dictionary), reading a spiritual classic (such as The Imitation of Christ or True Devotion to Mary), playing with my pets, riding my bike, cleaning up, or doing anything else. Even doing nothing is more productive, since that, at least, qualifies as rest.

Computers were supposed to save us so much time, but any time they save, we waste online! My schedule is still quite full, and I'm wondering how I ever found so much time for Internet surfing.

I'd like to get to the point where I can say, "The Bible is my Internet, the concordance is my Google, and the cross-references are my hyperlinks."

Yes, prayer does work. I have not put on the T.V  in quite a while and that is something I can tell you. Before, it was the first thing I did on entering the room and I would be glued to it for hours on end!
Now it just sits there collecting dust. I am not saying I will never, ever watch TV again, no. I cannot give that promise and risk breaking my word sometime in the future. I can watch selected programs, for instance, Mass broadcast live from the Vatican as happens Easter Season, and others, I see nothing wrong with that. What I do know is that the one eyed monster no longer has its hooks into me!

[JoyfulMother]

I still find myself in the position of trying to balance a TV addicted family & my own desire to watch as little as possible.  I still have a handful of shows I will watch with them as a compromise.

My bigger problem is the internet.  When they started watching TV last night, I came out here & spent about 2 to 3 hours surfing various Catholic websites & blogs.  Still less than what I was doing while they were in school because I was bored at home - I would spend almost all day on-line.   I need to cut back on this habit.

1 step at a time I guess.  I am building some basic habits of prayer - see my Rosary thread comments - and perhaps as this grows, the internet will become less.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to wean a family off TV?  What could I do or set up to do as a family that would get their attention and perhaps not even have them want to watch TV?  I ;mean, they watch because they are bored.  Suggestions anyone?

[Paul]

I still find myself in the position of trying to balance a TV addicted family & my own desire to watch as little as possible.  I still have a handful of shows I will watch with them as a compromise...

Does anyone have suggestions on how to wean a family off TV?  What could I do or set up to do as a family that would get their attention and perhaps not even have them want to watch TV?  I ;mean, they watch because they are bored.  Suggestions anyone?

If you find a solution to that one, please let me know! My mom watches TV every night when she comes home, and I would love for this habit to come to an end. The content in nearly all TV is sinful, and some of it tempts me. For many reasons, there's no escape. One thing I do is say to myself, "I am a Catholic. Therefore I believe that what is being advocated by this television program is sin, because God has revealed it to be so. Anyone who agrees with God is right, and anyone who disagrees with Him is wrong."

By the grace of God, she's stopping it early to read the Bible or a commentary on it. But there's still a lot of sinful content getting in through the time she watches.

My bigger problem is the internet.  When they started watching TV last night, I came out here & spent about 2 to 3 hours surfing various Catholic websites & blogs.  Still less than what I was doing while they were in school because I was bored at home - I would spend almost all day on-line.   I need to cut back on this habit.

1 step at a time I guess.  I am building some basic habits of prayer - see my Rosary thread comments - and perhaps as this grows, the internet will become less.

What happened to me was that I got sick of the Internet. All the opinions, contradicted by other opinions. So much information we don't need to know or care about, which may not even be true. Ultimately, we're left deciding for ourselves whom to believe. We choose to go with the people who believe what we already believe. Thus we haven't learned anything; we've only justified our pre-existing views. Thus those websites have no reason for existing. We might as well just say, "This is what I believe, and if you don't like it..."

But we're so addicted, when we give it up, we feel all those hours of emptiness. So what I had to do was make a list of things I could do instead. So now, I pray, or read or study the Bible or a spiritual classic, or play the piano, or play with a pet, or go bike riding... Anything to get off the Internet! Even a video game would be better, since the simpler ones (like we had in the 80s) generally don't teach religious and moral error (one game series even has an obviously Catholic hero), while Catholic websites and blogs always teach someone's agenda, which (since we're all sinners) is never free from error. This is why I'm moving toward the classics.

The only way I've ever quit anything was by finding something better to replace it with.

[Shin]

I've cut down considerably on my Internet use. I check my email, and I'm mostly sticking to this site and Amazon (even this is mostly for pious books), but I'm not doing much else online.

I'm finding that the time is far better spent studying the Bible (and through it, God helped me decide to quit a particular venially sinful vice this week), browsing the religion section of my local used bookstore (which is where I got my concordances and Bible dictionary), reading a spiritual classic (such as The Imitation of Christ or True Devotion to Mary), playing with my pets, riding my bike, cleaning up, or doing anything else. Even doing nothing is more productive, since that, at least, qualifies as rest.

Computers were supposed to save us so much time, but any time they save, we waste online! My schedule is still quite full, and I'm wondering how I ever found so much time for Internet surfing.

I'd like to get to the point where I can say, "The Bible is my Internet, the concordance is my Google, and the cross-references are my hyperlinks."

  That's great Paul!

Hearing about this sort of success from folks makes me feel heartily good and thankful! It makes me all the more thankful for this little forum family, this is part of what we're all here for to support each other in this sort of progress!

It's really great! 

[Paul]

That's great Paul!

Hearing about this sort of success from folks makes me feel heartily good and thankful! It makes me all the more thankful for this little forum family, this is part of what we're all here for to support each other in this sort of progress!

It's really great! 

Whether we can call it a success story, I don't know yet. I still waste a little time online; sometimes, I'll spend a few minutes staring at Google trying to think of something to search for and coming up with nothing, just because I'm still a bit addicted. Plus, I check this site and my email a little more than I need to...

But I have changed my focus. I no longer go on certain other Catholic forums (which shall remain nameless) to spend hours arguing with people who just end up making fun of me for believing such "antiquated" things. I no longer browse Catholic blogs, or look for opinions on a topic (unless I can't find it in my books).

But I'm glad you're happy about it. 

[Shin]

Step by step! I want to be grateful when I've laid the smallest brick towards living a simpler life! 

I'm really happy to hear of any progress! Even when it's only temporary and there ups and downs, progress is progress! 

[Cat Herder]

I still find myself in the position of trying to balance a TV addicted family & my own desire to watch as little as possible.  I still have a handful of shows I will watch with them as a compromise.

My bigger problem is the internet.  When they started watching TV last night, I came out here & spent about 2 to 3 hours surfing various Catholic websites & blogs.  Still less than what I was doing while they were in school because I was bored at home - I would spend almost all day on-line.   I need to cut back on this habit.

1 step at a time I guess.  I am building some basic habits of prayer - see my Rosary thread comments - and perhaps as this grows, the internet will become less.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to wean a family off TV?  What could I do or set up to do as a family that would get their attention and perhaps not even have them want to watch TV?  I ;mean, they watch because they are bored.  Suggestions anyone?

I think it's a lot easier to get off of the TV if you aren't following the stories of the shows, and if your rooting interest in your favorite sports team is well tempered. It seems to be either the drama shows or sports that will suck you in.

[Paul]

I still find myself in the position of trying to balance a TV addicted family & my own desire to watch as little as possible.  I still have a handful of shows I will watch with them as a compromise.

My bigger problem is the internet.  When they started watching TV last night, I came out here & spent about 2 to 3 hours surfing various Catholic websites & blogs.  Still less than what I was doing while they were in school because I was bored at home - I would spend almost all day on-line.   I need to cut back on this habit.

1 step at a time I guess.  I am building some basic habits of prayer - see my Rosary thread comments - and perhaps as this grows, the internet will become less.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to wean a family off TV?  What could I do or set up to do as a family that would get their attention and perhaps not even have them want to watch TV?  I ;mean, they watch because they are bored.  Suggestions anyone?

I think it's a lot easier to get off of the TV if you aren't following the stories of the shows, and if your rooting interest in your favorite sports team is well tempered. It seems to be either the drama shows or sports that will suck you in.

I think something about the TV screen itself is addictive. We enjoy shows and games on the TV screen more than on our computers.

[Cat Herder]

I still find myself in the position of trying to balance a TV addicted family & my own desire to watch as little as possible.  I still have a handful of shows I will watch with them as a compromise.

My bigger problem is the internet.  When they started watching TV last night, I came out here & spent about 2 to 3 hours surfing various Catholic websites & blogs.  Still less than what I was doing while they were in school because I was bored at home - I would spend almost all day on-line.   I need to cut back on this habit.

1 step at a time I guess.  I am building some basic habits of prayer - see my Rosary thread comments - and perhaps as this grows, the internet will become less.

Does anyone have suggestions on how to wean a family off TV?  What could I do or set up to do as a family that would get their attention and perhaps not even have them want to watch TV?  I ;mean, they watch because they are bored.  Suggestions anyone?

I think it's a lot easier to get off of the TV if you aren't following the stories of the shows, and if your rooting interest in your favorite sports team is well tempered. It seems to be either the drama shows or sports that will suck you in.

I think something about the TV screen itself is addictive. We enjoy shows and games on the TV screen more than on our computers.

I think a lot of it is based on the fact that there is more motion on the TV. As with cats, we are in fact attracted to things that are shiny, bright, and in motion--which is why there is so much of that on TV. If you watch any of the news channels, you will note that they have more and more moving/distracting stuff on the bottom and sides of the screen. The purpose of that is to catch your eye and keep it there.