Friday, March 01, 2013

Breaking Bad Habits

The latest Rasmussen surveys suggest that Americans distrust the media more than ever. For instance, only 56% of voters regard America's press as "somewhat trustworthy" while 42% actually distrust the news coverage presented by the media.

Only 6% of the survey respondents said that they consider the national media "very trustworthy" and nearly half of the respondents think that reporters are more liberal than they are.

So why do Americans keep tuning in?

Furthermore, the survey pointed out that only 10% of Americans still rely on print newspapers to give them accurate and fair news. So why do most Americans still subscribe to newspapers?

Are we such creatures of habit? Or are we so inconsistent as to admit the badness or weakness of a thing and yet hold onto it as some kind of guilty pleasure?

These questions remind me of several others I often ask. Why, for instance, do Christians openly admit that Hollywood's TV and cinema offerings are raunchier, dumber and more politically leftist than ever -- while continuing to watch TV and movies?

Why do Christians openly admit that the extremely expensive government school system is failing on so many fronts -- educational quality, liberal propaganda, student safety, marginalization of religious freedom, and more -- while continuing to send their kids there?

Why do Christians admit (when pressed) that the modern church is so enthralled with emotionalism, entertainment, comfort, and the appearance of success while tragically undervaluing serious Bible study, personal discipleship, the rigors of holy living, sacrificial giving, evangelism, and maintaining a counter-culture lifestyle -- while staying put in the pews of such churches?

Isn't it way past time for some bad habits to be broken?