I have a lot of different friends. Some are Christian and some are not. I watch popular TV and read fiction. I will, at times, tune into religious programming or read a book about religion. I catch a lot of flak for my entertainment choices from most of my Christian friends and especially my Wife. Not all of it is judgmental, quite a few of my friends will just tell me that a certain book or movie probably isn't best for my spiritual growth. In all actuality, they are probably right. But, I don't read or watch these things to grow as a Christian; I watch them for entertainment value. Some of the things I watch make me feel really guilty and dirty (Clerks 2 anyone). Most of what I watch/read, I can find the positive message, thought provoking question, or, at the very least, funny one-liner.
I don't think all the "filth" that I watch/read impacts me as much as most people. Although seemingly contradictory, I can watch a Resident Evil movie on Saturday and go to Church on Sunday. I can watch a movie loaded with cuss words and still never cuss. This all comes from the way I developed psychologically, in my opinion. I didn't have a lot of positive role models growing up. I did have a whole bunch of negative ones. I can remember laying in bed at night going over the bad things I had seen or heard and promising myself that I would never be like that. I was able at an early age to learn from the mistakes of others and apply those mistakes to my life, so I didn't have to make them myself. Sure I still did stupid things and made mistakes, but a lot of the big stuff was avoided.
I don't cuss, I don't drink (I have been drunk once), I don't smoke (had a cigar once), have never tried illegal drugs, I don't gamble. I am far from perfect. I have my faults and vices but the things listed above, I learned from other's mistakes. I saw the roads that alcholism and drug abuse take you down. I saw the hole in the throat that came from smoking. I saw people lose lots of money on trivial bets and then not have money for bills. I have seen people laughed at because they couldn't string a sentence together without having an expletive every other word. I saw a lack of education amongst these people and swore I would go to collge.
So when people say that watching/reading "filth" will corrupt my mind, I just have to laugh because I have lived in environments far worse (minus the sensless violence) than most of what I see or read. Real life experiences as a child and adolesent didn't corrupt me, I doubt a movie/book can now*.
*This is exactly what the Devil wants me to think, so I am unsure I should believe it.
