Cursing and blasphemy in movies/tv
- Thread starter LeeJUk
- Start date
- Status
The older I get (late 40s) the more I realize how carefully I need to guard what goes into my mind. We are told to think upon good things. We are told to pray continuously -- how can we do that during 2 hours of sex, violence, cussing, and blasphemy?
Clearly the form of entertainment is a matter of Christian liberty. And to some extent, some Christians might be stronger than others in resisting the temptations or mind-set that can result from so many movies and TV shows. But for the most part, I think we should abstain.
What's frustrating is that "family" movies and shows here in the US are just so stupid! And often portrait adults as the villains. My kids sometimes watch old shows via the internet or DVD and I watch very little except for our almost daily ritual of watching the old Flipper TV show before the youngest goes down for a nap.
You can add to the question whether or not we should be putting money into the hands of the people that produce this junk.
Clearly the form of entertainment is a matter of Christian liberty. And to some extent, some Christians might be stronger than others in resisting the temptations or mind-set that can result from so many movies and TV shows. But for the most part, I think we should abstain.
What's frustrating is that "family" movies and shows here in the US are just so stupid! And often portrait adults as the villains. My kids sometimes watch old shows via the internet or DVD and I watch very little except for our almost daily ritual of watching the old Flipper TV show before the youngest goes down for a nap.
You can add to the question whether or not we should be putting money into the hands of the people that produce this junk.
christianhope
Puritan Board Freshman
Yes it is sinful. The short answer is, 'How can I say I love Christ when I watch things that He hates? How could I take pleasure in it?' In James 1:27 we are told that part of pure religion is to "keep oneself unspotted from the world." How does watching what is sinful glorify God? Or benefit my soul? 'Whatever you do in word or deed, do all to the glory of God' 1 Cor 10:31
Please see the excellent article below for additional reasons:
From the April 2006 Young People's Magazine (Vol. 76, No. 4, pages 79-80) on the FP website , apparently written by the magazine’s editor, Rev. K.D. Macleod:
Looking Around Us : Sin As Entertainment
This is an age of entertainment. Never before have people had so much leisure time as in the last 50 years, or even the last 100. It was to meet the demand for different ways of occupying people's leisure time that cinemas began to open – especially as, in a time of new inventions, it was now possible to produce films, or what in America are called movies.
When television became common, it became possible for people to watch such films in their own homes, without anyone outside the family seeing them going to a cinema. More recently, with films available as videos or DVDs, people can watch them just whenever they want to. While some material on TV, and on videos and DVDs, is educational and instructive, much of it is dangerous. Sin is not a proper subject for entertainment. And most films, it would seem, are glorifying what is sinful.
Indeed there is something false about all acting – when people take on someone else's character and have to pretend to express someone else's emotions. This is quite out of keeping with what God demands in the Ninth Commandment: perfect truthfulness. It is, in effect, bearing "false witness" to others.
If violence and murder are wrong – and of course they are – then it cannot be right to turn them into entertainment. And it cannot be right to seek enjoyment from watching them. Nor can it be right to make sins against the Seventh Commandment into entertainment. Paul said of one such sin that it "is not so much as named among the Gentiles"; he was shocked that there were some in the church in Corinth who were guilty of that sin. How much more shocked he would be to find such sins used as a means of entertaining people. And how appalled he would be if he found some connected with the Church today enjoying such films.
What should be our attitude to sin? Remember Job, and how he is commended at the beginning of the Book which carries his name. It is said that he "eschewed evil"; he turned away from it – you may say that he always tried to get as far away as possible from evil. He would certainly not have found his enjoyment in watching others acting out what is sinful, and neither should we. We are in this world to glorify God, and it should be clear to everyone that watching sin – especially serious sin – is very far away from being glorifying to God. No wonder Paul said: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). This should be our standard – always.
We should always remember that we have corrupt, sinful hearts. It is dangerous for us to watch what is sinful, because it is likely to stimulate evil thoughts in our minds. It makes us even more unlikely to want to draw near to a holy God, who hates sin with a perfectly hatred. The fact is that such entertainments are preparing sinners from an eternity far away from God – they most certainly will not prepare anyone for heaven.
In the light of the Bible, we are to flee from the wrath to come. Obviously then, we must flee from sin, and we must refuse to spend our precious hours watching sinful activities depicted on a screen for our entertainment.
http://www.puritans.net/movie reviews/moviereviews.html
Please see the excellent article below for additional reasons:
From the April 2006 Young People's Magazine (Vol. 76, No. 4, pages 79-80) on the FP website , apparently written by the magazine’s editor, Rev. K.D. Macleod:
Looking Around Us : Sin As Entertainment
This is an age of entertainment. Never before have people had so much leisure time as in the last 50 years, or even the last 100. It was to meet the demand for different ways of occupying people's leisure time that cinemas began to open – especially as, in a time of new inventions, it was now possible to produce films, or what in America are called movies.
When television became common, it became possible for people to watch such films in their own homes, without anyone outside the family seeing them going to a cinema. More recently, with films available as videos or DVDs, people can watch them just whenever they want to. While some material on TV, and on videos and DVDs, is educational and instructive, much of it is dangerous. Sin is not a proper subject for entertainment. And most films, it would seem, are glorifying what is sinful.
Indeed there is something false about all acting – when people take on someone else's character and have to pretend to express someone else's emotions. This is quite out of keeping with what God demands in the Ninth Commandment: perfect truthfulness. It is, in effect, bearing "false witness" to others.
If violence and murder are wrong – and of course they are – then it cannot be right to turn them into entertainment. And it cannot be right to seek enjoyment from watching them. Nor can it be right to make sins against the Seventh Commandment into entertainment. Paul said of one such sin that it "is not so much as named among the Gentiles"; he was shocked that there were some in the church in Corinth who were guilty of that sin. How much more shocked he would be to find such sins used as a means of entertaining people. And how appalled he would be if he found some connected with the Church today enjoying such films.
What should be our attitude to sin? Remember Job, and how he is commended at the beginning of the Book which carries his name. It is said that he "eschewed evil"; he turned away from it – you may say that he always tried to get as far away as possible from evil. He would certainly not have found his enjoyment in watching others acting out what is sinful, and neither should we. We are in this world to glorify God, and it should be clear to everyone that watching sin – especially serious sin – is very far away from being glorifying to God. No wonder Paul said: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). This should be our standard – always.
We should always remember that we have corrupt, sinful hearts. It is dangerous for us to watch what is sinful, because it is likely to stimulate evil thoughts in our minds. It makes us even more unlikely to want to draw near to a holy God, who hates sin with a perfectly hatred. The fact is that such entertainments are preparing sinners from an eternity far away from God – they most certainly will not prepare anyone for heaven.
In the light of the Bible, we are to flee from the wrath to come. Obviously then, we must flee from sin, and we must refuse to spend our precious hours watching sinful activities depicted on a screen for our entertainment.
http://www.puritans.net/movie reviews/moviereviews.html
Tripel
Puritan Board Senior
It can be sin, but it isn't across the board. The hearing of certain words or the watching of certain pictures is not sin. Rather, it's what is in your heart.
If hearing foul language causes you to sin, by all means avoid it. But not everyone is the same.
---------- Post added at 02:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 PM ----------
Again, what is going on in your heart when you watch a Narnia movie? I'm not going to argue against your conscience when it comes to what YOU should or shouldn't do. But as a general rule, no, it's not inherently sinful to watch Narnia movies or read Lewis' books. You are more than fine reading Lewis.
Honestly, I think it's silly to start labeling anything with magic or other supernatural acts as sin. It's story-telling. It's imagination.
If hearing foul language causes you to sin, by all means avoid it. But not everyone is the same.
---------- Post added at 02:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:20 PM ----------
Again, what is going on in your heart when you watch a Narnia movie? I'm not going to argue against your conscience when it comes to what YOU should or shouldn't do. But as a general rule, no, it's not inherently sinful to watch Narnia movies or read Lewis' books. You are more than fine reading Lewis.
Honestly, I think it's silly to start labeling anything with magic or other supernatural acts as sin. It's story-telling. It's imagination.
christianhope
Puritan Board Freshman
Tyler, it's encouraging to hear of your struggle over this issue.
Concerning magic, think in the lines of 'does magic exist in the form this movie portrays? How does that fit with how God has chosen to create the world?
If God has chosen not to create magic, am I not showing some form of agreement contrary to God's end in creation? Thereby, implying He has not done it right?
Also think about the nature of stage acting in Narnia, is it right to be supporting a form of lying? Take Rev. Macleod's reasoning in the article above: Indeed there is something false about all acting – when people take on someone else's character and have to pretend to express someone else's emotions. This is quite out of keeping with what God demands in the Ninth Commandment: perfect truthfulness. It is, in effect, bearing "false witness" to others.
Lastly, I think movies like Narnia, sensationalize a person and deaden their desires towards God. For instance, when I watch Narnia, or used to, my heart would rise and fall with the music and emotions of the story which we naturally find exhilarating and pleasurable. Well, what do I do then when I try to read my bible and find the movie distracting, or reading the bible boring because I have trained myself to expect unnatural forms of stimulation?
I think such movies promote unhealthy (i.e. unbiblical) stimulation, memory patterns, and uses for our imagination other than what God has originally intended to be the focus of our minds and hearts, which are His purposes and glory.
If God is my hearts desire, why do I want to take my eyes off of Him by some unnatural forms of stimulation?
Concerning magic, think in the lines of 'does magic exist in the form this movie portrays? How does that fit with how God has chosen to create the world?
If God has chosen not to create magic, am I not showing some form of agreement contrary to God's end in creation? Thereby, implying He has not done it right?
Also think about the nature of stage acting in Narnia, is it right to be supporting a form of lying? Take Rev. Macleod's reasoning in the article above: Indeed there is something false about all acting – when people take on someone else's character and have to pretend to express someone else's emotions. This is quite out of keeping with what God demands in the Ninth Commandment: perfect truthfulness. It is, in effect, bearing "false witness" to others.
Lastly, I think movies like Narnia, sensationalize a person and deaden their desires towards God. For instance, when I watch Narnia, or used to, my heart would rise and fall with the music and emotions of the story which we naturally find exhilarating and pleasurable. Well, what do I do then when I try to read my bible and find the movie distracting, or reading the bible boring because I have trained myself to expect unnatural forms of stimulation?
I think such movies promote unhealthy (i.e. unbiblical) stimulation, memory patterns, and uses for our imagination other than what God has originally intended to be the focus of our minds and hearts, which are His purposes and glory.
If God is my hearts desire, why do I want to take my eyes off of Him by some unnatural forms of stimulation?
Steve Curtis
Puritan Board Senior
There is no doubt that we have sensational responses to films, etc. But cannot the same be true of our experience when reading a novel? Are they, then, inherently sinful because they do not represent "perfect truthfulness?" What of a child engaging in make-believe (in my day, it was cowboys... not sure what is in vogue at the moment). I admit there is a line that is far too easily crossed, but is there nothing on this side of the line that can be wholesome entertainment?
christianhope
Puritan Board Freshman
Yes, but there is a great difference between hearing someone curse unavoidably in daily life, and plopping yourself down for an hour or so to willingly submit yourself to the TV god or fantasy novel. Check out:
Psa 119:37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.
If we are to turn away our eyes from looking upon worthless things, why would any christian want to submit himself to seeing or beholding such things? To willingly do so is not in accordance with scripture.
But where in the bible am I ever given such freedom to indulge in such forms of imagination and story telling? Why do I want a story other than the glory of God in all of my life? Fantasy is not right. I've read 40,000 pages of the junk and wasted how many precious hours watching it and I mourn over the time and sin it has caused me. The heart of man is sinful, those images and flights of fancy cause hardening of the heart over time. Verses like Psalm 119:37 imply against this supposed freedom to watch meaningless, imaginative movies.
Lastly, Mat 7:5 Thou "hypocrite" means literally in the greek "Stage Actor" - If the bible uses such language to describe a hypocrite, why do I want to give myself to watching them? Such is sinful and displeasing to God.
I look at it in the same light as I would reading such words in a work of fiction: is this the author's own sentiment, or is he/she simply trying to show a character as he or she is.
Also, the distinction between blasphemy (always a sin), cursing (often a sin), and vulgarity (rude, but sometimes appropriate), needs to be remembered.
As for the idea that acting is lying, is fiction lying? All that acting is, is fiction played out on a stage, screen, or recording (ie: radio drama, In my humble opinion a much-neglected medium). If fiction is lying, then was Jesus lying in telling parables? Because parables are fiction. How about poetic license? The Psalms are full of images which are not meant literally. The question is one of how the work is meant to be taken.
Also, the distinction between blasphemy (always a sin), cursing (often a sin), and vulgarity (rude, but sometimes appropriate), needs to be remembered.
As for the idea that acting is lying, is fiction lying? All that acting is, is fiction played out on a stage, screen, or recording (ie: radio drama, In my humble opinion a much-neglected medium). If fiction is lying, then was Jesus lying in telling parables? Because parables are fiction. How about poetic license? The Psalms are full of images which are not meant literally. The question is one of how the work is meant to be taken.
Grillsy
Puritan Board Junior
While "hypocrite" does mean stage actor...I don't think Jesus was commenting on the theatre of the day.
Jesus was rebuking the person who would try to lead a double life, pretending to be one thing when in reality they were not.
in my opinion it seems most likely that Jesus was not making a judgment upon drama in the passages you reference.
Jesus was rebuking the person who would try to lead a double life, pretending to be one thing when in reality they were not.
in my opinion it seems most likely that Jesus was not making a judgment upon drama in the passages you reference.
Last edited:
Caroline
Puritan Board Sophomore
In regard to the article about entertainment ... The Bible is pretty well packed with sex and violence, if we are honest. And some pretty rough language in certain places. David cuts Goliath's head off and runs around with it. Absalom had relations with his father's concubines in a tent on the roof. Paul says in Philippians 3 that he counts all things as _______________ (can you fill in the blank with a similar English word? The NIV politely substitutes 'rubbish', the KJV is more direct.)
I think it's difficult to make a case that God wants us to read (or, in this modern era, watch) nothing but rainbows and flowers. I think the more appropriate question is what is the point of the sex, violence, or swearing? If it is portraying (in the course of telling a story) the way that people really behave ... well, that IS the way that people really behave, and the Bible never shies away from discussing that either. If it is suggesting that this is an appropriate way to behave ... well, there we have more of a problem. (Although it would depend on context, of course. Some violence is justified).
Myself, I don't have a strong stomach for movies. But I think it's a pretty fuzzy line about what is appropriate or inappropriate for a Christian to watch.
I think it's difficult to make a case that God wants us to read (or, in this modern era, watch) nothing but rainbows and flowers. I think the more appropriate question is what is the point of the sex, violence, or swearing? If it is portraying (in the course of telling a story) the way that people really behave ... well, that IS the way that people really behave, and the Bible never shies away from discussing that either. If it is suggesting that this is an appropriate way to behave ... well, there we have more of a problem. (Although it would depend on context, of course. Some violence is justified).
Myself, I don't have a strong stomach for movies. But I think it's a pretty fuzzy line about what is appropriate or inappropriate for a Christian to watch.
christianhope
Puritan Board Freshman
Steve, I would submit to you that reading novels for entertainment alone is not right either. Though I think they are much harder to categorize than movies, because in movies you actually have real people 'stage acting' which is a implied evil by our Lord, such as in Matt 7:5. But there can be helpful fiction, such as 'Pilgrims Progress.' I also believe documentaries are in line with a christian's calling, being they do not require stage acting, and are for genuine educational purposes.
For myself, I don't understand how entertainment such as fantasy novels have any place in the christian life. What benefit does it offer? How does it help me glorify God? It doesn't. Therefore it's out. I would hope this would be the view of all christians, not that I'm the rule of course, but I believe the word of God clearly implies such wholehearted service. Take our Lord's words:
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.
When I think of reading novels or watching movies for entertainment in light of those verses above, I cannot but believe those things are sin. Those verses are implicit in the gospel, God requires of us a wholehearted service. I should not think I can conform to the world and love it even a little, and yet believe I am truly serving my Lord as He has commanded. And if I take more pleasure in those novels and movies than I do in Jesus Christ, than I believe I would have sincere grounds for questioning my election.
2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
Awhile back I had been reading three different fantasy series and was very into them, but, the Lord convicted me that it was wrong, and I threw them all out without ever finding out how they ended. I never regret that, though it was very hard at the time.
Steve Curtis
Puritan Board Senior
I commend your faithfulness to your convictions; however, I do not see the same prohibition in the text. As to the text in Matthew, ὑποκριτής was very commonly used merely to mean "to feign" (at least from the time of Demosthenes, mid-third cent.). I agree with Grillsy above that this text is unlikely intended as a diatribe against the theater. Nonethessless, I wholeheartedly agree with you that if we take more pleasure in such entertainment than in Jesus Christ, we must give earnest consideration to the reality of our election.
Last edited:
larryjf
Puritan Board Senior
It's funny how we can get so interested in entertainment.
What does that say about our mindset of the spiritual war that we are in?
I can't imagine a soldier on the front lines in WWII kicking back in his foxhole and reading a magazine while being fired upon.
Yet during the constant spiritual warfare that we are engaged in we seem to always find plenty of time for entertainment and so little time for the battle.
Has the Church militant become the Church entertainment?
Sad state of affairs...and i am in that sad state more often than not.
What does that say about our mindset of the spiritual war that we are in?
I can't imagine a soldier on the front lines in WWII kicking back in his foxhole and reading a magazine while being fired upon.
Yet during the constant spiritual warfare that we are engaged in we seem to always find plenty of time for entertainment and so little time for the battle.
Has the Church militant become the Church entertainment?
Sad state of affairs...and i am in that sad state more often than not.
For myself, I find a good yarn to be delightful and, in many cases, inspiring. All good stories, even (maybe especially) myths, contain reflections, however dim, of the story---the story that God is writing even now. You want to know why I read such novels as That Hideous Strength of The Lord of the Rings and find them profitable? Because they glorify God. I maintain that the writing of fiction is a fundamental human activity that shows the imago Dei within us---God is a storyteller.
To draw one example: in The Lord of the Rings, I find much imagery taken quite consciously and carefully from scripture. I see Christ-types in the resurrection of Gandalf, Aragorn's role as the prophesied king who will emerge victorious from the paths of the dead, and even in Frodo's suffering-servant role in parts. None of these images are perfect, but they are not meant to be perfect---they are meant to be shadows pointing us to the truth.
And yet I can certainly imagine him doing so during a lull in the battle. I can certainly imagine an officer during the Civil War taking a rest with the latest installment of Hugo's Les Miserables or (as Chamberlain often did) with Homer. I think our duty as Christians is to choose our entertainment, our wine, any pleasure, wisely and well---choose only the best.
Andres
Puritan Board Doctor
I let my conscience be my guide. I don't think it's ever failed me. Yes, there are times when I have purposefully ignored it and in those times it was sinful. I do know that as I have grown in my faith, I have also grown more sensitive to things I used to watch. I can no longer watch some of these shows because my conscience forbids it. Just the other night I was flipping through and saw Saturday Night Live. I saw Betty White, yes Betty White, on there talking about some very innappropriate things. I told my wife that I couldn't believe how vulgar SNL had gotten and how all their jokes were based on crude topics. But then i wondered had it gotten worse, or had I just been growing in holiness since I used to watch it before? Whatever the reason, my conscience immediately alerted me that it wasn't anything enjoyable.
Here are some shows I will admit to watching in the past, even when I was a Christian, that I can't bring myself to watch anymore.
SNL
South Park
Family Guy
just about everything on MTV (we still watch the True Life series occassionally)
just about everything on VH1
I also am much more cautious about movies my wife and I go to see now. Before I used to never care much about what it was rated, but now I check websites to see what its rated and why. Maybe has to do with the fact that because I'm married now I feel accountable for my household.
Here are some shows I will admit to watching in the past, even when I was a Christian, that I can't bring myself to watch anymore.
SNL
South Park
Family Guy
just about everything on MTV (we still watch the True Life series occassionally)
just about everything on VH1
I also am much more cautious about movies my wife and I go to see now. Before I used to never care much about what it was rated, but now I check websites to see what its rated and why. Maybe has to do with the fact that because I'm married now I feel accountable for my household.
ZackF
Puritan Board Professor
I don't run as absolute on the matter as Kauffeld but carefully consider junking what is bothering you. Especially if it is leading you in that way. I don't put "nasty" words anywhere near on par with blasphemy as an offense but the two categories of language tend to run tandem in popular entertainment. I find less and less television that I want to watch. If it bothers you don't watch it. The spiritual disciplines of the Christian life as well as fellowship with the saints will have an "automatic" influence on what bothers you. Don't ignore it. It is of the Lord. Entertainment is not that same category as people you run into. Avoiding blasphemous people in real life is not the same avoiding poisonous entertainment.
Last edited:
larryjf
Puritan Board Senior
Does the spiritual war that we are engaged in have lulls?
Even if it did, i don't see most entertaining themselves during lulls, but rather spending much of their time and effort on it.
Andres
Puritan Board Doctor
I'm not sure what you're advocating here...are you saying we shouldn't enjoy any entertainment, ever?
larryjf
Puritan Board Senior
I am speaking only in terms of entertainment....speaking to other duties is expanding my thoughts more widely than they are intended.
---------- Post added at 09:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:11 PM ----------
I'm saying that entertainment should not be the focus of our lives.
I find it to be a poor way to redeem our time...but in some instances can refresh us.
But your analogy begs that question---if we apply that standard across the board, we will do very little, it seems. Why does that standard apply only to entertainment and not to other activities?
I'm curious, though: would you say that any Christian might be called to create art along the lines of film, literature, music and other forms of entertainment?
larryjf
Puritan Board Senior
All right, let's look at the analogy in a broader sense...
Yes, we must eat and drink because it makes us fit for battle.
Yes, we must take care of our families because that is part of the battle.
As far as creating art...if it furthers Christ's kingdom by engaging properly in the battle, then yes.
It is not the same kind of war that WWII was...it is a spiritual war that we are engaged in, and therefore all of life must be brought to engage in it.
If even the mundane task of eating is to be done for God's glory, then certainly our entertainment should be as well.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1Co 10:31)
Indeed, which is why we are free to enjoy entertainment to the glory of God. It is profitable because it involves enjoying the good things which God has provided---including creativity. It glorifies God for me to watch a good film in the same way that it glorifies God for me to go to the art museum or to hear a Beethoven symphony---the creation of these things is proof of the imago Dei, and so is the enjoyment.
We must, after all, remember that "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Enjoying God includes enjoying things like art, music, wine, literature, food, and the company of the believers. All of these things can be abused and therefore we must be careful, but let's not go overboard and say that, in and of themselves, they are a waste of time. There is a time for every purpose under heaven.
Backwoods Presbyterian
Puritanboard Amanuensis
But I think more to the point is can we delight and "enjoy" something that directly or indirectly blasphemes God?
Caroline
Puritan Board Sophomore
I'm not going to argue with someone who has no interest in fiction or film. Each person should do as they please and as they feel pleases the Lord in their life in regard to such entertainment. But it is not as though it is a sin in itself. Certainly, it can be abused. But so can the lack of it. I cannot imagine how desolate my mind would be without the fiction and songs that I have gathered into it over the years, and I frequently do use song lyrics and fictional plot lines and movies to illustrate things in articles and letters regarding spiritual matters. The apostle Paul also quoted Greek poetry in some of his epistles, indicating that not only did he read it, but he felt that it held valuable insights, even though it was secular or even pagan.
The argument that we are in the midst of a war is compelling and yet I think we should not overestimate our importance. It is not as though Christ's work will be brought to ruin if I watch Spongebob Squarepants with my children on a Saturday afternoon. Yes, it would be wrong to watch Spongebob all day every day when I should be busy with my work. But the same can be said for internet forums, and yet here we are.
Some here say that sweeping music (such as is found in the Narnia movies) distracts them from God. I find that it strengthens my bond with the Creator of all sound and music. Not to say that either of us are wrong--but perhaps simply because something is not edifying to one person does not mean that it edifies no one.
I suppose it would depend on what someone defined as 'blaspheming God'. I'm not trying to be evasive. Some people consider Spider-man blasphemous because he wears a red suit and so does Satan in the popular image of him. We would have to figure out a definition first before we could address that question.
The argument that we are in the midst of a war is compelling and yet I think we should not overestimate our importance. It is not as though Christ's work will be brought to ruin if I watch Spongebob Squarepants with my children on a Saturday afternoon. Yes, it would be wrong to watch Spongebob all day every day when I should be busy with my work. But the same can be said for internet forums, and yet here we are.
Some here say that sweeping music (such as is found in the Narnia movies) distracts them from God. I find that it strengthens my bond with the Creator of all sound and music. Not to say that either of us are wrong--but perhaps simply because something is not edifying to one person does not mean that it edifies no one.
I suppose it would depend on what someone defined as 'blaspheming God'. I'm not trying to be evasive. Some people consider Spider-man blasphemous because he wears a red suit and so does Satan in the popular image of him. We would have to figure out a definition first before we could address that question.
jayce475
Puritan Board Freshman
This discussion brings to mind Ecc 1:9.
Ecc 1:9: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
Our convictions range between:
1. all entertainment is generally okay if we partake of it righteously
2. some forms of entertainment may be okay if we partake of them righteously
3. most entertainment is not okay with the exception of some which can be more easily partaken of righteously
4. there is no such thing as entertainment partaken of righteously
We take scriptures about liberty/biblical separation/worldliness/doing things to God's glory and generally fit them into our own views. And regardless of our views, scriptures always seem to fit so well to them. I still find myself convinced that the third view is the most balanced based on scriptures, unpopular as it may be.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------
I understand that some amongst us may be libertarian-leaning, but this is starting to sound hedonistic.
Ecc 1:9: "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun."
Our convictions range between:
1. all entertainment is generally okay if we partake of it righteously
2. some forms of entertainment may be okay if we partake of them righteously
3. most entertainment is not okay with the exception of some which can be more easily partaken of righteously
4. there is no such thing as entertainment partaken of righteously
We take scriptures about liberty/biblical separation/worldliness/doing things to God's glory and generally fit them into our own views. And regardless of our views, scriptures always seem to fit so well to them. I still find myself convinced that the third view is the most balanced based on scriptures, unpopular as it may be.
---------- Post added at 01:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:18 PM ----------
I understand that some amongst us may be libertarian-leaning, but this is starting to sound hedonistic.
Andres
Puritan Board Doctor
I think that even if you abstain from watching such things with foul language, your flesh would simply find something to replace it with. Each sin we temporarily subdue is only replaced by one with equal tenacity. This however is not just cause to continue in one's current sin. But a statement was made earlier about novels, etc, almost everything we read is intertwined with sinful aspects. It's simply our total depravity making its ugly face known. Even John Calvin's works are filled with insults and rough speech. Should we not read them? In the time of the great theologians, they were well versed on the "Pagan poet" and "Philosophers" of the time. I don't know if you've ever read any ancient poetry or philosophy, but it can get pretty dirty.
kvanlaan
Puritan Board Doctor
No, we cannot. Just put it in this context: In watching a movie at the theatre that takes the Lord's name in vain, you have just helped to pay an actor to blaspheme God's name, the God you profess to love.
How's this for an acid test: can you watch a film and then pray: "Lord thank you for that, I pray that you would aid the producers and actors to produce more of the same. Amen."
Also, Lord's Day 36:
- Status
