Are Bronies Immoral? (input appreciated!)

[protorayish]

THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED IN 'ETHICS AND MORALITY,' but I have moved it here because I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS!

I've been wondering this question for a long time now and would love to hear what everyone else has to say on the topic. A brony is generally defined as a young adult or adult male that is a fan of the tv show My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. For more info, see this link: http://whatisabrony.com/
FEEL FREE TO SKIP ALL THE BELOW TEXT AND JUST GIVE YOUR ANSWER IF YOU WANT

A little under a year ago, I was exposed to this show and fandom and soon became a huge fan myself. I met several very good friends through a brony meet-up club at my college, of which some even claim to be Christians. While I was very comfortable and open about my hobby at first, I soon began to see how hated the community was, and how "weird" it was perceived (which is understandable and doesn't bother me so long as God approves). Considering that I have always had serious struggles with being overly legalistic, this really made me question if this in any way was morally wrong/sinful. After a few months, I eventually became so torn on the subject that I decided to abandon MLP altogether. This was VERY difficult for me since I genuinely loved the show and the incredibly strong friendships I had made in the fandom, but I didn't want to be unknowingly rebelling against God somehow, so I was more than willing to make this sacrifice. Since I just moved back onto campus, I recently met up with some of those old friends, most of whom i had not seen in the over 3 months since I left the fandom. Seeing them again, and once again talking about what was going on in the show and fandom really has made me think about this question that I've been praying on for months now. I want to honor God first and foremost, but I fail to see why enjoying an innocent show would be sinful just because of its intended demographic. I personally don't think I would ever go back to embracing the brony label as if that is my identity, but I wonder if just enjoying the show is wrong for a young adult male. THANK YOU FOR ANY INPUT YOU HAVE TO OFFER (but please be respectful)!

PS: I now that being obsessed and idolizing anything is sinful. This question assumes that the individual is in no way idolizing MLP or making the brony label their identity before a follower of Christ.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

it's a cartoon. if you sin because of it, it is sin to you. otherwise, not.

 

[protorayish]

it's a cartoon. if you sin because of it, it is sin to you. otherwise, not.

Thank you for the straightforward response. Perhaps I'm just making a big deal out of nothing again and am letting stupid insecurities and society affect my conscience. May God bless you!

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Thank you for the straightforward response. Perhaps I'm just making a big deal out of nothing again and am letting stupid insecurities and society affect my conscience. May God bless you!

God bless you too

 

[shortygreyhere]

I think you have a lot more to worry about related to being prone to legalism than liking MLP.

Check out this video on Bronies:

 

[protorayish]

Thank you.
I know and agree. By being prone to legalism, this is exactly what I mean. I don't look down on others for these things at all, but for some reason I struggle to convince myself that I don't have to look for fault in EVERY little thing I do. This has ranged from questioning if I was in enmity with God because of a tattoo I got a while ago, to this 'issue': if liking MLP could be somehow considered rebellion or effeminate. Again, thank you for the response and God bless you!

(PS: good video link- I actually saw it a while ago, but I appreciate it)

 

[shortygreyhere]

.... for some reason I struggle to convince myself that I don't have to look for fault in EVERY little thing I do. This has ranged from questioning if I was in enmity with God because of a tattoo I got a while ago, to this 'issue': if liking MLP could be somehow considered rebellion or effeminate.

You are welcome! God just loves you so much. And the blood of Jesus is more than sufficient to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. God knows how weak and frail we can be in our flesh and He made a way for us to be cleansed perfectly through the sacrifice of His son. Only Jesus can save us and cleanse us from our sins and God is more than able to keep us in His kingdom. I find that taking enough time to just be with God, read His word, and pray, assures me of the rightness and closeness of my relationship with Him which is a remedy for falling into legalism. There is really no substitute to time spent with Him.

Have you ever done an in depth study of Hebrews? I wonder if studying about Jesus as our great high priest would help you out at all.

As far as the concern that liking MLP could be thought of as being effeminate, this is just a total trap. We need to care about what God thinks period and not worry about society/fear of man. It is ok for a man to not 100% conform to certain gender norms and the same for a woman. I think that a person feeling vulnerable because of a lack of 100% gender conformity is something that the devil uses to make people think there is something wrong with them, or they have homosexual tendencies, or are transgendered.

I do not struggle with these particular issues, but as an example, my dad would have me hang around with him and fetch tools for him when he was working on projects around the house or on the car. As a result, I learned a lot about fixing basic things and I enjoy it. It reminds me of spending time with my dad and it is nice to be able to fix some things. If I took any of this as a signal that I had gender problems, maybe the devil would exploit this and it would cause me all kinds of problems.

A man can enjoy looking at a flower, or cooking a meal, or holding a baby, or like MLP without being effeminate. Don't worry--society is just really confused by men/women/gender, but the best remedy is knowing the Bible really well, caring about what God thinks instead of what man thinks, and looking into healthy teachings on this stuff. This will help us to reject the world's thinking and know the truth.

 

[Sketcher]

No more or less than other people, they're just weird. Not quite furry weird, but weird.

 

[protorayish]

@Hannah Eckes
Wow! Thank you so much for the thought you put into this post, it really is a blessing to me! I don't know why, but this really, really spoke to me! I've read Hebrews a couple of times, but certainly need to give it a deeper study. Thank you again, and know that God has used you tonight!

 

[protorayish]

No more or less than other people, they're just weird. Not quite furry weird, but weird.

lol . Thank you for the response

 

[Kit Sigmon]

It could be that if you are an adult that some may wonder when you going to put away things of childhood?
I have a relative that I wonder about too, he's in his mid-thirties and wrapped up in comic books/anime and stuff. He works and spends his money on childhood things, it be good if he'd listen and set aside money for when times get tight. He acts like he not worried, he keeps on playing his Xbox, buying those expensive games and anime stuff and acting like he a child, he got friends that carry on the same way...none of them be married they share a place on the other side of town.
He nor his friends take no notice of what I say either but that be they choice, but one day all of them going to wish that they had of listened.

There do come a time to grow up in the Lord, since he be the one a believer is to pattern they life after.... meditate on
1 Corinthians 13:11.

 

[shortygreyhere]

@Hannah Eckes
Wow! Thank you so much for the thought you put into this post, it really is a blessing to me! I don't know why, but this really, really spoke to me! I've read Hebrews a couple of times, but certainly need to give it a deeper study. Thank you again, and know that God has used you tonight!

You are welcome and God bless!! See you in heaven someday!

 

[protorayish]

It could be that if you are an adult that some may wonder when you going to put away things of childhood?
I have a relative that I wonder about too, he's in his mid-thirties and wrapped up in comic books/anime and stuff. He works and spends his money on childhood things, it be good if he'd listen and set aside money for when times get tight. He acts like he not worried, he keeps on playing his Xbox, buying those expensive games and anime stuff and acting like he a child, he got friends that carry on the same way...none of them be married they share a place on the other side of town.
He nor his friends take no notice of what I say either but that be they choice, but one day all of them going to wish that they had of listened.

There do come a time to grow up in the Lord, since he be the one a believer is to pattern they life after.... meditate on
1 Corinthians 13:11.

Thank you for your response! I am interested in what you are saying, but I have a few questions. I'd like to make it clear that I am not at all meaning these sarcastically or in argument, but am legitimately interested in what you have to say.

My first reaction is to question how applicable this is based on the biblical definition of "growing up." Considering the context of 1 Corinthians 13, I've always taken this to mean grow up and become mature as the Bible talks about maturity. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says that as a child he "talked... thought... and reasoned as a child" and that we were to put away those childish ways. In my understanding, this seems to say pretty clearly that we are to put away childlike thinking, talking and reasoning, which could be described as simple minded, inconsistent, self-indulgent, and simply immature. In context, Paul seems to be instructing proper use of spiritual gifts, rather than immaturely and improperly expressing these gifts. Based on my personal understanding of scripture (which I acknowledge is very far from perfect) it seems that the Bible talks about maturity as being spiritually grounded, not arguing about silly things, and (especially for men) being a spiritual leader in the community and household.

Outside of Biblical maturity, how do we decide what we call childish? Up until sports were made into a monetized industry very recently, playing or watching sports was considered exclusively childish.

My next question was to what point do you believe we should give up our not serious or 'childish' interests? I agree that obsession is certainly a problem. Do you believe that drawing is childish, because I used to draw as kid (especially if I were to use crayons)? Do you think that playing a video game in moderation is wrong? Would it be wrong to have a hobby of building sand castles or to play a prank on a friend? These are sincere questions. I agree that if your relative is as you describe he may need to make some serious adjustments considering his priorities. I personally (and perhaps with bias) would say that nobody would consider me childish. I am a rather 'serious' person whose highest worldly priorities lie in my current education studying engineering. Nobody would describe me by video games, tv shows, or anything else and I hardly ever spend a dime on such things. Every once in a while I'll play a video game with my friend, but I certainly wouldn't say that this makes me childish.

Also, are you a fan of CS Lewis? I BY NO MEANS intend to say we should put his words over God's if they were to conflict, but I'd like your opinion on this quote of Lewis's:
“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence... When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”

Again, this post is sincere and I'd appreciate further insight into your point.

 

[seashale76]

True story: Between my sister and I we had pretty much all of the original My Little Ponies and their buildings and accessories. We watched the original cartoon a lot… on beta. Anyway, we spent a lot of time playing and concocting elaborate backstories and personalities for all of our ponies. The world we created was so complex as to be Byzantine.

Anyway, I get the idea of liking cartoons and writing fan fiction. I still write fan fiction for multiple fandoms (not MLP). I've watched a few episodes of Friendship Is Magic. It's cute. Not my thing anymore though. The real magic with MLP for me was when I was a kid. As long as you're not being creepy with your MLP fan fiction (and you know exactly what I mean there) and keeping it innocent, I don't see an issue.

 

[protorayish]

@seashale76
Thank you for your input! Yes, I know what you mean and I certainly would never take part in any of the creepy stuff (those parts of any fandom, especially one as innocent as MLP really bother me). Also, other than hanging out with some friends of the common interest, I never really did anything else in the fandom like write or even really read fanfics.

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Hmmm ... I am a born-again christian ... have seen God work miraculously through my prayer, healing and stuff like that. Have a vibrant prayer life with God. Love the word of God etc. And I also like to play computer games with magic in it, for some reason I just like fantasy stuff. In real life I would not touch magic with a stick. So what is my justification? I could get hung up on the line it will lead others astray, but my thought is that the bible says "No man will be tempted to sin beyond what they can bear" ... my entertainment and liking of fantasy, in my opinion will turn no one to the dark side. God has yet to tell me to give it up totally, the day He does I will gladly do it. I did ask Him once was it best for me to not play games, and His answer was it is best not to play. But I believe that was due to me getting addicted to games, not really the content. As for my little pony, who knows, I certainly can't judge you, I do it myself in a different way. All that said I still do have limited certain stuff I don't use as I feel it glorifies magic a little too much. I like fringe phantasy.

 

[protorayish]

Hmmm ... I am a born-again christian ... have seen God work miraculously through my prayer, healing and stuff like that. Have a vibrant prayer life with God. Love the word of God etc. And I also like to play computer games with magic in it, for some reason I just like fantasy stuff. In real life I would not touch magic with a stick. So what is my justification? I could get hung up on the line it will lead others astray, but my thought is that the bible says "No man will be tempted to sin beyond what they can bear" ... my entertainment and liking of fantasy, in my opinion will turn no one to the dark side. God has yet to tell me to give it up totally, the day He does I will gladly do it. I did ask Him once was it best for me to not play games, and His answer was it is best not to play. But I believe that was due to me getting addicted to games, not really the content. As for my little pony, who knows, I certainly can't judge you, I do it myself in a different way. All that said I still do have limited certain stuff I don't use as I feel it glorifies magic a little too much. I like fringe phantasy.

Thank you for your response! I understand exactly what you're saying and agree that it depends largely on the individual. What I can say for certain is that the occasional reference to fantasy 'magic' in this situation doesn't raise any flags to me personally. My confusion lies more in the fact that it is seen as weird to watch a show about ponies and if this itself conflicts with God's will. A prayer for me to hear God's will on this matter would be appreciated! Thanks again!

 

[FutureAndAHope]

Thank you for your response! I understand exactly what you're saying and agree that it depends largely on the individual. What I can say for certain is that the occasional reference to fantasy 'magic' in this situation doesn't raise any flags to me personally. My confusion lies more in the fact that it is seen as weird to watch a show about ponies and if this itself conflicts with God's will. A prayer for me to hear God's will on this matter would be appreciated! Thanks again!

God wants us to be ourselves. If your hearts desire is for my little ponies, there are going to be other people God has made who have the same desire. Let you be you I say.

 

[protorayish]

God wants us to be ourselves. If your hearts desire is for my little ponies, there are going to be other people God has made who have the same desire. Let you be you I say.

Thank you very much for your input. I think I'm starting to come to peace with this. God bless you!

 

[Gregory Thompson]

Jesus did teach us to be like little children, so having childlike interests is not bad. I suppose it might help to consider what you want out of life, and if the time devoted to being childlike precludes that from happening. If that is the case, time management might be required to find the right balance.