Should Christians watch Game of Thrones?

NothingIsImpossible

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Better question is how old are you? Because obviously you don't have much to do in it if all you do is troll christian forums. But to be fair I remember psychology said often online trolls/bullies pick on others to make themselves feel better about something in their own lives. And in alot of cases they tend to pick on those who have problems similar to theirs. So does this mean you used to be a christian perhaps?
 
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Murby

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Better question is how old are you? Because obviously you don't have much to do in it if all you do is troll christian forums. But to be fair I remember psychology said often online trolls/bullies pick on others to make themselves feel better about something in their own lives. And in alot of cases they tend to pick on those who have problems similar to theirs. So does this mean you used to be a christian perhaps?

So instead of just answering my question, your response is to initiate a personal attack on each of your replies so far.
Yup.. when you squeeze a christian, very predictable response there.
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Julie.S

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To me its a show and not real at all. I would watch it if I had the channel its on but I do not. I do watch The Walking Dead though when I can. I love that show.

I keep my fiction and reality away from each other as much as I can.
 
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JackKerouac

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Following the argument carefully? There's barely two pages of postings.
Which makes it more baffling that you couldn't follow it.
I simply asked what was the big deal about lust
No, you didn't just simply ask what was the big deal about lust. You had to throw in "and you all are worried about lust? ROFLMAO" and "Man.. you can't buy the kind of entertainment that takes place in this forum... Truth is always stranger than fiction."

Did you forget that part? It's right there on the first page as a record.
and you started in with pompous attitude and accusations..
You still haven't explained to me what I said that was pompous. Was it pompous of me to state what people's concerns actually were? Was it pompous of me to suggest that you and others were attempting to minimize lust and be condescending toward those who struggled with it? Was it pompous of me to characterize your post (containing the quotes I included above) as being snarky and rude? You might not agree with those statements, but to characterize them as pompous seems to betray a misunderstanding of that word.
I haven't minimized anything.
Yeah, you kinda did. When you take something someone is saying, particularly something they clearly feel strongly about, and basically make fun of it saying it means nothing, that's minimizing it.
I simply asked a question about what's the big deal
You clearly did more than that, as I showed above.
and you went all wacky accusing me of being condescending.
If you think I was being wacky, you've clearly got a low frustration tolerance for wackness (which, by the way, is a moderately decent movie). And I accused you of being condescending becuase you were.
Your argument here is valid but still not applicable to what I was asking. Murder, torture and pillage have quantifiable affects on other people. Lust does not.
Oh, but you're wrong. Lust indeed has quantifiable effects on other people. Infidelity? Divorce? Sexual assaults? Are none of those indications of quantifiable effects on other people? Shoot, wars have been fought as a result of lust. Also, you don't get to determine what effects these things do or do not have on other people. I know what effects lust has had on me and you don't get to say it has had no effect on me. Keep in mind that, when I (and, I believe, others here) use the word lust, I'm not just talking about sexual attraction and desire, neither of which most Christians have any problem with.
You're insinuation that I am being snark and rude is a direct reflection of your own response.
Except it's not. First of all, this statement makes absolutely no sense. Secondly, my insinuation was based on the fact that, by all reasonable measures, you were being snarky and rude. You're not the first person to be that way on an internet forum and you won't be the last. Don't make such a big deal of it.
I simply asked what the big deal was and you still haven't answered that question.
I haven't answered this question for you because it's not the topic I was addressing with you. That being said, most Christians believe that lust is a big deal is because it is a sin and often leads to more sins. It also has negative impact on my relationships to other people and to God. So, while my lusting may not have much impact on most people around me (although, as I showed earlier, it could), it is a concern to me and other Christians because I don't want to sin, be led to sin, or have damaged relationships because of it.
I just showed you how your comments are irrational.
Oh my jeepers. Do you seriously think that's what you have done? You've done nothing of the sort. First of all, nothing I've said has been irrational. Secondly, nothing you have said has effectively countered anything I've said. I didn't even realize you were attempting to prove me to be irrational. Oh well...
Of course, I expected as much since the whole christian belief system is irrational so it's sort of par for the course I guess.
The only thing I can figure, is that there's a book that was written by people who used to wipe their rear ends with their hands and thought the earth was flat and they said lust is bad.... Now if I'm mistaken somehow, please speak up..
And here's where we get to the heart of the matter. This is a Christian forum. In fact, that's the name of the place. Christian Forums. Does it surprise you that many people on a Christian forum are going to have a Christian worldview and perspective on things? Do you really think it's appropriate for you to come to a Christian forum and make these kinds of vicious digs at Christianity and Christians? Do you think maybe that's why you might be seen as rude and as minimizing people's beliefs? I don't have a problem with folks who are not Christians posting here. I actually think that can add a lot to the discussions, whether they're serious or just for fun. But when I travel to another culture, and I know I'm in a culture that clearly differs from my own, I'm not going to sit at the table of someone from that culture and make fun of their culture in general or things about their culture. And if I do, I'm certainly in no place to get agitated and defensive about how they might react to what I've done. I invite you to consider how having that same attitude might enable you to have more respectful and productive disagreements. In fact, I would love it if you and I were quite done with this tit-for-tat and could carry on with a respectful, productive discussion.
 
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JackKerouac

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To me its a show and not real at all. I would watch it if I had the channel its on but I do not. I do watch The Walking Dead though when I can. I love that show.

I keep my fiction and reality away from each other as much as I can.
I think this points to an important principle: Depiction is not endorsement. We Christians often lose sight of the fact that not every portrayal of a sin or bad behavior in a movie, tv show, or book is an endorsement of that behavior. We all seem to get this if it's the mean kid bullying Opie on the Andy Griffith show, but we can lose sight of it when it's a character on a cable show murdering a family member, or something like that. Of course it does get it all muddled quite often when shows are so full of ambiguous characters, and when they're written in such ways that are clearly designed to make us cheer for someone who is clearly doing a lot of bad things. But I think it's pretty misguided to believe that, if a character on Game of Thrones rapes another character, the writers must be endorsing rape and expecting us to be ok with it as well.
 
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Julie.S

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I think this points to an important principle: Depiction is not endorsement. We Christians often lose sight of the fact that not every portrayal of a sin or bad behavior in a movie, tv show, or book is an endorsement of that behavior. We all seem to get this if it's the mean kid bullying Opie on the Andy Griffith show, but we can lose sight of it when it's a character on a cable show murdering a family member, or something like that. Of course it does get it all muddled quite often when shows are so full of ambiguous characters, and when they're written in such ways that are clearly designed to make us cheer for someone who is clearly doing a lot of bad things. But I think it's pretty misguided to believe that, if a character on Game of Thrones rapes another character, the writers must be endorsing rape and expecting us to be ok with it as well.
I just see people having a small panic attack at the smallest things in a show and I just wonder why worry it's a tv show and honestly you can stop watching when you want.
 
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MelissaUK

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I think this points to an important principle: Depiction is not endorsement. We Christians often lose sight of the fact that not every portrayal of a sin or bad behavior in a movie, tv show, or book is an endorsement of that behavior. We all seem to get this if it's the mean kid bullying Opie on the Andy Griffith show, but we can lose sight of it when it's a character on a cable show murdering a family member, or something like that. Of course it does get it all muddled quite often when shows are so full of ambiguous characters, and when they're written in such ways that are clearly designed to make us cheer for someone who is clearly doing a lot of bad things. But I think it's pretty misguided to believe that, if a character on Game of Thrones rapes another character, the writers must be endorsing rape and expecting us to be ok with it as well.

But Game of Thrones is inappropriate contentography? Just violence and sex, and the actors are engaging in sin.

A girl at school showed some on her tablet and I could not help watching and could hardly believe my eyes. Is it not inappropriate contentography if there is a story? It made me wonder how the actresses had been brought up with no shame. I have never seen inappropriate contentography but I couldn't wash what I had seen from my head or stop thinking about it for ages. It was bad.
 
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Julie.S

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But Game of Thrones is inappropriate contentography? Just violence and sex, and the actors are engaging in sin.

A girl at school showed some on her tablet and I could not help watching and could hardly believe my eyes. Is it not inappropriate contentography if there is a story? It made me wonder how the actresses had been brought up with no shame. I have never seen inappropriate contentography but I couldn't wash what I had seen from my head or stop thinking about it for ages. It was bad.
It's a TV show about fictional people in a fictional world doing fictional things. No one is also making anyone watch it who does not want to.

Some people like it and some don't. I'm not going to shame people who like it or don't like it for their decision. It's all their choice and they have that right.
 
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Kira23

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View attachment 164091 Okay so... theres no thread about this that Ive seen yet but if there is feel free to direct me to it...

I started watching Game of Thrones with my husband last year before season 4 came out. He was into it until I believe the first episode of the second season when the royal family made a decree to murder all of King Roberts bastards. My husband said "This is ungodly, killing innocent babies" and has never watched another episode.

In fact he even scoffs me because Im still up to date on the series and I plan to be until it comes to an end. I have a great love for fiction stories and movies and tv series. I have since I was small and its just who I am.

Believe me I dont believe in any way killing children in right by any standards.
But its all fantasy and not REAL life or real life circumstances.

I think he has taken the moral of the episode a little too far and judges me because it didn't prevent me from furthering my attention to the series.

Any comments or thoughts?
Granted there are DOZENS of other reasons to stop watching this show.
But my main question would be, just because something is fantasy and fiction and the opposite of what we know and believe, should stop watching it?
 
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Kira23

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I'm disappointed and horrified that Christian men watch and enjoy this show. It IS inappropriate contentography, that is irrefutable [obviously, being HBO, we are only talking about FEMALE nudity, of course, not male]. But beyond this fact, it's not just inappropriate content, it's RAPE inappropriate content, it's INCEST inappropriate content, and the whole show reeks of sexual enjoyment of women's suffering. One pictures nasty men with a hand down their pants jerking off to the sight of a little girl getting raped. It appalls me that I have to say to Christian men, please for the sake of your souls don't watch this show. It's especially galling to even have to say this, because out in the REAL WORLD, Christian girls are getting shamed for wearing tank tops, while their brothers and fathers are getting hard-ons from watching what is basically hardcore inappropriate content on HBO. That is just flat out hypocrisy. Why do men watch it? So they can look at boobs, watch women scream and get raped, and feel big and strong and manly. Makes me kind of sick. What happened to what Jesus said? If you look at a woman with lust in your hearts, you are guilty of adultery. Period. I would say this show constitutes more than just looking at a woman. It's getting off on female subjugation and sexual torture. That's not Christian. That's devil worship.
 
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Kira23

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If you had been following the argument carefully, you would know that the concern with some is not in what it depicts per se, but how what it depicts might tempt people toward lust. Naked people tempting viewers to lust is a real thing, despite the efforts of you and others to minimize it and condescend toward those who struggle with it. On the other hand, realistically speaking, how many people do you know who are actually tempted by such shows to murder, torture, and pillage?

Maybe before you bring out the snark and the rudeness, you might consider understand what people's actual concerns are.
To be more accurate, "Naked [women] tempting [male] viewers to lust [at the sight of those women getting raped] is a real thing [on a growing number of television shows, but most egregiously on GoT], despite the efforts of you and others [like women who realize that rape occurs to a woman every 6 seconds in this country and the last thing we need to do is fetishize it] and condescend toward those who struggle with it [because they have probably watched inappropriate content since they were 11, the average age of American boys' exposure to inappropriate content; studies have shown that the longer a man or boy watches it, THE MORE EXTREME the inappropriate content needs to be in order to produce an erection. So GoT fits the bill, with its' rapes of little girls, pregnant women getting stabbed in the stomach, etc.]
 
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Hetta

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I was thinking about this laying awake last night. What if the Bible were adapted for a lengthy teleplay, every single part of it I mean, not just the NT. So, all those battles, wiping out of mankind, all the "begetting" - what would that look like? What if the flood were shown in full detail - men, women, babies, the elderly, the disabled - gasping and fighting for breath, going under, coming back up, going under again and finally drowning. All while Noah smugly floats on by. What about the genocide of the Canaanites or Amalekites? The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? The murder of the firstborn? What about when Sarah was turned to a pillar of salt for turning back? This is the real Bible, just nobody bothers with the parts they can't explain. If the Bible was adapted for the screen, it would look quite similar to GoT.
 
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Hetta

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To be more accurate, "Naked [women] tempting [male] viewers to lust [at the sight of those women getting raped] is a real thing [on a growing number of television shows, but most egregiously on GoT], despite the efforts of you and others [like women who realize that rape occurs to a woman every 6 seconds in this country and the last thing we need to do is fetishize it] and condescend toward those who struggle with it [because they have probably watched inappropriate content since they were 11, the average age of American boys' exposure to inappropriate content; studies have shown that the longer a man or boy watches it, THE MORE EXTREME the inappropriate content needs to be in order to produce an erection. So GoT fits the bill, with its' rapes of little girls, pregnant women getting stabbed in the stomach, etc.]
Can you cite those studies please.

Oh, and myself, and millions of other women watch GoT. We're well aware of rape, and aren't at all aroused. So are our souls at risk? Or just men's souls?
 
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NothingIsImpossible

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Well I'd say if we use the bible being NC-17 as a reason to watch GoT then in that case we should also watch inappropriate content, do drugs, sleep around and kill people. I've watched some pretty bad things in my life but GoT just crosses into very dangerous territory for christians. Even non-christians, especially women, will not watch the show just do to the fact theres graphic sex not only of adults but of incest and children/rape.

Sure, Maybe no one is turned on by anything (they shouldn't be obviously) but this is definitely one those times when Jesus would be like "Please child be careful about watching shows like Walked Dead, but I forbid GoT. It is the opposite of everything I have taught you. Now you are willing to watch children being raped and murdered just to feel entertained?".

I consider GoT to basically be softcore inappropriate content. With some thrown in incest, inappropriate behavior with animals, pedophilia, LGBT...etc.
 
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Kira23

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Can you cite those studies please.

Oh, and myself, and millions of other women watch GoT. We're well aware of rape, and aren't at all aroused. So are our souls at risk? Or just men's souls?
So the standard is not whether a woman is raped, humiliated, women paraded around naked in a ridiculously obvious pandering to male genital stimulation, but whether women viewers are aroused by it? So...if lesbians are aroused, it's wrong, but if straight women are not, then....all this violence against women is okay? Not following. The question is, is it morally wrong to show such an extraordinary amount of sexual violence against women, such that a Christian should seriously consider whether he or she should tacitly approve such depictions by watching it. And scripture, and my morals, and my understanding of the wider pandemic of real-life violence against women is an unequivocal no. Now, I can't stop someone from watching torture inappropriate content like this, obviously, nor would I. But don't kid yourself it is a Christian activity, because we all know it isn't.
 
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NothingIsImpossible

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So the standard is not whether a woman is raped, humiliated, women paraded around naked in a ridiculously obvious pandering to male genital stimulation, but whether women viewers are aroused by it? So...if lesbians are aroused, it's wrong, but if straight women are not, then....all this violence against women is okay? Not following. The question is, is it morally wrong to show such an extraordinary amount of sexual violence against women, such that a Christian should seriously consider whether he or she should tacitly approve such depictions by watching it. And scripture, and my morals, and my understanding of the wider pandemic of real-life violence against women is an unequivocal no. Now, I can't stop someone from watching torture inappropriate content like this, obviously, nor would I. But don't kid yourself it is a Christian activity, because we all know it isn't.
This made me think even more on what I said. If we are to ignore certain elements based on <insert reasons> then technically speaking I can watch hardcore inappropriate content and just ignore the sex/nudity and just enjoy the story right? lol
 
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SnowyMacie

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If your convictions tell you to not watch the show, then don't watch the show, but don't go around acting like you have the moral high ground for doing so. The way that I personally see this whole fiasco, and it applies to The Walking Dead as well, since that's been mentioned is that it's a very realistic and detailed depiction of what that type of society would be like. In a Feudal, patriarchial society like Westeros, I would expect it to be violent, rampant prostitution and sex exploitation (for the record, most of the women that are characters in the show are not sex objects but powerful, strong women). In other words, it's more about what makes sense for the story than what is appropriate and moral.

I don't even remotely see myself as participation or even condoning the actions committed by characters on a fictional TV show. The way that I see it is that it's simply not real, it's acting out fictional scenes. I'm a writer, and the most recent story I've written, my first novel, if it were ever made into a movie would be rated-R due to violence, language, and some sensual themes. The way that I see that when I write my characters cursing, committing violent acts, or getting nude is that it is not me doing those things, but people who do not exist because their fictional characters. Many actors I've heard say similar things about this, they are not their character and they themselves are not doing and saying what their characters are doing and saying.

Anyway, specifically about Game of Thrones a lot of people like to attack it for it's nudity and call it soft core inappropriate contentography. While it's true the first season has quite a bit of nudity and sex scenes, even then it was such a non-factor in the story that you stopped noticing it after a while, the number of them have greatly decreased as the story has progressed, which is about really one long war between several noble families (based on the real life "War of the Roses"). In this past season in fact, I can't even remember a single moment of nudity (I even said last August much closer to the actual airing of Season 6).
 
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Hetta

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Well I'd say if we use the bible being NC-17 as a reason to watch GoT then in that case we should also watch inappropriate content, do drugs, sleep around and kill people. I've watched some pretty bad things in my life but GoT just crosses into very dangerous territory for christians. Even non-christians, especially women, will not watch the show just do to the fact theres graphic sex not only of adults but of incest and children/rape.

Sure, Maybe no one is turned on by anything (they shouldn't be obviously) but this is definitely one those times when Jesus would be like "Please child be careful about watching shows like Walked Dead, but I forbid GoT. It is the opposite of everything I have taught you. Now you are willing to watch children being raped and murdered just to feel entertained?".

I consider GoT to basically be softcore inappropriate content. With some thrown in incest, inappropriate behavior with animals, pedophilia, LGBT...etc.
Why is it okay for you to watch some pretty bad things but nobody else watch GoT? No children are raped on GoT. None. Zero. You evidently haven't watched it. I also know many women who watch it, many of whom are Christians. Because they can separate fact and fiction.

What does the Bible being NC17 have to do with watching inappropriate content, doing drugs and sleeping around? Many drugs are legal, having consensual sex is legal, whereas murder is not. Why equate those three things? Do you really believe that consensual sex = murder?

By your own admission you haven't seen GoT, so you don't get to consider it as anything really, because you're basing your opinion on the opinions of others.
 
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Hetta

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This made me think even more on what I said. If we are to ignore certain elements based on <insert reasons> then technically speaking I can watch hardcore inappropriate content and just ignore the sex/nudity and just enjoy the story right? lol
That's a false equivalency. Hardcore inappropriate content is only about sex. GoT does have a very complicated, vital story, of which the few sex scenes are merely a sprinkling. But I guess you're someone else who hasn't seen it, but you're basing your opinion of what other people have told you.
 
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