Secular Entertainment

strelok0017

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Do you see your last statement? How can you say that "As long as I do this and this, I'm fine."? That is not so; please come to your senses. Video games are demonic and worldliness is offensive to Christ. When it says "do not love the things of the world" it means that! In Greek also. And in Latin and every other language. Do not love the world. If you do, the Holy Spirit does not abide in you and you are not His. I do not want to be mean to you but trust the Bible: worldliness is an illusion, like an empty cistern that will leave you dry and thirst and in the end spiritually dead. Consider what Jesus says, not what I say.
 
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truthhopejustice

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I know I've posted a lot lately. But thoughts keep popping up. I enjoy a lot of secular entertainment. Some of which is very inappropriate. For example, the Walking Dead is one of my favorite shows. Right now I have the video game "Mass Effect" Paused. While this game does not shove violence in your face, there is combat involved (as well as some sexuality at rare points in the game). My Spotify playlist is full of heavy metal that, honestly, I don't know if its appropriate or not because I can't actually understand what they are saying...

-If your mind is not actually focused on the aspects of the things that would make a movie or game bad then does it matter? When playing a game, the enjoyment does not come from actually causing someone pain or taking a life (at least it shouldn't). It is the act of overcoming an obstacle and seeing your efforts rewarded that make the experience satisfying.

-What makes the works of Christian writers like Tolkien and Lewis acceptable? Their works contain violence, alcohol (Hobbits seem to love it), and sorcery.

-Assuming that something secular contains absolutely nothing that God does not speak against, is it ok to take part in it even though there is no spiritual value in it?

Honestly, I wouldn't argue with anyone who claimed these things to be wrong. Perhaps I'm just frightened and overwhelmed. I don't actually want to give up the things I enjoy. But I am growing very close to God and I don't want him to have to dig me back out of where he found me. I'm finding this significantly more difficult to deal with than with my lust issues were...

I have prayed about this topic to God myself and I honetly believe that it's very unique and personal. He won't tell you what He will tell me as we are each completely different people. It may be an idol to you, it may not be to me. Someone may play a video game for 10 hrs everyday and someone else may play it only 1 hour a day. All of this has to be factored into the equation. Furthermore, the Christian life is not just about not doing, it is about doing. If you sit around and avoid every evil influence you won't grow as a hristian; you must also as Paul talks about, think about the whatever is noble and holy and of good report.

As a teen I used to avoid books that I can see now were actual noble and uplifting. Good books can really shape the character. Good movies can too. They can give a perspective you might never have thought of on your own - they can inspire you to develop traits you might not have been motivated to develop. A good movie makes you want to be a hero or heroine. As a teen I became legalistic and avoided everything that had even a hint of bad in it. I realize now no art form is going to be perfect in this world because it is created by an artist who is imperfect. and you can't avoid the noble and uplifting stuff because there is some violence in the book or a shady character.

After praying about this I felt as though God made it clear that art is a part of humanity. Both art and entertainment. It always has been and always will be. It's a desire God created into us and the answer simply isnt to stop all entertainment. Neither is it to indulge in all forms of it without restraint.

I think you have to ask yourself "are the negative parts of this movie or book or video game going into my heart?" and "are the good parts lodging in my heart?" In my opinion, if the good lodges in your heart and changes you, but the bad doesn't then definitely watch it or read it. In fact, not doing so is like robbing the world of a better you. We have an obligation to grow and improve and change the world. But sometimes an immoral scene will captivate you and you will think of it again and again. This has the power to change you so watch out! Everyone has their particular sins that can bring them down - if it's affecting one of these sins and strengthening an immoral part of you then you shouldn't watch it. We all have a weak part of us, but that weak part is a different part in different people.

If it neither makes you better or worse of a person, then watch it sometimes, perhaps when you need to pass the time such as you are waiting for your dinner to cook. That's what I do. but don't waste your life on neutral stuff! That will take meaning out of your life and in the end (if not sooner) you will have some very strong regrets that will trouble you. Find a mission in life. Either a big one or a short term one. Entertainment makes a lot of people neglect to do this. That's probably the worst thing it does. We all need a mission in order to be happy. It can rob people of happiness if it gets them to neglect to have purpose in their lives.
 
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CounselorForChrist

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I think it also depends on the person. Some people feel more convicted then others do. Aside from them becoming idols its up to each person. I played games before that were terrible. After stopping I noticed I stopped having terrible day dreams of me in shoot outs with bad guys and so on.

Things like Mass Effect, LOTR...etc. all depend on how it affects you. However I think any christian can be to extreme. Many bring up stuff about not letting yourself see, hear or do anything that involves evil, violence, swearing, immorality...etc. If that is the case then we should live in caves because its the only way to avoid it all. Even then we would still be sinning since we are to be in the world spreading the Word.

While God says to avoid things. He also says don't live in a bubble. We can't spread the Word if we avoid the world. Jesus himself ate with immoral people to try and bring them salvation. This doesn't mean we should constantly be with immoral people obviously. But it shows we need a balance of guarding our hearts while at the same time being out there and doing stuff as christians.
 
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Whodoyouthinkiam

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I haven't seen walking dead...bu I've played through the Mass Effect trilogy an uncanny number of times, and I enjoy it just as much each time.
I can see nothing wrong with it - if anything, it has much of the same qualities as LOTR and Narnia: One hero, with some helpers, in a desperate struggle with poor odds, to save everything from a foe that is seemingly unstoppable.
No, I'm not saying that BioWare said: "Let's make a Christian game without calling it that!". But the themes are very much compatible with Christianity. The fact that there's violence....well, there was violence in WW2 as well, and yet it was necessary to liberate the world from the Nazi menece.

The fact that there's violence in something, isn't a problem in and of itself.

I can see no grey area there. The places I COULD see a grey area (notice that I'm not saying "black", because I don't think it is), are games like the Hitman- and Assassin's Creed-games, or Manhunt (which was banned in several countries because censors tend to be old wussy nannies living in a time bubble of the 19th century, and who think that LPs and Rock'n'Roll are "risky").

It's all a matter of whether or not it negatively impacts your ability to see to your other responsibilities.
 
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manitouscott

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I wasn't sure on this myself. I sold all my games and CD's and gave the money away just to be sure.

This was my conviction, because I felt that no matter how hard I tried, the satanic, violent, sexual, selfish, anti-God/pro-man messages got past my defenses and settled into my spirit.
 
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strelok0017

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See how sill this gets when you wanna defend worldliness? I condemned idolatry because souls are at stake and all I see is "If it doesn't bother you then it's ok...". Isn't that selfish? If games don't bother me, I can do them? Look, games do offer some excitement, I know. I was an addict for 10 years and the last year I had more nightmares about video games than during the ten I played them. They are dangerous and will keep your soul outside of the kingdom.
 
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Philpy1976

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Mass Effect

One of the characters, Ashley Williams, is herself a Christian.
John Shepherd (yup SHEPHERD) the main character (which you play) dies and is brought back (resurrected if you will) via the Lazarus project.

Seems to me you could very well make arguments either for it (indirect praise to God and Jesus) or against it (blasphemy) depending on your view point.
 
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strelok0017

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Alcohol is fine, being drunk is sinful. I just stick to the Bible. Love not the things of the world because that love can't abide in the same heart if the love of God is in it. Also, friendship of the world is enmity with God and Paul made it obvious when he said not to hang out with drunkards. He said not those of the world but those in the Church, as a form of discipline. Conclusion is that the world we are not to love is sin because only sin condemns a man.
 
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D

defeatedchristian

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Mass Effect

One of the characters, Ashley Williams, is herself a Christian.
John Shepherd (yup SHEPHERD) the main character (which you play) dies and is brought back (resurrected if you will) via the Lazarus project.

Seems to me you could very well make arguments either for it (indirect praise to God and Jesus) or against it (blasphemy) depending on your view point.

That's no excuse. I hear the ME games have lesbian sex scenes in them. What True Christian could justify that garbage???
 
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SayaOtonashi

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Yet the bible was secular in a sense many places had actors and actress. Secular media as being around since bibicial times. Many were musicians, actors. It depends if you glorify them more them god. What about the fact many had secular jobs Doctors, midwives. If you make them your idol them you have committing a sin.
 
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Kristen.NewCreation

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Mod Hat On!
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McMatt

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Mass effect is a great game, one of the best game series I've ever played. I wouldn't focus too much on the "secular" entertainment end because god created man with abilities to do amazing things - like come together with a story and gameplay like mass effect for example. You don't need to spend every waking moment of your life in prayer and get rid of everything because god is a loving god. The interpretation most people have of god is a narcissistic one that created you for the sole purpose of spending every waking moment praising him. That is not the case. You cn have your faith, but use your god given nature to enjoy things
 
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