Hi everyone! I haven't been on in a very long time! I am now living on my own in an apartment in the city of Charlottetown, PEI Canada. I am going to start going to church more regularly.
So i have a few questions about the faith.
First, is it okay if I read Stephen King novels?
Second, can I play video games like Fallout 3 or GTA 5?
Third, what kind of music should I avoid? (I have stopped listening to Marilyn Manson and the like)
Fourth, what kind of music should I embrace? (I do like some Skillet and Red and Demon Hunter)
Fifth, what books should I avoid, and what books should I embrace?
Anyway, sorry for all the questions, it's just that my faith is growing and I just need some direction.
Thanks a lot people! Have a blessed day!
I read Stephen King novels. It's called imagination. Stories, especially fairy stories and myths (which includes science fiction, ghost stories, and the like) are always spiritually significant. You have a monster -- this is the sinful nature in all human beings, we all have a monster inside of us. And you have characters that resist the monster, almost alway driving it away or destroying it. These protagonists, these heros, are also part of us, the part that is in the image of God.
Stephen King's novels are all about the moral fight of good against evil. Although his characters are complex and less than idealistic (he has more than a few characters who are lapsed Christians) it is just as true that secular critics have problem's with him citing God's words.
Here is a fabulous Catholic website that promotes Stephen King as the last writer of Christian morality plays.
Stephen King: Best-Selling Author, Horror Novelist—and Christian Moralist? – Catholic World Report
As to music and games to play, ask yourself one simple question: is this building me up or is it tearing me down? If you try to be honest with yourself you will know the answer. Signs that something is tearing you down are:
- if it presents moral abominations as something the GOOD GUY does.
- if it speaks of women or ethnic groups in demeaning ways
- if it does not have a good moral resolution to a crisis.
- if it has you in first person committing crimes and atrocities. (It's okay to kill the bad guy, but if you are stealing cars and raping women, that's a whole other story.)
A good musician that I recommend is the Christian composer and lead guitarist Kerry Livgren. His music is deeply spiritual, both before he became a Christian (as part of the group Kansas) and after he became a Christian (when he formed the Christian rock group AD). I'm picky--I don't settle for second rate Christian music.
I'm not sure if this is a concern for you, but I don't worry about magic in the alternative worlds of fiction. It's called fiction for a reason. If the good guy is doing magic, it's usually because it's something like they were born with the natural talent for it (Harry Potter) or they are a being of God (Gandalf the Wizard was an angel). None of these present devil worship of any sort, unless it is the bad guy who is defeated--as it should be.
