Is it a sin to take part in entertainment?

[derpytia]

I recently learned that sexually explicit, violent and any kind of immoral entertainment is a sin. But what about entertainment itself? It is secular, so I'm wondering if it is bad to take part in all forms of entertainment.

I say it depends on how weak or strong you are in some areas (which is nothing to be ashamed of. We ALL are weak and strong in various areas of our life). Some forms of entertainment can be a source of temptation for a 'weak' person (in that area) if that makes sense. So in order to deal with sin as strongly as Jesus commands, it may be that some forms of entertainment you should avoid. If you can watch a certain tv show that has some amount of violence in it and you feel tempted to do violence or to start acting in any way contrary to what God wants then I would say, don't watch it anymore. But if you can watch it and not be tempted then you should be fine (but still be wary).

 

[Radrook]

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But...I can't see Jesus doing anything anybody does nowadays in the modern world. Except pray. But if all you do is pray then you will be homeless or living off somebody. (Which I don't think God would want that either.)

So while you shouldn't do any explicitly sinful activities, I think moderation is key.

Well, I personally can definitely see Jesus using the Internet to preach the Gospel, reading the Bible online, driving a car to get to where he will give a sermon, going to a wedding and paying for the wine as a gift, volunteering at a hospital, watching up building Christian films such as the Ten Commandments, singing Christian songs, playing classical soothing music on a musical instrument such as a harp, piano or guitar, working as a carpenter with modern tools, laughing at some clean humor, reading Christian poetry, writing healthful poetry, going on a camping trip with friends, playing with and taking care of pets, painting a landscape scenery and many other things that we do today.

BTW

Of course fanatical application of any principle biblical or not can do more harm than good.

We could wind up practically burying ourselves alive like on some isolated mountaintop monastery striving might and main to EARN salvation when Earning salvation is impossible.

Or we can get to the point of being so peace-loving and non-aggressive that we become a veritable target practice or punching bag for the Devil minions either at school or at the job.

Or we might wind up old and alone because of being too scrupulously meticulous in whom we will marry.

There are many, many ways that we can take Bible principles and sever our own throat by taking their applications to an unnecessary extreme.

That's why we are specifically advised against it:

Ecclesiastes 7:16 ►
New International Version
Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise-- why destroy yourself?

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

No offense but I find Passion of the Christ satanic.

What about it is satanic?

 

[Lybrah]

I recently learned that sexually explicit, violent and any kind of immoral entertainment is a sin. But what about entertainment itself? It is secular, so I'm wondering if it is bad to take part in all forms of entertainment.

My problem is that I love vampire movies and tv shows. I know it is just a show and I don't take it seriously, knowing that it is fake. I really love this one show and I want to see what happens! I don't want to stop watching it!

 

[RaymondG]

My problem is that I love vampire movies and tv shows. I know it is just a show and I don't take it seriously, knowing that it is fake. I really love this one show and I want to see what happens! I don't want to stop watching it!

Unless you start feeling the urge to bite people or drink blood or not going to the temple so you can watch, I don't see a problem...

 

[Radrook]

Unless you start feeling the urge to bite people or drink blood or ado going to the temple so you can watch, I don't see a problem...

Paul would say the opposite.

Colossians 3:2 ►
New International Version
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

Philippians 4:8 ►
New International Version
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

 

[RaymondG]

Paul would say the opposite.

What would setting your mind on things and thinking about good things have to do with looking at a show?

 

[Jesus4Ever]

What about it is satanic?

...They use shock-value and glorify the horrifying death of Christ. It almost seems like torture inappropriate content in a way.

 

[EatingPie]

Paul would say the opposite.

I'm not sure how what Paul says in Col 3:2 and Phil 4:8 contradict what RaymondG said, can you explain?

-Pie

 

[Radrook]

What would setting your mind on things and thinking about good things have to do with looking at a show?

That depends on the kind of show we are looking at. If the things depicted are essentially evil, such as drinking of human blood, then we are not heeding the advice to avoid such things.

Especially if the thing being shown is described as detestablt to God in the Bible.

Leviticus 17:10
'And any man from the house of Israel, or from the aliens who sojourn among them, who eats any blood, I will set My face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people

Not just under the Law but Christians as well:

Acts 15:20
Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.

That alone should be enough to tell us that a Christian should not consider it just harmless entertainment.

 

[Radrook]

I'm not sure how what Paul says in Col 3:2 and Phil 4:8 contradict what RaymondG said, can you explain?

-Pie

I'm not sure how I can simply such straightforward scriptures.

So I guess if you can't see how they contradict what he said, then I guess you are free to kick back and watch vampire films for entertainment with a perfectly clear conscience.

 

[RaymondG]

That depends on the kind of show we are looking at. If the things depicted are essentially evil, such as drinking of human blood, then we are not heeding the advice to avoid such things.

Especially if the thing being shown is described as detestablt to God in the Bible.



Not just under the Law but Christians as well:



That alone should be enough to tell us that a Christian should not consider it just harmless entertainment.

You are right, I find drinking blood detestable as well. And I would not do it. But these shows are fake.....They are not really drinking blood.... and I am not tempted to drink blood just because a see someone pretending to drink tomato juice. If you feel lead to drink blood after watching fiction, I agree you should not watch it....But I dont think everyone is tempted the same way, so there is no blanket rule here.

Im not moved to judge everything i see as either right and wrong either.... Im moved to love...not to judge. When God found me, I dropped my stones on the spot.....I refuse to go back and pick them up. But you dont need me anyway, there are more than enough stone throwers here.

 

[Radrook]

...They use shock-value and glorify the horrifying death of Christ. It almost seems like torture inappropriate content in a way.

Some sensitive people in the movie audience became ill from watching it.

 

[Jesus4Ever]

Some sensitive people in the movie audience became ill from watching it.

Exactly! Why would a "Holy movie" cause sch ill feelings? I haven't watched it but just watching the review from nostalgiacritic was enough to make me cringe...and he didn't like that movie either.

 

[Radrook]

You are right, I find drinking blood detestable as well. And I would not do it. But these shows are fake.....They are not really drinking blood.... and I am not tempted to drink blood just because a see someone pretending to drink tomato juice. If you feel lead to drink blood after watching fiction, I agree you should not watch it....But I dont think everyone is tempted the same way, so there is no blanket rule here.

Im not moved to judge everything i see as either right and wrong either.... Im moved to love...not to judge. When God found me, I dropped my stones on the spot.....I refuse to go back and pick them up. But you dont need me anyway, there are more than enough stone throwers here.

Yikes! Your gripe is with the apostle Paul not me.

 

[Radrook]

Exactly! Why would a "Holy movie" cause sch ill feelings? I haven't watched it but just watching the review from nostalgiacritic was enough to make me cringe...and he didn't like that movie either.

I warned my late mother not to watch it. She insisted and right in the middle of the seemingly unending flogging when the bones of his ribs began to show she broke down weeping and I had to turn it off. Totally unnecessary! Mel Gibson has a tendency to take things to extremes.

 

[RaymondG]

I never claimed that the movie is wrong to watch because it tempts people to drink blood. That is your idea as are the ideas of judging and stoning. I merely pointed out that Paul would disagree with your choice of entertainment and provided the scriptures involved. Then you took umbrage and accused me, a sinner just like everyone else, of judging self-righteously and stoning you instead of showing me how the scriptures don't apply. Another person chose to claim blindness and total incomprehension. Which makes me wonder why not simply say that you folks don't agree without resorting to Unchristian insults and deceitful posturing?

I was talking about myself. I am against myself judging. Im not thinking about whether you do it or not....and I would not find fault in you if you chose to. I see nothing wrong in the watching of a show....That is just my opinion. And Im ok with you finding me un-christian. May God bless you.

 

[Radrook]

I was talking about myself. I am against myself judging. Im not thinking about whether you do it or not....and I would not find fault in you if you chose to. I see nothing wrong in the watching of a show....That is just my opinion. And Im ok with you finding me un-christian. May God bless you.

My apologies for misunderstanding. I suddenly realized it and erased it but not in time.

God bless as well!

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

...They use shock-value and glorify the horrifying death of Christ. It almost seems like torture inappropriate content in a way.

Crucifixion was something truly shocking. It was a thing that even Roman writers had trouble describing or speaking about because it was such a horrific way to die. I think depicting that, like depicting other evils suffered by people in explicit detail can have extraordinary value, particularly to the Christian in order to understand just how much Christ suffered for our sakes. In that way the film acts as a realistic icon as opposed to the caricatures we can see depicted in other media which downplay the severity of what Christ went through.

Shock value or explicitness in content is not necessarily a bad thing, depending on the purpose.

 

[aiki]

You are right, I find drinking blood detestable as well. And I would not do it. But these shows are fake.....They are not really drinking blood.... and I am not tempted to drink blood just because a see someone pretending to drink tomato juice. If you feel lead to drink blood after watching fiction, I agree you should not watch it....But I dont think everyone is tempted the same way, so there is no blanket rule here.

So, would you watch an adult actor pretend to rape a little child actor? It's just fiction. No one is really raping a child; they're just pretending. And, surely, no one watching such a thing would be tempted to do likewise. Watching it happen in pretend, therefore, is okay? Really? I think not. I use this horrible and extreme example to make the point that an evil thing is an evil thing whether or not it is real or a fiction. The standard for watching what is evil isn't whether or not a person is tempted by it, but whether or not it honors God. Do undead vampires feeding on the blood of others honor God? Is it honoring to our holy God to entertain oneself with such unholy things? It seems to me very evident that it is not honoring - at all.

Ephesians 5:8-12
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.

Selah.