A VERY different world!

Chapel · Sep 3, 2014

This is not relivant to the salvation of one's soul; but I thought it would be kind of cool/fun to see people's opinion on this.

***

My brother was visiting yesterday, and knows that I am working to strengthen my relationship with The Lord. I found him looking at my old CD collection; a lot of Rock, some Pop, R&B, Hip Hop. He looked up ts me with a devilish grin and said, "well; since you're going to be all 'holy holy' now...that means I can have your music right? Christians don't listen to this kind of stuff".

And later on that night while we were watching my FAVORITE movie of all time (Seven)...he jokingly nudged me, winked and said, "you know 'Christians' aren't supposed to watch this kind if stuff...right?", then he chuckled.

He was just playing around with me, but it really got me thinking about all the things that not only I, but people around the world love. Christians always say that God made us all unique, that God does not want "robots"...one if the greatest things in life is people's individuality and creativity.

How much individuality, creativity, uniqueness would there be in the world if everything revolved around religion?

Every song, every movie, every food dish, every style of clothing, every invention...everything...would be the same.

There would be no action/adventure without the explosions and guns blazing, because of the violence. No horror/suspense...no Sci-fi with aliens and star ships...no Captain Kirk...(gasp)...NOOOOOOOO!!!! No Jedi, no Ninja Turtles (smile), no Superman, no Batman...or all the comic book characters we love; because none if this glorifies God.

No Shakespearian tragedies, no Edgar Alan Poe, no magic or Houdini...no works of self-expression. No love songs or romance novels with delightfully devious characters, because love outside of marriage would be frowned upon. There would be no side-splitting comedy because people like Richard Prier, Bill Cosby, even Robin Williams would not be allowed to exist due to some of their crudeness. GREAT rock bands like AC/DC, KISS, Queen, etc. would not exist...because their music does not glorify The Lord.

I named only a few things and a few people...but the list of things...GOOD, creative things...in our world that do not glorify God goes on and on and on. The types of cars we drive, the types of foods we eat, the types of jobs we work, classic art...

So

I am BEGGING for some honest answers; not sanctimonious rants.

What is your opinion on this?

blue_ladybug · Sep 3, 2014

Chapel said:

Tell your brother that YES (some) christians do listen to secular music, and some christians do watch movies such as Seven or the Harry Potter movies. Tell him NO he cannot have your stuff now, lol!!

Not ALL secular music is glorifying, but neither is some so-called christian music either. It's all in what the lyrics are about. Songs such as "Enter Sandman" by AC/DC (I think) is obviously a dark song, whereas "Earth Song" by Michael Jackson is talking about the earth and how we need to start treating it better. I listen to secular music everyday. I do not listen to such bands as Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, etc. I do listen to alot of 80's music though, the majority of which is Beach Boys and Michael Jackson.

You're right. If every movie, song, etc etc were the same, there would be zero creativity and individualism in the works of entainment that exist today. Most of the movies on tv are carbon copies of each other, pretty much same movie, but different script and slightly different concept.

inthewind · Sep 3, 2014

Well as the saying goes you can't take it with you - there won't be any carry over of things when there is a new heaven and a new earth. Many of us have earthly things we cling to in some manner. It is simple enough to prioritize the physical things according to a needs value but the thoughts and....emotions that become associated with things can get clingy. In the scheme of things, depending on your version of what the scheme of things is, is ggggrandmothers lock of hair, Albert Einstein, the Three Stooges, my little pony, 6. Ode. Arthur O'Shaughnessy. Modern British Poetry ( Hey this is a great poem but) going to make a difference ....or not.

Simona25 · Sep 3, 2014

Chapel said:

It is thanks to God that people are creative and unique because He put in us the thirst for Him. I believe every true artistic expression is a search for God, or, if not for God, at least, a search for a meaning. I am also thankful to the ancient religious men because it is thanks to them that I can enjoy holidays for they have invented the calendars (to separate the sacred time from the profane time), it is thanks to them that we have tools of orientating in the space (for the space can also be sacred or profane), it is thanks to them that every people have a culture (the expression of their beliefs) and the culture doesn't nullify the person, but allows her to express artistically.

So, I would say exactly the opposite: where would be all the artistic expression if everything didn't revolve around religion and God? We would probably have a dry world like that from the book Brave New World or from the book 1984.

Also, in christianity, abstinence (probably this is what your friend was referring when he was censuring you from watching movies and listening to music) is nothing but the basic step. Abstinence is not a purpose in itself, it is not THE purpose of christianity. In my faith, the purpose of abstinence is the cleansing of passions (which are considered to be the prolonged form of sin, a state of unholiness), the acquirement of the virtues from the Holy Spirit and the participation in the Life of the Holy Trinity; this process is called theosis and this is what salvation means for us: sharing of the Life of the Holy Trinity, progressing infinitely in their love.

Christ' purpose was not to make us robots, but to save us from death and restore us to our initial glory (in the Garden Eden) and even more than that, to unite with us and elevate us even higher than we were in the Garden Eden. Like I said before, the perfection of ourselves is an infinite process, it continues even in the New Earth and the New Heaven. The work of the Holy Spirit is dynamic, not static.

So, the mystery of theosis (sanctification, deification) is a proof that the path of a christian doesn't stop in a certain point from where he admires with satisfaction his achievement and that's it. No, the progress of a christian continues even in the after life.

Joidevivre · Sep 3, 2014

I love it all (anything that does not corrupt my thinking). I love the things that make me laugh, the things that are beautiful, the things that help me understand the world today, the things that are useful and even the things that are senseless. WE are the ones who are supposed to glorify God, not the things of the world. And as long as those things do not come between my relationship with God, I am sure he is fine with my enjoying the things of this world.

Even Jesus took bread and wine (substance of the world) to use it to be his body and blood in communion.

Ugly · Sep 3, 2014

Bear in mind, all of these 'fun' things we enjoy, even as Christians, that don't glorify God are only 'fun' because we still live in a sinful body and still struggle with sinful minds. Ask yourself if you think a sinless Christ would find amusement in the things many Christians find entertaining. If we fully grasped the wrongness of sin, as God is capable of. But because we are still struggling with sin and feeling the pull of it on us daily, we accept a level of sin in our lives.
But once we are taken out of this sinful state and made 100% pure and holy in all aspects will we still look at things that go against being holy as entertaining and fun?
But as one day being removed from sin perhaps we will see things as creative and fun that don't require sin. Because, in essence, what you're saying is 'sin is fun'. And, sadly to say, yes, there is some truth to that. haha. At least for now while we're still trapped in our sinful state.
I think of it like this. I've never been drunk. I tell a person who likes to party and drink and they think 'how boring'. Or that i don't 'like to have fun' (yes i've had people tell me this multiple times). They are so accustomed to needing alcohol to have fun, they can't fathom having fun without it. But as a person who has never been drunk i can find ways of having fun without needing to drink. Think of the alcohol as sin in general.

And something doesn't really have to be 'spiritual' in nature to glorify God. God tells us to work at our jobs as if we're working for Him, in a manner of speaking. So though we may have a fully unspiritual job, if we perform our best at that job we still bring glory to God through our hard work. A painting doesn't have to reflect something sinful or spiritual to be good or for it to bring glory to God, as long as it's well made and that's the intent of the artist the subject matter is irrelevant.

Tinkerbell725 · Sep 3, 2014

In everything you do, do it for God' s glory. Yes its a very different world, but we can always choose to see things differently. You can always turn a secular song into a worship song. I particularly like the song If I aint got you and I have nothing. You can sing it for the Lord and see how it will change your perception. When I watch a movie, i dont just watch for entainment, I try to reflect and learn from it. All the good things are intended for God's glory but the devil is too good in twisting everything. This world is full of deceptions that's why we must be as wise as a serpent but gentle as a lamb.

sassylady · Sep 4, 2014

We all need to work out our own salvation, and if one person feels free to listen to or watch something secular, that's for them to decide. Others may not be able to. There are many things we can enjoy as long as we are not getting caught up in sin or putting something in our hearts and minds that destroys our relationship with the Lord. And as long as something is not an idol. Non Christians will always find that one thing they think a Christian should not do and single it out.

Jimbone · Sep 4, 2014

I've been thinking about this topic a lot lately, and the way I have come to think of it is that all of this stuff distracts us from God, all of it. I have only known the Lord for right at a year now (truly know, I, in my own misguided ignorance, called myself Christian for 5 years before I was truly regenerated and met Christ), but have made huge changes concerning these things. First I feel the TV is the most evil thing ever invented, spiritually and worldly wise, and has made generations of zombified, no imagination, Godless hordes of people completely OK with the world falling apart around us. Could it be used to glorify God, maybe but it's not, God doesn't make enough people rich to get airtime. Please don't use the TV evangelist with their fake gospel's as an example of something good on TV. Leading people to hell under Gods name isn't good.
What we as people put into our minds whether it's movie's, music, games, shows, or whatever does matter, and has much bearing on how we think. If you are feeding yourself the messages these forms of entertainment on the scale that we do today it's going to have an effect undeniably. Not to mention the all out assault these forms of art have declared on God, and this isn't some hint of a man made conspiracy, this has to be from Satan, men couldn't make such a deeply ingrained attack on God into every aspect of our day to day lives like this on their own. It's also a very hard message for us to accept, that everything we've grown up to love, and been told is ok isn't at all ok. Unless it is to glorify God it's useless.
I have loved video games since the Atari 2600. That was my "escape" my whole life until I was 33 years old (reborn at 33, I always thought that was kind of cool). After I was reborn I tried to play once, I saw myself going around shooting people, blowing stuff up, stealing, it just wasn't the same anymore and to this day I haven't picked up another controller. Not because I decided they were evil or anything like that, I just had all new priorities for my time and video games no longer fit in it. Now it's the 4th week I've had no TV in my house and it's great, everything on TV is the same way, killing, fighting, lying, any sin you can thing of, and many you never did think of until you saw them. There are so many better ways to use the time we used to spent in front of the TV. My kids are more active and are more likely to want to do something more creative. Man son is already getting thinner, more motivated, and a higher sense of confidence, and is making cool stop motion videos with Legos. All this is new behavior and all in about 3 and a half weeks. Of course all that glory goes to God because He's the only reason I knew to do any of that, or even felt like spending that much time with my boys. This is all very contrary to what this world will tell us is ok, and just creative fun, and to the world God seems very boring no doubt, and judgmental, and irrational. But do you really think they crucified Jesus for being loving to all, or burned us at the stake for centuries for preaching acceptance to everything and everyone? If so you should rethink it. This message of Christ is NOT an easy one for this world, and is not one of human decision alone. You have to submit your life to Him fully and He supernaturally comes into you as the Holy Spirit regenerating you into a complete new creature that loves completely new things. The spirit fills you and helps you to see the difference between the things of the world and the things of God. Only through the guidance of the Holy Spirit can we even hope to combat or love of sin.
Please don't take me wrong, my personal case is extreme and my change nothing short of a modern day miracle to myself and those around me (my testimony is posted here, and long so be warned) and this is a walk with God and not an easy one to understand before this change (not trying to make assumptions about your spiritual status, was just making a general point to all that read this). It's only through having the one true living God literally living inside you through the absolute Truth of Jesus Christ that we have any hope as human beings period. All this stuff we've surrounded ourselves with and love so much is just is false idolatry, and we're raised from birth to think it's all ok, and if you even think there is a God at all society labels you as less intelligent at dismisses you off hand. That's how crazy it is now, and to be honest the world's always has been like this. Just think about it.

Search

A VERY different world!

Chapel

Guest

blue_ladybug

Senior Member

inthewind

Guest

Simona25

Banned

Joidevivre

Senior Member

Ugly

Guest

Tinkerbell725

Senior Member

sassylady

Guest

Jimbone

Senior Member