Can a Christian Have Worldly Hobbies?

[Nick343]

That's a good answer

 

[tanakh]

Having a creative Hobby can combine a persons leisure interest with practical Christian service to their community. In Acts Dorcus made clothes for hers.

 

[p_rehbein]

Worldly Hobbies that are public.....provides a Christian with the opportunity to witness to others who may be engaged in the same Hobby........yes......a Christian can have such a Hobby

 

[Nehemiah6]

Worldly Hobbies that are public.....

The meaning of "worldly" is that which is conforms to the world rather than Christ. So whether public or private it would make no difference. Worldly Christians would be following the ways of the world, not the ways of God.

 

[graceNpeace]

I do a lot of photography, almost exclusively outdoor.
Even if the things of God are not explicitly on my mind, almost without exception, any photography excursion will remind me of God and how unbelievably extraordinary creation really is...

 

[OneFaith]

Can a Christian Have Worldly Hobbies?​

Can modern day Christians have worldly hobbies like making model vehicles, playing golf, riding off road vehicles, hunting,playing video games,sports, watching movies or T.v,ext.
Here are some questions i would like answered regarding this question.

1. Does the bible say we cant do anything other than worship and praise him?
2. Is having a hobby of the world a sin?
3. Should Christians have hobbies at all?

These are just some standard questions i came up with but feel free to give a answer as you see fit.
My Opinion:
I think that it's o'k to have a hobby if your a Christian. As long as you aren't giving more time to your hobby than to God because once you start to do that your hobby becomes your false idol and as we know God is a Jealous God he does not want to share you he wants you all to himself and if this happens your hobby becomes a sin and you need to repent and turn from it or ask god for the power to control your urges to play golf all the time, or play video games or watch movies and tv all the time and if you cant overcome it you need to stop your hobby altogether. We also have to realize that we live in a time of technology and to be honest there are lots of cool and fun things to do out there it's nothing like the time era the bible was written in it's much different. We also have to pick our hobbies carefully because if we know our hobby might cause us to sin than it's best not to do it, a perfect example would be watching a movie and seeing a love scene and then you want to go out and fornicate or commit adultery, so if you know you like to watch movies and tv for fun but you cant control your sexual urges than stay away from movies and tv with that stuff in it and if you cant you need to stop your hobby altogether.
Here are some verses that talk about hobbies in a sense:
1 Corinthians 10:31
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
1 John 2:15-17
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Psalms 101:1-5
A Psalm of David. I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O LORD, will I sing.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

These are just some verses on how the bible view the things of the world also keep in mind back then mostly everything was evil that the world had to offer there where very few hobbies to do back then as today there are so many of them.
You don't have to necessarily answer using scripture as scripture doesn't talk to much about this subject so your free to just give a personal opinion.
Amen and God Bless you All in Jesus name

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of Jesus Christ.”

”Whatever is praiseworthy in any way- think on such things.”

 

[p_rehbein]

I do a lot of photography, almost exclusively outdoor.
Even if the things of God are not explicitly on my mind, almost without exception, any photography excursion will remind me of God and how unbelievably extraordinary creation really is...

I love the beauty of His Creations.....half of the time I am fishing, I am actually enjoying the beauty of the place where I am fishing, and snapping pics on my flip phone.......yup.....still got the Star Treck Model

 

[FlSnookman7]

Job 12:7-11
7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?
10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
11 Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?

Whenever I am able to fish or dive or just watch a sunrise God's hand is evident.

 

[Johnny_B]

Yes they can, the question is when does it become a problem? When it becomes an idol in our lives, when it satisifies the heart more then the Lord or we look to it to satisfiy the heart more then the Lord.

 

[Didymous]

A wise woman I know said that instead of worrying about being conformed to the world(or things of the world), she chose to conform things to Christ. She was a Baptist when I knew her. One of my pentecostal friends also subscribed to this line of thinking. As an example, he watched a movie in which Kevin Costner was a coast guard rescue swimmer, and likened him to a Christian witnessing to the lost. Don't know if this helps, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

[Depleted]

I wouldn't think going to a movie would be a hobby. Hobbies are some things that take your time over a period of your life. Things like sports card collecting, video game playing, kite flying, &c. I see nothing wrong with hobbies, as long as they don't engulf your life.

I see lots of problems with kite flying.
1. It can only be done on clear breezy days.
2. Can't be done easily if you live in the city.
3. Very frustrating.
4. Kind of boring once you get the kite up.
5. Waaaaayyyyy too much running involved.

Yeah, lots of problems with kite flying.

 

[Depleted]

Amen, also that is just my opinion i didn't answer my own question i just gave you my opinion before hand that's all as this question is not directed at me but is here for all Christians to come across if they want to hear the opinions of other Christians regarding this subject.

Kind of thinking, it is sad that Christians worry about if hobbies are bad or good. To what purpose?

Better to look the part, than be the part?

 

[Depleted]

A fundamentalist.

As for the OP the time we spent on certain things does not necessarily make them more important to us than God. Our full time jobs for instance.

I would hope God is in the mix, no matter what we're doing.

I'm sure I wasn't actively thinking of him when I was tabulating a sheet of numbers, but I knew "give unto Caesar, what is due." Either the numbers were calculated right or they weren't, so I kept at it until I knew they were.

I wasn't actively thinking of him, when I was weeding around a Holiday Inn, but I was admiring the plants he has given us to enjoy. I knew dandelions were a weed, but they were pretty, even as I yanked them out.

And, I'm sure I was thinking of him when the door bell, yet again, rang at 3 AM, and I knew it was a cop bringing one of our escaped boys back to the group home. (More of a "Oh, come on, Lord! Really would like a full night of sleep." but I was thinking of him. lol)

As for hobbies?

I come on here where folks are supposedly talking about the Lord, but find out we're talking hobbies instead. But, somewhere before I leave here, someone else will be reminded of the Lord, somehow, some way, and be comforted.

And I may not be thinking about the Lord when cleaning up the garden before gardening season starts, but I will be amused by something he did during the winter. Usually along the lines of "How does this blow into our yard, when it's surrounded so closely by 2 story houses jammed packed together like this?" or "How did he create birds just so a bunch of them can poop all over our eating table? There's nothing to eat here, and it's meshed, so stinks as a shelter, so what did he program into birds to know, 'Ah, human table. Let us use it as our bathroom.'?"

And I am infinitely amused that God put it into some humans mind that if he/she combed straight wool, and then twirled it, it produce something that can be used to make clothes. And then how to make something out of that long string, with just hands and one curved-end (crochet) needle. And then how to make that one ball of wool into a sheet of material. And then he got someone so into it, that person wrote out the directions and published it so other people can make the same thing. Or... even better, take that thought and turn it into our own creation. (I'm almost done making a bag so we can take stuff outside onto the bird's bathroom table. lol)

And words! I may not be thinking of God when I write, but I do admire that he talked a bunch of people into creating words, even a whole language, alphabet included, so we can communicate with something as silly as a black Logitech keyboard to share with people thousands of miles away by another invention he talked Man into creating -- the Internet.

And through this same keyboard, I can write long tales about teddy bears getting the short end of the stick, all because God empowered us through words.

So, not always thinking of God, but always enjoying what he has given. He's in the mix, no matter what I'm doing -- hobby or work.

 

[Depleted]

Onion flavored circled chips. Oh wait, that's Funyons.

#oops

#ahgreatnowcravingFunyons

 

[Depleted]

No need for any accusations or false assumptions. Totally unwarranted, please avoid doing this from now on.

Nothing left for 777 to say, if he starts avoiding false assumptions.

 

[Depleted]

My hobbies are fishing and diving and my mind is much more focused on God when I am fishing or diving than at almost any other time.

I don't know about diving, but fishing? Sure. Let's face it, most of fishing is waiting around for the fish to take the bait, so lots of time to enjoy the view, and thank the Lord for time spent doing nothing, until a fish gets hungry. lol

(I miss fishing.)

 

[Depleted]

I personally believe that the term fundamentalist is often misused to the point of being a misnomer; and is often confounded with legalism.

To me, the book of Romans is a detailed statement of the fundamentals of Christianity. It is a very anti-legalistic message!!

The legalism of what calls itself fundamentalism is in my opinion legalism NOT fundamentalism.

I'm sure no fundamentalist would call me a Fundamentalist because, I see this as the core of Fundamentalism:

Rom 14:4-10
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
KJV

and BY THAT STANDARD, I am indeed a fundamentalist and they are NOT.

Kind of the problem with the word. Everyone thinks they're fundamentalists, therefore it's lost its meaning.

 

[Depleted]

My hobbies include gardening, and I eat year round from my vegetable gardening, playing flute, and I play in our worship team at church, bicycling (Hoping I will get back on it, soon!) and reading and studying the Bible.

Oh, and grandchildren. And studying languages, I’ve been really working hard on studying German this year. And I need to get my French back up, a bit!

CC is probably my worst addiction, thinking I need to take a break for a while!

Grandchildren is a hobby?

And yet, beautiful description too. Think about it. Hobbies are fun things we do until real life need to be dealt with, so grandchildren fit, because grandparents can return them when they have to get back at life.

The beauty of grandmother over mother. lol

 

[preacher4truth]

I personally believe that the term fundamentalist is often misused to the point of being a misnomer; and is often confounded with legalism.

To me, the book of Romans is a detailed statement of the fundamentals of Christianity. It is a very anti-legalistic message!!

The legalism of what calls itself fundamentalism is in my opinion legalism NOT fundamentalism.

I'm sure no fundamentalist would call me a Fundamentalist because, I see this as the core of Fundamentalism:

Rom 14:4-10
4 Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
10 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
KJV

and BY THAT STANDARD, I am indeed a fundamentalist and they are NOT.

I personally associate true fundamentalism with The Fundamentals and adherence to them in spite of liberal theology, higher criticism.

But this doesn't erase the fact there are other "tenets" of fundamentalism, regionally, and sporadically throughout our nation.

For instance I am from the Eastern US and none of the following had a thing to do with our being "fundy" back then nor would it effect our stance or cause us to sway into so-called legalism. When we moved to the Midwest fundamentalists identified themselves as those who do not believe in going to movies, dancing, women wearing pants, consuming alcohol, while also practicing secondary separation, being "local church" and some of these go as far as to say they who will use nothing but the KJB, as all other translations are "Satanic." Yes, they adhered to The Fundamentals, but, it didn't end there.

 

[Nick343]

Amen great answer