Our culture is always coming up with new forms of evil to draw people away from God and His values.
In the last decade, we've seen books, television shows, and movies glorify things that God condemns (e.g. Shades of Grey, Game of Thrones).
Graphic depictions of sex and excessive violence have become incredibly popular with our fallen world.
But I'm deeply concerned that these types of pornography (yes, pornography) also have a following among some professing Christians.
1. We'd be better off gouging out our eyes than participating in the lust these shows inspire (Psalm 101:3; Matthew 5:28-29)!
2. Things we read, hear, and watch affect our hearts and minds (Proverbs 4:23, Romans 12:2, 2 Corinthians 10:5, and Philippians 4:8; Does Media Violence Lead to the Real Thing?).
3. Some forms of entertainment are actually idolatry (1 Corinthians 6:17-18).
4. We should be ashamed to watch anything that emphasizes and glorifies evil (Ephesians 5:1-17).
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I encourage you to do a short Bible study on this devotion. Today's Bite Size Study has additional insights and full-text Scriptures for your careful study.
Even if you haven't watched Game of Thrones or Shades of Grey, the principles in the following articles apply to other shows, movies, and books: I Don't Understand Christians Watching the Game of Thrones and 12 Questions to Ask Before you Watch the Game of Thrones.
Image: Creative Commons
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I'm amazed that this particular devotion did not have any comments associated with it. Were there responses too inappropriate to share?
ReplyDeleteHi Manny,
DeleteI'm also surprised there were no comments. I did get quite a bit of discussion in the Bible Love Notes' Facebook Discussion Group about this devotion. But I didn't get any on this post besides yours.
I typically publish comments even if they disagree unless they use cuss words or are exceptionally rude.
I have to admit I struggled with my thoughts after reading this devotion. I watched this show for quite some time but stopped watching about 18 months ago. The reason for my stopping is another story, it had nothing to do with my christian faith or my identity in Christ at the time. I still have 3 seasons to watch to get to the end of the story but I have not been in a hurry to jump back into it. Where I struggle with this devotion is that I don't view the show as pornography. Yes there are sexually explicit scenes and I cringe at those parts - I definitley did not look on them with approval. My opinion is that the sexually explicit content is a very small part of the whole story and not the primary reason for watching it. Could I have been doing kingdom honoring work in place of sitting on the couch watching GOT? Of course but I am still human and struggling through my humanity, like being lazy and escaping life through entertainment. I guess my point is that the question you ask "should a christian watch it?" is a deep and personal question between God and the individual where His grace washes us clean and where his mercy and compassion are never ending. By no means am I saying we should indulge in our freedom and if we are watching something like GOT it is good to question why. For me it comes down to a complex and intriguing story of power and destiny complimented by treachery and deception. The same themes we find between the books of Genesis through Revelation.
DeleteHi Manny,
DeleteI appreciate your honesty.
But I think you might misunderstand the concept of guarding your heart.
Many years ago when I was doing foster care, I was required to attend different teaching conferences. I attended a seminar on child abuse, and it featured videos and pictures of children being abused. No one at the seminar was viewing these images and listening to these tapes thinking that child abuse was a good thing. We were all looking at it with sadness and disgust.
But those images and voices are a permanent part of my mind. After the conference I realized that I didn't need to see and hear those things, nor did I even need graphic details to help the little girl in my home who had been sexually abused. It might be necessary for health care professionals to understand a child's wounds or for court officials to convict child-abusers. But these details were not necessary for me to know. I had a group of friends praying afterward so I could get past the way those things affected my heart. I never told any of my friends or even my husband the things I'd seen and heard because I knew that discussing them would make them even more permanent in my mind.(Ephesians 5:12) I will never be free of those horrible memories, but the Lord Jesus has freed me from the terrible pain they brought my heart. I would never again voluntarily view those type of things.
Game of Thrones has graphic scenes of children being burned at the stake as well as graphic images of rape and extreme violence. Your heart is being changed by these things, whether you realize it or not. And the fact that you voluntarily watch them for entertainment takes you way past my involvement with this child-abuse seminar.
There are millions of other things you could watch and you have chosen to watch this show. You are not watching it for professional reasons to help someone. You are watching it for fun. That is a type of approval even if you don't agree with children being burned at the stake or women being raped.
Please click the link "Does Media Violence Lead to the Real Thing?" in the devotion above. No matter what you think, studies show that you are being changed by the things you watch. And God's Word confirms that.
In addition, if we genuinely want to draw closer to the Lord, we shouldn't be asking if our activities are harmful. We should be asking if they are beneficial.
Please read through the Scriptures linked in this devotion. You will realize that we cannot excuse such evil entertainment and still believe what these passages teach.
Thanks again for your honesty. I'm sure you've voiced some things that others are thinking. I pray you and others will seek God's answers in this important area.
God bless you.
Gail I am sorry for what you experienced at the seminar. That was real-life trauma for the victims and those who witnessed it. However GOT is fiction, my mind knows that the graphic images are not real. Watching real-life events like that would be horrifying. I have read through the scriptures in your post and they don't speak to me in the same way they speak to you.
ReplyDeleteI don't approve of real-life violence.
If watching GOT is considered taking part in what faithless ppl do the I have fallen short of the glory of God.
I do not look at the women portrayed in GOT with lust in my eyea.
The Lord is my strength and my shield.
Though an army beseige me my heart will not fear. Though war break out against me, eben then I will be confident. (from Psalms)
When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior my mind was made new, my old self was put off and I continue to be renewed. His will be done, not mine.
My thoughts are offered up to the Lord daily, made captive and surrendered to Him.
I meditate on the beauty of God's creation and His word daily.
I belong to a bible centered church. I am surrounded by brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ that walk alongside me and I am called to discipleship with a group of men that gather together regularly.
I decided not to comment on Ephesians 5:1-17 because ny life is adequately reflected in all the above.
Gail please know that I really do respect your view on this topic. You are doing good work with this blog. I wouldnt be here if there wasn't something to be learned from the way you share God's word. I am a sinner and I will always fall short of the glory of God so by no means do I have all the answers or have it all together. Is GOT offensive and despicable? My opinion is that it affects different people differently. My life experience has not been the same as yours. The place I was in when I was saved was not the same place as you were in. But the good news is that God so loved all of us He gave His only son to rescue all of us.
God bless you,
Manny
Thanks for so politely sharing your disagreement.
ReplyDeleteI always appreciate when Christians can disagree graciously.
God bless you.
I agree that these types of programmes, basically all television and movies as I've come to realise is depicting violence, sex, alcohol and drug use, lying, adultery, the list goes on. I used to love watching movies, but have recently come to realise that is love for the world, which we are instructed not to have, so I'm now inspired to stop, but still tempted by some programs on occasion, just sticking to scripture and Christian based YouTube videos. Thank you for these Bible love notes, I look forward to reading them. Love and blessings.😁❤️🙏🏾
ReplyDeleteNever having watched Game of Thrones, I can't really comment about its content, but the sheer adulation it has received is enough to put me off it. And now that you have made the content known, I know I will never watch it. However I really enjoy detective programs like Father Brown and Midsomer Murders - neither of which have any explicit sex or bad language, and while there is violence, good always wins over evil. I also find police forensic programs really interesting - having been a science teacher using a curriculum which included some basic forensic work contributed to this interest. However, I am finding that because many of the modern programs contain appalling language and illicit sex I am watching fewer and fewer of these programs. And these days so many programs have the obligatory gay person - while I realise that the violence which has been perpetrated against gays in the past is wrong, I find it absolutely unnecessary that homosexuality is treated as if it is a normal way of life. It is a pity that these trends are spoiling what possibly would be an enjoyable program otherwise.
ReplyDeleteThank you Gail for these pertinent Bible studies - I am finding them an excellent complement to the studies I do through my church.
i agree with Unknown, if dont watch rubbish - my body is the temple of God, would He want to watch?
DeleteGail, you are an amazing disciple, thank you for your wisdom God has blessed you with to reach out to our rotting blind, deaf & dumb world so that it grabs us and makes us walk the walk, talk the talk, to be the change, in a large crowd of witnesses..Hebrews 11
Hello there! Thank God for this article.
ReplyDeleteI was watching GOT too. But after the 4 season,I started asking myself some questions: "what are they (the people behind the movie) trying to sell?" Incest, debauchery, witchraft, idolatry,... The list of evil depicyo in the movie is long! So I just stopped! I tried getting back, but just lost interest! I was glad when the last season failed to satisfy the followers. I think it is a message from God! I pray more believers would come to the realisation that we need to becareful what we allow into our mind!
Your right it's sin, scripture sure is clear! I have watched some things with conviction, knowing that what I'm doing is wrong, ignoring it, and rationalizing it away, sigh. I think we pay for it in spiritual dryness. thank God for his conviction and growth in grace. Thank you for standing firm ❤️
ReplyDelete