‘sinful’ music, tv, and movies

Discussion - Sin & Judgment

Hello everybody,

I am new to Christianity and still finding out my beliefs and hard limits on how to commit myself to Christ. One thing I am particularly struggling with is the types of secular media I enjoy.

For example, I love tv shows like ‘The Boys’ and horror movies. I love some (strong quote unquote) ‘violent rap’. I enjoy when people add shocking, and sometimes even disturbing, aspects to their art to provide commentary.

A lot of these things go against my Christian values. There is violence, gore, strong cussing, etc. Am I still able to enjoy these things while serving Christ?

Thank you!

in OpenChristianby erinaceousem

100%

Old_Science4946

Episcopalian

Does it prevent you from loving Christ and loving your neighbors?

erinaceousem

i would not say so. my morals are strong and i never condone the violence i see on screen. i don’t think it impacts how i treat others

Old_Science4946

Episcopalian

i think that’s your answer!

erinaceousem

thank you!!!

Inner_Sun_8191

This is a really simple and perfect answer!

TruthLiesand

Affirming Trans Parent

I wish more Christians would consume secular media. Secular media is usually a commentary of the real world. Especially the bad stuff that we should be working on. Perhaps some of these bubble dwelling Christians would realize that there are greater evils to worry about than what you're watching on TV.

MyUsername2459

Episcopalian, Nonbinary

I hate this idea that Christians should only somehow consume "Christian" media.

It honestly always felt to like a marketing gimmick, like some sort of hustle to get devout people to buy cheap low-quality entertainment media because they're told it's the only religiously acceptable option.

future_CTO

That’s their choice to consume “Christian media” and there’s nothing wrong with that.

MyUsername2459

Episcopalian, Nonbinary

I didn't say it wasn't.

When people act like it's somehow not Christian to not exclusively consume "Christian" media, that's when I object.

TruthLiesand

Affirming Trans Parent

For me, at least, it was never a choice.

future_CTO

Understandable

MagusFool

Trans Enby Episcopalian Communist

Romans 13

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”[a] and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[b] 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

And in Romans 14, Paul says that one Christian might observe the Holy Days, and another one treats every day the same. He advises only that both feel right about in their conscience, which is guided by the Holy Spirit, and that neither judge the other for their different way of practicing Christianity.

If the Fourth Commandment, of the 10 Commandments, repeated over and over again through out the Hebrew scriptures, is subject to the personal conscience of each Christian, then all of the law must be.

And certainly a matter which isn't even part of the law of the Torah is not more inviolable.

If you want to know the best way to commit yourself to Christ, it is this: Feed the hungry, house the homeless, visit the prisoner, welcome the foreigner. Love and serve those who are the lowest in society.

In Matthew 25, when Jesus tells a parable about the final judgement, he divides the whole world into sheep and goats by a single criterion. And it isn't their piety, or their sex lives, or even whether or not they call Jesus "Lord". They are judged solely on what they did for those who are in need and the lowest in earthly society.

erinaceousem

thank you so much. this offered me a lot of clarity - maybe i should just do what i think is right instead of worrying about if something is sin or not. i will keep these verses in mind 🫶

HermioneMarch

Christian

I read murder mysteries and listen to metal music. But I care for those around me and take time to center myself. The media I enjoy does not reflect my character. In fact, I think it might help to appease my “dark side” so that I can act more mentally healthy. I am not a fan of Christians who make arbitrary rules about what people should watch/read/listen to. I think that is about their own insecurities. Not about God.

TheTwenty20

-10

Burning In Hell Heretic :snoo_trollface:

I can't help feeling that saying you have to "appease your dark side” in order to "act more mentally healthy" feels the same way as saying men have to have unlimited access to corn and s3x in order not to r@pe women or p€dos should be allowed to possess Club Pinguin so they don't have to r@pe kids :/

Like, idk... Maybe you should crush your "dark side" and r@pey urges completely instead of "appeasing" them?

HermioneMarch

Christian

No, that’s not what I mean. I have always been attracted to gothic things— graveyards, missing persons, unsolved mysteries and felt a bit of an outsider. But the only person I’ve ever thought of harming is myself. I could no more crush my fascination than a person could be ungay. And I have no rapey urges, thank you.

TheTwenty20

-2

Burning In Hell Heretic :snoo_trollface:

I don't know... if you treat real deaths and missing people as funny stories, it's kind of disrespectful to the victims

HermioneMarch

Christian

Did I say I found them funny?

TheTwenty20

-1

Burning In Hell Heretic :snoo_trollface:

Okay, I'll say it in another way.

If you treat real deaths and missing people as an entertainment, it's kind of disrespectful to the victims.

erinaceousem

if we do not learn about real tragedies in the world who will pray for them? how will we learn to prevent them? when i do consume ‘true crime’ it’s always done with the upmost respect for the victim and with the intention to honor their life and story. otherwise, they might be forgotten. and if they are forgotten, more people may suffer from the same hands

TheTwenty20

Burning In Hell Heretic :snoo_trollface:

I 100% agree with you and I actually see nothing wrong with what you said, but I'm not talking about those cases when it's actually made with respect for the victim.

There's true crime content that treats each of those stories as just another opportunity to make a funny story out of someone's suffering. And what I hate the most is the fact that the murderer (perpetrator) is often in the spotlight (and no one else). IMO, it's just going to make a new batch of people drooling over murderers who post tiktoks glorifying them.

Again, I see nothing wrong with the type of true crime stories you mentioned, but quite a few of them are pretty disrespectful and that's what bothers me

HermioneMarch

Christian

I agree that a lot of true crime is disrespectful. But I feel like you are judging me based on a perhaps poorly worded comment. I grew up loving ghost stories and Edgar Allen Poe and when a kid from my class disappeared I was convinced he had been transported back in time. That is what I mean by morbid fascinations. Yes, I do occasionally read or listen to true crime, but in many cases the journalists who investigated those crimes actually got the case reopened and the culprit punished. I do not think my morbid fascinations make me any less of a Christian, and if you do, please keep that to yourself.

erinaceousem

that makes sense :) things like those netflix documentaries are weirddd, and i think you’d find that a lot of people agree.

if you ever wanted to check out true crime that focuses on the life and legacy of the victim, i recommend the podcast ‘rotten mango’!

thank you for sharing and sorry for misunderstanding!

nineteenthly

Those are not things which are in any way problematic.

Uncynical_Diogenes

LGBT Flag

Nouns cannot be sinful that’s just silly.

Actions and choices can have bad consequences. But things? Things simply exist.

AJayayayay

This is going to sound ridiculous, but at the height of my apologetic phase, christian metal/metalcore was super popular. While I definitely listened to a lot of stuff, I also listened to aggressively anti religious music because 1.I love the sound 2. wanted to challenge the idea of what they were saying as a test to my own faith 3. wanted to challenge if Christian marketing was diluting music (sometimes it did, but some was still good. ).

Ultimately, secular joy is not a problem imo. I care about my faith, even after enjoying stuff and don't turn things into an idol or allow them to promote harmful behavior.

But to add to that, what makes cussing bad? I think violence is inherent in reality and we should not be shy from that reality but want to heal others from it. Alot of rap is exploring the experience or perspective of some people's lives sometimes which definitely can be violent, but I think their story would still be important to tell. And horror creates strong stories that delve into the depths of our souls (or just fun with heightening our senses, not everything has to be pretentious lol). The Boys IMO is a very good political show that gets into a lot of neat topics without feeling preachy.

erinaceousem

i find i totally agree with you, especially your last paragraph. that is exactly what i love about ‘violent’ media. i think i just let the conservatives get me down lol - thank you for your response!

future_CTO

I’m an avid comic reader and comic book movie watcher, but there are certain shows and movies that I do refuse to watch. Same with music. I listen to the lyrics to see if I should really be listening to them or not.

If I find that certain shows or movies are disrespectful to God or my faith in anyway, I will not watch it. Deadpool & Wolverine is a good example, Deadpool says a few things in the trailer that I will be praying about and using discernment to determine if I should watch it or not.

It’s all about your faith and beliefs. If you feel that you shouldn’t watch or listen to something, then don’t.

mtteoftn

Agnostic

I'd honestly wonder why you like violent media so much in the first place, not because it's related to your god but because of God's purpose is to love others, then enjoying content that purposefully harms people might be considered against it.

But if you have your morals and ground steady and strong, and you know how to 100% differentiate the violent media you consume from your actual values and moral real life implications, then I don't think it's wrong. I also think most people enjoy violent media at some grade.

erinaceousem

i guess i kinda made it sound like violet media is the only stuff i enjoy hah! i just love stories and delving into the deeper meanings behind things. i do not enjoy violence for violences sake - i enjoy when it is used tastefully for story telling.

take a movie like ‘texas chainsaw massacre’. it has violence, but it’s used way to talk about the treatment of those with disabilities, the struggles of the rural lower class, and survival. a movie like ‘the human centipede’, however, i’d argue is just violence for shock value.

seeing people get hurt absolutely makes me cringe and i will never condone somebody who cause harm to others. if i do, i’ll readdress my morals. thank you for your response!

Of_Monads_and_Nomads

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart, having been raised Catholic (now EO though ) and coming into my own as goth in my teen years, especially the music!

For the most part, this is a question only you and your spiritual coach can answer. Just because art portrays violence doesn’t mean it’s advocating it, but sometimes it is. Nudity and intimate scenes don’t automatically mean they’re being prurient, but sometimes they are.

The important question is: when you listen to violent lyrics, are you vicariously partaking In some kind of sadism? Or is it teaching you a sense of your mortality and compassion for victims, and for the suffering that one must be reacting to in becoming violent ? Do racy scenes drive you untoward sexual thoughts or do you just let them pass?

It’s about the effect these things have on your psyche personally, and you staying mindful of that

-WhoWasOnceDelight

This just seems like an apt place to bring up one of my favorite teeshirts, which says, "I <3 Jesus and that one part in the music video "Montero" by Lil Nas X when he gets nasty with the devil because it was a cool form of self-expression and art."

It gets nothing but weird looks (Maybe because I am a middle aged white woman?), but I love it and how well it covers my feelings about "Sinful Media." I grew up believing that I had probably committed the 'unpardonable sin' TWICE. Once for seeing the movie Dracula and once for listening to a Billy Joel cassette.

Competitive_Net_8115

I watch all kinds of movies but I realize that what a movie is presenting is not reality and therefore, I don't live out what that movie is showing. Deadpool, for example. I'm not gonna go out and kill a bunch of people just because I saw Deadpool doing it. Another LDS friend of mine is a big fan of Deadpool but he doesn't act out what the character does. At the end of the day, it's the indevgial's choice what they should or shouldn't watch. When it comes to PG-13 or R-rated movies and kids, I feel that falls on the parents to decide what their kids should or shouldn't be watching. I listen to all kinds of music and I'm still a Christan. I feel as long as you don't become obsessed with it or let rule your life or obsess over the lyrics, then you're good. If you hear a song you don't like, don't listen to it. You can't force people to see things the way you do and you can't force them to behave the way you want them to. That's not how the world works.