Problem!

[Nataku]

Well hello again my friends. Those who know of my problem as of late (check welcome thread and my testimonie) my g/f and I agree on 2 things now 1 Jesus all the way 2 we love each other no matter what, and now for the problems God has told me to live with undying faith for him and I do my g/f agree's with that. And then if I start to talk about games and anime as how I dont see them as wrong she says Im wrong and its a door way to evil and thats why its messing up things with her family and us. I dont see how we could just place all our blames and something not living. What she tells me she says it is what God told her, and I tell her what God told me (check my testimonie) now were both confused as to how can God both tell us something different. Ya know I know hey I could be wrong she could be wrong no one knows who's right. I know how I feel and what I believe, God has given us so many choices in life to make. I dont know if what I have (ps2, computer, etc) is a gift from God, Satan trying to turn me evil, or just something I bought from my own choice. I dont go around saying everything is evil, in the bible it says to stay away from all worldly things, someone tell me what you think. In the bible it says to use our gifts from God, so pretty much anyone doing other wise is wrong. The bible says to keep your house clean and other stuff like that that the bible says, it confuses me because some people say this others say this and I say what I say. None of us know who's right or wrong I dont, I just know how I feel thats all.....anyways once again give me some advice here I could use some.

[ClosetOtaku]

It sounds to me like this is a case of "meat sacrificed to idols".

In Christ, we have perfect freedom to do as the Spirit guides us. If your conscience is clear on things like anime and games, that is fine -- but understand there are other people whose conscience may not be clear. That is fine too.

Now, the real question is, would you be willing to give up your games and your anime in order that there be no stumbling block between you and your girlfriend?

I would use extreme caution in the employment of the phrase "God told me". I've been around a long while, and almost inevitably when I hear somebody use these words, the result (sometimes years down the line) is disaster. Maybe the person truly believed God told them that, but more often than not it was something they "wanted" to hear, and God probably had little to do with it. I find God "speaks" to us through circumstances more than whispering in our ear (see the many examples in Acts, where God arranges things to happen, thus teaching the apostles -- yes, there is the occasional vision like the one given to Peter, but these are pretty rare.)

Anyways, meat sacrificed to idols. Some Christians can accept it, other Christians cannot. Both are legitimate. If it is a stumbling block, scripture is clear: remove the source of contention, God calls us to live in peace. If that is more than you can bear, perhaps it is time to reconsider your priorities in your relationship. But if you do decide to give up games or anime for your girlfriend, you must do so on your own volition -- freely, without reservation, as if it were your idea -- or else you will plant a seed of resentment that will be a mighty weed years from now.

Just my opinion; I'm interested in seeing what other folks have to say.

[Nataku]

I do understand what you mean by its fine with what you believe, I respect and love her for her beliefs but I dont believe that God wants us to tell everyone how to live there lives, he wants to tell them how great he is and how much he loves us, not to tell them "Your wrong in playing games and watching movies and listening to seculure music"

And I felt something this past monday (read my testimonie) I believe it, do I feel it was God, yes I do but the thing that everyone hates but is true, No one ever truly knows the truth heh ^^6

[Nataku]

Another thing what am I suppose to do when she uses the bible against me saying well the bible says to correct those who are wrong and such. She always brings up the bible to justify herself which is fine the bible is the bible no one can go against it but what am I suppose to say to that....*sigh* advice plz

[ClosetOtaku]

I understand and agree (in a general sense) with your statement that God doesn't want to micromanage our lives -- that He wants to give us freedom to choose things that please us and Him -- but He's also put down the groundwork on what to do if two believers have conflicting views on something. See 1 Cor 8.

Therefore, be careful in the exercising of your "freedom". Paul said he'd rather give up eating meat entirely than to cause it to be a stumbling block for his brother.

[Swordguy]

this is the verse closet was talking about with the meat.

Romans 14:19Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. 20Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. 21It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall.
22So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

i will have to say that most people try to justify the sin or wrong thig they are doing. alot of the time if we truly listen to the spirit he will show us our faults.

once again keep this in prayer always

[Nataku]

THANK U!!!! ClosetOtaku 1 Cor 8 does answer me. I know my time on this earth is precious I love games and anime but I cant waste my time on them when I have so much to do, I cant argue with my love for we both know what is most important and that is Jesus Christ the holy Spirit our God. I will coninue to do what I feel is right play games watch anime or whatever I will live my life the best way I can with all my faith in my God and no one else. Thank u ClosetOtaku.

Thank u as well SwordGuy thank you both ^^

[Azier the Swordsman]

To say that anime or video games are evil is an oxymoron.

Think of it this way: What if someone claimed that all books were bad, this would be untrue, because God's Holy Word is in a book, The Bible. But, you still couldn't say that books are good either, because their is so much literary garbage floating around out there. (Even more so in our modern period.) The same applies to all forms of entertainment. Not all games or anime are going to be good, but neither are all games or anime going to be bad.

[Nataku]

But what is your definition for bad and good. final fantasy=good GTA=bad?
Thats how I feel about it. but also what does everyone have to say about, to stay away from worldly things, my g/f's church says that anything not holy is worldly. I believe anything that this world tells us that try's to distroy our faith is worldly. What do you guys think?

[Azier the Swordsman]

I didn't give any examples because it pretty much differs from Christian to Christian. It's the 'food sacrificed to idols' thing that was mentioned before.

The best thing to do is to pray and see what the Lord convicts you personally about.

If it contains a stumbling block to you personally, than avoid it. You should not take a fat person on a diet into a candy store, nor should you take a recovering shopaholic to the mall.

An ex-pornagraphy addict should not view forms of entertainment which titillate his desire.


I play Final Fantasy, but it is not a stumbling block to me becuase the 'magic' element is unrealistic and does not entice me to the occult. I will not, however, play any game invloving the use of 'real' magic, or with heavy occultic overtones.

I don't play GTA because, for one, it's a game that condones commiting illegal crimes, and two, from what I understand, it has strong language and sexual overtones, two things I try to avoid as much as possible in movies, games, books, anime, ect.

My personal opinon, though, doesn't neccesarily mean it's a sin to play GTA, or that anyone who plays it is not right with God.

EDIT: There have been times when God HAS convicted my heart about certain games. If this happens, it's best to obey God and give it up ASAP. I speak from experience, and you will feel a whole lot better for doing so.

[panegryst]

But what is your definition for bad and good. final fantasy=good GTA=bad?
Thats how I feel about it. but also what does everyone have to say about, to stay away from worldly things, my g/f's church says that anything not holy is worldly.

Do the people in your g/f's church have jobs? houses? these things are secular, right? We, as Christians, are called to enjoy the good things of the world, because they are gifts from God. To imagine that worldly = evil is a fallacy. Jesus ate worldly food and slept in a worldly bed. Instead of rejecting all worldly gifts out of fear or over-zealousness, we ought to thank God for the good things that are to be found in even such a sinful place as our world. However, as was already mentioned, if a worldly thing should lead you or another into sin, you ought to abandon it for the greater good of preventing sin.

[Nataku]

Very true panegryst very true. I think the way you do with the gifts from God. Its simple as we all have said if you feel it destroy's your faith dont do it. I feel GTA just isnt right. With a game like Halo though it doesnt bother me because your killing aliens and its all futuristic fiction, when I frag my buds we all just laugh, none of us would do that to each other in real life. Knowing what is real and not is a key to understand, but if one feels doubt or bad in what he does or see dont do it.

[Fireproof]

GTA was metioned here. That game just isn't right. They should take all the copies of it, break them to bits, feed the bits to goats, burn the goats' feces and scatter the ashes of it to the winds! You can see that I feel pretty strongly about GTA being NOT GOOD. I feel the same way as you do about Halo. It's futuristic fiction, adn over half the time you're killing aliens. Even if it's multiplayer, you're never killing maliciously, because it's just a game. In GTA, you're being jsut evil, by shooting random people and hijacking vehicles. EVIL GAME! EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL! I knwo we all have an urge to be reckless and blow stuff u every now and then, but GTA is set in such a realistic setting, that it makes it very wrong to play. Also, video games themselves aren't bad. Some video games are bad. The exact same goes for books and anime and movies and TV and cats and frogs and waffles and golfclubs and sidewalks and ice cream and pencils and... Got a little carried away there. But anyways, none of the things you mentioned before is bad itself, some crazy folk just make it that way. Will you help me catrue all those crazy folk and put them in a state of suspended animation and leave them there? I've captured five or six already. XD Also, panegryst's post was truthery.

So, to summarize, be thankful for the good things you have, and no they're not all bad, burn every copy of GTA and join me in capturing the crazy folk who make things like GTA!

[Yojimbo]

GTA was metioned here. That game just isn't right. They should take all the copies of it, break them to bits, feed the bits to goats, burn the goats' feces and scatter the ashes of it to the winds! You can see that I feel pretty strongly about GTA being NOT GOOD. I feel the same way as you do about Halo. It's futuristic fiction, adn over half the time you're killing aliens. Even if it's multiplayer, you're never killing maliciously, because it's just a game. In GTA, you're being jsut evil, by shooting random people and hijacking vehicles. EVIL GAME! EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL EVIL! I knwo we all have an urge to be reckless and blow stuff u every now and then, but GTA is set in such a realistic setting, that it makes it very wrong to play. Also, video games themselves aren't bad. Some video games are bad. The exact same goes for books and anime and movies and TV and cats and frogs and waffles and golfclubs and sidewalks and ice cream and pencils and... Got a little carried away there. But anyways, none of the things you mentioned before is bad itself, some crazy folk just make it that way. Will you help me catrue all those crazy folk and put them in a state of suspended animation and leave them there? I've captured five or six already. XD Also, panegryst's post was truthery.

So, to summarize, be thankful for the good things you have, and no they're not all bad, burn every copy of GTA and join me in capturing the crazy folk who make things like GTA!

Well you're contradicting yourself. In one sentence you're saying games are not inherently bad and then in the next sentence you're saying GTA is evil. I don't think the game is realistic at all it's very over the top on the contrary. The cartoony graphics are there to not be confused with a real setting. You don't actually have to kill anyone in GTA. As I've said before in a previous post you can drive around all day doing the speed limit and not hurt anyone. It's all how you actually play the game.

[Archan]

First off,
I'd like to say hi to Nataku, being I don't recall formerly meeting you, and it's just nice to be polite sometimes. So HI!

Also, I searched high and low, but I couldn't find the thread you were talking about. Also, there are just throusands of threads at this forum, so it would probably be best to post a link to the thread to garantee people will read it. but i mayself couldn't find it, so if things here dont' apply, just dismiss them if you wish.

Next off, I have both agreements and disagreements. Being I'm a artist, and generally like to consider myself a open minded person (This may not be true, but I can dream right? ) when it comes to secular issues and the whole (TV and Games are evil) thing, this is mainly my own take on it.

Like some people have said, anything can be used of the devil, but that doesn't mean it's pimary purpose was evil.

A car isn't evil, but it can be used to murder or comitt crimes.

A gun or any weapon past or present isn't evil, it's how we use them that deterimines their purpose.

Books in general aren't evil, until someone uses the tool or writing to publish porn or satanist material as well as withcraft.

Many things can be used as evil, but that doesn't mean the tools used for evil should be stereotyped as such. If the general argument between yourself and your girlfriend is computers and technology in general, I would have to disagree with computers and such as being evil. The same computers and servers that provide online forums (such as this one) as well as web sites and missionary work as well as help put together resgistration for conventions and host websites for christians, also provide porn and other such material. Does this mean the computer itself is evil?

Nope, it's the persons free will the decides if he-she will use their tools (in this case the computer) for good or evil.

In the case of games, and anime, the same applies. Which also means that I don't think Fireproof is being contradicting. There are good games, and there are bad games. As for if they are evil to each person personally, it depends on what they subject themselves to and what they use to influence themselves. A person can play Sonic the Hedgehog or Ninja tutles or Mario Brothers, Pacman even and be perfectly fine with such simple entertainment. Oooorrrrrr, a person can play other games which might contain a very very very high amount of witchcraft or nudity and such, and not be so fine.

Anime is the same thing, there is bad anime and good anime. In fact, for a short time there was actual existing christian anime such as Superbook and the flying house, even kimba the white lion. But because they were anime, does this make them evil?

Better yet, the Bible itself contains war, death, execution, rape, incest, refrences to beastiality, and includes cannibalism as well as the end of the world, does this make it evil????

As far as secular music and such, it's funny when this is brought up because alot of christian music today is influenced by secular music and artist. christians who sing R&B are influenced by artist such as BB King, The Bopper and other artist, none which were very much christian but were clubbers (Went to night clubs), the same goes for Rock and Roll, blues, Country, any nuber of music which were founded by artist such as Rickie Valence, Chuck Berry, James Brown, Little richard and so one, which weren't nor are the best of christian rolemodels but influence christian music to this day.

Does this make christian music of today evil?

Just some thoughts to ponder on. But to just summerize this post of mine before it gets too long, I think the definition of evil media when it comes to such broad medias such as games and TV and computers isn't solved by just banning the mediums as a whole. But actually getting dirty and getting out there to find out what IS evil and what IS good, and how either (God can use anything to complete his will, no matter how obscure it may seem, he used Saul or Tarsus, he used a dog, a donkey, and even the presence of demons all for HIS glory) can be used for the greater glory of God.

In the end, I think that should be the main concern, what your watching and playing; how can it be used for HIS glory.

I think I've talked enough.
God Bless,
Archan