Is acceptable for a Christian to watch the entertainment that shows magicians conducting magic?

[JohnD]

On 5/23/2021 at 10:34 AM, David1701 said:

Meat is morally neutral: witchcraft is not...

Meat in the market place in Paul's day was mostly from animals sacrificed to pagan gods.

Are you so sure of your comment now?

The OP was not about participating in witchcraft but in even watching a movie(s) about it.

Paul also went on to explain that it was not unlawful to eat meat purchased in the marketplace that was sacrificed to idols...

Edited May 25, 2021 by JohnD

[JohnD]

To fully divest one's self from all anti-God spiritual and ritualistic practices

one would essentially have to stop breathing. But that's not what God had in

mind by saving us and keeping us here beyond the point of conversion.  Wed are

here to carry out a duty-bound mission (hence why we are all priests of God who

are in Christ). ← Revelation 1:6 / Revelation 5:10 / 1 Peter 2:3-9

King David, a man after God's own heart is a perfect example in so many ways...

he trusted God above all else. Like Abraham who believed God above all else.

It's not about living the perfect life but in believing and trusting God.

YES always strive with the goal of doing good at heart

YES YES YES...

BUT!

We are fallen sin natured human beings  in a fallen world who are new creations

in Christ meaning: we are forgiven, we are heaven bound, we have the Holy Spirit

IN us whom we can choose to follow.

The Bible says we who remain alive will be changed. Not on;ly from temporal to eternal

but from corruptible to incorruptible... 

HUH???

Most have misinterpreted 2 Corinthians 5:17 to say we are already changed in these ways.

Not true. In fact, this misinterpretation itself dooms the believer to many a pitfall which

could have been avoided had they known they still have a sin nature that needs to be kept

in check. Disciplined, etc.

But even then... being a new creation / creature in Christ guarantees eternal security (1 Corinthians 5:5)

You may, can, will wreck and ruin your life and that of others in this life with sin... but your salvation is eternally

secure because it is not in your hands or mine. It never was (Ephesians 2:8-10). Only in God's hands (John 10:27-29).

Believe God (John 3:16-18).

Trust God (Hebrews 11:1-39).

As I have said previously, a pristine sin-free world was in Eden. We've not been in Eden in thousands of years.

Pagan things we are desensitized to include:

Avatars (the movie and personal ID's used online)

Icons  (used online)

Idols (devoted to celebrities even penned as idol worship)

The months if the year pagan named after pagans and pagan emperors

The days of the week named after false gods

When you claim to swear by something... you are swearing by your god... "he swears by Mayflower van lines from all the good service..."

Knock wood... Druid paganism

Archie Bunker used to say when frustrated "Awww JEEZ... " ← short for JEE-SUS

I could go on and on, suffice it to say the Law itself was given to PROVE we cannot keep it (the tenets of God's righteousness) even in minimal ways...

Galatians 3:24–29 (NASB95)
24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

1 Corinthians 6:9–12 (NASB95)
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,
10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Corinthians 10:23 (NASB95)
23 All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

Again (as I stated in the original response to this thread) this does not mean throw all restraint to the wind.

If watching Harry Potter is a sin TO YOU then it is a sin.  It is unprofitable and will master you in ways you cannot imagine... same ting is true about lust, gambling, drinking alcohol, doing drugs, even eating meat...

Paul also mentions to be mindful of the weaker brother who might be offended by OUR liberty in Christ (better never to eat meat or drink wine ever again in their presence).

So I write this not to make anyone go against their conscience. God forbid!

Only to make you aware that these things are true and if / when you are tempted to judge another BELIEVER by YOUR convictions...

 Romans 14:4 (NASB95)
4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

 

 

 

[David1701]

16 hours ago, JohnD said:

Meat in the market place in Paul's day was mostly from animals sacrificed to pagan gods.

Are you so sure of your comment now?

I knew that already; and, yes, I'm sure of my comment; in fact, the whole point of Paul's argument about eating or not eating meat was that meat is morally neutral.  The other aspects of the argument (meat eating) are about the conscience, not about the meat itself.

Witchcraft is morally evil, no matter what your conscience might tell you, so your comparison is completely inappropriate.  Do you honestly not see that?

The point is that watching witchcraft (or reading about it) for entertainment, is deliberately imbibing evil.  It has moral and spiritual content that is anti-God.  This is nothing like eating meat, which is just physical substance, with no moral content.

Edited May 25, 2021 by David1701

[Starise]

Everything worldly is a potential door the christian could enter to become influenced by.

Awhile back I would scan programs on the radio and I might stop on a secular song briefly that has a bad message in it. My mind doesn't immediately register that the message is bad because my brain is simply listening to the music part of the song. Since I have the audible equivalent of a photographic memory two days later that message is floating around in my brain if the melody was catchy. 

I think the same sort of thing applies to what we feed our other senses too. Suggestion  is really all the devil needs sometimes to get his foot in the door. If you pry the door open and you think you smell apple pie you might want to open the door all the way only to find the pie was laced with cyanide.

Salesmen begin the sale soft and built to the sale later. This is the same way I have seen the appeals to our flesh develop over time. Through suggestion we gradually let down our guard. The flesh is already there, all the devil needs to do is bring it out. The spiritual man will try to avoid anything that he knows can be a sinful rabbit hole. 

You might say, how could something like Harry Potter be a danger? Maybe for you it isn't. For another it might be that door that was cracked ajar just a bit. Repeated suggestibility over time changes views, even in Christians. This is what I think is behind most TV in general. Slow suggestibility over time breaks us down until what we might have rejected 5 years ago we now no longer see as dangerous. We might even accept it.

I was once heavily involved in TV. My Sunday afternoons would consist of a movie. For about the last year I have moved away from it and I honestly don't miss any of it. Not that I still don't occasionally watch something. I don't remember the last time I did or what I watched. I think we need to be careful we are not being influenced. It can creep in ever so deceptive and seem ok on the surface. A TV hammering away with suggestions about what's ok can become like a very corrupt electronic parent baby sitting us on junk food.

 

 

[Still Alive]

What about The Expanse?

[Starise]

10 minutes ago, Still Alive said:

What about The Expanse?

I need to get out of here for today so that one is probably too big for me to tackle in 5 minutes. Knowing me, it's probably too big to tackle period no matter how much time you give me.

[Sower]

On 5/22/2021 at 9:58 AM, johnthebaptist said:

What is mantra?

In actuality, a demonic name, Hindu gods.
My wife and I, pre salvation,  took a course in Transcendental Meditation back in early 70's. It was advertised to the general public, executives and managers, etc. to enable a more clear thinking, memory, chill out and improving your life quality etc.
The meditation part required each student to repeat a 'mantra' over and over, which was supposed to 'relax' us, improving our consecration. Just prior to finishing the course which required kneeling and repeating your mantra, my discernment kicked in and I said adios. My first 'known' demonic deception.....
And a waste of money.
I have heard the 'mantra' name I was given to use in the course spoken on TV and a movie or two, over the years. Very subtle. More eastern new age.

[Still Alive]

16 hours ago, Starise said:

I need to get out of here for today so that one is probably too big for me to tackle in 5 minutes. Knowing me, it's probably too big to tackle period no matter how much time you give me.

My wife and I have not had TV since 1997, but we got a smart TV a couple of years ago and discovered streaming (we already had an Amazon Prime account for purchases). During bad weather we did some binge watching. We got hooked on two shows: Monk and Burn Notice. The challenge with burn notice was all the quick vignettes of women in skimpy bikinis. between dialogue. But we're adults (we're both 67) and just ignore that. We know why it's there. We love the stories.

Same with Monk, sans the half naked women.

But I got hooked on The Expanse (it ended in three seasons and then just became an episodic bad science fiction show) and she got hooked on "This is us", and still is. 

Oh, and Futurama was simply amazing for me. My wife wasn't interested.

On a side note. We were watching an episode of Burn notice last week (We started it again from the beginning) and there was the standard, "rich bad guy's house with lots of women in bikinis lounging by the pool" and I said to my wife, "the lifestyle of those women (the characters in the show, that is) is the modern equivalent of the lifestyle of the women surrounding men like Solomon. Some things never change - at their core.

Edited May 26, 2021 by Still Alive

[Starise]

15 minutes ago, Still Alive said:

My wife and I have no hat TV since 1997, but we got a smart TV a couple of years ago and discovered streaming (we already had an Amazon Prime account for purchases). During bad weather we did some binge watching. We got hooked on two shows: Monk and Burn Notice. The challenge with burn notice was all the quick vignettes of women in skimpy bikinis. between dialogue. But we're adults (we're both 67) and just ignore that. We know why it's there. We love the stories.

Same with Monk, sans the half naked women.

But I got hooked on The Expanse (it ended in three seasons and then just became an episodic bad science fiction show) and she got hooked on "This is us", and still is. 

Oh, and Futurama was simply amazing for me. My wife wasn't interested.

On a side note. We were watching an episode of Burn notice last week (We started it again from the beginning) and there was the standard, "rich bad guy's house with lots of women in bikinis lounging by the pool" and I said to my wife, "the lifestyle of those women (the characters in the show, that is) is the modern equivalent of the lifestyle of the women surrounding men like Solomon. Some things never change - at their core.

Oh " This is Us Is" my Wife's favorite evening show. She's been following it for the last few years. 

I didn't know there was a sci fi called Expanse. When I watched TV more I would watch things my wife didn't like and she would watch things I didn't like. Sometimes I would sit there and endure her shows although " This Is Us " was ok. I can see why she likes the show. When she watches things I watch it lasts every bit of 15 minutes and she finds an excuse to exit stage left." I'm feeling sleepy, I think I'll go take a nap".

I have 4 tvs and all the cable stuff with an HD package movie channels etc. Netflix, Amazon Prime channels and there's still nothing to watch.  I am usually watching short videos on YouTube on my ipad in the evening. So far as the sexual stuff I even have to be careful there. YouTube is supposed to be monitored but some things slip through the cracks. I'm top heavy on all of the channels and services for what I actually watch. Some of it comes with the packages so it's already included and cutting it out wouldn't save a bundle. Amazon Prime movies come as a part of my Prime membership. Netflix is owned by Comcast so it fits well into the remote commands and menus and is only something like 8 or 10 dollars a month. We keep that because it has all of the shows my wife likes to watch going back for the whole series. I will probably watch more in the winter when the weather outside is bad. Then there are all of those internet TV streams like Hulu and similar.Tons of programming but nothing worth seeing.

The one thing I took note of in all of those TV  services is all of the low grade horror flicks out there. I mean I could watch  10 horror movies every day and still never see all of them in a year. Most of them get low ratings. I am not interested in horror any more as it is. Maybe occasionally as in once a year I'll see what's there and I MIGHT try one. TBH though most of them are evil and downright sadistic. Who wants to see someone cut up with blood spurting everywhere? Really? No thanks. Why are there like 5000 movies like this out there?

SciFi once held my interest. Lately it hasn't because many of the movies have become more like horror movies( with language and sex added)and less like traveling and exploring.

If you notice "they" or whoever is in charge of the programming tend to make sure they add sex in one form or another and maybe bring in that same sex partner eventually. Behavior patterns are "acted" but young minds see it as actual human interaction. They cherry pick behaviors to emphasize. Their brain washing is working.

The occult figures into much more of it than I think many people realize because the occult often hides things in plain sight. Symbols, words, etc. These things are sometimes seen in sitcoms not just horror movies. When was the last time someone in a sitcom said " Praise Jesus" and wasn't made out to be a looney bin?

 

[Still Alive]

3 minutes ago, Starise said:

Oh " This is Us Is" my Wife's favorite evening show. She's been following it for the last few years. 

I didn't know there was a sci fi called Expanse. When I watched TV more I would watch things my wife didn't like and she would watch things I didn't like. Sometimes I would sit there and endure her shows although " This Is Us " was ok. I can see why she likes the show. When she watches things I watch it lasts every bit of 15 minutes and she finds an excuse to exit stage left." I'm feeling sleepy, I think I'll go take a nap".

I have 4 tvs and all the cable stuff with an HD package movie channels etc. Netflix, Amazon Prime channels and there's still nothing to watch.  I am usually watching short videos on YouTube on my ipad in the evening. So far as the sexual stuff I even have to be careful there. YouTube is supposed to be monitored but some things slip through the cracks. I'm top heavy on all of the channels and services for what I actually watch. Some of it comes with the packages so it's already included and cutting it out wouldn't save a bundle. Amazon Prime movies come as a part of my Prime membership. Netflix is owned by Comcast so it fits well into the remote commands and menus and is only something like 8 or 10 dollars a month. We keep that because it has all of the shows my wife likes to watch going back for the whole series. I will probably watch more in the winter when the weather outside is bad. Then there are all of those internet TV streams like Hulu and similar.Tons of programming but nothing worth seeing.

The one thing I took note of in all of those TV  services is all of the low grade horror flicks out there. I mean I could watch  10 horror movies every day and still never see all of them in a year. Most of them get low ratings. I am not interested in horror any more as it is. Maybe occasionally as in once a year I'll see what's there and I MIGHT try one. TBH though most of them are evil and downright sadistic. Who wants to see someone cut up with blood spurting everywhere? Really? No thanks. Why are there like 5000 movies like this out there?

SciFi once held my interest. Lately it hasn't because many of the movies have become more like horror movies( with language and sex added)and less like traveling and exploring.

If you notice "they" or whoever is in charge of the programming tend to make sure they add sex in one form or another and maybe bring in that same sex partner eventually. Behavior patterns are "acted" but young minds see it as actual human interaction. They cherry pick behaviors to emphasize. Their brain washing is working.

The occult figures into much more of it than I think many people realize because the occult often hides things in plain sight. Symbols, words, etc. These things are sometimes seen in sitcoms not just horror movies. When was the last time someone in a sitcom said " Praise Jesus" and wasn't made out to be a looney bin?

 

You and I have gone down a similar path as we age, regarding this stuff. I've found that my favorite stuff to watch is documentaries. I don't have to suspend disbelief because it's real. And then there is YOUTUBE. I became addicted to dash cam videos and even started getting into watching pedestrians being maimed and killed. But my motivation was, quite literally, training. That is, once you watch a few of those videos, whether on foot or in your car, you'll never blindly cross a street at a traffic light when you have the right of way. You'll STILL look both ways. And you'll always be watching for other drivers to do something stupid. Frankly, that saved my life twice while motorcycling on the freeway, and several times while bicycle commuting in Seattle. 

BTW, we only pay for prime. We are on our kids Netflix and Hulu accounts. My wife likes Last Man Standing, but she won't go back to that until she burns through "this is us". 

Regarding This is Us, I watched for a while, but I kept commenting on some of the stupid stuff in the show and it was ruining my wife's viewing experience, so I stopped watching it. And yeah, she's not going to watch The Expanse with me. Not happening.

 

BTW, what got me interested in the expanse was reviewers saying it was the most realistic space battles of any science fiction. And lastly, I saw the original Star Wars 27 times in the theater. It blew me away. I lost interest after the first prequil, and the last three have been absolute trash. I doubt I'll even watch any others that came out. This goes back to my comment about documentaries. I have lost interest in the characters in these movies. I don't care if they are looking for a mcmuffin to find a secret path to a planet. It no longer interests me. It's fake.