Are Horror Movies Okay for Christians to Watch?

Huh? Since when? Even if they have some truth as a backdrop, like Titanic, it's not 'presented' as if there was really a rich girl on board who spurned her mother and lived another 85 years under a different identity. And it was quite symbolic, too-- love is greater than money or class, the arrogance of man, the "heart of the ocean,"...

 

Hi, Jason.

Thank you for taking the time to put all of that together. I appreciate the fact that you tried to back it up with scripture.

For reasons I won't go into here, I disagree with the application you put to some of the verses you cited, but I do appreciate the effort you put into it.

 

Mike,

I think you said it for all of us.
Same here, Jason.

 

I personally don’t care for demon movies, i.e. the exorcist. But I am a big fan of well-made movies of most any genre. But the question is not so much what I like as it is should I as a Christian watch horror movies.

I see no real reason not to watch them other than they can make me have high electric bills because my wife will leave the lights on. (After we watched Cape Fear she had me go and check under the car, if you saw the movie you know why)

What’s next with this line of thought? We have covered should we listen to secular music, so....

Should we read books by non-Christian authors?

Should we eat pizza that was made by non-Christian cooks?

Buy gas from only Christian retailers?

One poster said it well; we are to be in the world but not of it.

IMHO one reason the world is not getting any better is because Christians are looking for ways to remove ourselves from positions of influence. If we are not a part of the world we live in how can we influence it for Christ.

By the way I have tickets for the cowboys and GIANTS game this weekend, do I need to check and see if any of the officials are believers? Is it ok for me to go? Am I still right with God while I hope with all my being that the Giants CRUSH that minor league team from big D!!!!!! :applause:

 

Along the same line of thought chuck2336 raised:

Should I quit my job because the company owner is a known atheist ?

Should I ask for a transfer to another team if I suspect my team leader is gay ?

Should I create my own phone script because I think the script we use is slightly lying ?

Should I hold my breathe because the air I'm breathing is the same air that the cussing foul mouth beside me is breathing ?

 

Set no wicked thing before our eyes.

I cannot express to you how this entire "imagery" world that we live in is destroying our minds and opening doors to demonic activity. It would be good for you to sit down and list all of the movies that you have watched with explicit, sensual material, violent acts of murder, brutality, and high levels of horror and fear.

God has not given to us a spirit of fear. We have been exhorted by God to set no wicked thing before our eyes. We all know that Philippians 4: 8 instructs us, "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

If you find yourself addicted to movies that are violating your spiritual conscience, the put the next movie to the test and count how many of the Ten Commandments are being broken in that movie. You will find that nearly every movie that has been out in the last five years breaks all of the Ten Commandments.

The Word of God tell us in II Corinthians 10:4-5 "(For the weapons of your warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

Notice the words that are used, such as: strongholds, imaginations, knowledge, and thoughts. All of these deal with the mind. Our minds operate on images. Imaginations come from images that we have allowed to enter our minds.

When we open doors to images that move our emotions in ways that are improper, images that stir sensual feelings that are out of bound, images that fill our hearts with fears and some that leave shocking feelings, these images are recorded in our memories.

These images that stir high levels of emotions, emotions of intense fear and sensuality outside the marriage boundaries, are leaving images in our minds that the Enemy later uses to haunt us with. The images of people involved physically on television will leave memories that you and I are not made to handle. The images must be dealt with and the source of these images must be cut off.

The average Christian man comes to our church services to worship the Lord and to hear the Word of God, but there is so much garbage in their minds, hearts, and emotions that they are strung out on things that have no eternal value. They then have no emotions left for the things of God; they have no feelings left for the Lord.

Images by the thousands, enter our minds each day. These images we cannot help but see. But many times these images are ones that they have made a choice to see. They have given the enemy permission to put these filthy images into their minds.

I hope that I can even find a broader brush, maybe even a sprayer to paint the filthy horror movies and many other types of movies as clearly as I can. I pray that people will heed the warnings from men like me, but most of all that they can heed the warnings of Scripture to set no wicked (horror movie) thing before their eyes. People are falling everyday from the images that they are forced to see. Don't play "Russian Roulette" with images that you choose to view.

Sincerely Your Friend and Servant,
Jason Derksen

 

A bit of an exaggeration don't you think?

 

Not at all. If you are honest, NEARLY all the movies coming out today do indeed break almost all of the Ten Commandments.

 

What does that even mean? Those in production positions of the movies break all the commandments in the making thereof? The actors? The behind-the-camera personnel? All? Or does it mean every movie features some character(s) who break all of them? That all of them are broken, not necessarily by the same character? Or the protagonist breaks all of them... or at least the 8 1/2 of them to which Christians are obligated?

 

Exactly - We shouldn't watch them then.

 

?? That's no answer to the questions.

 

I enjoyed the part you played in "Deliverance" as the banjo player.

 

Is your name Jo? That's the only reason I would play Ban Jo.

 

These movies are full of ungodliness and we, as Christians, should avoid them.

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

This passage teaches that there are some things that the grace of God teaches us.
1. It teaches us that we are to deny ungodliness.

• We are to deny it even if it is accepted at schools and universities. We spend an awful lot of our time in the hands of pagans. - The schools place their approval upon many things that are still not of God.
• We are to deny it even if they are set to music - TV or Radio. - the fact that they are set to music or illustrated does not make them godly. Any dead or dying fish can lie on his back and float downstream.
• We are to deny it, even if it is practiced by celebrities. The fact that certain actions are practiced by well-known people does not in any way mitigate ungodliness.
• We are to deny it , even if it is found in classic literature. The fact that a "classic" author wrote it does not make it any less godly. It is still dirty if it is dirty. It is still ungodly if it is ungodly. It is not better because it is found in classic art. You will find things at the Art Institute that God is not in.
• We are to deny it even if it approved by our friends.
• We are to deny it even if it practiced by "church people."
• We are to deny it even if they are defended by priests or pastors. There is probably not any sin that some priest or pastor will not come out in favor of. Shakespeare said - "The devil could always quote a verse for a purpose."

2. The Grace of God teaches us that we are live soberly, righteously, and godly "in this present world." Yes, we have to be in the world, but we can still live right while we are here.


This verse tells us how we are to live. We are to live in these three parts that make up the Three Dimensions of the Christian.

• Sobriety - the Self dimension - It has to do with our relationship to our self - Self-control. - Christianity as it relates to me. We cannot watch something that will hinder our walk with God. When we pour this filth into our minds, it hinders our relationship with our Savior.
• Righteousness - the Others Dimension - Christianity as it relates to others through us. We cannot watch something that will be a bad testimony to the world and to other Christians.
• Godliness - The God dimension - Faith, reverence, and love - Christianity as it relates to God. The Holy Spirit living in us is grieved when we soak up this filth. We need to be sensitive to His leading in this matter.

We have an obligation to live in such a way that honors and pleases our Heavenly Father. It does not matter if we like to watch these filthy movies. (The flesh always loves sin). The issue is not whether or not we think it is wrong. The issue is whether or not the Word of God says it is wrong.