I harp enough on sex scenes being the product of demonic influence and try to include occult warnings too, but this makes a case for other forms of entertainment. Any "mysticism" beyond that of Christianity comes from demons blurring the lines.
Exorcists actually caution against anything that allows "good" magic, because ALL magic is from Satan. Obsession with anything other than the triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit/Ghost) takes us away from God and distorts our sense of reality. It promotes trying to become god versus depending on the living God, the creator of all of time and space and everything in it. The former is disobedience. As any parent knows, it's aggravating when your children disobey; imagine what Our Father in Heaven feels when we disobey. The occult and any religion outside of Christianity is a rejection of the first commandment of God, which is the worst of mortal/deadly sins (why it's the first). And many of the other pieces in the stories we look to for entertainment are also mortal sins. Yes, there may be positive aspects, but more often than not, the sinful parts of the stories are never revealed as being the damage to one's soul that they are in reality, which is why they should be avoided altogether.
My personal change and why some books are no longer available
My faith journey is at a point that I now avoid just about all non-Christian entertainment, even the anime that I once enjoyed. I have no desire to be exposed to sex scenes (or even "fan service", which is bad enough), cursing, using the Lord's name in vain, magic/occult propaganda, and unnecessary violence. Demons can use those to blur the lines between pleasing God and sinning, in which they move the goalposts from lesser sins to progress into mortal/deadly sins. This is why I've unpublished my fantasy books--they don't reflect my faith in the one true God but use magic as good and have fornication as acceptable. The Starfire Angels series, however, is actually a Christian allegory, even more so than I had planned when I started it (before my faith deepened and I was still steeped in the lies of modernism and its entertainment and the mortal sins it promotes).
Thoughts, words, and deeds
We sin in our thoughts, not just words and deeds, so be careful what you feed your mind. Exorcists warn that demons can't enter our thoughts but can prod our memories to make us think of things again and get us stewing on them, which can produce sinful thoughts. Jesus said that a man who looks at a women with lust in his heart has already sinned. This is true of any thoughts; he simply used this as an example. Purify your thoughts and purge them of any sin.
Making the transition
It takes a while to reform our ways of thinking. Like going on a special food diet, there's a period of withdrawal. However, once you're purged your mind/body of the offending material and feed it healthy materials, you'll begin to no longer crave the unhealthy materials. You'll lose the attraction for the unhealthy, although the temptations to cheat will still be there. That's where the will must be strong. Pray for the strength to resist. Demons will always tempt us until we die. They're miserable and want to take souls from God to torment them into eternity. And they'll even tempt people with fame and fortune (why romance books and magic books sell so well--they want people to be attracted to the promise of $$ to continue to promote their sin through scandal.)
We have intercessors to assist us
Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, never sinned and is the greatest saint in heaven, even confirmed by demons in exorcisms as the saint they hate most. She and all of the saints are ready to assist us through God's grace. We honor God by honoring those who have reached perfection to be in His presence for eternity. Each saint had their vice that they had to overcome to turn into the corresponding virtue and can help us in overcoming those vices that afflict us. We only need to reach out to them. Through God, they hear us, and they assist as part of their eternal service and honor to God because of their great love for Him.
Final thoughts
Whatever your feelings on the video above, changing what your take in for entertainment is a key to growing in faith -- no more sex scenes, no more occult propaganda/promotion, no more gore, no more horror (demons feed on fear, which is the opposite of faith in God), and MORE entertainment that promotes virtues, faith, and truth about God and the damage of vice.
And, always, more prayer. Talk to God and listen to him. Learn to discern His voice from the noise of the demons around you. Demons will always tell you to do what feels good. Vice is easy and focuses on making the most of this world, but the pleasure is fleeting. Virtue is difficult, but it's infinitely more beautiful and fulfilling eternally.
Once you begin to see the beauty of Christ, all this other entertainment will be ugly by comparison.
God bless!
ps - on my Faith Resources tab are books, websites, and videos to help you grow in your faith.
And for something more positive:
And for a discussion on entertainment and the values and vices portrayed:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.