Members Crushmaster Posted September 13, 2010 Members Share Posted September 13, 2010 Christians listening to secular music, watching secular movies, TV shows (e.g. Andy Griffith, Bonanza, etc.), reading secular books...Is this acceptable - even if the content is "clean", so to speak? Should they do it? Or not? What do the Scriptures say? That is the question I want you to answer. God bless, Joel ><>. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annie Posted September 13, 2010 Members Share Posted September 13, 2010 (edited) Philippians 4:8: 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. Paul definitely read "secular" (pagan, actually) works of literature and viewed secualar works of art...He refers to these and quotes from them in Acts. Edited September 13, 2010 by Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members anime4christ Posted September 13, 2010 Members Share Posted September 13, 2010 There is nothing wrong with Christians watching/reading/listening to secular stuff. The prOBlem starts when a Christian desires secular stuff. Where is their heart then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted September 13, 2010 Members Share Posted September 13, 2010 Such would depend upon the content of the show and upon the individual. For example, if a person has a prOBlem with smoking they may not want to watch some of the older "clean" programs which sometimes feature people smoking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members brosmith Posted September 14, 2010 Members Share Posted September 14, 2010 I think you are asking the wrong question. It would be better to ask, "What secular movies/TV/music should a Christian be watching/listening to." The moral content of anything should be judged by the word of God but remember, if the world produced it then it will always be morally flawed. As we walk closer to God the things of this world should grow strangely dim (turn your eyes upon Jesus). If the things of this world become too important to us then spiritual things are set aside for a fleeting moment of pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members John81 Posted September 14, 2010 Members Share Posted September 14, 2010 I think you are asking the wrong question. It would be better to ask, "What secular movies/TV/music should a Christian be watching/listening to." The moral content of anything should be judged by the word of God but remember, if the world produced it then it will always be morally flawed. As we walk closer to God the things of this world should grow strangely dim (turn your eyes upon Jesus). If the things of this world become too important to us then spiritual things are set aside for a fleeting moment of pleasure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JerryNumbers Posted September 14, 2010 Members Share Posted September 14, 2010 Philippians 4:8: 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. Paul definitely read "secular" (pagan, actually) works of literature and viewed secualar works of art...He refers to these and quotes from them in Acts. At what point? Before or after he was saved? Perhaps is was before he was saved, before he knew better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annie Posted September 14, 2010 Members Share Posted September 14, 2010 (edited) At what point? Before or after he was saved? Perhaps is was before he was saved, before he knew better. He was a Pharisee before he became a believer in Christ...Seems like the Pharisees would have gone overboard to separate themselves from such literature (maybe not, though). The fact remains that Paul quotes from that literature in Scripture. Edited September 14, 2010 by Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heartstrings Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 He was a Pharisee before he became a believer in Christ...Seems like the Pharisees would have gone overboard to separate themselves from such literature (maybe not, though). The fact remains that Paul quotes from that literature in Scripture. Would you mind showing me that scripture? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JerryNumbers Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 He was a Pharisee before he became a believer in Christ...Seems like the Pharisees would have gone overboard to separate themselves from such literature (maybe not, though). The fact remains that Paul quotes from that literature in Scripture. One thing for sure, Christians in American are not suffering from the lack of secular stuff in their daily diet to their brain, in fact they're far overloaded on that front and need much less secular stuff in their daily diet to their brains, and much more of God's Word. One thing for sure, of which every born again believe should know, all of that, and I mean all of it, secular stuff will be burn up, none of it will survive? So actually in the eyes of the born again believe it should be consider worthless. So if anything, we should encourage our sisters and brothers to digest much less secular stuff, and much more godly stuff. Besides, if our conversation is really in heaven, that stuff ought not be all that interesting to us and should be considered worthless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annie Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) Would you mind showing me that scripture? Thanks Sure. Acts 17:28 (which describes Paul's impromptu sermon to the pagan worshipers at Athens): For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. This is a direct quote from the Greek poet Aratus (c.310-240 B.C.) who wrote: "Ever and in all ways we enjoy Jupiter, for we are all his offspring." Paul also quotes from the poet Menander* (who was prOBably quoting Euripides) in I Corinthians 15:33, and from Epimenides of Crete in Titus 1:12: One of them, a prophet of their own, said, "Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons." *Menander has been credited with various maxims, including the following: "The property of friends is common." (IOW, my house is your house ) "Whom the gods love die young." (Some of us have prOBably heard that one.) "Evil communications corrupt good manners." Apparently, these and other maxims were collected into a book that was used for moral instruction in the schools of the day. Edited September 15, 2010 by Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annie Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 Another Bible character who actually studied pagan literature was Daniel. He took a stand in refusing the king's food and wine, but not his curriculum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heartstrings Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 Another Bible character who actually studied pagan literature was Daniel. He took a stand in refusing the king's food and wine, but not his curriculum. Could you provide chapter and verse on that too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Annie Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 (edited) Could you provide chapter and verse on that too? Sure: Daniel 1. Since Daniel knew that he would defile himself by eating the king's food, he asked that he be allowed to abstain. However, he did not do this when it came to the "learning" that Nebuchadnezzar prescribed for him. In fact, when he and his Hebrew friends appeared before the king, they were found to have excelled in this area more than any of the other wise men. (According to Strong's, the Hebrew word translated learning here means book, document, writing, and is actually translated book 138 times in Scripture, as opposed to only twice being translated learning.) Even if you don't like to study Hebrew word meanings, you still have to acknowledge that in order to learn what Nebuchadnezzar deemed important, Daniel would have had to study the books/writings/literature of the Babylonians/Chaldeans. That's the idea behind both the word learning and the Hebrew word cepher. Edited September 15, 2010 by Annie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heartstrings Posted September 15, 2010 Members Share Posted September 15, 2010 Sure: Daniel 1. Since Daniel knew that he would defile himself by eating the king's food, he asked that he be allowed to abstain. However, he did not do this when it came to the "learning" that Nebuchadnezzar prescribed for him. In fact, when he and his Hebrew friends appeared before the king, they were found to have excelled in this area more than any of the other wise men. (According to Strong's, the Hebrew word translated learning here means book, document, writing, and is actually translated book 138 times in Scripture, as opposed to only twice being translated learning.) Even if you don't like to study Hebrew word meanings, you still have to acknowledge that in order to learn what Nebuchadnezzar deemed important, Daniel would have had to study the books/writings/literature of the Babylonians/Chaldeans. That's the idea behind both the word learning and the Hebrew word cepher. The first thing Daniel would have had to learn, before he could read any documents, would have been to speak, read, and write in the Babylonian language. Then there would have been mathematics, law, court etiquette, astronomy, architecture, art, etc etc. The Babylonians had a highly advanced civilization and there would have been much to learn technology wise. Does the Bible say he studied Babylonian "literature"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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