Saturday, August 9, 2008

Conservative Vs. Liberal

No, this isn't about politics. Rather, this is about Christians (which I am not against, since I am one) and how, at least to myself, I seem quite a bit more conservative than others I know. I was raised in the church, and was quite shocked at what some people there (including not just kids, but adults as well) did; it was stuff I would never allow myself to do. Sometimes, I feel like the most conservative Christian in the world, which is not to call into question anyone else's faith; it's just the way I feel.
Want some proof how conservative I am? Answer these questions:
  1. Have you ever willingly watched a movie that is or should be rated R?
  2. Have you played more than one M-rated game?
  3. Do you currently own any albums that have a "Parental Advisory" sticker on them, or that would be if they weren't "edited"?
  4. Do you think Christian girls shouldn't have to dress modestly?
  5. Do you never change the channel and/or turn the TV off when you see a sex scene on there?
  6. Have you ever regularly tuned into a show that was always or mostly rated "TV-14" or "TV-MA"?
  7. Do you never bother with "content reviews" of films?
  8. Have you ever downloaded an immodest photo of a female celebrity?
If you answered "yes" to any of them, then you are less conservative than I am.
I'm not condemning anyone here; it's up to God to decide their destiny. However, based on the values I was taught when I was young, I'm not going to do those things. You can argue with me about why it's okay, but it's not going to do any good. I'll stick to my family films and shows and clean music, download only modest photos of my celebrity crushes, read my content reviews, and stick to my notion about Christian girls dressing modestly (even though I expect many won't.) Here's how I back it up:
• "I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar." -- Psalm 101:3 (NLT)
• "Stay away from every kind of evil." -- 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (NLT)
• "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety…" 1 Timothy 2:9 (NIV)
The Bible commands it, so I do it. You can interpret those verses however you want. I'm not saying my interpretation is right, nor am I saying it's the only possible one. However, that's how I interpret them. Maybe I'm wrong about what those Scriptures mean, but if I am, God will hold me accountable for that at the end of time.
Any comments?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Im not condemning your decisions to live this way, nor am I a biblical scholar, but I would wager that there are passages in the bible that support living a full life, and not being exposed to some things limit your realm of understanding, experience and limit the richness of one's life. In terms of limiting your viewing to things of a certain rating, that is of course, fine, but you really really miss out on a lot of amazing things when you narrow your focus in this way. I have a hard time believing that God would judge you harshly because you watched something other than a family film. There are so many beautiful ideas and experiences out there. :)