Confused about Entertainment(Movies,Games) and Appearance

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newktguy

New Member
I am confused about entertainment, mainly movies and games and anime.

Let's take WoW for example, Deuteronomy 18:10-12 clearly says that Witchcraft and things of that nature are bad and to not let anyone be found among you that practices those things.

It's confusing for me because, I play a Rogue and if I just play the Rogue for PvP only, is it bad? The people around me, my team mates, practice some form of spirituality (Warlocks and their demons, the basis behind certain classes such as Shamans and Druids) don't they? Some people play WoW on here and it's confusing because isn't the game and some of those classes about Witchcraft? If you play WoW and you play a priest(white magic?) or a Shadow Priest or a Warlock, what exactly is your mentality? Are you close to God? Do you talk to him daily? Or have you strayed a little bit? That's my main concern.. not to judge but are the people that put themselves around Witchcraft CLOSE to god with all their heart or are they struggling?

Sure.. they may not actually think they are witches and warlocks and they may just see it as "I'm just playing a character for fun against other players" but it's still classified as Witchcraft.

The way I see games is that it's just a "skin" and if you ignore that "skin", you may be fine.
For example, WoW classifies Warlocks as demonizers and evil but what if another games takes the Warlock and the mechanics behind it and gives it another name? Like say the Warlock class was called a hunter(not comparing it to the real Hunter class), shoot arrows(ranged), do damage over time(DoTs), have a pet lion with you(demon), EXACTLY like a Warlock, is it ok to then play that?

Certain classes in WoW are only bad because of the skin it's given. Hunters and Warlocks are control classes that basically do the same thing, they are just given a different skin and appearance so if you ignore the fact that it's a Warlock, is it okay?

I'm just so confused about these things... I read an article saying Lord of the Rings is bad yet I know a christian who loves it. I read on here that the lord convicts some and not others of certain things, that verse about the food being unclean for some and clean for others.. but why? I know the bible says, who are we to ask, but why are others seemingly not convicted(they have been christians and fans of stuff like this for years) of things that contain witchcraft when I am plagued with all of these questions?


I am sorry if that rant is all mumble jumble and I hope you understood every word of it. I am just confused lol and I am asking God to show me the way and I am asking him to help me recognize his voice so that I understand CLEARLY, what is right and wrong(I gave my heart to the lord years ago and have served on and off but only started serving him a few days ago seriously, I'm 18)


Also, what does the bible say about appearance? Or I guess I should ask, what is your understanding on what the bible says about beauty/apperance? For me, someone who is insecure, is it bad for me to try and lose weight? Is it a bad thing to want to look nice? It's confusing because it seems like it's pleasing man to worry about the outward appearance yet so many people try their best to look nice(females on Sunday for example with the hair and makeup). I read somewhere that it's okay to look good as long as it doesn't interfere with God but I still don't feel secure with that answer.
 
Also, I am prepared to give up WoW and the other things I watch/play that has Magic in them. Giving them up isn't a problem.. I am just wondering if I HAVE to. My WoW sub ended on Christmas Eve and I just don't want to go renew it if it isn't good for me.

If I play a Rogue for PvP only, I don't feel as if it's wrong because I don't get mad or go crazy or anything, I just see it as Player vs Player. I prefer not to take part in PvE, mainly because I find some of the stuff in there very cool(some of the evil things the bosses say in ICC dungeons, End Time, etc).

Basically, if you play a game like WoW Witchcraft, even a game like Skyrim or Final Fantasy or Assassins Creed where you have to steal/murder/use magic, what is your take on it? Which games are off limits to you and why? If you are allowed to play a game with witchcraft, why can't some of you play violent games like GTA? Is the practice what makes it bad? Surely running people over with a car for fun isn't good but is using "Magic" to heal people okay?

And please pray that I find peace of mind and find the answers I seek and that god reveals his voice to me so I have a definite answer....
 
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Hey newktguy - first, welcome to the forums.

I am just confused lol and I am asking God to show me the way and I am asking him to help me recognize his voice so that I understand CLEARLY, what is right and wrong
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You ask a fair question. Most of us have asked that at one point or another. There is always a thread or two in this section of the forums asking similar questions - check some of the other threads.

Some verses that come to mind are:

1 Cor. 6:12 - Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but I will not be mastered by anything.

1 Cor. 10:23 - Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me - but not everything is constructive.

Then read Romans 14, especially verses 1-8.

Essentially, you get to decide whether to participate in video games or not and which games you will play.

For me, someone who is insecure, is it bad for me to try and lose weight? Is it a bad thing to want to look nice? It's confusing because...
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Quick, down-and-dirty answer - no, it is not bad to want to lose weight, be healthy, look good. Our body is God's temple. We should treat it accordingly.

The problem is people go to extremes on both sides. One group says, "God loves me just the way I am - it doesn't matter how I look - I'm going to get a new spiritual body one day - this body doesn't matter..." and they use the Bible to support sloth and gluttony. Wrong on one extreme.

The other extreme is when people say, "God, people, even I, will love me more if I am physically fit and good looking." Then they go to extremes and have no time for God and others because of their fitness routines. They follow the fads to look cool. They think the outward is all that matters. Wrong on the other extreme.

I read a great book last year - Bod4God. It finds that balance and gives good solid advice about how to live your life in the body you have in a way that pleases God. I heartily recommend it. I lead a group of people through the book this fall. One lady gave up smoking after 35 years. I lost 46 pounds, myself.

Glad you joined the forums - you are welcome to ask any question.
 
Thank you for the answer. I'll be sure to read what you gave me in Romans.

I have read threads similar to this one such as Phrankdatank's threads about GTA and WoW after Googling.
 
You may have already read it or not, however my answer would be the same that I wrote in this thread

I'll copy it here just for clarity:

The Bible makes it clear in Romans 14, that to some people things are allowed and those same things are denied to others if it makes them stumble.

So my answer would be if the actions performed in a game are disturbing you, then you should avoid those games.

Remember that Christ came to give us His perfect peace and a sound (undisturbed) mind.

If something -- even a game -- is robbing you of that peace, then there can be no question that the best course of action would be to cut it off.
 
Understand that magic in the real world and magic in games are two very different things.

In the real world, magic attempts to summon some kind of powers from God or from pagan gods. Even if it has scientific applications, if it is an attempt to wield the mystical powers of the Lord or the supernatural powers of the Earth, it is contrary to God's will. Furthermore, real-world magic is capricious. (I love that word.) It sometimes works, most of the time it does not. Sometimes, when it does works, it backfires on the user. Sometimes catastrophically.

But in the gaming world, magic is programmed right into the game. It was intended to be used not as a haphazard, random force, but as a calculable, definite power, almost a science in a way. Unlike real world magic, WoW-type magic has some precision to it. It's more in the vein of herblore, mineralogy, and the natural sciences than any kind of real world "magic".

Even if a lot of mythical religion is involved in these games, realise that even though your character may not technically be a "Christian" - in a world where perhaps Christ has yet to come, or perhaps on a completely different planet - you are no less a Christian for using this precise, calculable, definite and perfectly harnessed quasi-scientific "magic". ;)

In other words, in the gaming world, "magic" is just a word. There is no difference in principle between a TF2 pill bottle and a WoW healing potion. Both are as much "magic" as they are "science" because they are both 1s and 0s running inside your computer box. ;)

In brief, don't worry. As long as you can tell the difference between a pixel and a pizza, a leaf of paper and a leaf on a tree, magnetic tape and Scotch tape, terracotta and terra firma, you will be fine. Generally speaking, you've got nothing to worry about so long as you distinguish reality from video games, and so long as you can distinguish the good from the evil.

It's one thing if you kill people on Team Fortress 2 and use healing potions on WoW. It's entirely another to kill people in real life and attempt to heal yourself with so-called "magical potions" that intend to heal by mystical, supernatural powers, even if they are scientifically viable.
 
TheMonkey thinks the justification you use to murder pixels as a rogue is the exact same argument people use to rationalize playing "magic" based characters in the same game.

TheMonkey wonders if your rogue dies in WoW and you spirit rez it, are you performing a form of necromancy? And if you kill a boss and it is there in the same place again next week, did you really kill it?

TheMonkey would argue that the more important question you have to answer is: Is playing WoW (or any game) regardless of the character you play, taking you down the path that leads you closer or further from your savior?

Pixelated banana's do not sustain TheMonkey but if the big bad refrigerator boss has a chance of dropping a bunch of banana's with +1 to agility, you better believe that TheMonkey will swing into action!
 
I had an issue similar to yours, and I've come to the conclusion that its exactly what it is...a game. You aren't literally summoning demons, you aren't literally killing anything. All you are doing is reducing the health points to 0, and they disappear. As far as the characters ability to resurrect goes, I think that its not so much that you die and find your body. I think its more of you lost so much blood that you pass out, and gotta sort of find your way back in your mind, but maybe that's just my observation of how the system looks.

As far as looks go, what you wear, or what you look like isn't going to get you into heaven. Someone could be the ugliest person visually on the outside, then in their hearts be the kindest soul someone could imagine. While I can understand wanting to lose weight, since personally I'm 6'4 and about 350, its no biggie.
 
Thank you to all who posted. You have def given me something to think about. I mean, when you think about it.. everything that is "magic" or supernatural isn't necessarily bad. Veggie tales for example, they are talking vegetables which is super natural, not natural, out of the ordinary but they aren't necessarily bad. Same goes for Santa and his Elves who use magic. Thank you for your answers, I have a lot to think about and talk to God about.

Specifically Gengiskan44 because I have always thought in a similar manner. All DPS in WoW are basically the same thing... as I said, they just give it a different name and appearance to suit your tastes. The same goes for healing someone with pills or healing them with a "magic potion".

P.S., I love TheMonkey and all of his posts lol, it's cute.
 
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One more question. In the U.S., making copies of CDs is okay for PERSONAL use only so would it be sinful for me to take my mom's Christian CDs and copy them to the computer so that I could put it on my phone? I don't want to illegally download music for obvious reasons.

I am 18 and when I get a job, I plan to buy the CDs or use iTunes to purchase songs but I don't want to use God as a means for stealing. "I want to listen to God's music even though it's breaking the law" doesn't seem right.

It's confusing because I read(I know I can't trust everything I read on the internet, I always pray for God to show me the right way) that this one guy doesn't worry too much about the law, but he worries about what is better for the grace of God, or something along those lines... and then a Christian friend of mine who is very close to god and goes to church a lot(her dad is a pastor), said it was okay. I am asking God to show me the answer and it still feels wrong to me so I guess that is my personal conviction? Thoughts on this please.

And if anyone has any links to FREE to download Christian music, that'd be awesome. I know I ask a lot lol but I am trying to serve him even in the littlest of ways.
 
I see it as that there is a difference between the fictional and reality. In fantasy fiction, in the worst case, you can only find something vaguely semi-accurate to reality. As example, in Harry Potter magic consists out of fake latin sounding words, usually one or two. That's about it. They can potentially achieve anything, from levitating to healing. There are potions of the like, but it is all just very simple childrens fantasy (so much so, that you can tell that the author did not think it through and simply went with whatever she thought of). Fiction can only have effect on real life, if you go search for something in reality similar to the fiction.

I have never been affected by magical or fantasy stuff in fiction. I like fantasy, but I know very well the boundaries. As a teen I heard of others trying to get in touch with "ghosts/spirits", just for fun, using a glass, etc. I never went for it. I never wanted to dabble in that. So liking fantasy never affected me badly, simply because reality isn't fiction and you should never treat fiction as reality. But if you feel uncomfortable with it, it never hurts to stay away from it,

No, it's not bad to want to look nice. I suppose it only gets a bit too far, when you on purpose try to be provocative for the wrong type of attentions or become obsessed by it. I remember reading a Bible verse when I was younger (maybe begin teens). I thought it was hilarious at the time and it still amuses me:

"As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion."
Proverbs 11:22 (KJV)

I thought it was ever so crude (and the reason why I found it amusing and stuck with me) to read that comparison. But it also depends on the version you read how "harsh" it sounds. So it is okay to look nice, just be sensible and have more going for you than just being pretty ;)

Losing weight is not a problem. If you are a bit overweight, why not? It is good for your health. And some people find it good for their self esteem and confidence as well. You can't gain anything negative by it. It is only vanity and unhealthy if you are at a good weight but want to slim down even more. I am sure He wants His children to feel good about themselves and to be healthy.

I think your friend is right about music sharing. I have heard of a few lawsuits involving music and the judges decided each time something different. In one case it was a hobby forum with people sharing their music for download. The judge ruled there was no problem because it was sharing for a hobby and not putting it out there on the internet for everyone to download (personally, I don't think that is waterproof reasoning of the judge, because everyone could register at the forum to download, which meant they did put it out there on the internet for everyone to download).

I personally don't see the problem if someone in your family makes just one copy for your use only. As example, it is kind of silly to have bought the same CD of the same artist twice, when you live in the same house. People borrow CD's from eachother and never buy the actual music either. But it isn't considered illegal to share like that. However, to be sure, I'd say it depends on the law where you live.
 
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As for copying you mom's CDs, yes, it is against the law, so it is wrong. "for personal use" means that if you purchased the CD, you can put it on your computer, phone, iPod, create a backup, leave an extra in your car... But all because YOU are the one using the media. You can even have a group of friends over and play it (you're still there, right.). But if you distribute a song, you're breaking the law.

Even if it wasn't a legal issue, you have to consider the musician. That is their livelihood. You're stealing from them if you obtain copies of songs from someone else. Unless the musician makes it clear that the song is intended for free distribution, you're robbing them.

As for free Christain songs, i will have to dig around. I used to have a bookmark for a website that gave out a few songs per week. They have contracts with various labels and do it legally as part of an advertising program. Its mostly unknown artists trying to make a name for themselves, but the songs are generally very good.
 
newktguy said:
One more question. In the U.S., making copies of CDs is okay for PERSONAL use only so would it be sinful for me to take my mom's Christian CDs and copy them to the computer so that I could put it on my phone? I don't want to illegally download music for obvious reasons.

I am 18 and when I get a job, I plan to buy the CDs or use iTunes to purchase songs but I don't want to use God as a means for stealing. "I want to listen to God's music even though it's breaking the law" doesn't seem right.

It's confusing because I read(I know I can't trust everything I read on the internet, I always pray for God to show me the right way) that this one guy doesn't worry too much about the law, but he worries about what is better for the grace of God, or something along those lines... and then a Christian friend of mine who is very close to god and goes to church a lot(her dad is a pastor), said it was okay. I am asking God to show me the answer and it still feels wrong to me so I guess that is my personal conviction? Thoughts on this please.

And if anyone has any links to FREE to download Christian music, that'd be awesome. I know I ask a lot lol but I am trying to serve him even in the littlest of ways.
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I hate questions like this, I really do. I used to be a pirate myself, and I'm still struggling over questions like this, because some of that music is so good. I love the Saint Louis Jesuits, for example, and I can pull them up at any time on YouTube. But is it moral to listen to music you've ripped from a CD or YouTube?

I hate to say it, but unless you own every single song you listen to, and you own it as a downloadable song, you have no right to copy your mother's CD music and listen to it on your phone.

Unless you destroy the CD after you copy the files, you are making an illegal copy. When your mom bought that disc, she bought one copy, and it was intended to be used on the CD. Making a backup of that disc in case it gets scratched or broken is OK, but essentially she bought her music on a CD, and that's the clincher.

On the other hand, with downloadable music, so long as you don't give out your copies, you can download or burn your music to anywhere you like as long as the music stays within your hands (i.e, as long as you don't give it away to someone else). And least, this is how I see it, so please don't take this as authoritative. But allow me to explain my reasoning.

When you buy a disc with music, you're buying a disc, not an mp3. CDs are not intended to be ripped from; they are intended to be used with a CD player.

But when you buy a downloadable song, you are buying an mp3. An mp3 could be played straight from your computer, your phone, or your mp3 player. Or you could be buying it to burn it onto a disc. Or you could be putting it onto some other device. But if I am correct nothing dictates that the music is intended to be played on an i-Pod as opposed to an Android phone or a disc. It's just a file that can go anywhere you go, so long as it doesn't get into anyone else's hands.

That's just my two cents.

And this link from Amazon boosts my confidence in this belief.:D

Look from "Are there any restrictions on how I use the music I purchase?" down.
 
Actually, I have a question or two regarding records. I have a record of the Saint Louis Jesuits called "Earthen Vessels" (it was my father's). But I have no device to play it on, nor any way to copy it to a tape, disc, or computer. I have heard the songs before on YouTube (I don't own them), and I would like copies of my own. Could I therefore download copies of the songs that are on the record from other sources?

Second, a fellow named twiddlebug uploaded a copy of a record called "The Selfish Giant" by Reader's Digest. It is from 1971, but it is out of print, even in tape and CD form, and it is highly unlikely to be released due to it being in copyright limbo since... the 90s I think. It was a favourite video (did I mention they also made it a cartoon?) of mine, so I downloaded this guy's copy of his record. Was he right in uploading this copy of The Selfish Giant? And am I right in taking a copy of it?
 
The AHRA contains one positive provision for the consumer electronics industry and consumers, section 1008, a "Prohibition on certain infringement actions:"

"No action may be brought under this title alleging infringement of copyright based on the manufacture, importation, or distribution of a digital audio recording device, a digital audio recording medium, an analog recording device, or an analog recording medium, or based on the noncommercial use by a consumer of such a device or medium for making digital musical recordings or analog musical recordings."[17]

According to the Senate, this provision was intended to conclusively resolve the debate over audio home taping, and "[create] an atmosphere of certainty to pave the way for the development and availability of new digital recording technologies and new musical recordings."[17] They were partially successful: this provision made the sale of DAT and Minidisc possible in the United States, by protecting device manufacturers, importers and distributors from infringement suits like Cahn v. Sony.

Private, noncommercial copies by consumers using "digital audio recording devices" are explicitly protected by §1008. The Senate report defines noncommercial as "not for direct or indirect commercial advantage", offering examples such as making copies for a family member, or copies for use in a car or portable tape player.
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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Home_Recording_Act
 
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