Focusing on the Mark:
Do You Have to Experience Something to
Know It is Bad?
Last
year, a controversy arose over the release of a popular movie. The
controversy involved whether it was profitable for Christians to view the film
or not. A few proponents, who advocated watching the film, stated that a
film cannot be judged unless it is viewed. Similar arguments have also
been made about books. This theory is a false premise for a number of
reasons.
We
discern things are not good for us all the time. We don’t step out in
front of buses because we know it will hurt us. We don’t touch burning
pots for the same reason. We don’t perform dangerous jobs without proper
safety equipment. We know that eating a cheeseburger everyday will keep
us from collecting Social Security.
The
proponents of viewing the films also did not consistently advocate this
position. When asked if you had to view pornography to know it was bad,
the answer was “Of course not!”
If you still
believe that you have experience something to know whether it is good or not, I
have a way for you to test out this theory. Find a cow pasture. The
more cows, the better. You should then take off your shoes and walk through
the pasture. You can then say with certainty that the experience is not
profitable for you. If you don’t feel that the you need to walk through
the pasture to make this statement, you have just proven the premise is false.
I
used this absurd example for two reasons. First, the premise is a little
absurd. Second, the stuff in the cow field is what we place in our minds
sometime, when we are not discerning about what we view. Since men are
normally more visually oriented, images are particularly powerful for us.
As a friend of mine said in a message one day, “There are just some
things we don’t need to be messing with.”
I am
not telling you what you should or shouldn’t consume. I think you should
be guided by the leading of the Holy Spirit in your entertainment choices.
If you are not convicted about watching it, you should not feel you can’t
watch it because of what someone else thinks. But if you are convicted
about it, I would walk away from that book, film or show.
In
the case I discussed, a young man stated his problems with a film. He
didn’t tell anyone not to see it. He only stated why he would not watch
it. Predictably, he faced a lot of heat because a number of people did
not see a problem with the film. He apologized if he caused any offense
but stated that his mind was still not changed about the film.
We don’t have to
agree. We do have to follow that still small voice.
