"Now from a Christian perspective"- I hear this a lot online, especially on reviews for books/movies/music, on Amazon, on blogs, on Facebook; name a place and most likely it has been said there.
And why am I bringing this up? Well, the reason is, most of the time, when someone says this, I disagree with them and I'm a Christian as well. This has been something I've wanted to write about for a long time since it has kind of gotten on my nerves; how can there be a 'Christian perspective' when all Christians think and see things in different ways. Plus saying a Christian perspective implies that all Christians think that way which is untrue.
So really, it isn't a 'Christian Perspective", it's just you holding your interpretation of the Bible up to something whether it be a political matter, book, movie, or music genre. For example, back in the 16th century the Church split, with the Protestants breaking away from the Roman Catholic church and eventually the Protestants began to splinter even more and created other denominations like the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, etc.
And ever since the 1970s/1980s there have been the two distinct factions of the Christian Left and the Christian Right which have VERY opposing views on Christianity(I'm on the Christian Left). Then, inside both of these sides, there are even smaller groups with different views and in those groups there are individuals who have different take on what the Bible means and what Jesus's teachings means.
Now, I know that all Christians believe certain principles such as that Jesus is the Son of God and that God created the world(though even the latter can be debated depending on whether or not you think the world is billions of years old).
Another thing about the whole 'Christian perspective' thing, besides the exclusiveness the statement appears to entail, is what the person is referring to when they say that. A lot of people who say this will say that things like secular music, cursing/magic/witch craft/inappropriate content in fiction(whether it be film, t.v, or book), or spirituality that isn't Christian in fiction is bad. Now if any of these things make you personally uncomfortable, then that is perfectly fine. Everyone has a limit to what they will watch/listen to/read and you have every right to not read/watch/listen to something that makes you feel bad.
But what gets to me about this is when people say that because they are Christian that these things are evil and shouldn't be read, watched, or listened to.
For example, a lot of people don't like the episodes with the Nightsisters in the TCW t.v series or Harry Potter because of the witch craft/magic used. I, personally, didn't like the Nighsisters episodes because I found that the t.v shows take was different than the EU's take on them and I though Massacre was pretty boring; it didn't offend me as a Christian in any way shape or form. Regarding Harry Potter, I really love the series and the magic isn't what you would consider 'Satanic' or anything; their are three spells that only the bad guys use but the characters don't draw on 'evil powers' with their magic. Plus the story has good morals and meaning as well as a good plot and awesome characters and for me, that's the most important thing in a story.
Magic or witch craft doesn't bother me in fiction because It's just that- a story and it can't hurt me or make me want to actually try doing magic. I've heard several people say on Amazon reviews that reading about witch craft or inappropriate things will make people want to do those things. How impressionable to people think we teens are? I mean, I could maybe understand wanting to protect a little kid from things that might scare them or give them the wrong idea(I never was that way, but some kids are).
If I read a Star Wars book by Karen Traviss does that mean I'll become a Jedi hater?
Will watching a Star Wars: The Clone Wars episode with Satine in it make me an Obitine supporter?
Absolutely not. I love the Jedi and I am definitely not an Obitine supporter.
So if you don't like witch craft/magic in fiction, just don't watch or read it. You can complain about it all you like since you have that right but don't make it appear that all Christians think the same way you do. The same goes for cursing in fiction or music; if you don't want to hear it, then don't listen to it. I understand that cursing bothers some people and it is perfectly fine if you don't want to listen to it; you have a right to like or dislike whatever you want as long as your civil about it(cursing doesn't bother me). And not all secular music is bad, inappropriate, or filled with curse words. In fact, most secular music is very good and I enjoy listening to songs by those bands.
The last thing I want to talk about is the presence of other spirituality in fiction. What is wrong with other beliefs being brought up? Remember the right to religious freedom in this country? It means that you can express your religion, no matter what it is, and no one should hate you or condemn you for it. Plus, fiction has to appeal to all people, not just Christians. Besides, when were other beliefs(religious or other wise) bad? All religions have good things to say that we should pay attention to and if you look closely, a lot of the beliefs align. I've seen good people who were Atheists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc, as well as Christians. Plus, God said not to judge, so focus on the person's heart to decide what you think of them instead of what they say they believe. We are all human after all and we are one on this Earth and whether or not we always agree, we will stand together for all eternity. :)
If you have any questions or want something clarified, please feel free to comment and ask me. But please be kind and civil :)
In the future, I will be writing a post about what I think on certain key subjects in the world and in the U.S.
May the Force be with you..Always :)
