Should a born-again Christian avoid secular entertainment?
145314
So then why are all of these Christians on the board answering questions in this forum if they feel that secular entertainment should be avoided?  hmmmm?  Isn't the use of the internet just for this purpose secular entertainment?\n\nY'all are a bunch of hypocrites.
674994
Christ died to cover all sin past, present and future. That doesn't give you a license to sin though. If you love God and have truly been "born again" then you will find all sin as offensive once you see it as sin. Once a person who is "born again" realizes that they have sinned they have a conviction burning inside of themselves to ask for forgiveness, and to permanently separate themselves from the sin forever. I would say that all of us struggle with sin but some of us have chosen not to fight it and instead just simply give in to it. I think that is the difference also in someone who loves God (the one that struggles and hates the sin) and someone who just wants to get to heaven (the one that seeks forgiveness knowing that they will in the future seek out to do the same sin again and again). I don't want to go to heaven just for the sake of going to heaven. I want to go to heaven to be with the One that my heart desires. I want to know God as I am known and see His face. The only way that I can see His face is to hate sin in the way that He hates sin.
1151281
Certainly - what is to stop you being moral and kind and honest etc etc just because you don't believe in God?  Moral behaviour is linked to society and what our parents teach us and our innate sense, not God.  My parents are not religious and they have taught me how to be a 'good' person.\n\nDisbelieving in God is not turning your back on love, truth and joy - those things do not come from God they come from the minds and hearts of human beings.  Human beings who have never had the misfortune of being indoctrinated by some-one touting the Christian God are fully capable of feeling love, experiencing joy and being truthful and so are you if you choose not to believe in the old-fashioned fairy tale for adults that it God.\n\nIgnore the concept of 'sin' - it is not helpful.  You were not born bad and sinful you were born good and pure - you can remain that way and your mistakes are just that, mistakes - they are not sins that will stain your soul or whatever.  Learn from them and you will be a better person than someone who just cries to God and learns nothing.\n\nBelieving in God does not make you a good person - I think we can easily prove this by citing the KKK - and the reverse is true - not believing in God does not make you a bad person.  What it does do is make you a thinking, enquiring person who has a mind that is not happy to settle on centuries old dogma instead of seeking it's own conclusions.
933062
Being a Christian myself I don't think in my own personal mind I don't think that the kind of music you like should interfear with your religion. To me, they're totally diff worlds. My personal life, which consits of my culture, my school, what I like to do in my spare time, and what music I like, and then another world which is my relgion, Christianity, which still consits of me, and my personal out look on my Christianity so, I don't think trhat the music you like interfears with your Christianity
1005707
My husband and I have a Christian DJ company, and we do Club nights at churches for youth groups.  We would like to show youth that there is an alternative to music that has a beat that fills your mind with earthly lust, violence, etc. (you do listen to the lyrics, even if you say that you don't).  \n\nMany Christian hip hop artists DO NOT take secular beats and put Christian lyrics to them.  They have talent, and they have styles, and they have dedication to their passion.  \n\nThere are MANY fabulous Christian hip-hop artists out there who fit a mini-sermon into a song.  With all music, you should check the lyrics.  We have come across a very small amount of "Christian" rap that we do not play due to lyrical content.  Mostly calling darker skinned people a word that isn't ok to call them.  \n\nYou can use the search feature of Yahoo! Answers to find suggestions of Christian hip-hop.  Lots of people have asked about that before.  \n\nWe almost never listen to secular music, and it has been a serious blessing in our lives.  I do not believe that a beat is inherently evil.  I know that some do.  If it makes them stumble to hear a Christian rock song, or a Christian rap song, then I guess that they should not do that.  Here is an example.  I have a very good friend who did a lot of earthly things before she was saved.  Even the beat of Christian techno reminds her of things that she did, and does not care to listen to that.  That is a very mature thing to realise.
1023944
That is wrong of them.  My parents do not "approve" of what I do (I actually sell pure romance items aka sex toys among other things) but they still support me no matter what.  Throwing the bible at you does not get the bills paid and will not force your way into heaven.  I am a born again christian myself but I still feel that there is a time to pray and religion will help you and there is a time when you just need to do what you feel is best for your survival.  \n\nHonestly, it is not very "christian like" of them to throw you out of their lives and threaten you with promises of spending eternity in hell.  Maybe they should re-read that bible of theirs.
60118
Perhaps not.  But is it okay to ram your personal interpretation (of that which you have learned as dogma) down the throats of others if you never listen to informed critism?\nIf you have never read the old testiment in Hebrew, how do you really know what is says?  If you do not know Aramaic or Greek, do you really have an informed opinion yourself?\nDo you know the exact reasoning made by the men who decided what should be included in the Holy Bible and what should be left out?  Do you know that all of them did not agree with all of the books included?\nA good computer program can be written to look up an answer (or several rated answers) in the text of the King James Version of the Bible for just about any question, but that does not make the program holy.\nJudgment of others based upon whether or not they interpret scriptures in the same manner as you do may be a sin and certainly has lead to the disruption of the Christian religion into smaller factions.\nNo, it is never okay to critize anything that has not been studied.  Sure people do it, but that does not make it okay.
981171
No. Just because someone was raised with the moral teachings of Christianity doesn't mean they are Christian. Being a Christian means being born again, a choice one has to make to be.
583515
It's called entertainment.  It's not real - the author admits he made it up.  Like all other entertainment, it's crap.  If you're religious and pray, you should also listen to God - His Word speaks truth.  If you want truth, read the Bible.
362227
Are you aware of how personal a question this is?\n\nMy own concept of God and of religion is that it is an intensely personal matter.  One of the reasons is that we all have different ideas of what is "rational" to believe, what is appropriate to do, etc.  If I told you what my pathway to God has been, you would evaluate that as whether or not that would work for you, or whether you approve or not.\n\nAnytime you tell someone something private, you are inviting their evaluation, or at least their comment.  Since I do not need this evaluation or comment, and since I doubt my path to God would work for everyone, I will keep it to myself.\n\nSpecifically, I am confident that a born-again Christian would disapprove.
361583
This is a good dilemma for the Born Again crowd.  Of course to those of us who belong to church of revealed rather than traditional religion it poses no problem.  God the Father and Jesus Christ are NOT the same person.  The Bible never teaches that they are the same person.  Therefore there is no problem about what God the Father was doing at the time His son was born into mortality.  They are two separate and distinct personages.  Both members of the Godhead--NOT the trinity as apostate Christians attempt to explain.
269503
Agreed. Nobody should poke fun at another's religious beliefs. Religion is an individual and personal thing. It is one's personal relationship with his/her deity(ies). \n\nIf one has no relationship witha higher power, that is their religion... no faith, no god. It is still a belief.\n\nMost christians are rude about faith. Then again, most of them are brainwashed in sunday school from day one. Look at catholicism. Based upon their own messiah's teaching, they should not be baptised unitl they are old enough to make the conscious choice. Instead, parents force the choice upon them before they are old enough to speak.
102462
of course! Why not? If some "religion" would make a person feel "guilty" about such a simple, harmless act....I'd like to see a scripture saying so! A true Christian sees things in perspective..such as " It's a lottery ticket! Maybe I'll win, and if I don't, no big deal!" It's not breaking one of God's commandments..so buy some! I feel that I'm a Christian, and I sometimes buy them. \nHeavy gambling, on the other hand, if it means that they would get theirself in debt, or a person's family does without things, etc...probably is not how a true Christian would do...Their love for their family and themselves would certainly be predominate. \n\nHey! it's a lottery ticket, not a heavy gambling problem we're talking about here! In my belief, God is alot more concerned about the child molesters, murderers, adulterers, and breaking the 10 Commandments, (which buying a lottery ticket is not one of the 10!) I worship a God of Love, not a god who makes rules that take all the fun out of life...so when we put God in a position of itty bitty piddly things like this, we make God very small!!! \nIt's simply an act of buying a lottery ticket.....it's NOT a destructive gambling habit!! \nClueless Clown says it all!!\nWell.....anyway...just my opinion....
344577
Is there really? \n\nWell, I'm a religous person, a Catholic. But I don't really have any problem with that. It's just entertainment... a movie. A mere fiction. So I don't have any problem with it.
902116
I believe in God, but I have to admit that I don't like gospel either.  Or country.  So, I'm with you man.  It's your own personal opinion, and they have theirs.  But they shouldn't judge (which Christians tend to always do) what you decide to listen to.  I'm a heavy metal fan myself--including Marilyn Manson.  And people criticize me constantly, even though I really and truly am a good person.
607677
Jesus was an OK guy.  He believed that we should love one another.  It's the Christians that are really annoying.  Too often they think they have all the answers and it usually goes, "Jesus is the answer!" But what is the question?  Furthermore, when there is no doubt, there is no need for further inquiry, brain atrophies and emotions elicit violent anger when "true beliefs" are confronted by empirical evidence.  Intolerant certainty leads to arrogance, haughtiness, condescension, and self-righteousness.  I do not want to spend eternity with brain dead Christ fans.
751581
Per the Judeo/Christian Bible, "no."\nBut most people who claim themselves to be Christian in this country don't practice what they preach.  The rate of divorce alone demonstrates that point.  From a "civil" perspective, why not?  They can't do any worse than what the heterosexuals have done.\nFrom my own perspective, "no."