Jenileigh, but did you see that movie for the story behind it or read the books for the story behind them? It seems like a lot of junk to go through to get to the story. All I hear about Magic Mike is women swooning over Channing Tatum and gushing about the "action" in the movie, not the story behind it (which sounds rather boring anyways). All I hear about 50 Shades of Grey is the disturbing in depth detail of the sex acts and the abuse of the woman. Every movie/book has a story to it, but how can these be compared to a PG children's movie?
It sounds like you are deflecting the attention off yourself by bringing up people taking their kids to see Brave. Just because other people are taking their kids to see Brave doesn't mean I would be justified in going and watching things I shouldn't be watching. I don't see the reasoning or justification in that. If you think they're hypocrites, fine. But what does that have to do with you and what you are watching? You should be asking yourself why you're watching it, if God wants you to watch it, if it's a movie a Christian should be attending, if the story behind it is redeeming and how much filth you have to go through for the story, if it will have a positive or negative impact on you, if it will cause you to sin, etc. Saying witchcraft and p*rn are just as bad still doesn't justify going to see one of them, just because it's just as bad as everything else.
You do have a point about witchcraft and I think that we take it way too lightly, when the Bible makes it clear how dangerous it is and that God HATES it. This is one of the reasons I'm not taking my kids to see Brave (besides the fact that we rarely go to movies, anyways). Of course, witchcraft is very tricky because it's in most of the fairytales we grew up with. But I still don't see the comparison between an adult movie about male strippers and a children's movie. Some people say if we wouldn't watch it with our kids, we shouldn't be watching it. I would watch Brave with my kids and have a conversation about witchcraft afterwards, which could actually turn out to be a positive thing since they do need to be aware of the dangers of witchcraft anyways, but I of course would not watch Magic Mike with them. I think I would feel embarrassed and dirty to watch it.
I'm not sure what you mean by organized religion. Christianity? Churches? I don't really consider myself part of organized religion, either. From the time I became a Christian, I've tried to only follow God's word, not a certain denomination or church or whatever. The church I go to and the denomination it belongs to, I go to only because I feel it lines up the closest with the Bible. If it didn't, I'd be gone.
Jenileigh wrote:
I tried to be so perfect and holy. What I discovered was that I had become religious and judgmental without meaning to. I felt holier than other people. "I" was a better mother because I did this, "I" was a better Christian because I did that and in the end I found out that it's not our works-not that I didn't know that before, but I had gotten caught up in being so perfect.
I can't relate to the religious and judgmental part, because I always feel like the worst mother and the worst Christian, lol, but I can relate to trying to be perfect and holy. Like you, I can't do it. I drive myself crazy trying to. I think it's because I'm trying in my own power, instead of letting God change me. I can't make myself change, but the only way He can change me is if I let Him, by spending time with Him in the Bible and in prayer. I can't speak for you, but I know I definitely don't spend enough time with Him and that's why I'll continue to be a failure. I guess I don't like change of any kind because I get scared. When I spend more time with God and feel Him starting to work on me, I draw back. My stubbornness and resistance to change, I guess, even good change. It's something I'm trying to work on. I need to focus less on trying to be perfect and more on spending time with God. Then the change will come more naturally. Me not watching Magic Mike is not me trying to be a better Christian than others and feel good about myself. It's me trying to push out more of the world, so I can have a better and more clear focus and mind, to spend more quality time with God. Like Laura said, to have less stubble and more jewels. It's hard, that's for sure.
Board index » Fellowship » Fellowship
Boy did I turn red! I was shocked my parents let me watch that! 
But it is a journey and I am striving toward more gold and jewels, and less hay, wood and stubble.