What Should we Watch?

4:15 PM


There has been a great debate going around my circle of friends: Should they or shouldn’t they watch the new Beauty and the Beast? It has been thoughtful, insightful, and, yes, ugly at times. Some of my friends are signing onto a Disney boycott while others are rolling their eyes and saying that some Christians are making a big deal out of something small. This begs a question from all of us:

Why is what someone else chooses to watch, or not watch, so important to us?

I’m going to admit something here: I’ve watched some things that I regret. I went through a time where I was struggling from depression and watched some things that were not healthy or God honoring. Many, if not most, of my friends and blog readers probably still consider what I watched not that bad. While some of the content wasn’t great, it’s pretty clean by today’s standards. It was relatively fine.

One day, I was with a group of girls and they were talking about shows they had seen. These all were very sweet godly girls, but one of them said something to me that bugged me. She made a comment that, of course I hadn’t seen them because I would never think of watching that kind of thing.
I became defensive.

I flaunted a series I had watched with some content in it that wasn’t that great. The girls smiled and I felt I had gained some respect. For a few moments, I delighted in that respect. I was watching relatively cleaner things than they were watching, but I had showed them that I wasn’t the legalistic person they had thought I was. It didn’t take long for my delight to turn into pensiveness, and that pensiveness drove me to some unsettling conclusions.

#1 The only person I should worry about how they think about my choices is God.
#2 I was disturbed that I had been proud of the dirt in those shows.
#3 It was clear I had allowed some things into my life I shouldn’t have.

I liked the shows I had been watching. They were engaging and I found a lot of good in them. Yet, did they honor God? Since I felt that was a little too tough of a question (rolling eyes at self) I even gave myself an easier question: What did they make me think about? Did I come away thinking about themes of what was true, noble, right, and pure? I had to admit, I wasn’t coming away thinking about those things. I was upset with myself for allowing them in in the first place and upset at the conviction that I had to get rid of them.

Which brings me to the reasons I’ve chosen not to see the new Beauty and the Beast.
#1 By spending my money on something, I am giving my support. Just as I won’t buy or watch something that winks at intimacy outside of marriage, I won’t spend money on something that winks at the gay lifestyle. It doesn’t matter if it is a moment or a long scene.
#2 I was recently convicted (once again) that magic is never okay to God. Any time as it is treated as benign or good, it violates how God views it. This is hard for me as I have enjoyed Cinderella, Tangled, and myriads of other films that have “cute” magic.
#3 I want my entertainment to align with what I believe. My time is valuable and when I take the time off to watch or read something, I want to come away with profitable thoughts, not curse words, sensual ideas, or smiling at things God hates.

Now, if you are going to see Beauty and the Beast, can we still be friends? Of course! However, if you know someone who feels they shouldn’t go, honor their conviction.

You Might Also Like

4 comments

  1. Thank you for this reminder, Sarah!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sarah, you do a great job here! I'm proud of you for writing this in such a kind and engaging tone. I too have chosen not to see Beauty and the Beast, though my husband and I have literally been looking forward to going together since we got together, because we choose not to support something that winks at a sinful lifestyle with our dollars. Thanks for this great outline of your opinion!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your support, Rachelle. It is always good to know their are other people out there that feel the same way.

      Delete