Killing ME Softly…Part III

A QUIET DEATH. I feel like I’m almost to the brink of a great discovery here. After much thought and tons of discussion, I have finally realized what is going on in the world. God is getting killed, softly. I know how it’s happening, too. With the release of the Golden Compass, everyone is outraged at the idea that a movie would come out and say it kills God. To some, this is an outrage and just the thought of it makes them boil with anger towards the writer and producers of the movie, even though the movie itself won’t have many anti-God themes in it in order to appeal to a broader audience. However, the loud cry of the Christians against the Golden Compass is causing such a distraction, we’re missing the real danger here. God has been getting killed for years-decades-and we haven’t done anything about it. Why? “Because the things that have been ‘killing me softly’ have been ignored.” (That is a possible response from God.)

A REVIVAL? If the release of The Golden Compass started a revival of Christians fighting against everything that was “Killing God” in our world, wouldn’t that be a gift from God! Unfortunately, the movie is just getting Christians upset that someone has come out and said they were “killing God.” But what if this idea of “killing God” really woke Christians up to what is happening all around us? What if we realized that God is getting killed softly and started pointing it out to other believers? What if we started acknowledging the movies out there that kill God by their messages of homosexuality being normal, premarital sex being mandatory, abhorrent violence and gore being “entertainment,” ear-piercing vulgarities being funny or necessary, and their disrespect for the other standards God has established-WHAT if we stopped accepting, supporting, and ignoring the things of this world that kill God everyday? Would it make a difference? Would it cause a REVIVAL?

IGNORANCE IS STUPID. I hate it when people go to see a movie and say they were shocked by the content or didn’t know what was going to be in it. With the internet these days, that just isn’t a good excuse. With the addition of explanations of ratings directly underneath the “R” or “PG-13″ (in the little box that’s hard to read), you can no longer go to a movie and not know what’s in it. Furthermore, to say that the content of a movie or song doesn’t impact your spirituality or affect you in any way is simply wrong. For more on that, read my last blog on “Did you read the label?” Obviously, some things will affect you more than others, however, every anti-God message you absorb will have some impact on your spirituality; it will “kill God” softly and slowly. The more messages you absorb, the more dead God becomes. Being ignorant of what you’re putting yourself in contact with is not an option. It’s like going to a restaurant and letting your server pick your dinner-when you get it, you eat it up-and then end up in the hospital because you were allergic to it.

THINK=IT CHANGES THINGS. As Christians, we need to approach life with a different perspective than the world. We can’t just go around like the theater or iTunes is an “all you can eat” buffet. Look at the amount of anti-God messages that are in something and THINK: Is this going to be something that brings me closer to God, has no effect on me, or pulls me away from God? (The things that will have no effect on you would be Cars, Aladdin, Cinderella, things Rated G.) I guarantee you that if you’re struggling in your spiritual life with keeping your focus on God and following in the steps of Jesus, you very well may be “killing God” by your choices throughout the week. All it takes is a little thought, not much effort, and things will change.

ARE YOU KILLING GOD? So ask yourself one question, “Do you feel lucky punk, well, do ya?” Honestly, do you feel lucky when it comes to things that kill God? Are you going to continue to rationalize it and say, “I’m not going to see that for the nudity, but for the PLOT” or “Violence doesn’t affect me. I can take it” or whatever you say when you know something is wrong with the movie you’re about to see, but you want to see it anyway? Why do we yell and scream when a movie comes out that says it’s about “killing God” but pay no attention to the movies that are really and truly and literally KILLING GOD in our spiritual lives, in our churches, and in our families? I’m not worried about The Golden Compass turning our American Youth into atheists. I’m worried about kids whose parents let them see Rated R movies, surf the internet unsupervised, or listen to music by Soulja Boy…”but it’s got a good beat!”

REMEMBER: “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.” “…you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” “To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.”

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear! Yes and Amen.