Why Is Fantasy As Bad As Drug Abuse?

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

And this is paticularily aimed at christians. Holy scripture tells us, St Paul " beware of those preaching a false doctine that knowledge saves." Jesus " Be doers of the word not just hearers." or readers. Little Half Dead(me) " You know so much but do so little. We must be a living gospel to the world, not a dead gospel that is contained only in our memory vaults."

Edited September 21, 2013 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[blazeingstar]

drasticaly reduce your entertainment intake/moderate it and spread that truth and you will start to see major changes in your nation, it is the biggest and worst habbit in the u.s and australia to possibly. To bit red and blue moderation in the nation oooo. You can't solve the worlds problems or your own in front of the box, oh but we pay people to do that, not good enough, common/ordinary unpaid people need to be involved hands and brains and tounges on in the problem solving.

 

Hmmmm....yes there would be changes....but life before TV wasn't all hunky-dory.

 

 I don't think i said worse, i said similar. And this reminds me of what i was thinking about. Get this, Entertainment so readily excessible and it's effects on family units can only be likened to lets say in the old days when you had an alcoholic father and the mother had to work day and night sewing and stuff 7 days a week to make ends meet, which equalled no mother and no father, mother busy father drunk.  Most or half people are sitting infront of the t.v. like drunks in the bar, instead of solving there own problems and helping to solve others problems. They may all goto work, but there only mainly,working,entertainment and shopping. Now work is ok but it only solves money problems not all problems.

 

 

Are you for real?  Lets take a critical look at history.  Families were either farmers or city dwellers.  The average farmer would work 14 hours a day, the man being out in the field and barn (and occainally hunting) the woman in the house and barn and occasionally the field.  The children, if they survived, went to school and then came home to help in the field.  They would eat dinner, perhaps read scripture, then sing or tell tall tales.  City dwellers would work just as many hours in the factory, and would come home and do much the same.

 

The pain of a drunk or absent parent is no where near what TV watching and movies do.  There are SO MANY good TV and moives if selected right.  

 

 

Myths are lies. The greek gods are lies, the roman gods are lies, there myths. That's what i'm told to believe anyway and i do. And holy scripture says " all myths will come to an end." search it!

 

 

I'm sorry, I don't find that in my bible.

 

drasticaly reduce your entertainment intake/moderate it and spread that truth and you will start to see major changes in your nation, it is the biggest and worst habbit in the u.s and australia to possibly. To bit red and blue moderation in the nation oooo. You can't solve the worlds problems or your own in front of the box, oh but we pay people to do that, not good enough, common/ordinary unpaid people need to be involved hands and brains and tounges on in the problem solving.

 

 

Nuking the TV would not really do much...people's jobs, lives and everything are so different now that TV is something that bonds us.  Perhaps a bit less Jersy shore (or none at all) would be nice.

 

And this is paticularily aimed at christians. Holy scripture tells us, St Paul " beware of those preaching a false doctine that knowledge saves." Jesus " Be doers of the word not just hearers." or readers. Little Half Dead(me) " You know so much but do so little. We must be a living gospel to the world, not a dead gospel that is contained only in our memory vaults."

 

What does that have to do with TV?  No one is saying knowledge saves, but education, awareness, and a good laugh are all a vital part of life.  God warned against Money, too...but not that it was evil, that the love of money (eg making it a god or that it will save you) does.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

 

 

 

Nuking the TV would not really do much...people's jobs, lives and everything are so different now that TV is something that bonds us.  Perhaps a bit less Jersy shore (or none at all) would be nice.

 

 

 

 

 

Christianity is meant to bond us as christians , not entertainment.

[blazeingstar]

Christianity is meant to bond us as christians , not entertainment.

 

You are aware that Jesus probably played games and listened to tall tales as well as was bonded over his favorite foods and drink, his hometown, what his parents did for a living....to people OTHER than Jews and His followers.

 

Not everyone is a Christian, and the reading this weekend was all about being cunning enough to live in this world but work for that of Heaven.

[Guest]

Tab you should join A.A. and do 90 meetings in 90 days....I'm doing it....Join me bro....Godbless...

[Selah]

Tab, focus on the plank in your own eye before you go after the speck in everyone else's eye. 

 

 

And you know what I'm talking about.

[Momma's Boy]

Hey bro-I've been there.  I have given up just about everything at one time or another.  I used to argue the evils of Tolkien.  Yet Jesus himself told the parables-made up stories to teach truth.  If you really want direction though I wouldn't post it on a forum but ask a trusted pastor about it.  Ask Jesus to show you all of his truth.  When I was struggling with what you are now, I pretty much painted myself into a corner.  I gave up TV, video games, a lot of books and a lot of thing that were actually good for me at the time.  I got to the point where I would ask God to show me which shirt to wear in the morning (not joking).  This is called scrupulosity.  It's seeing sin where this is none or seeing grave sin where it only venial.  Scrupulosity masks itself as zeal but it really sees God more as a taskmaster, a slave driver, not a loving Father.  God is not a gotcha God.  He's not just waiting for us to screw up so he can say ha-gotcha-now you're in real trouble.  God's love is so strong it even envelopes our everyday lives.  Instead of backing away from the secular world, we are called to evangelize it.  We don't get rid of culture, we Christianize it.   Long story short, you're not going to find anyone on these forums who denounce myth.  Just because myth has been used to talk about false gods, doesn't mean it can't/hasn't been redeemed.  

[AccountDeleted]

Hey bro-I've been there.  I have given up just about everything at one time or another.  I used to argue the evils of Tolkien.  Yet Jesus himself told the parables-made up stories to teach truth.  If you really want direction though I wouldn't post it on a forum but ask a trusted pastor about it.  Ask Jesus to show you all of his truth.  When I was struggling with what you are now, I pretty much painted myself into a corner.  I gave up TV, video games, a lot of books and a lot of thing that were actually good for me at the time.  I got to the point where I would ask God to show me which shirt to wear in the morning (not joking).  This is called scrupulosity.  It's seeing sin where this is none or seeing grave sin where it only venial.  Scrupulosity masks itself as zeal but it really sees God more as a taskmaster, a slave driver, not a loving Father.  God is not a gotcha God.  He's not just waiting for us to screw up so he can say ha-gotcha-now you're in real trouble.  God's love is so strong it even envelopes our everyday lives.  Instead of backing away from the secular world, we are called to evangelize it.  We don't get rid of culture, we Christianize it.   Long story short, you're not going to find anyone on these forums who denounce myth.  Just because myth has been used to talk about false gods, doesn't mean it can't/hasn't been redeemed.  

 

 

You've hit the nail on the head here. Another thing to consider is that Catholics follow the Bible but they also follow sacred tradition as represented by the teachings of the Church. The Church doesn't say anything about myths or fantasy being bad. And they don't condemn entertainment such as TV or video or the Internet or any of these things. Whether or not any of these things are sinful depends on how they are used.

 

Scruples is a tough cross to bear - especially since it can also lead to the sin of pride because they make a person think that they are somehow able to judge the state of another person's soul.

 

I'm with you  - don't get rid of these things, but use them for the glory of God.

Edited September 25, 2013 by nunsense

[AnneLine]

It would seem to me that one would be limiting God to say He couldn't speak through these things.

 

All things used to His Glory, of course.....

 

After all, Jesus certainly enjoyed using parables....

 

Not trying to make you feel bad, Tab.... but I think God can use these as well as the other side.... as St. Maximilian Kolbe pointed out, "Why should we let Satan have all the fun toys?"  Indeed.....

Edited September 25, 2013 by AnneLine

[AccountDeleted]

It would seem to me that one would be limiting God to say He couldn't speak through these things.

 

All things used to His Glory, of course.....

 

After all, Jesus certainly enjoyed using parables....

 

Not trying to make you feel bad, Tab.... but I think God can use these as well as the other side.... as St. Maximilian Kolbe pointed out, "Why should we let Satan have all the fun toys?"  Indeed.....

 

 

This :lol3:

[AnneLine]

I think part of this, at least for me, is that I was a comparative literature major in undergrad.

 

I was very impressed by the idea that what we call 'myth' isn't necessarily 'untruth' -- although we use it sloppily in that sense in everyday life.

 

But for a person interested in literature (or film) 'myth' is an attempt to put onto paper or film -- or into words -- a truth that is so big it can't be contained in our ordinary speech.  And THAT is what a parable is.

 

So... it seems to me... that God not only can but DOES/DID use parables.... and therefore gave this a blessing.

 

Now can we muck it up... of course -- WE can muck up anything!   And for some people some things aren't ever going to be a good idea (like alcohol for an alcoholic!) but for others, it not only isnt' a problem, but can actually help them get closer to God. 

 

It's about right ordering all things into service of our Lord and Master!  

 

(And thank you St. Ignatius for explaining this so well!!!!)

[AccountDeleted]

 And for some people some things aren't ever going to be a good idea (like alcohol for an alcoholic!) but for others, it not only isnt' a problem, but can actually help them get closer to God. 

 

 

 

Agree. :)

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Tab, focus on the plank in your own eye before you go after the speck in everyone else's eye. 

 

 

And you know what I'm talking about.

 

 

Are you one of the ones that think everyone has a plank in there eye therefore never excepts humble rebuke. Scripture also says " except humble rebuke." :)

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Hey bro-I've been there.  I have given up just about everything at one time or another.  I used to argue the evils of Tolkien.  Yet Jesus himself told the parables-made up stories to teach truth.  If you really want direction though I wouldn't post it on a forum but ask a trusted pastor about it.  Ask Jesus to show you all of his truth.  When I was struggling with what you are now, I pretty much painted myself into a corner.  I gave up TV, video games, a lot of books and a lot of thing that were actually good for me at the time.  I got to the point where I would ask God to show me which shirt to wear in the morning (not joking).  This is called scrupulosity.  It's seeing sin where this is none or seeing grave sin where it only venial.  Scrupulosity masks itself as zeal but it really sees God more as a taskmaster, a slave driver, not a loving Father.  God is not a gotcha God.  He's not just waiting for us to screw up so he can say ha-gotcha-now you're in real trouble.  God's love is so strong it even envelopes our everyday lives.  Instead of backing away from the secular world, we are called to evangelize it.  We don't get rid of culture, we Christianize it.   Long story short, you're not going to find anyone on these forums who denounce myth.  Just because myth has been used to talk about false gods, doesn't mean it can't/hasn't been redeemed.  

 

 

I understand most of what your saying and i'm not overly scrupulous and i don't think everything is evil, and i don't think God is waiting to smash me, but also scripture does say " God disciplines those he loves." I welcome that discipline when it comes, but also yes i'm not so close to God and so far away from the devil that the devil doesn't give me a hell of a beating at times making out that it is from God. 

Also somewhere previously on this thread i think i said that i said that fantasy is similar to drug abuse, i actually did say as the title says 'as bad' which was over zealous and i recoil. Fantasy is similar to drug abuse.

And also Momma's boy, Jesus told stories about morals as did the jews, there was always a moral to the story, not mindless trash, nore fantasy/mythology.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

You've hit the nail on the head here. Another thing to consider is that Catholics follow the Bible but they also follow sacred tradition as represented by the teachings of the Church. The Church doesn't say anything about myths or fantasy being bad. And they don't condemn entertainment such as TV or video or the Internet or any of these things. Whether or not any of these things are sinful depends on how they are used.

 

Scruples is a tough cross to bear - especially since it can also lead to the sin of pride because they make a person think that they are somehow able to judge the state of another person's soul.

 

I'm with you  - don't get rid of these things, but use them for the glory of God.

 

 

Nunsense, nore holy scripture, nore sacred tradition is going to tell you absolutely everything about everything. And anyway holy scripture does disapprove of mythology.

Edited September 25, 2013 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye