Horror movies don't exist unless you go and see them, and people always will.
- Joss Whedon
Doubtful habits and and what pass for trivial sins abound throughout the architecture of modern life. Due to massive desensitization by incremental yet relentless challenges to societal norms, many of even our extremely poor choices go unrecognized.
Tragically, as temptations and deceptions grow all the more brazen and glaring, many spiritual dangers enjoy ever increasing acceptance. Horror movies, and it’s sub genre gore, are horrifying examples of this very scary kind of escalation.
For millennia Biblical Christianity provided the moral compass for modern society. Yet since the 60’s sexual revolution and the impact of innumerable collateral effects, ethics and morality have become almost entirely situational and subjective.
This is nowhere more evident than in regards to TV and movies. The evolution or more aptly devolution of content and imagery on the big and small screen has been as swift as it is shocking. Particularly in the horror and/or gore genre. So much so that modern Christianity has given up all but the pretense of confrontation having succumbed without a fight to a kind of moral outrage and fatigue.
To the non Christian such concerns are understandably moot. To such QC offers little advice in this or any regard other than to lobby for thoroughly examining Scripture’s claim of Divine origin. If the Bible is authoritative as the word of God (in its original language and intent) the rest of this article is extremely relevant to everyone. If not, as Scripture Itself maintains, “let us eat, drink and be happy for tomorrow we die.”
The entire Bible’s context and content warn of two competing wisdoms. The first originates from below and is secular, unspiritual and demonic:
- “Who among you is wise and intelligent? Let him by his good conduct show his [good] deeds with the gentleness and humility of true wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth. This [superficial] wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly (secular), natural (unspiritual), even demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder [unrest, rebellion] and every evil thing and morally degrading practice.” James 3:13-16 AMP
- “But the wisdom from above is first pure [morally and spiritually undefiled], then peace-loving [courteous, considerate], gentle, reasonable [and willing to listen], full of compassion and good fruits. It is unwavering, without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile]. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness (spiritual maturity) is sown in peace by those who make peace [by actively encouraging goodwill between individuals].” James 3:17-18 AMP
Above Or Below
While offering many insights, the salient points of this passage are these:
1. Two Wisdoms: While each side denigrates the other as foolishness, in point of fact they are both wisdom from their respective points of view. The first, being from below (worldly and/or demonic) reasons as if life is merely temporal and thus contains no spiritual concerns. The second, being from above (heavenly) reasons life is both temporal and eternal with glorious or hellish everlasting consequences for every one of us (spirit, soul and body):
- “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 AMP
- “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].” Matthew 6:24 AMP
- “Do not be unequally bound together with unbelievers [do not make mismatched alliances with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and Belial (Satan)? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?” 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 AMP
As with all issues, though markedly more so in this case, the choice of which wisdom to adopt is clear. According to Scripture, viewing, much less paying to view, anything within the horror and/or gore genre simultaneously accomplishes both the following:
1. Repels the Holy Spirit: Lucifer’s heavenly angelic rebellion and his campaign against humanity are both anathema to God. Graciously identifying with the helpless, the Trinity is deeply grieved and insulted by any behavior siding with and/or forwarding Satanic propaganda. Up to and including viewing and/or paying to view much of TV programing particularly the Horror Genre) All the more so when blatantly targeting the weak and children in particular:
- “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!” Matthew 6:22-23 AMP
- “Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble [in sin and lose faith].” Luke 17:1-2 AMP
- And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 18:9-10 NIV
- “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to become their enemy and Himself fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10 AMP
- “For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free but are prevented from doing what you desire to do.” Galatians 5:17 AMP
- And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God's own, secured) for the day of redemption (of final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin).” Ephesians 4:30 AMP
- “Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because— I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.' Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?' He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.' Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward." Matthew 25:41-46 MSG
2. Attracts the demonic:
- I will behave wisely and follow the way of integrity. When will You come to me? I will walk in my house in integrity and with a blameless heart. I will set no worthless or wicked thing before my eyes. I hate the practice of those who fall away [from the right path]; It will not grasp hold of me.” Psalm 101:2-3 AMP
- “Seven sons of one [named] Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. But the evil spirit retorted, “I know and recognize and acknowledge Jesus, and I know about Paul, but as for you, who are you?” Then the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they ran out of that house [in terror, stripped] naked and wounded. This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified and exalted. Many of those who had become believers were coming, confessing and disclosing their [former sinful] practices. And many of those who had practiced magical arts collected their books and [throwing book after book on the pile] began burning them in front of everyone. They calculated their value and found it to be 50,000 pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord [concerning eternal salvation through faith in Christ] was growing greatly and prevailing.” Acts 19:14-20 AMP
- “Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)?” Romans 6:16 AMP
- “The tools of our trade aren’t for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 MSG
- And you can’t have it both ways, banqueting with the Master one day and slumming with demons the next. Besides, the Master won’t put up with it. He wants us—all or nothing. Do you think you can get off with anything less?” 1 Corinthians 10:21-12 MSG
- Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him].” Ephesians 4:26 AMP
- “And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.” Ephesians 6:10-12 MSG
- “But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons…” 1 Timothy 4:1 AMP
- “You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, enabling them to escape the Devil’s trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26 MSG
Hell To Pay
Regarding how we live and spend our time, talent and treasure the New Testament warns:
- For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities].” 2 Corinthians 5:10 AMP
- “So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ].” Philippians 2:12 AMP
- “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be [in the meantime] in holy behavior [that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer] and in godliness [displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God], [while you earnestly] look for and await the coming of the day of God. For on this day the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the [material] elements will melt with intense heat!” 2 Peter 3:11-12 AMP
Yet the horror genre is so profitable that movies often gross 10 to 20 times their cost at the theater box office alone.
What makes this even more alarming is how otherwise smart and caring individuals can enjoying frequenting and fund such an industry when the very horror movies themselves are replete with cautionary tales. For example, in the vast majority:
1. Someone in the past or present, purposely or accidentally opens a portal or path of invasion.
2. Hellish entities enter the lives of otherwise smart and caring individuals and/or their families.
3. People are terrorized and/or tortured, killed and/or damned.
4. Entities may or may not be defeated at tragic cost.
5. Scars of loss are born by many.
Finding entertainment value in such programing seems double-minded indeed when considering even the possibility of a demonic component to this industry. Particularly in light of the ordinary security measures we employ to protect ourselves and families:
- Guns and lock boxes
- Doors and locks
- Seat belts and car seats
- Home and smoke alarms
- Handling of medications and toxins
- Cleanliness and germ protection
- Medical care and pharmaceuticals
Yet today most hardly pause to give any of this a second though. Even as no one snowflake feels responsible for an avalanche, so millions might deny culpability feeling unaccountable for such movies. It’s certainly true that those higher up the chain of responsibility bare the greater blame. Writers and producers, actors and directors not to mention theaters and media conglomerates play the greater role, yet without the end-user and consumer their impact would be minimal.
Furthermore there’s the New Testament’s explanation of salt and light to carefully consider:
- “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.” Matthew 5:13 MSG
- “You are the light of [Christ to] the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15 AMP
More information
In the Red Dropdown Icon you'll find resources that we hope will both stimulate and facilitate your pursuit of and understanding of the God of the Bible. To get started simply place your cursor on a category of interest and see where it leads. You can also join the discussion in a variety of ways including posting comments to God Blogs as well as making comments or asking questions by email or text.
Copyright 2018 All Rights Reserved