That Feeling That You've Talked About This Before

Today I'm going to tell you what I think about Standardized Christian Living. Yes, I've talked about it before. Once or twice.

Maybe I should be over it, or past it, or Focused On Other Things By Now. But still- I'm going to tell you about it one more time. It's the last time, so listen up. (Just kidding. I'm happy you even read what I write, so I'm not going to tell you what to do.)

I really wish Christian people wouldn't shun things that are innocent and enjoyable and even noble and beautiful, just because they contain an Objectionable Element. The one thing that doesn't meet the requirements, but really wouldn't even cause them to sin. I know, the Bible says to keep ourselves unspotted from the world. But it doesn't say to keep ourselves walled away from it with mute buttons and book bannings and rebukings of the Unstandardized.

I've watched movies and read books that I know some people, even my nearest-and-dearest, would turn off or slam shut in two seconds because of the language. I'm not talking about foulness in every sentence, but something like God's name and maybe a few "hell's" or "damn's" by the time the credits roll, by the time I turn the last page. Yet something in the movie or book- the qualities of the hero or heroine, their self-sacrifice, the whole wonderful story-changed the way I think about things, changed me, touched me deeply and I wouldn't trade that for anything. "Nothing's a waste of time, it adds to the person that you are"- I believe that, and I want to grow as a person. I don't want to be shut up in some imaginary, sanitary world.

Keep it out, keep it out, keep it ALL out! And I'd be missing out. Not on fun times- I know that being friends with God and serving Him is more fun than anything else. I'm talking about missing out on culture, and character, and new ideas.

You have a lot to learn from everyone- not just from the lady in the church nursery. And maybe expanding your movie and book horizons will help you realize that there's a big, big world out there, filled with all kinds of people. Those people WILL curse around you, and there's nothing you can do about it. (I'm sorry, but I think it's rude to tell an adult "please don't say that around me" or "please turn that music off"- rude and off-putting and just plain WRONG.)

Maybe if you expand your standardized horizons, you'll realize that the people you will meet WILL drink, and some of them will be gay, and some of them will live with their boyfriends. But they will still have good traits and good ideas and good things to teach you. And if they're not saved, you have something even more important to tell THEM- the fact that Jesus saved you and changed your life, cleaned you up and gave you purpose, and is helping you get through each day. And that they need Him too. And they're not really going to want to listen to you after you pointed out the fact that you don't like what they're doing-NOT AT ALL- and you would never do it yourself- EVER.

The cursing issue gets me especially. I'm not trying to turn this into a pro-cursing post. That's not the intention. I don't curse, myself, because it's not refined, and it makes a person sound uneducated and sort of coarse, in my opinion (I'm not saying that you're uneducated and coarse if you curse, but that it makes you sound that way).

The Bible does talk about cursing, but I feel like it's taken out of context, and even "thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" is misused. Because there's really no way to know that a person is taking God's name in vain. I think it's one of those things that you can only recognize when you do it yourself- you can't say that someone else is doing it, because you don't know their thoughts. People often say "Oh, God" when they are in trouble, and to me, that's a sort of short prayer. Also- do you say "God bless you" when someone sneezes? In that moment, are you wishing for God to bless that person? If not, didn't you just take God's name in vain?

Some "curse words" are honestly subjective. They're "curse words" because someone, somewhere, sometime decided that they were. Of course, I believe sexual-meaning words are clearly wrong, because they're obscene or corrupting talk which the Bible forbids.

Anyway, I think it's wrong to look at someone differently just because they say a word that you don't like. I think it's wrong to yell at a kid in a kid's ministry, who doesn't normally come to your church, when he does. (He's probably not a Christian. His parents/ uncles/ siblings/ cousins/ neighbors probably curse all the time. Do you know how off-putting it is for you to yell and lecture about it? And it's really not the important issue right now.)

I believe in listening, being kind and talking about things that really matter.

And I also wish you wouldn't rule out every (otherwise good) book and movie that has some against-your-standard element but doesn't Actually Cause You To Sin. You will be surrounded by these things FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.

What about being in the world, yet not of it?

But where's the mute button where's the black marker turn it off eject it that's two curse words they kissed AAAAH tear out the page rip it up burn it up not in this house no no no never ever ever we have standards in this house we have standards! Amen.