Plugged In Online Family Room
A young woman who dabbled in the occult explains how Jesus pulled her out of darkness and inspired her to teach young people to recognize evil in entertainment.
**I came across this over the weekend on Plugged In (one of my favorite review sites) and its a rather interesting article, her doorway into the occult was through books......
My thoughts
I think she makes major points and although I read crazy stuff when I was a teen, Rosemary's Baby, Stephen King, Anne Rice and tons of dark horror, I never felt the pull to become a witch or dabble in Wicca religion. I however did have a foundation in Christianity in my young years and although I wasn't a practicing Christian at the time, I certainly feared getting involved with certain things....ie...tarot cards, Ouija boards or seance stuff. I can understand how a child or young teen with no religious foundation in their lives could read some dark paranormal and be fascinated with the occult world and want to learn more. I knew one girl when I lived on a military base who was a pagan and worshiped some freaky goddess, she did some weird stuff and jiggled around a lot, she told me she got interested in it after reading Harry Potter. I read the first book in the Harry Potter series, it did not make me become anti-Christian. For me I noticed when I was reading the dark PNR books, it was giving me a reason to read other books I normally wouldn't have. It wasn't until a friend told me I was "talking different" that alerted me to the change in myself. I noticed after how cynical I was becoming of my church, pastor and being a Christian in general. On the other hand, I also know a lot of gals (some tremendous bloggers as well) who read only paranormal books and they are not moving things with their minds and playing with Ouija boards....perhaps it comes down to a personal choice and how we handle the occult individually.
So what do you think. do you think books, movies and entertainment can open doors to a dark world.......??
I stopped by (from the blog hop).
ReplyDeleteAnn
Cozy In Texas
What a really good question and article. I think it all depends on what your reading and how it's making you feel.
ReplyDeleteSince we're all different, it's different for all of us.
If something makes you feel dark, then you should stop.
I use this gauge in everything from movies, to art, to books. If something gives me a dark vibe or feeling - I avoid it or ditch it.
For me personally, it's about the character's journey and struggle to be good. If the characters earnestly seek light, goodness, and what is right - then I'm cool with the story. If they relish in the dark and have cynical views of light/faith/God - then I know that film or movie is not for me.
With children, I think parents should be very conscious and aware of what their kids are reading and discuss the themes being presented. Since children are very susceptible to suggestion and are still trying to develop who they are. Making sure they know how to draw the line between fact and fiction and right and wrong is really important.
Ideally parents should keep up with everything their kids are consuming whether it be food, drugs or alcohol, films, movies, pornography, art, education, etc. 'Cause in the end anything they are consuming can point them in the wrong direction.
My general rule of thumb is: we are what we eat. And entertainment feeds our minds and souls. So make sure what you're eating feels right.