…top five things i can’t stand about christians (one)
December 5, 2007 – 5:24 pmi’m a facebook addict.
there, i said it. *deep breath* i feel much better to have that weight off my shoulders.
the interesting thing about facebook, is that even though it is truly a very watered down sense of community, it allows you to know certain things about people that you may have otherwise not taken the time to know. you know, just the stupid things like what they thought about the movie “transformers,” their third favorite song of all time… stupid things like that.
the other day, i noticed a few of my friends joining a facebook group called “boycott the golden compass movie!!!!” i didn’t think much of it at the time, other than the usual “that’s silly” casual thought, but then i saw on the news yesterday all the uproar about the movie in christian circles. this prompted me (and the discussion from my politics posts) to start a new series on the blog. the first of which, will coincide with what started this whole thought process.
5.) i can’t stand when christians formally “boycott” just about anything. especially those things outside the walls of our church.
here’s my reasoning; first and foremost, does it do an ounce of good? even a gram? is anyone really going to not go see that movie who wasn’t already not going to see it because you are joining a facebook group, or any other sort of formal group? however, on the flip side, will it make non-believers think christians are being judgmental, and even a little hypocritical (more on this in a moment) to be boycotting the film? will it hurt or hinder the cause of christ to be formally boycotting anything?
as far as boycotting goes… it’s one thing to make a personal choice that you do not want to support something. it’s entirely different when you start proclaiming to the world the evils of a movie that doesn’t agree with what you believe. let me say this, would jesus be boycotting the golden compass? i certainly don’t think he would be. i like to think that he would be out there in the theater with some friends or strangers, and answering some questions afterwards. isn’t that a much better use of our time and efforts?
the reason i bring up hypocrisy, is why is there such a problem with an anti-god movie? we have plenty of spiritually influenced movies and media out there. why stop at this movie? should i boycott will & grace because there’s gay people in it? we as christians want to be free to express our opinions to the free world, why wouldn’t we allow the same freedoms to those outside of our faith? i think it’s absolutely ridiculous to expect anything less.
and so what if the movies are “specifically targeted towards children.” kids are going to learn all kinds of things in life that will make them question whether or not god exists. i question my faith on a regular basis. i don’t believe it’s our job to “shelter” anyone.
listen, the bigger picture here is that i wonder why we as christians (myself included), spend so much time and energy all bunged up about things that really aren’t that important in the end, when we can’t even get something as simple as “love your neighbor” right.
i say we start with that.
3 Responses to “…top five things i can’t stand about christians (one)”
I agree with almost all of what you are saying here. In fact, I may even agree with all of it because you didn’t explicitly speak against what I’m about to bring up. To me, the problem is what outrages Christians, not the fact that they choose to boycott. I don’t know about you, but if Christians decided to boycott Wal-Mart because of where they get their goods or how they treat their employees, I’d be all for it. Similarly, the Taco Bell boycott several years ago, was supported by all sorts of churches, including the United Methodist Church (a rare proud moment for me!), and it did a lot of good! So to me, it is kind of pointless to boycott this movie, as you point out, but especially when we think of all of the human slavery that exists in sweat shops, people that are hungry or suffering in some other way or many other very important issues that we as Christians tend to ignore.
By rev. todd on Dec 5, 2007
hmmm….you have some very interesting points that got me to expand my thinking. Personally, I wasn’t going to support this movie. When I first heard of the background of it, it angered me. I was frightened for all that would see it and be persuaded by things in it. Would I join any kind of boycott movement? Probably not. That’s not my kind of thing. I usually take a more laid back approach. However, I thought boycotting would be a good stance for anyone who chose to go that route. But what do non-Christians think of us? I never really thought of it from their perspective. It’s like the whole Jesus bumper sticker thing. Who are we preaching to? The only people that get it are other Christians. I liked your alternative approach - watching the movie with friends and then discussing it afterward. I think you have it right. If they want to see it, they are going to see it regardless of a boycott. At least then you’d have a chance to get into some deeper discussions of faith instead of alienating them.
By Jen on Dec 5, 2007
amen. thats all. amen. wait, i might have something. … if i dont support a movie, i am definately not going to broadcast it to the entire world and give it free advertising!!!! goodness. if i want to support something, then i start groups and tell people to google ron paul!
ha.
By Addison on Dec 6, 2007