Is Christ Being Mocked? Hunger Games Review #2

     For many decades it has been said that we are living in the last days and I believe this still to be true in our generation.  As the time of Christ return draws nearer, scripture clearly says that deception will be on the rise(2 Tim. 3:13).  The lines between truth and lies, light and darkness, and good and evil are continuing to be blurred with each passing day.  As young Christians I believe many of us have laid aside the sword of God's Word and have come to adopt the the ideas and philosophies of our modern world without even realizing it.  We have been deceived.
     So how do we combat deception?  The answer to this question is so wonderfully simple.  We combat the deception of this present age with the truth of God's Word!!!! Romans 12:2 exhorts us to:

Not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, 

that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

It is  my desire that through these blog posts on the Hunger Games you would be able to evaluate these issues through the sieve of God's Word.   By renewing our minds through the light of His truth may we be able to discern God's best for our lives.

Access part #1 by clicking here. 
*Again, if you are 12 years old or younger, please ask your parents before reading this post. Thanks!

Violence:

     Throughout the movies, violence is continually displayed.  Below are listed just a few examples of the numerous scenes that contain such disturbing brutality.  (All excerpts are taken from Plugged In Online.)

We see them kill as a pack—delivering quick stabs with a knife and a spear—laughing as they call out encouragements to one another. We see a large teen snap another boy's neck. A dead teen is shown with an arrow in his chest, and a poisoned girl lies dead on the ground, her skin a light shade of blue. We see "news" footage of a boy swinging a blood-covered brick.” 

(Hunger Games)

~

"One tribute is shot in the chest with an arrow, and another goes down with an ax. A third is bitten ferociously and killed by genetically modified mandrills. A fourth is stabbed in the gut with a knife. A fifth runs into a poisonous mist that causes horrifically blistered skin before it kills. A sixth drowns. Etc." 

(Catching Fire)

~

 “Rebels are mowed down in hails of bullets, while the malevolent peacekeepers are beaten into submission and blown up. Peacekeepers also execute civilians, burying bullets in the backs of their heads.” (Mockingjay)

     Throughout scripture and  history you often see evil characterized by violence.  In Psalm 53:4, we see that the violent have not set God before them and so act in live is such a way without taking into mind that there is a God to whom they will be held accountable. Sin reigns in the absence of authority. As God is against evil, He is also against the sin of violence and opposes violent people. As you watch the Hunger Games series please don't think that God doesn't care, that He approves of or accepts the grotesque violence displayed through these movies. Ultimately know that God sees you and that one day you will be held accountable to Him for the things you ingest through media.  

     "But does the violence I see really affect me?"  As you expose yourself to violence through the movies you watch, it will effect you in one of two ways, whether your realize it or not. 

Response #1:  Hardening:

    This consequence is the most common.  As you expose yourself to unhindered cruelty it often leaves you
devoid of emotions.  There is a mental disconnect between the fact that the people who are being slaughtered on the screen in front of you are real.  Televised entertainment often causes people to be dehumanized in your mind whether that was the intention or not. Violence that leaves you devoid of emotion is extremely dangerous. It causes you to be desensitized.

Have you come to love violence???

     Not only that but violence in it's nature tends to be addictive.  If it does not leave you senseless it will most likely give you an emotional high.  The story line, violence, and approaches that are taken in the Hunger Games series feeds your sinful, carnal flesh. After being left with an emotional thrill that result from the violence, you are often left hungering for more and before you know it, violence has turned into a necessary part of your life. 

     Whether you are left void of emotion or are completely overstimulated, exposure to the wrong kind of violence can often result in a hardening of your mind toward it, leading to an acceptance of it.

   "The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
And the one who loves violence His soul hates."

Psalms 11:5

Response #2:  Broken:

     This should be the Christian's response to violence and evil.  When you are exposed to brutality it should leave you broken; broken over sin, it's effects, and the harm it does when it is unmercilessly unleashed on the helpless.  Unfortunately, I think many of us have become so desensitized that this is no longer the effect.   We have become indifferent to the evils of our age.  Our hearts no longer break over the things that break God's heart.  Please ask God to develop a sensitivity in your as you read over the following facts.  May you be left with tears in your eyes and a heavy heart.  In Christ alone there is hope.

• 1.2  million babies are aborted every year.
•  Over 50 million lives have been taken since abortion was legalized in the U.S. alone

• 171,000 brothers and sisters in Christ will loose there lives this year through martyrdom.
•  Please read this story about a young Christian couple who were burned to death only a few months ago. 
• 163 Million orphans around the world 

I  could go on and on with the stats of human trafficking and  murder, stories from ISIS and so on but I think you get the point. Don't allow yourself to become numb to the violence that is all around us.  Please allow God to break your heart over what breaks His.

Government Overthrow

 "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment."
Romans 13:1-2

     I just want to briefly touch on this subject.  Contrary to popular belief, we are instructed to obey and submit to the government.  The French Revolution is a perfect example that bad things happen to those who rid themselves of their governing authorities. It is not a pretty picture when anarchy reigns.  God is the one who has sovereignly instituted this sphere of authority and no matter how evil governing authorities may become, God is still in control.

"The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will."

Proverbs 21:1

Now is there ever a place to defend ourselves when the government has overstepped it's bounds? Yes, but how that is done through the depiction of the third movie is not in line with scripture.  After all, freedom gained through violence is no freedom at all as Proverbs 1:19 explains:

"So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence;
It takes away the life of its possessors."

*Please note: I have only highlighted four of many problems that I see with these movies.  I could go on concerning the messages of feminism, the taking of God's name in vain, blatant immodesty and many other concerning topics and messages that are weaved into these movies.

The Higher Standard

“Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,”

Galatians 1:4

~

 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

     I have some great news for you!!!!!!  If we have received the gift of salvation, God has set us free in Christ from death, darkness and destruction.  So why do we wallow in these things for the purpose of entertainment?

When we participate in the things that glorify darkness and death, doesn't

 it stand to reason that we invite the prince of darkness and death into our mind 

and subconscious?

-Leslie Ludy-

      Are you leaving an open door for the enemy to come into your heart and mind and ravage the life that Christ has given you? By watching this, is the kingdom of Christ being advanced in your life or the kingdom of the enemy?  Are you drawn closer to Christ through exposing yourself to media that is against Him and what He stand for?  Is the purity of Christ being portrayed when you willingly accept this type of entertainment?  Are you following the pattern laid out in scripture to abhor evil, to run from it, to hate it and to hold fast to what is good?


 Stop seeking the things that are in harmony with the nature of the enemy. Run from them!!!  Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Set nothing evil before your eyes, seek The Light!
I am not seeking to condemn you but to call you to a higher standard.

     I challenge you, evaluate the entertainment you are exposing yourself
to in the light of this truth. Those of us who have been purchased by the blood of Christ are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Let no vile thing have a place in that which is set-apart to be holy.