Once again, another page I could have done much much sooner... LOL!
Anyways, learn what Katy Perry had to deal with growing up. For those who just learned about this, how do you feel about how she was raised? Theres a few more rules she had to follow which I'll show in the next page.
And by the way, I loved watching the Smurfs when I was little and it never influenced me to want to learn magic spells. Or even most viewers I think. :D
Comments
good observation steve. I wholly agree. I just never knew how to put it down like that. I am going to quote you on this one day. As for music, David you if you could check out this sermon by my friend and minister of music the power of music.(you can watch it or down load the audio here too). He is a professional and national music, and once a very popular and famous secular recording artist. A few years ago we had this discussion about "worldly" music and now he is preaching/teaching on it. Well worth it an may add some ideas for your future story. He may even would like to make a cameo on your strip to help your characters understand the power of music. Drop him a line. If he agrees, YOU GOTTA LET ME GUESS ILLUSTRATE! (please....).
In the fantasy genre magic is part of the fabric of the universe. For the author it is a vehicle that allows him/her to express and conduct great moral dilemmas and obstacles in a very entertaining way.
Magic in the world of the Smurfs is part of the Smurf universe. It is like water or fire, and can be used for good or evil.
The same holds true for Lord of the Rings. Gandalf was a warrior for the good, Saruman for the bad, but magic was just the weapon... like fire or water.
Magic in fantasy is not a lesson in Wicca, satanism, or sorcery, but a literary tool used to shed moral light, or show the heights of good and the depths of evil.
Some of the most imaginative and vigorous minds in Christianity have embraced tales of magic and fantasy as a vehicle to express their Christian beliefs. (CS Lewis, George MacDonald, and JRR Tolkien are a few biggies.)
Sex on the other hand is sex. Be it in a world of elves, Smurfs, or humans... sex is sex. And immorality is immorality.
If Smurf were to sell sexual favors, she would be a whore, as any woman would be... in that world, or in this one.
The difference couldn't be any stronger.
On the other hand, I've never understood why Christian parents would be okay with a little bit of wizards and sorcerers in their children's television programming, but not whores and prostitution. If both things lead to the same damning consequences according to the Bible, then why shouldn't parents be just as offended by Papa Smurf concocting a magic potion, as they would Papa Smurf asking Smurfette for a one night stand or a hand tuggy... I mean, am I right? Why should we accept Harry Potter, if we wouldn't just as well laud a book about a young amateur prostitute named Trixey who makes her way through a magical world full of pimps and street side corners? How could Christian ethics possibly defend the former but condemn the latter?
And if Christian ethics cannot, then how are Perry's parents in the wrong?
LOL Marbles? Really? This really looks like a type of Bible Legalism. Of course twisting scripture around. I feel that kind of thinking makes us Christians look bad and don't know how to have fun. But thanks for the comment Maffett. This comic I feel needed to be made and those kinds of Christians need to be confronted about the damage they bring to the church.
So many Christians live in a state of fear guised as "holiness". A shame. Are we to live with a spirit of fear?
I have had Christians try to argue that modern music was inherently evil, that the drum beat was satanic. Please.
But, on the Smurfs...
There's a collection of essays written by CS Lewis called "Of Other Worlds" which deals with the fantasy genre of storytelling. It is worth reading. In it he makes the case that children ought to read fantasy stories- tales of ogres, or knights, or dragons (and arguably even little blue creatures in white hats who live in the woods)- because in reading such stories young minds begin to accept realities beyond what our five senses can deliver. They can imagine possibilities beyond the world of the physical realm, and so accepting or apprehending spiritual/Biblical realities is not so far of a stretch. They are used to other realms, and so the spiritual realm is not so alien.
Also, he made the case that such stories ought to have evil characters- very evil characters- because such evil demands a greater good to defeat it.
Tolkien would echo these ideas in his famous essay "On Fairy Stories".
I would agree.
Freedom in Christ- yes, even the freedom of an imagination redeemed by Christ- is a most wonderful thing.
dont forget about not playing "marbles" because the bible says "marvel not..." in John 3:17. I could not get it through to them that marvel is a verb and marble is a noun to say the least. No lie this was what was believed in that denomination.
Several churches(Baptist, Scottish Brethern) I grew up in followed this line of 'separation from the world,' And for those who choose to live this way , coupled with a huge love of Jesus and less fear of the Devil, its an ok life style. Really hard on kids as they enter teenagehood though! Great strip.
oMG! sounds just like the holiness church I had to remove my family from! It has taken nearly 7 years to purge the nonsense and false teachings out of us. Thanks for this great comic!