WARNING TO CHRISTIANS: The Great Apostacy of Narnia!

Dear Timothy,
Although I don’t participate on discussions, I often read your comments (and others, too). I want to say thank you for your thoughtful and edifying comments. I don’t feel qualified enough to respond to questions, but, like many members of this site, I enjoy reading and learning from all sides of the discussion. This morning, burdened by my 14 year old daughter’s preference for “a good witch,” I read your discussion on this particular topic. How can you explain to a young person, both the so called “good witches” as well as the bad ones belong to one and the same source? I told my daughter that they are all evil and she was very offended. To her, the good withes are helping while the bad once are truly destructive. At the moment, we are unable to communicate on this subject and we agreed not to talk about it. I have been praying about this problem in my family. I will be grateful if the Lord leads you to pray for us (for my daughter to see the truth).

In Christ,

YT

I would like to expound on my thought which was in my first post to this subject.

I said
"Doesn't it all come down to whether or not we allow the evil to have a voice."
"What I mean is, even if we are mature Christians, and are able to see through the fantasy?"
"If we go to watch such movies, or read such books, aren't we in essence allowing the evil to speak?"

I use the following definitions to clarify this thought.

Definitions are from Strongs Concordance

OBEY:
G5218
From G5219; attentive hearkening, that is, (by implication) compliance or submission: - obedience, (make) obedient, obey (-ing).

G5219
From: G191; to hear under (as a subordinate), that is, to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority: - hearken, be obedient to, obey.

G191
A primary verb; to hear (in various senses): - give (in the) audience (of), come (to the ears), ([shall]) hear (-er, -ken), be noised, be reported, understand.

Here then is my addendum to this thought, keeping in mind the definitions.

Rom 6:16
Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to OBEY, his servants ye are to whom ye OBEY; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Taking note of the word OBEY, we see that this word being used in the bible, does not retain the same definition as we use it today. So when someone would read this verse with today's understanding, the verse has a completely different meaning than when the biblical definition I just posted is used.

I use this analogy in explanation, "You cannot un - ring a bell"
So likewise when we open our minds to things we may read in a book, or hear in a movie, we have allowed evil to speak to us, they will forever be in our mind, an innocent seed as it were of entertainment, planted by the enemy, that in and of itself, may be harmless never coming to fruition, never bearing fruit.
But the question is, how many other harmless seeds have we allowed to be planted into our lives, that being combined, these then could become a deadly crop.
I reiterate
"I am not saying that you become possessed, but I am saying you have opened yourself up to evil, you have in essence participated in the evil depicted."
"You become a part of what you expose yourself to".

1Co 10:23
All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.

Here is another example of the same thing.
The Holy Spirit cannot bring to your remembrance something that you have never put into your memory to begin with.

Joh 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

But once you have deposited the words of the bible into your mind they can then be recalled at any moment for use by the Holy Spirit.

Mar 13:11
But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost.

JIM

To those who are trying to say one shouldn't watch Narnia because it breaks God's law in the book of Deutronomy, namely:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (New King James Version)10 There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11 or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. 12 For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

and saying that those who are not convicted of this by the Holy Spirit are deceived. I have only this to ask, are you compelled to be circumcised? Are you perfect in the law? Do you obey every one of Gods commandments without faltering? Do God's people not realise that sanctification is a process that occurs during the life of a believer, so if a brother is maybe not at the same level of sanctification in that the Holy Spirit has not convicted a believer of certain things yet, or has allowed freedom in certain areas, why do you try to bring a brother down and place a burden on them by appealing to the law? This kind of teaching is very close to a distortion of the gospel, at least the one I have read according to Paul in the book of Galatians. Where we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus and God the Father through the Holy Spirit, and where by faith we work out our salvation by the power of the Holy Spirit, and He writes God's law on our hearts, sanctifies us, conforms us to be like Jesus and works fruit in us by faith, while at the same time we have liberty, joy and peace in Christ Jesus. NOTE: I am not speaking of a Gospel without righteousness or repentance by any means, rather saying that this needs to happen through the working of the Holy Spirit by faith.

I have no problem if someone has a conviction against Narnia or any other thing by the Holy Spirit. But to accuse others or say they are decieved or something is dangerous and wrong, ESPECIALLY if this has not been revealed to them by God. You may just be insulting or grieving the Holy Spirit. It's strange that even though I have been convicted of the Harry Potter series and other such things, yet not the Lord of the Rings personally for instance, I would never accuse another brother in some way like saying they could be under a religious spirit, because I don't know that for sure from God and is potentially harmful if I'm wrong.

To those who would say God considers these things evil so how could you partake in them. Have we seriously lost the heart of God? While that may be true in that those things are not pleasing to God, is salvation not a process where God works it out in you, where He writes His law on our hearts, and where He brings us from one level of sanctification to the next by the working of His Spirit by faith? The only thing you can do by compelling someone to stop doing something by quoting Gods law and not by the Holy Spirit convicting that person is bring about a dead relationship between that person and God, and create enmity between them and God because the burden is too great to achieve His law by our own working. As well as steal freedom and joy.

I would just encourage us all to have more wisdom in our words, as well as seek the Lord and His heart, before we type anything on such a serious subject.

I have no problem with a post being written about Narnia and warning others, in fact I think it can be a good thing, what I have a problem with is trying to force people under this conviction and saying if they don't have it they are deceived etc. or getting dangerously close to putting others under a law based system with God. I know over the last few years the Holy Spirit has taken me from one place of sanctification to the next, I would watch or participate in certain entertainment or games that now I do not. The CRUCIAL thing is that this has been by the working of the Holy Spirit, so it has not been a burden to me that causes me to inwardly have enmity or rebelliousness toward God by having to give up things to attain to His law or please Him. Rather it has been worked out in a relationship with God, which is what I believe, according to the Gospel, is what God wants. God looks at the heart. I have already made my peace with people on this post through the Spirit of God, thanks be to Jesus, but wanted to post this generally as felt this is quite a serious matter.

Doesn't anyone else find it strange, in a discussion about such things, the very things God has called evil, there are those that would call them good, and entertaining?
The answer to the whole question of whether or not these types of movies should be watched as entertainment can be summed up in the questions.
1) "Can you honestly believe Jesus would go to this movie"?
2) "If you were sitting there watching this movie, and Jesus came in and sat beside you, would you feel uncomfortable"?

Doesn't it all come down to whether or not we allow the evil to have a voice.
What I mean is, even if we are mature Christians, and are able to see through the fantasy? If we go to watch such movies, or read such books, aren't we in essence allowing the evil to speak?
Where then "is" the line drawn?

God created us with 5 senses, that means we can, and are influenced by any one, or all of them, movies are made with this in mind, their objective is the stimulation of those senses.
My point is, when you are in the movie, are you sitting there consciously thinking this is just a fantasy, or I don't really believe this, or are you just sitting there being stimulated. (Entertained)
If you are not consciously thinking about the things you are watching, then your unconscious "IS" being stimulated.
Who at that point then can say what has walked through the open door of your unconscious.
I am not saying that you become possessed, but I am saying you have opened yourself up to evil, you have in essence participated in the evil depicted. You become a part of what you expose yourself to.

If it says:

Mat 12:36
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Shall we not also be held accountable for the things we simply call entertainment?

1Th 4:4
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
2Ti 2:16
But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

Some have tried to use 1Cor.8 as their justification for watching these types of movies, or reading these types of books. They would say, I am free from the law, but are there any other scriptures that could be used to back up this position, there must be others which would speak far more clearly to this situation.

Gal 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
1Th 5:22
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
Gal 4:18
But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing.
1Th 4:4
That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

Brother Timothy is not professing Legalism, but he is saying.
Eph 5:11
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
Gal 4:16
Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?

Just think about it for a second, why has Hollywood produced these movies, because they depict healthy moral Christian values?
"NO", they are doing nothing more than riding the wave of success of the Harry Potter movies, because that is just what an immoral society wants to see.

Be Blessed
JIM