tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post111287548633729856..comments2023-10-10T10:43:44.424-04:00Comments on cheaper than therapy: Sin City, Passion and the embrace of ViolenceDJ Wordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14597363296679699935noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-1120208683806202932005-07-01T05:04:00.000-04:002005-07-01T05:04:00.000-04:00Just thought I'd point out, it's NOT just males wh...Just thought I'd point out, it's NOT just males who play violent video games. I know lots of females who do.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-1113499133260493072005-04-14T13:18:00.000-04:002005-04-14T13:18:00.000-04:00Your post has finally made me decide to do what I'...Your post has finally made me decide to do what I've been kicking around for a while in my head (and it's harder than one would expect...)<BR/><BR/>My son Trey (who will be 7 in July) is very much into military stuff--guns, fighter planes, tanks (anything that shoots). His grandpa (my dad) has encouraged him in this, since he (my dad) has a fascination with WWII history. <BR/><BR/>But I've become increasingly uncomfortable with Trey's military gaming. He wants to play video games of fighter planes shooting each other out of the sky in blazing explosions; his favorite topic of conversation is about war.<BR/><BR/>I was the same way at his age (and all the way through my adulthood). I loved movies with gunfights and battles of epic scale just for the fun of watching the action. Then I saw Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie "Total Recall" in 1990, and I got mad. Here was an excellent movie concept ruined by excessive gratuitive violence. It was then that I re-assessed my movie diet.<BR/><BR/>I still like battle scenes <I>when they are instrumental to the telling of the story</I> (though that line is often hard to discern--I liked the Lord of the Rings movies A LOT, and I <I>think</I> it's because of the epic story of the battle against evil (especially the evil in the heart of every creature), but is it because I like those battle scenes?<BR/><BR/>I have moved back and forth on this topic--John Eldredge teaches (in his controversial book, <I>Wild at Heart</I>), that God has created men so that they can have a "battle to fight." I struggled with that--yes, men are equipped for battle; yes, Jesus fights a battle with Satan, etc. But Jesus' battle instruments are not guns, fighter planes and other instruments of war against the flesh, they are the "armor of God" that includes "feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of <B>peace</B>. So I have taken issue with Eldredge’s premise. Are we not called to "turn the other cheek?"--Not out of <I>weakness</I>, but out of strength?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, Trey got the bad news this morning that he can't play "Pacific Heroes" anymore and he is not allowed to watch military documentaries with Papa Jack anymore. He cried.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes parenting is awfully hard.Bob Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08576734261775426385noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-1113487913793057032005-04-14T10:11:00.000-04:002005-04-14T10:11:00.000-04:00thought provoking stuff. many thanks.thought provoking stuff. many thanks.g13https://www.blogger.com/profile/13856920828414078560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4061650.post-1113483975529105312005-04-14T09:06:00.000-04:002005-04-14T09:06:00.000-04:00"It is sad that we enjoy Christian Snuff books lik..."<I>It is sad that we enjoy Christian Snuff books like the Left Behind series, showing Jesus and his disciples as the issuers of death (not the defeaters of death)</I>"<BR/><BR/>A great quote. And thanks for this thoughtful post, Rick. Haven't seen the film, but it looks to be the first decent film released this year. This will give me something to chew on.jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07223648349703832539noreply@blogger.com