Faith Factor: Part 3

Sarah Brown ~ I try to take Phil. 4:8 to heart when choosing reading material, and ask myself, Does it contain truth? Uphold honesty and justice? Can I keep my heart and mind pure while reading it? Is it free of unnecessary descriptions of ugliness or violence? Have others (and can I) give a good report of it? Is there any virtue or anything praiseworthy in it? If so, then I believe it is fine to "think on these things." As a Christian, I believe that I have the amazing gift of being able to be connected to my Lord through my mind/thoughts/spirit. I do not want to allow impure, violent, sinful reading material to disrupt that connection with Him.

Kendra Ardnek ~ I don't have any clear lines in the sand when it comes to my reading, but there are a few issues that will make me put down a book, the most notable being blatant rebellion and/or making what is clearly a bad choice after an authority figure adviced the opposite. I have put down so many good books over that issue. Other issues that I'm careful with include:

Magic - while I do like magic in moderation, if it's clearly demonic and not painted in a bad light, I steer clear. 

Bedroom stuff - One scene, I'll skip pages. More than that and I'll probably put the book down. Depends on how detailed it is, too.

Books that Mock Christianity - I don't need that sort of negativity in my life. One mention, and I'll be wary, and I may knock a star ... but if it gets annoying, the book gets tossed to the side.

Books with No Light - If it's making a point, maybe. But ... I'm seeking the light, why am I bothering with darkness?

Wanton Death - Life is precious to God. Killing characters just to kill characters ... no. Not for me. I don't like murder mysteries for this reason.

Sarah Brazytis ~ My faith certainly impacts what I read, for ‘You are what you eat’. Reading material forms your ideas, your perceptions of the world around you, your thoughts of and relationship with God…and often it is entirely unconscious. Because of that, I keep a pretty tight category of what books are acceptable to ‘dine’ on, especially those I own and read often. I try to avoid: 

• Witchcraft or glorification of evil. 

• Feminism. Even many Christian books embrace an unbiblical view of femininity, most glaringly the ‘female warrior’. If that does not sound like an oxymoron, please read 1 Peter 3:4! 

• Fantasy. Secular fantasy is heavily satanic; Christian fantasy, unless allegorical, often has a confusing spiritual message – whether the writer has invented a god resembling the true God, or kept the Gospel but invented a people that Christ never died for, I doubt its place in light of Philippians 4:8. 

• Swearing, vulgarity or other bad language - even for bad guys! However, if it’s an acceptable book otherwise I will black infrequent language out with a marker.

• Romance other than what is pure and/or within the bounds of marriage. Married or not, if it’s so intimate it makes me uncomfortable, it’s out.