I’m a Christian and I enjoy horror movies and horror books. I’ve recently been feeling convicted about it though. I need to set aside the entertainment and spend more time with God. I feel like the Holy Ghost fire I once had is fading. I don’t like that feeling. We’re also living in the last days, it’s evident, the things of this world don’t matter. They’re fading away along with this world. God bless!
Hey, it's interesting cuz I recently just got back into playing video games a bit. I bought a PS5. I got saved almost 5 years ago in June 2019. Since then I haven't been playing games that much, hardly at all after the first year. But recently my desire to start playing games again came back. Before I was a Christian I was obsessed with anything horror. I know only watch something with zombies and creatures, nothing really demonic. There's a game called "the Callisto protocol" I want to buy. It's similar to dead space if you know what that is. Mostly just creatures on a spaceship that look scary, and the game is very gorey. I'm just not sure though.
I have a weird relationship with horror now since I got saved almost 5 years ago. Before I was a Christian I would go to anything horror (mostly movies and games) to wanna get scared and for a rush, but nothing would scare me so I would always look for the next thing to possibly scare me if that makes sense. It's almost like I was looking for the supernatural in that longing in these types of things. When I got saved I had no desire to watch anything or play anything scary, I believe God filled that area in my life. But I recently got back into gaming after not really caring too much for the last few years, I used to be a huge into video games for my desire as I got older started to die. I recently bought a PS5 though and my love for gaming that's pretty much came back. Not to the extent of what it once was but still more. If I watch anything scary or play anything scary now it's mostly just zombie stuff and or monsters or creatures. I won't watch anything demonic in nature, that's my conviction. But now when I play these things or watch anything like this I don't do it to wanna get scared, it makes sense because "God has not given us a a spirit of fear but of power and a sound mind." ~ Blessings. Good video.
Thanks for bringing up the concept of "inviting demonic activity or spirits into the home." I grew up in a Christian culture that couldn't differentiate Ouija boards from Pokémon and considered it all demonic & wrong for us to engage with.
Fantastic episode. I typically stay away from slasher horror as I don't think it's particularly thoughtful and just violent for violence and shock value's sake. But psychological horror, some supernatural horror and sc-fi horror can be done brilliantly. I think one of the best horror stories is Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Tim Burton's film adaptation is super well done. John Carpenter's The Thing and the original Alien film are also great horror within the scifi genre.
First time listener here. This was an interesting conversation. Glad to see other reformed believers in the gaming space who still take theology seriously.
Hey guys! I’ve always loved horror, growing up watching horror was how I bonded with my siblings. I’m in university with the hope of making horror games, at least psychological horror that dives into depression and I’d like to find some way to incorporate the gospel into them (the right way) I’ve always asked the question why I love horror, it’s because first someone that can fake being scared so well you think you are there is amazing acting lol, second, horror takes a look at how messed up humans really really are in 4K, the topic of zombies was a great point. The zombies were created by hungry scientists, that didn’t care about humanity being messed up if the zombies got out. I also love horror because I like figuring out what I would do if I had to fight for my life lol. One thing I have done though recently is knowing that a lot of horror isn’t good for me, I would watch any type of horror, but now I’m trying to listen more to the Holy Spirit and be convicted by it when I know this is too much. Overall, I LOVE this video, I’m in you guys discord so this video just makes me love the community I’m in more, having hard convos like this is something I don’t see in a lot of the church so thank you guys so much for tackling this. You guys have a blessed day! And stay safe!
Yes, I know I said Sam Raimi directed 'Alien'. I know Ridley Scott actually directed Alien. I'm not sure why my brain said Sam Raimi in that moment. I can only chalk it up to CHAOS!
I'm not much of a horror fan. I like some horror/horror adjacent games like Doom or Resident Evil, but horror movies have never really done much for me. They don't usually scare me, sometimes they'll unsettle me, and I just don't find myself enjoying them, but with no actual spiritual reasoning. Also, I love that Ted Dekker got mentioned in this video. He's my favorite author. And he's not just in the horror/thriller genre. The Circle Series has a fantasy vibe to it, and contains a fascinating allegory of the history of the fall and redemption of man. But his book Adam actually did scare me a little bit.
I finally got to listen to the whole thing. I think about watching and reading and hearing the horrific in a similar way to something Flannery O'Connor once famously said regarding southern gothic literature. I'll get to the quote in a minute, but for me, it's especially relevant in my love of some body horror (along the lines of The Thing and whatnot and not the super extreme and violent gore fest sort of things -- though some Italian horror I'll accept going a bit in that direction), because it more than almost anything else reminds me of the beauty and integrity of the human form from the negative -- if that makes sense. Anyway, here's that quote: Whenever I’m asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one. To be able to recognize a freak, you have to have some conception of the whole man, and in the South the general conception of man is still, in the main, theological. That is a large statement, and it is dangerous to make it, for almost anything you say about Southern belief can be denied in the next breath with equal propriety. But approaching the subject from the standpoint of the writer, I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted. The Southerner, who isn’t convinced of it, is very much afraid that he may have been formed in the image and likeness of God. Ghosts can be very fierce and instructive. They cast strange shadows, particularly in our literature. In any case, it is when the freak can be sensed as a figure for our essential displacement that he attains some depth in literature. O'Connor was Catholic though and they're brought up with art of Bartholomew flayed, Sebastian shot full of arrows and other various martyrs, so perhaps they have a fuller view of reality in that sense. My old church building had a happy painting of Noah on a peaceful sea, happy smiling animals surrounding him and a sweet little rainbow in the sky and not a single body afloat in the water to be seen. And by the way, more than from most pastors and theologians, I've grown to understand the holiness of God through a quote from HP Lovecraft. Well, also RC Sproul and a couple others, but a Lovecraft quote really made things click for me. It's kind of weird, but it's true.
Why am I not surprised that the pastor wants to define the terms and go back to the origins of words. XD I was hoping for something like that. Rock on dude!
This is tough because even taking joy in the destruction of evil is kind of concerning for me. Yet evil must be destroyed in order for good to prevail and prosper. I do like what you guys said about conscience being your guide. This has been a difficult topic for me to wade through. I haven't heard many good answers except that Pokemon is the root of all evil and the tail of Pikachu is the dead give away that he is from Satan. :P
Every attraction to horror movies representing demons or possesions is an opression from Satan. I was totally addicted to these kind of movies before losing track. I was delivered and from that point I dont like at all movies involving demons. May be sci-fi horror,or zombies or something in beteween, but never demons. Please bealive me fellow brothers, I had to go trough deliverance for it.
I’m enjoying the podcast. Maybe shift your promotion of content and guests content to the end of the podcast and dive in quicker to the topic. Would be more engaging and more accessible to new listeners
Yep, as soon as the episode wrapped Joe pointed that out, and I was like "wait, what did I say?". I meant and was thinking Scott the whole time, but somehow Raimi came out of my mouth 🤪
I (Logan) can only speak for myself but gameplay wise, the combat is rock solid. The rest of it? I like the idea of spiritual warfare but the way it’s presented in Bayonetta is clearly not inspired by the Bible and leaves out God (similar to the Darksiders games). The overt sexualization of Bayonetta and other characters is also a bit… weird? Cringey? I only ever played the first one. What about you?
@@TheTheoLogan898 I’ve played 1 and 2. I love the combat but the story is kind of interesting but sometimes I feel convicted about playing it since angels are presented to be the main enemy. There is a god in this game but it’s not the god of the universe, just the god of its own realm and the same goes for the other realms. Though they are called angels in this game and they look like biblically accurate angels outside of that there is no comparison to the real angels. Sometimes I play these games for a bit and then I delete them for a while. Bayonetta 3 comes out this week and I’m not for sure if I’m going to get it.
@@dexter123423 Ah, okay, didn’t know that about there being different gods of realms. Maybe I missed it in the 1st. We always say on the show (including this episode), if your conscience is pushing against it, it’s okay to pass on it. That’s why I personally don’t play Darksiders anymore. And we’re not in a shortage of games these days either lol what else do you like to play?
@@TheTheoLogan898 Sifu, Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, Batman Arkham series, god of war, Spider-Man PS4, Metroid dread, and Returnal are some of my favorites.
I watched a demonic movie last nite n it botherd me myfire felt like it was fading n i feel like its flamed up. I wished i wouldnt of watched it but at same tim woke me up! Evil real n god is onthe the thrown ther real w9ckedness out ther
Thanks for watching! Share your thoughts and maybe a horror movie/game reco in the comments!
I’m a Christian and I enjoy horror movies and horror books. I’ve recently been feeling convicted about it though. I need to set aside the entertainment and spend more time with God. I feel like the Holy Ghost fire I once had is fading. I don’t like that feeling. We’re also living in the last days, it’s evident, the things of this world don’t matter. They’re fading away along with this world. God bless!
Hey, it's interesting cuz I recently just got back into playing video games a bit. I bought a PS5. I got saved almost 5 years ago in June 2019. Since then I haven't been playing games that much, hardly at all after the first year. But recently my desire to start playing games again came back. Before I was a Christian I was obsessed with anything horror. I know only watch something with zombies and creatures, nothing really demonic. There's a game called "the Callisto protocol" I want to buy. It's similar to dead space if you know what that is. Mostly just creatures on a spaceship that look scary, and the game is very gorey. I'm just not sure though.
I can't watch horror movies anymore, I feel uncomfortable and have to shut off.
I have a weird relationship with horror now since I got saved almost 5 years ago. Before I was a Christian I would go to anything horror (mostly movies and games) to wanna get scared and for a rush, but nothing would scare me so I would always look for the next thing to possibly scare me if that makes sense. It's almost like I was looking for the supernatural in that longing in these types of things.
When I got saved I had no desire to watch anything or play anything scary, I believe God filled that area in my life. But I recently got back into gaming after not really caring too much for the last few years, I used to be a huge into video games for my desire as I got older started to die. I recently bought a PS5 though and my love for gaming that's pretty much came back. Not to the extent of what it once was but still more.
If I watch anything scary or play anything scary now it's mostly just zombie stuff and or monsters or creatures. I won't watch anything demonic in nature, that's my conviction. But now when I play these things or watch anything like this I don't do it to wanna get scared, it makes sense because "God has not given us a a spirit of fear but of power and a sound mind."
~ Blessings. Good video.
Thanks for bringing up the concept of "inviting demonic activity or spirits into the home." I grew up in a Christian culture that couldn't differentiate Ouija boards from Pokémon and considered it all demonic & wrong for us to engage with.
I grew up the same! Didn’t help when Digimon had a Devilmon in the anime lol
Fantastic episode. I typically stay away from slasher horror as I don't think it's particularly thoughtful and just violent for violence and shock value's sake. But psychological horror, some supernatural horror and sc-fi horror can be done brilliantly. I think one of the best horror stories is Washington Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Tim Burton's film adaptation is super well done. John Carpenter's The Thing and the original Alien film are also great horror within the scifi genre.
The Thing is one of the all time greats! I’ll have to check out Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Thanks for watching!
great episode idea. starting off the week strong!
Thanks, Acey!
First time listener here. This was an interesting conversation. Glad to see other reformed believers in the gaming space who still take theology seriously.
We try! Thanks for listening.
Hey guys! I’ve always loved horror, growing up watching horror was how I bonded with my siblings. I’m in university with the hope of making horror games, at least psychological horror that dives into depression and I’d like to find some way to incorporate the gospel into them (the right way) I’ve always asked the question why I love horror, it’s because first someone that can fake being scared so well you think you are there is amazing acting lol, second, horror takes a look at how messed up humans really really are in 4K, the topic of zombies was a great point. The zombies were created by hungry scientists, that didn’t care about humanity being messed up if the zombies got out. I also love horror because I like figuring out what I would do if I had to fight for my life lol.
One thing I have done though recently is knowing that a lot of horror isn’t good for me, I would watch any type of horror, but now I’m trying to listen more to the Holy Spirit and be convicted by it when I know this is too much.
Overall, I LOVE this video, I’m in you guys discord so this video just makes me love the community I’m in more, having hard convos like this is something I don’t see in a lot of the church so thank you guys so much for tackling this. You guys have a blessed day! And stay safe!
Thanks for being part of the community! Glad you enjoyed the video and hope it has helped.
Yes, I know I said Sam Raimi directed 'Alien'. I know Ridley Scott actually directed Alien. I'm not sure why my brain said Sam Raimi in that moment. I can only chalk it up to CHAOS!
I was just about to harass you over this haha
I'm not much of a horror fan. I like some horror/horror adjacent games like Doom or Resident Evil, but horror movies have never really done much for me. They don't usually scare me, sometimes they'll unsettle me, and I just don't find myself enjoying them, but with no actual spiritual reasoning.
Also, I love that Ted Dekker got mentioned in this video. He's my favorite author. And he's not just in the horror/thriller genre. The Circle Series has a fantasy vibe to it, and contains a fascinating allegory of the history of the fall and redemption of man. But his book Adam actually did scare me a little bit.
I’ll have to check that Adam book out. And Circle. I’ve had those books on my list for years but haven’t read them yet.
This is probably my favorite episode of the entire podcast! Well done and great food for thought fellas.
Thanks, Shea!
I finally got to listen to the whole thing. I think about watching and reading and hearing the horrific in a similar way to something Flannery O'Connor once famously said regarding southern gothic literature. I'll get to the quote in a minute, but for me, it's especially relevant in my love of some body horror (along the lines of The Thing and whatnot and not the super extreme and violent gore fest sort of things -- though some Italian horror I'll accept going a bit in that direction), because it more than almost anything else reminds me of the beauty and integrity of the human form from the negative -- if that makes sense. Anyway, here's that quote:
Whenever I’m asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one. To be able to recognize a freak, you have to have some conception of the whole man, and in the South the general conception of man is still, in the main, theological. That is a large statement, and it is dangerous to make it, for almost anything you say about Southern belief can be denied in the next breath with equal propriety. But approaching the subject from the standpoint of the writer, I think it is safe to say that while the South is hardly Christ-centered, it is most certainly Christ-haunted. The Southerner, who isn’t convinced of it, is very much afraid that he may have been formed in the image and likeness of God. Ghosts can be very fierce and instructive. They cast strange shadows, particularly in our literature. In any case, it is when the freak can be sensed as a figure for our essential displacement that he attains some depth in literature.
O'Connor was Catholic though and they're brought up with art of Bartholomew flayed, Sebastian shot full of arrows and other various martyrs, so perhaps they have a fuller view of reality in that sense. My old church building had a happy painting of Noah on a peaceful sea, happy smiling animals surrounding him and a sweet little rainbow in the sky and not a single body afloat in the water to be seen.
And by the way, more than from most pastors and theologians, I've grown to understand the holiness of God through a quote from HP Lovecraft. Well, also RC Sproul and a couple others, but a Lovecraft quote really made things click for me. It's kind of weird, but it's true.
Why am I not surprised that the pastor wants to define the terms and go back to the origins of words. XD I was hoping for something like that. Rock on dude!
👍🏼 Definitely helped set the stage for the discussion!
This is tough because even taking joy in the destruction of evil is kind of concerning for me. Yet evil must be destroyed in order for good to prevail and prosper. I do like what you guys said about conscience being your guide. This has been a difficult topic for me to wade through. I haven't heard many good answers except that Pokemon is the root of all evil and the tail of Pikachu is the dead give away that he is from Satan. :P
Wait. Pikachu’s TAIL? Oh man lol that’s a new one for us
Every attraction to horror movies representing demons or possesions is an opression from Satan. I was totally addicted to these kind of movies before losing track. I was delivered and from that point I dont like at all movies involving demons. May be sci-fi horror,or zombies or something in beteween, but never demons. Please bealive me fellow brothers, I had to go trough deliverance for it.
I’m enjoying the podcast. Maybe shift your promotion of content and guests content to the end of the podcast and dive in quicker to the topic. Would be more engaging and more accessible to new listeners
Thanks for the feedback!
Alien was directed by Ridley Scott btw, not Sam Raimi :P
Time to shame Micah
@@TheTheoLogan898 Sorry Micah😂
Yep, as soon as the episode wrapped Joe pointed that out, and I was like "wait, what did I say?". I meant and was thinking Scott the whole time, but somehow Raimi came out of my mouth 🤪
Resident Evil is not evil.
The children yearn for the mines.
Just wondering what is y’all’s thoughts on bayonetta?
I (Logan) can only speak for myself but gameplay wise, the combat is rock solid. The rest of it? I like the idea of spiritual warfare but the way it’s presented in Bayonetta is clearly not inspired by the Bible and leaves out God (similar to the Darksiders games). The overt sexualization of Bayonetta and other characters is also a bit… weird? Cringey? I only ever played the first one.
What about you?
@@TheTheoLogan898 I’ve played 1 and 2. I love the combat but the story is kind of interesting but sometimes I feel convicted about playing it since angels are presented to be the main enemy. There is a god in this game but it’s not the god of the universe, just the god of its own realm and the same goes for the other realms. Though they are called angels in this game and they look like biblically accurate angels outside of that there is no comparison to the real angels. Sometimes I play these games for a bit and then I delete them for a while. Bayonetta 3 comes out this week and I’m not for sure if I’m going to get it.
@@dexter123423 Ah, okay, didn’t know that about there being different gods of realms. Maybe I missed it in the 1st.
We always say on the show (including this episode), if your conscience is pushing against it, it’s okay to pass on it. That’s why I personally don’t play Darksiders anymore. And we’re not in a shortage of games these days either lol what else do you like to play?
@@TheTheoLogan898 Sifu, Ghost of Tsushima, Sekiro, Batman Arkham series, god of war, Spider-Man PS4, Metroid dread, and Returnal are some of my favorites.
I watched a demonic movie last nite n it botherd me myfire felt like it was fading n i feel like its flamed up. I wished i wouldnt of watched it but at same tim woke me up! Evil real n god is onthe the thrown ther real w9ckedness out ther
So you dont think horror is evil,you enjoy it too? :D
Ridley Scott directed Alien not Sam Raimi
We will shame Micah appropriately.
Yep! Brain fart. I was thinking Scott the whole time and was trying to point out Alien was Ridley's directorial debut.