Should Christians Read Fantasy? Pt. 2

Welcome back! As promised, I have returned for part two, to wrap up this series on if Christians should read fantasy and why or why not!

I have had such a blast writing this for you guys. This has forced me to dig deeper into scripture and other resources I've been meaning to get to for a while so I can accurately portray what exactly I believe and why. I hope it's been a blessing for you as well!

(If you missed the first part, click here to check it out!)

Should Christians Read fantasy? Pt. 1

To sum up my first article, I think fantasy can be very helpful and encouraging as a tool to understanding the world around us. It gives us a special window into aspects of the human condition and even portrayals of the gospel. They are all over the fantasy world if only we know where to look.

But now it's time for a disclaimer. Does that mean I think any and all fantasy is acceptable and right to read?

The answer is no.

So, what's the difference, and how do we know what is acceptable to read and what isn't?

For starters, content matters.

Scripture is not silent about what we should be filling our minds with, nor is it ambiguous. Just like everything else in our lives, God's word pours truth into our hearts and can convict us of the content we are reading/watching.

"Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable- if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praise-worthy, dwell on these things." -Philippians 4:8

This verse was written from Paul to the church in Philippi, instructing them and teaching them what they should be filling their minds with.

Sometimes it's easy to think that our minds don't really matter, and that what we think or see doesn't really matter.

But in reality? Well, our minds are actually the primary battlefield.

Spiritual warfare begins in our minds, bombarding us with temptations and sinful desires. And because we are fallen human beings, we fight against the thoughts and desires of our flesh in our minds too.

There is a daily battle for your mind.

That should affect how you see everything. Our God tells us that our minds should be renewed, and that we shouldn't want to be conformed to this age (Romans 12:2).

That can be as easy as filtering the content you take in.

Sadly, just like there are wonderful and excellent examples of fantasy, there are also dark and twisted examples. I find it hard to reconcile Philippians 4:8 with literature that glorifies darkness and exalts what God hates.

Because of the command to guard our hearts and our minds, examining our fantasy and exploring its content before reading it is a necessity. It's helpful to ask yourself questions similar to these:

1.) Is the magic in this book dark?

I am not at all against reading books with magic. I love it when there's a good magic system in fantasy, and like I talked about in the first part of this series, magic can help us discern and understand the supernatural in a unique way.

But there's a broad spectrum of magic, and it can be very dark.

If magic is centered on overly descriptive spells, if it involves witchcraft, if it centers on necromancy or other things in that vein, it's considered dark magic and should be treated very carefully.

In our world, witchcraft and dark "magic" is used in connection with the devil and is a gateway to the demonic. If a fantasy is glorifying the same processes used by our modern-day witches, that should give us pause.

2.) What is the overall theme?

Like I previously mentioned, fantasy has the power to be like an allegory. Themes of love, self-sacrifice, kindness and other biblical attributes can be wound all throughout it until it is a gorgeous depiction of what we ourselves want to be.

But the flip side to that coin is when it praises and teaches things like pride, power and revenge.

We should want our thoughts to be pure and lovely, not full of graphic and unwholesome content.

3.) What does this say about God?

I am also not about to say that any books with fantastical mythology in them are wrong. My favorite book series, The Queen's Thief, has a rich and enthralling history of the gods and mythology of the world, and I love it. But only because it mirrors God's interactions with us, and it portrays religion in a way that I feel closely mirrors the biblical account.

Even if books don't have a mythology, we should still be careful and always judge them cautiously. A book that portrays God (or its parallel to God) in a mocking and dishonoring light is not something we should give our time and attention to.

Essentially, just like in every aspect of our lives, we should be careful and judge it according to scripture, striving to keep our thoughts and minds fixed on the Lord.

But... it's time for another disclaimer. I seem to like those today :D.

What I am not going to say is that this is a one size fits all recommendation.

What we read or don't read is not what makes us righteous. It's not what earns us favor with God. And it's not what keeps us in good standing with others.

The Holy Spirit leads us to our own unique convictions. He doesn't lead everyone to the same ones, and He doesn't punish us for not having the same convictions as someone else. Sometimes, not having a conviction can be a sign of spiritual immaturity, and sometimes it can merely be a sign of someone's own faith journey.

"Welcome anyone who is weak in the faith, but don't argue about disputable matters... one person judges one day to be more important than another day. Someone else judges every day to be the same. Let each one be fully convinced in his own mind. Whoever observes the day, observes it for the honor of the Lord. Whoever eats, eats for the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, and whoever does not eat, it is for the Lord that he does not eat it, and he gives thanks to God." -Romans 14:1, 5-6

Romans 14 is one of my favorite passages in the bible. It is so clear, and so beautifully written. It explains guidelines for living with one another in Christ-like harmony, and explains that we all will have different convictions over disputable matters, and that's okay.

If someone believes you should only wear long sleeves, that is their conviction, and they shouldn't look down on someone without that conviction.

Just like how we will all have different convictions when it comes to reading fantasy.

In my own life, I have seen this play out even with friends of mine who do read fantasy. We have different convictions on vulgar language, violence, mythology and magic. And that's absolutely okay.

We both want to be set-apart and holy towards God. We don't have to live by exactly the same standards to do it.

There's nothing wrong with being careful and setting boundaries for yourself in what you read, based on scripture. It does become a problem when you judge someone else for not following your exact guideline.

That is part of the beauty of God's love for us. His love does not depend on our efforts. It depends on His saving grace. ♥

Thank you guys for reading and sticking with me while I try this very new thing of a series!

As always, until next time, stay undistracted and keep an open mind.

Love,

-Mira <3