tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32547457.post115998811458747337..comments2019-02-12T22:22:54.998-07:00Comments on Unfortunate Lily Maid: I'm sorry, that *offends* me.Jonihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01621371263173026351noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32547457.post-1160056705020972992006-10-05T07:58:00.000-06:002006-10-05T07:58:00.000-06:00Methinks that the offense comes from mistaking the...Methinks that the offense comes from mistaking the portrayal of evil to be an endorsement of evil, as Liz says. For example, in the Book of Mormon itself we have scenes where a girl dances provocatively to seduce a man, Nephites raping and cannibalizing Lamanite women, and decapitation, to name only a few instances (and we won't even get started on the Bible! :)). But it's very clear in the text that all of these things are evil and they're absolutely not condoned or advocated by any stretch of the imagination.<BR/><BR/>There <I>are</I>, however, a lot of modern books and films which do condone evil, to one degree or another, and I think that's a plague which is gnawing away at our society. Gratuitous violence and sex and such aren't acceptable -- at least not to followers of Christ, in pursuit of all that is virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy.<BR/><BR/>I do think books and movies that are virtuous and so on can -- indeed, must! -- portray evil, because the whole point of human existence is to come off conqueror in the struggle against the evils of the flesh and the temptations thrown against us by the adversary. Art (in the general sense, including books and music and film and all that) which doesn't reflect that reality will inevitably ring false. Being in the midst of this conflict between good and evil, we're drawn towards stories that mirror our conflict, as opposed to relativistic tales where nothing really matters. Sure, I don't like evil, but it's only through a knowledge of the darkness that the light has any meaning to me. The more I comprehend how awfully things can go wrong with humanity, the more I love and cling to the goodness that emanates from the Savior.<BR/><BR/>One trap that it's easy to fall into is thinking that it's okay to consume portrayals of evil that <I>do</I> bring us down and offend the Spirit. That's wrong. And in the end, it really comes down to that -- the way to tell if something is appropriate or not is to see what the Spirit says. If it leaves, it's not good for the soul, regardless of what we think of it. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, it doesn't matter so much what <I>we</I> think of things as what <I>God</I> thinks of them, since He has the full perspective.<BR/><BR/>Following along with what Liz says, it's much easier to really relate to imperfect characters, complete with a myriad of flaws and foibles, than to apparently perfect paragons of virtue. That doesn't mean we oughtn't have an ideal, of course, but I find nothing wrong at all with good people doing bad things, <I>provided that</I> they're not condoned. Evil and good mustn't be reversed. But if weaknesses are shown for what they are, we can learn from that -- regardless of whether the character triumphs over them in the end or lets them bring him or her down to destruction.<BR/><BR/>Darn, I want to read <I>Les Mis,</I> but I guess I'd better finish <I>War and Peace</I> first. :)Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09706335539920926982noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32547457.post-1159994344857995692006-10-04T14:39:00.000-06:002006-10-04T14:39:00.000-06:00If you really want to see a good example of someon...If you really want to see a good example of someone being ridiculously offended, check out today's <A HREF="http://newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/61229" REL="nofollow">reader's forum</A>. Hilarious!<BR/><BR/>But obviously, <A HREF="http://lizmuir.blogspot.com/2006/09/in-defense-of-english-major-part-ii.html" REL="nofollow">I agree</A> with you, of course. Reading about evil or portraying evil is not the same as advocating evil. And as much as we'd like to keep ourselves in a happy, religious environment, coming into contact with only virtuous things, if we do so, we are unchristian. Much of Christ's life was spent helping some evil people. How can we help them if we refuse to come in contact with them? Sympathy, empathy, and understanding are all necessary in order for us to combat evil in the world.<BR/><BR/>And frankly, what's so bad about a sympathetic character who does bad things? That description fits every person on this planet. We all do bad things, but God believes there is something worth saving in all of us.Liz Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08505062751148555335noreply@blogger.com