"Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."
Romans 12:2 -- A common verse heard in sermons, retreats, devotionals -- certainly a true one.
Do I actually grasp it, though?
Where do I draw the line? It's harder than I realize to know the difference between conformity and just living my life on this third rock from the sun. I often fear that I have conformed to the world's patterns without even realizing it. I've become desensitized to things that should have a significnt effect on me - words, actions, lifestyles, et cetera.
So how can I know the difference? I should be "in the word and not of it." Not of this world.
The more the Lord teaches me, the more I question things that once seemed harmless. Is it okay for me to even watch television? To listen to secular music? To watch the latest blockbuster? I know people that have fallen away from the Lord, and what started their backsliding was making excuses to allow themselves to take part in this stuff. First is self-indulgence, then desensitization, and thus conformity. It's "just sex," "just the human body," "just words," "just a drink."
Then there's the argument that these things affect people differently. That sounds like an excuse, too. Underage drinking because they're "mature enough." Swearing because it "doesn't bother" them. Allowing something inappropriate "for art's sake."
Lots of questions.
What it comes down to is my own walk with the Lord. Being in the word - seeking God's will (to be transformed) over my own hedonistic pursuits (being conformed).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As far as words go, they are, in fact, just words. They have been assigned meaning over time, and those meanings differ for different people. In one person's usage, a word may not have the same strong connotations that another person attaches to the same word. To me it would seem that insisting that certain words be taboo is conformity. On the other hand, there must be reasonable boundaries and understanding in order for communication to be useful or effective at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd art is not meant to just be something "pretty". Art should be inspiring, it should provoke thought and reflection. In order to avoid unpleasant or awful things, it is sometimes necessary to reflect on those things. There is a very fine line between something being art and something being distasteful, but a world in which perceptions and beliefs are not challenged is a very dangerous world. That type of world breeds hate, intolerance, and bigotry.
I agree with you about the differing opinions on words. No doubt, different people view word meaning (as well as other things) based on their own life experience. Something I've thought and questioned a lot is the exhaustion of words. If somebody uses "f***ing" as an adjective for just about anything (an extreme case, but still), the word means nothing when he throws it at someone in an argument. I don't mean that a person should be paddled when they "swear," but merely that it's something I've considered when examining my word use - whether or not I recognize my own desensitization from over-usage.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with all you said about art. What I meant by the statement I made is that I think some people excuse unnecessary immorality because it is "art." Also, I couldn't agree with you more about the importance of challenging perceptions and beliefs. It's only through challenge that any type of belief can be established in the first place.