CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Ok. I know this may sound stupid and honestly, I feel stupid for feeling this way. I love fantasy stories. Stories with magic, fantastical creatures, other worlds or even various myths. I also like supernatural type stories with demons (depending on the story), ghosts, vampires, etc. I've never had a problem with stories like these. I've been raised around them my entire live and my parents always taught me that stories are exactly that...stories. They're not real. But then I'll stumble across another Christian's opinion on the matter, condemning things like this as 'evil' and then it makes me feel guilty and makes me panic thinking that I'm doing something evil or offensive to God. And it's not just with stories. Whenever I have my own beliefs figured out, that I strongly believe in and that I feel have nothing wrong with them, and I feel real good, but then I'll hear someone else who doesn't agree with or who's super strict condemn these same things and then I question everything I believed and start debating whether any of them are lies or evil even though I felt fine before. And I've also heard people say that you shouldn't watch things with strong content like violence, language, sexual stuff, because it will demoralize and desensitize you to things and basically change your values.

I guess my questions are:

Is it wrong for me to like the stories I like (for example, Fullmetal Alchemist, Percy Jackson, Supernatural, etc) if they never bothered me before?

Will watching strong content demoralize me? Will it make me turn into a psycho?

What can I do to prevent myself from questioning myself every time someone else disagrees with me or vilifies something I like or believe in?

I feel really guilty and anxious over really stupid things based on other people's opinions. I've prayed for God to help calm me and sometimes in works. Is there anything else I can do strengthen my own opinions and beliefs and cut down on my anxiety when others disagree?

From my understanding, if you start questioning yourself before or shortly after you start watching/reading something that means God is trying to tell you that you probably shouldn't watch/read that. That is may bother or disturb you. That you may not be able to handle it or that it may affect you negatively in the long run even though another Christian can watch/read the same thing with no problem because God knew they could handle it better. Is that right?

I never had problems like this until I started listening to other people's opinions and now I have way too much anxiety and I just don't feel like myself anymore. Do you guys have any advice?

I'd really deeply appreciate some help on this. Thank you. And God Bless.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Ok. I know this may sound stupid and honestly, I feel stupid for feeling this way. I love fantasy stories. Stories with magic, fantastical creatures, other worlds or even various myths. I also like supernatural type stories with demons (depending on the story), ghosts, vampires, etc. I've never had a problem with stories like these. I've been raised around them my entire live and my parents always taught me that stories are exactly that...stories. They're not real. But then I'll stumble across another Christian's opinion on the matter, condemning things like this as 'evil' and then it makes me feel guilty and makes me panic thinking that I'm doing something evil or offensive to God. And it's not just with stories. Whenever I have my own beliefs figured out, that I strongly believe in and that I feel have nothing wrong with them, and I feel real good, but then I'll hear someone else who doesn't agree with or who's super strict condemn these same things and then I question everything I believed and start debating whether any of them are lies or evil even though I felt fine before. And I've also heard people say that you shouldn't watch things with strong content like violence, language, sexual stuff, because it will demoralize and desensitize you to things and basically change your values.

I guess my questions are:

Is it wrong for me to like the stories I like (for example, Fullmetal Alchemist, Percy Jackson, Supernatural, etc) if they never bothered me before?

No, but if you do feel convicted of such things, not because someone else told you to be convicted, it would probably be good to put it aside for a while.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Will watching strong content demoralize me? Will it make me turn into a psycho?

um... no.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:What can I do to prevent myself from questioning myself every time someone else disagrees with me or vilifies something I like or believe in?

You need to understand that all people are going to have their own beliefs about specific things. Learn to accept their ideas, but not to embrace their ideas.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I feel really guilty and anxious over really stupid things based on other people's opinions. I've prayed for God to help calm me and sometimes in works. Is there anything else I can do strengthen my own opinions and beliefs and cut down on my anxiety when others disagree?

Like the previous question, when you learn to accept that no one will have exactly the same beliefs as you, you will become less anxious about it. Also, if you know you will be anxious about it with a certain person(s), then just don't bring the topic up.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:From my understanding, if you start questioning yourself before or shortly after you start watching/reading something that means God is trying to tell you that you probably shouldn't watch/read that. That is may bother or disturb you. That you may not be able to handle it or that it may affect you negatively in the long run even though another Christian can watch/read the same thing with no problem because God knew they could handle it better. Is that right?

There are convictions for many different people, and I would say that if you have come to the conclusion that God is convicting you, then it would probably be the case that you should stay away from such things for now. Comparing yourself to others isn't usually the best solution to anything.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I never had problems like this until I started listening to other people's opinions and now I have way too much anxiety and I just don't feel like myself anymore. Do you guys have any advice?

Don't take other people's opinions as truth. If you have questions, go to the Bible to see what it says. Also, prayer is another place to start as well.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I'd really deeply appreciate some help on this. Thank you. And God Bless.

I'll be praying for you.

drill wrote:

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Ok. I know this may sound stupid and honestly, I feel stupid for feeling this way. I love fantasy stories. Stories with magic, fantastical creatures, other worlds or even various myths. I also like supernatural type stories with demons (depending on the story), ghosts, vampires, etc. I've never had a problem with stories like these. I've been raised around them my entire live and my parents always taught me that stories are exactly that...stories. They're not real. But then I'll stumble across another Christian's opinion on the matter, condemning things like this as 'evil' and then it makes me feel guilty and makes me panic thinking that I'm doing something evil or offensive to God. And it's not just with stories. Whenever I have my own beliefs figured out, that I strongly believe in and that I feel have nothing wrong with them, and I feel real good, but then I'll hear someone else who doesn't agree with or who's super strict condemn these same things and then I question everything I believed and start debating whether any of them are lies or evil even though I felt fine before. And I've also heard people say that you shouldn't watch things with strong content like violence, language, sexual stuff, because it will demoralize and desensitize you to things and basically change your values.

I guess my questions are:

Is it wrong for me to like the stories I like (for example, Fullmetal Alchemist, Percy Jackson, Supernatural, etc) if they never bothered me before?

No, but if you do feel convicted of such things, not because someone else told you to be convicted, it would probably be good to put it aside for a while.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Will watching strong content demoralize me? Will it make me turn into a psycho?

um... no.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:What can I do to prevent myself from questioning myself every time someone else disagrees with me or vilifies something I like or believe in?

You need to understand that all people are going to have their own beliefs about specific things. Learn to accept their ideas, but not to embrace their ideas.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I feel really guilty and anxious over really stupid things based on other people's opinions. I've prayed for God to help calm me and sometimes in works. Is there anything else I can do strengthen my own opinions and beliefs and cut down on my anxiety when others disagree?

Like the previous question, when you learn to accept that no one will have exactly the same beliefs as you, you will become less anxious about it. Also, if you know you will be anxious about it with a certain person(s), then just don't bring the topic up.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:From my understanding, if you start questioning yourself before or shortly after you start watching/reading something that means God is trying to tell you that you probably shouldn't watch/read that. That is may bother or disturb you. That you may not be able to handle it or that it may affect you negatively in the long run even though another Christian can watch/read the same thing with no problem because God knew they could handle it better. Is that right?

There are convictions for many different people, and I would say that if you have come to the conclusion that God is convicting you, then it would probably be the case that you should stay away from such things for now. Comparing yourself to others isn't usually the best solution to anything.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I never had problems like this until I started listening to other people's opinions and now I have way too much anxiety and I just don't feel like myself anymore. Do you guys have any advice?

Don't take other people's opinions as truth. If you have questions, go to the Bible to see what it says. Also, prayer is another place to start as well.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I'd really deeply appreciate some help on this. Thank you. And God Bless.

I'll be praying for you.

I do feel a little better now. I think my biggest problem may be that I'm a bit of a perfectionist (ridiculous, I know) so I end up trying to conform to everyone else's opinion of what's ok or not. Most of the stuff I've watched or read I've never had much of a problem with. There may have been certain parts that bothered me or offended me but over all I thought they were fine and they never really changed my views for the worse. I guess I'm pretty good at picking what I can or can't handle. lol. Then there have been some things that I've been interested in but I've questioned myself over whether or not I should watch/read them. When that happens, I'll avoid it. I guess that's God telling me no. So, in the end, I just need to trust myself (and God) a little more and not let other's opinions affect me and if I need help, just ask God. I really do feel better now. Thank you Drill!

I guess I didn't quiet agree with the answers to these questions so I thought I'd propose a second opinion. Take it or leave it kid.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Is it wrong for me to like the stories I like (for example, Fullmetal Alchemist, Percy Jackson, Supernatural, etc) if they never bothered me before?

No it is not wrong. Stories are meant to edify us and draw us closer to Jesus. Remember, the best stories resemble the best story. The story of Jesus' Victory over sin and death. Now if there is a story out there that is teaching that something which is considered an evil, like blaspheming God, is a good and should be pursued at all opportunities then yes, you shouldn't watch/read that story.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:Will watching strong content demoralize me? Will it make me turn into a psycho?

It depends. Look at your intent. Why are watching what you watch. Is it to watch the strong content to learn how to do whatever is being shown, because that is wrong or are you watching because the movie/tv show has a really good story? If you watch with the right intent then you won't be demoralized, normally. What could happen is that the strong content could sneak underneath your defense and manipulate your thinking and speech that way but that is rare if you watch for the right purposes.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:What can I do to prevent myself from questioning myself every time someone else disagrees with me or vilifies something I like or believe in?

Honestly, you should question what you like or believe. It is healthy. Our opinions are not always correct. I think it is the first steps of pride to believe that my opinions don't need to change. There is Truth out there that we can all know. Our opinions need to reflect that truth as closely as possible. So if someone questions an opinion we hold we should look at that opinion to see if the opinion needs to change or not. It doesn't have to change. It in fact could be strengthened. We could grow in our knowledge of why we believe what we believe or why we like what we like. That is healthy, its very healthy. Very human. when we question opinions, we need to do them with Jesus. Does my belief conform to the greatest commandment. "Love God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself." If your opinion/belief promotes this, your fine.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I feel really guilty and anxious over really stupid things based on other people's opinions. I've prayed for God to help calm me and sometimes in works. Is there anything else I can do strengthen my own opinions and beliefs and cut down on my anxiety when others disagree?

Two things are happening here. You have feeling and thinking. The two effect each other but they are two different things. So you feel a certain way because of events but that doesn't have to mean that your thoughts are being effected at the same time. So, something could be true and you believe it to be true but someone disagrees with you and now you feel guilty. Doesn't change the fact that what you believe is still true. How do you grow in the strength of what you think is true. Grow in Christ. When you are close to Christ, you two will be as one and it will not be you who live but Christ who lives in you. The two have become one body and one mind. You think the same. When this happens, and it doesn't happen over night, then what is there to fear when we believe what Jesus believes and someone disagrees with us. At this moment, there is a sadness when someone disagrees with us because they disagree with Christ. This is why it is good to question our beliefs, to ask questions of people with differing opinions and to listen to those who know more than us. That is how we can grow closer to Christ and strengthen what we believe. Prayer is important in this to discern what is true and what has been clothed in light but is actually false.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:From my understanding, if you start questioning yourself before or shortly after you start watching/reading something that means God is trying to tell you that you probably shouldn't watch/read that. That is may bother or disturb you. That you may not be able to handle it or that it may affect you negatively in the long run even though another Christian can watch/read the same thing with no problem because God knew they could handle it better. Is that right?

Sort of, God wants to love you in a particular way. He wants to love others in their own way. To compare how God loves us with others is to not fully appreciate how God is loving us now. For example, myself, I am convinced that anime can be used in a way to bring people to Christ. I'm convinced of that. I've only started watching Anime recently and I really like it but I'm not sure how God wants to use me in ministry with Anime. If He says to let others do this work and to leave, I will. Because that is how He wants to love me most. He can love me most when I cooperate with his will the best way I can. Now if you and I fail to do His will, that does not mean he will love us any less. He always loves us as much as He possibly can. But when we cooperate with his will we allow that love to come into our lives in a real way that we can experience and see. It is always important to ask God, to question God, what is it, He wants us to do.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I never had problems like this until I started listening to other people's opinions and now I have way too much anxiety and I just don't feel like myself anymore. Do you guys have any advice?

The best advice I could give you is to grow closer to Jesus. We can always love Him more, so do it. When we love Jesus peace and joy is ours. No more anxiety and that is when we become truly who we are. I'm not who I am suppose to be yet. Because I don't love Jesus like I should, like I'm being called to. When that day happens by the grace of God, then we'll be truly sons and daughters of the Father.

PLCDreamcatcher14 wrote:I'd really deeply appreciate some help on this. Thank you. And God Bless.

Sorry if I dug this up from the garbage.
Pray for me, I'll pray for you.