discuss: christians and “south park”
When I saw that a South Park episode had won an Emmy, I wanted to check it out. The episode that won was the one where they make fun of the Warcraft culture, and, while watching, I began to appreciate the cultural phenomenon that is “South Park.” I watched a few more episodes because, when we’re interested in something, it’s easy to save the good and ignore the bad. These writers are at the top of their game. Their satire is scathing and their points so perfectly reflect what’s going on in our society today.
However, there was a lot that I couldn’t ignore, namely, the disrespect of Jesus that was pretty consistent. I can handle swearing and violence and even some of the cruder stuff, because I know that the writers aren’t Christians and I know that their aim isn’t to fight a war against religion, only to entertain. But when I pray “hallowed be thy name,” I’m praying that God’s name would be respected. When I ignore something as blatant an pervasive as what South Park does, what does that say about the seriousness of the prayer that I pray? I can say that I object to that, but to me, merely objecting doesn’t reduce the download count, the Nielsen rating, or do anything tangible to indicate that I, the viewer, feel that something bad is going on.
Plus, there’s just better things I can do with half an hour of my life.
As Paul says in 1 Corinthians: “Everything is lawful, but not everything is helpful.” Even if it is okay to watch the show (and I wouldn’t say that it isn’t okay), how is it beneficial?
But that’s just one man’s opinion. Here’s a well-thought-out counterpoint that I found on the Internet to get another side of the story.
Questions:
Should a Christian watch “South Park?” Why or why not? Am I being unfair by forcing the issue on this one show?
July 31st, 2008 at 7:34 am
“how is it beneficial?”
I think you could ask that about 99% of TV, video games, or the internet.
July 31st, 2008 at 11:47 am
ha! touche, my friend.
should we ask that question? we might not like the answer…
August 1st, 2008 at 1:47 am
To be 100% honest, I don’t think it is something that we should find entertaining. If it denies our God, or pokes at our religion, then whe honestly shouldn’t be watching it. I include myself in the fact that we all watch and expose ourselves to things we shouldn’t, but if we are supposed to be living a life that reflects Jesus, and is above reproach, striving to be holy, then honestly this show is a definite no-watch….alongside some others…
August 1st, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Rick, that’s fair enough. But how far does it go? Does one religious shot in a two-and-a-half hour movie disqualify the whole thing?
And when it comes to South Park, the writers don’t claim to be Christians. Should we even be holding them to our standards?
(I’m playing both sides, if you can’t tell)
August 10th, 2008 at 1:47 am
I like your devil’s advocate role in this one Brendan. I’ve not been much of a south park guy but have run across the same problem in shows i enjoy watching for simple pleasure. I guess the thing to do is look at it from His prospective, not ours. Realistically, every Christian bashing comment is an assault on the meaning of our lives, however big or small. Every Christian bashing comment is a direct slap in the face to our Savior, belittling the blood He shed so that we could be made righteous. So yes, I believe that even the smallest, innocent discredit towards my faith should be taken as an insult because of the disrespect it has for my salvation. But the tricky part then is to say “how do I live my life” because this stuff is all around and forces itself into your life whether you like it or not. The answer to that I beleive is that we are told we are “in this world but not of it”. I believe watching things like South Park are more being in the world and of the world. If the fiery darts are coming at you no matter what, at least don’t knowingly put yourself in their path. And yes, the writers should be held to our standards and accountable for what they write because our Holy God Himself holds them to His standards and accountable for what they write. Sorry for the long post…as it was my first!
August 10th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Welcome, Dave…and never apologize for a long post. Otherwise I’d be saying sorry every week!
Typical of myself, I really do see both sides of the issue. On one hand, I see what happened when even one Christian stood up to something bad like slavery, and how he affected the whole world (Well, Britain was much of the world at the time) as a result of it. If every Christian could send a unified and clear message that we didn’t like certain things, there’s no way that it wouldn’t have an impact on Hollywood. I mean, people don’t touch Mohammed in mainstream media because they know that the Muslims will kick up a HUGE fuss! When the Jews were subject to Rome, they didn’t have to worship Caesar because the Romans knew what would happen. Not that we’re allowed to take up arms and start shooting, but you see the point.
But I also see the flip side. As MoldyToaster implies, if you have to reject South Park, you have to reject a LOT of other stuff. I mean, my favorite Aussie movie (the only one I bought) is “The Castle,” a totally innocent movie other than its language, which includes a couple of “J.C.’s.” The profanity I can overlook, but does the two or three uses of my God’s name in vain mean that I must reject one of the funniest movies I’ve ever watched?
That’s a radical decision, but Christians are in the business of radical decisions.
Making me think, man! I appreciate it.
August 10th, 2008 at 11:04 pm
i think you should define what a “radical decision” is first though. although i myself see it at some times as a difficult personal sacrifice, i don’t view not being able to watch certain media as a radical decision. Because of the culture we live in, I don’t think there are very many radical decision that we have to make. On the other hand, being that China is now hosting the Olympics, what kind of radical decision are they making over there every day to stay a Christian and not compromise? Brendan, I know you are a fan of Paul Washer’s “A Shocking Message” and he makes the statement that if we as American Christians went to visit some churches in other countries that we would be excommunicated for our lifestyles. There’s something interesting to think about. Dang…it’s convicting.