This is the first entry of a monthly installment entitled Karma vs. Christian. I will present two sides of an issue. This is not intended to prove right or wrong. It is merely to present differing points of view.

One will be from my perspective as a non-religious individual who believes in the principle of Karma but not any specific deity. I recycle. I’m vegan. I’ve never been in a physical altercation in my life. I respect all forms of life. I do not believe in absolutes – that any one thing can always be right or always be wrong. We each have our own rights and wrongs and should do whatever makes us happy as long it hurts no one. The other will be from the perspective of my friend, Jim Barclay, who believes that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, follows the Bible and attends church, uh, religiously. He believes the Bible is a history book.

With the Halloween season upon us, and I being a great fan of horror films, this seemed like a good issue to discuss. I enjoy horror films. I think they are fun and can be humorous. I like being scared and grossed out. I also believe that they can be cathartic: If I watch violence, I don’t need to be violent; I can release my aggression through the art of film.

Some horror films strictly aim to shock an audience and have only the goal of making money. But when done properly, with a good story and a purpose, horror films can be symbolic of the terrors we face in life and are merely an art form expressing this, not a vehicle intended to encourage violence.

Romero’s Living Dead series are the best examples of this. Night of the Living Dead was a parallel of The Civil Rights Movement. Dawn of the Dead skewered mindless consumerism. Day of the Dead questioned what it really means to be alive. I find zombies in general fascinating as they seem to embody much of our culture these days: physically performing tasks mindlessly. We act, but we do not think.

I think horror films are a valuable part of our culture. The best way to get someone to think or to act is to scare them. The best way to understand our demons is to face them, even if only symbolically at first. Experiencing simulated horror can help us appreciate our real-life peace.

I admit that violence in media could perpetuate real-life violence. But I majored in media research in getting my Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Michigan State University. I found that more often violent people are drawn to violent TV and film and music, not that violent media creates violent people. If that were true, everyone who was exposed to violent media would be violent, and that’s not the case.

I do not see horror films as glorifying violence. Horror films are not evil. They are a necessary form of self-expression. Violence and horror exist. To deny their expression is to pretend that they don’t.

My Christian friend sees none of this value. Here’s his stance:

I believe that as a Christian, you should not entertain evil, whereas evil is anything that goes against the Ten Commandments or God himself. Back when the Bible was written, there were no movies or acting or pretending to kill someone. Either you murdered or you didn’t. Also back in biblical times, if you were guilty of murder, you got stoned - no trial, no judge, just stones. Fortunately, we are a lot more civil nowadays, which is certainly a good thing.

I fully understand that it’s “just a movie”, but as a Christian, you should not use evil intent to prove a point. If you cannot express yourself without the entertainment of evil actions, then the Christian needs to check his motives with the book he believes in. So many Christians walk the line of good and evil. They try to justify their actions with a phrase like, “it’s just a movie”.

I do not think Christians should go out in front of movie theatres and picket horror films. But they shouldn’t compromise their beliefs for two hours of gory entertainment. By no means what so ever are Christians supposed to come off perfect or think that they are because we are definitely not. We just need to keep God as our focal point because we are followers of Him, not Man. The world is full of sick and twisted freaks. Why give them more ideas?

What do you think? Go to our chat board and let it be known!