@kate
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Great discussion, @emma-starr.
1. Do you believe Christians should read secular literature (literature produced by non-believers)? Why or why not?
Yes. As long as you read with discernment, pondering the worldviews being presented and comparing them against the Bible, there is much encouragement and beauty and excellence to be found in even secular works of art.
2. How should a Christian approach reading secular and/or non secular) literature?
All literature should be read with discernment. Learn to examine the philosophies presented by what is glorified. Examine what worldviews are promoted by the choices of the characters, and learn to tell the difference between a godly story, a godless story, and an ungodly story. There are different things to be learned from each.
3. Can (secular and/or non secular) literature be a source of truth? Why or why not?
Yes. The thing about good stories is if they’re written honestly from an open heart, they’re always going to hit some notes of truth. I find that secular literature never quite gets to the ultimate Truth, but there are many true things that can be understood and appreciated even if the standard of ultimate truth is lacking. God’s beautiful fingerprints are all over human history, and those fingerprints can be recognized even if the source of them is not. Anyone who writes honestly can’t fail to touch on those beautiful fragments.
4. Do you personally read (or listen to) literature (secular and/or non secular)?
Yep. That’s a pretty broad field. :’D
@cassandraia thanks for thinking of me! Unfortunately I absolutely stink at flash fiction. 😛 I’ll keep this in mind for if I ever want to improve though. 😉
*blinks* Wow… this topic really took off! I forgot all what I was tagged for, but I approve. *thumbs up of general approval and congeniality*
@noodle-mum welcome to New Wessex!
@Cassandraia great thoughts! And hey, this woman doesn’t believe in being oppressed either. XD There are definitely a lot of men who abuse their role of protector— and a lot of women who abuse their role of nurturer. Even within ‘Christian’ circles. But these are sins inherent with human nature, not masculinity or femininity. Lumping all men together with the worst of them and lumping all women together with the worst of them are both equally wrong reactions, and doesn’t help the discussion at all. It’s a very black-and-white way to see things. Some women are manipulative materialistic monsters. Some men are oppressors. But the same ‘masculinity’ that makes them toxic and overbearing as sinners is a beautiful thing in a man following God’s heart. Unfortunately, those can be few and far between. :'(
ANYWAY. Rant over. xD You made very good points. 😉
@msqueen8 absolutely being feminine is a strength. It’s living up to your God-ordained role and calling. That takes guts and faith and a whole lot of other things you don’t have if you’re weak. One of the nice things about living up to God’s difficult stuff, though, is He gives you the strength to get there. 😉
I love to see characters who are emotionally strong as well as physically, because that’s really more important, and it’s often overlooked or even discouraged in today’s culture.
@r-m-archer you said it. This goes for guys too. ‘Strong’ isn’t determined by how many weapons you’re carrying or how many bad guys you can knock out in a dark alley. In fact that’s probably the least important type of strength there is, though granted it has its uses. XDAs in women are strongest when they are wielding a sword, or doing everything a man can. I think that’s a very narrow definition of strength.
@eden-anderson nailed it girl. Well said.@noahlitle yep. Femininity is an attitude; a state of the heart. It’s not ultimately about jobs or clothes or anything external. Just like we don’t consider single fathers ‘effeminate’ for being both provider and nurturer for his kids, it’s possible for a woman to do manly things and still be feminine. Sometimes life forces you into situations you can’t control and you have to do what you have to do, regardless of your ‘role’— sometimes you can’t help that. But you can help the state of your heart.
A character I haven’t written yet is like that. Her father was a councilman, and when he died the place passed to her, as it was hereditary and she was his only child. She’s the only woman in the council, and the job she’s doing— representing her corner of the country, legislating, giving orders and managing resources, etc.— is a very masculine-coded job. But to her it’s just a job. She doesn’t measure her identity against her ability to do it ‘as well as a man’. If the job gets done, the job gets done. (She’s also an ESTJ, and very practical :P) It doesn’t leave her with much time for feminine coded things, but her heart is right. She likes pretty dresses as well as most girls. She enjoys putting her hair up when she has the chance. But most importantly she looks on the world with a woman’s eyes. She’s not bent on proving anything. She’s confident in who she is as the woman God made her, and despite the pressure, disgust, and disdain from the men around her who don’t believe she can do an adequate job, her first thought is for God’s service.
That’s the thing. Where the heart is with God. Feminism is a spiritual disease because it takes the focus from God and puts it on man’s completely inadequate and always-changing standard of perfection.
@emma-starr it has a beautiful simplicity that makes it extremely powerful. The one thing I would change is add one more line to the end. It ends rather abruptly as it is, but something like ‘saying goodbye’ or ‘finding you in the dark’ or something equally melancholy but emotionally satisfying could smooth it out very well.
@mariposa wowwwww… Is there a single sentence here that isn’t a joke of some sort? :’D
@gabriellepollack I’m on it!
