fantasy – La Vista Church of Christ https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms Sat, 10 Sep 2022 22:02:23 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/cropped-LaVistaBanner-Copy-1-32x32.png fantasy – La Vista Church of Christ https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms 32 32 157465916 What is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism? https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/what-is-the-difference-between-make-believe-magic-and-occultism/ Fri, 09 Sep 2022 22:26:05 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=53020

Question:

Hi minister,

As a parent, how should I handle children's entertainment? My child loves movies that have princesses as she now says she is a princess (she loves dresses ). But a lot of children's content has a form of magic in them. What is the difference between make-believe magic and occultism magic? Is ALL magic considered evil and sinful in keeping the Word of God?

I want my child to be able to have entertainment without being a lunatic parent who is extreme, but I also want them to watch the right things. I bought tickets to Disney on Ice for my child and was so excited but now I feel guilty. The show will feature Encanto and Frozen. Encanto is a movie we've watched and loved but admittedly it does have some pretty questionable magic. One character was attempting to contact the dead and did what appeared to be a seance. I read Christian parents' reviews and some think it's bad and some think it's okay. I just feel like a bad parent for taking my child although I'll admit I do intend to still go since we have tickets.

Answer:

Make-believe magic is fantasy. It is a world based on the imagination that everyone agrees is not real.

Practitioners of the occult believe that they actually have powers or wish to deceive others into believing they have powers. In other words, they are lying to themselves and lying to others. They use their lies to control other people, make money off of other people, or be respected by other people. See Is Witchcraft Real?

Exercising the imagination is important to children in order to sort out the complexities of the world. Your daughter likes to pretend she is a princess even though you and she both know that you aren't really royalty. There is nothing wrong with such role-playing so long as it doesn't spill over into reality. See What makes some fantasy stories wrong?

Therefore, as a parent, you simply need to make sure your child remembers that there is a difference between make-believe and reality. Make-believe is fun to think about, but it doesn't change reality.

All that said, some things should not be thought about, even in make-believe. For instance, we know that it is wrong to pretend to engage in sex with someone with whom you are not married -- that is lust. Thus, in a story like Encanto, there is an opportunity to discuss why it was wrong for the character to attempt to contact the dead, as well as emphasizing that people can't really do it anyway, though God can. Talk about what the real problem was, which was not being able to move on from the past. It might be too deep at this moment for your daughter so keep it simple.

Response:

Thank you.

]]> 53020 Can having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven? https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/can-having-imaginary-friends-prevent-you-from-entering-heaven/ Sat, 01 May 2021 22:00:24 +0000 https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/?p=34794

Question:

Hello,

I have an odd question for you. Can having imaginary friends prevent you from entering Heaven?

Answer:

I must say, your question was not one I would have expected.

Just over 1/3 of children invent imaginary friends. Those who do invent imaginary friends tend to be the oldest sibling in a family, an only child, and children who don't watch much television. In other words, children who have time to create a friend for themselves.  Having an imaginary friend doesn't mean the child is having problems, but children dealing with trauma will tend to create a friend to deal with the issue. Even when trauma is not involved, children will us an imagined friend to work through day-to-day issues. "Imaginary friends can also help children to cope with fears, explore ideas, or gain a sense of competence through learning from or taking care of the imaginary friend." [Kennedy-Moore].

Generally, having imaginary friends happens in childhood and they are dropped by the time the child reaches puberty. Interestingly, nearly all children will admit that their imaginary friends are not real, even while talking about them as if they are real.

Having imaginary friends is not see as an indication of any mental issues. It does correlate with having more creativity and, interestingly, greater social skills. What can be a sign of a problem is when imaginary friends continue long into the teenage years or adult years.

Having imaginary friends is basically role-playing for one. It is a form of storytelling. It isn't a moral issue and won't keep a person out of heaven.

Sources:

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