In the wake of several mass killings, there has been a lot of talk about further restricting the sales of guns and various types of ammunition. I want to stay out from that discussion since reasonable Catholics will differ and I really don’t know much about the topic.
However, I do find it odd that there is a lot less discussion about other and perhaps more relevant issues related to explosive violence in our culture. Surely the breakdown of families, the decreasing discipline in schools, and a steady diet of violent video games and movies are factors too.
It is about the last matter that I would like to say a few things. Let me say from the start I am not calling for bans or boycotts. Actually, I am turning my attention to we the viewer, the consumer and am asking why it might be that violent “entertainment” appeals so much to so many of us. I wonder how well this can be squared with the Christian walk and if it is just harmless fun, or if there aren’t a few questions we should ask our self.
When I was a young man in my twenties I loved “action movies.” I remember that we guys often talked about the “kill ratio” as a way of rating the movie. High kill ratio movies were “good,” and low kill ratio movies were poor and dangerously on the way to becoming a “chick flick.” Car chases, buildings being blown up, and the bad guys being killed in large numbers, was the recipe we looked for.
In fact, I’ll save you some money and give you the plot of every adventure movie ever made or to be made:
- The movie opens with some bad guy, a guy who is unambiguously evil, doing some terrible thing. Perhaps he kills some one, takes hostages, or engages in a terrorist act.
- After this our hero steps on the scene.
- There follows about ninety minutes of car chases, blowing things up and killing lots of people
- He has a final showdown with the unambiguously evil bad guy and kills him.
- In having done this, He has exacted vengeance, restored justice and now walks off the scene, girl in arm, burning city in the background, roll credits.
- (There is usually a sub-plot which involves the girl wherein she enters the scene, complicating things for our hero. She is usually a combination of an insistent partner to our hero who is reluctant to accept his need for her help. Some other leading ladies play the role of damsel in distress, but that is less politically correct today).
- Bottom line, our hero is victorious and justice once again reigns in Gotham City.
OK, so save your $15. You’ve just had them all presented to you. There is almost no variance to this theme and it is usually downright cartoonish.
In recent years I have lost interest in these movies. Some of it is age. But a lot of it is my Christian walk. I no longer love these movies because it is seems to me that the Lord does not love them. For a Christian, who really stops to think about it and to apply the faith in violent movies and video games, it should, in my estimation become clear that violence ought not be proposed as entertainment, or be experienced as entertaining. Violence is always regrettable and is a cause for sober reflection, not exuberant joy.
I am no pacifist, there are times when the police have to repel or restrain criminals with violent force. There are times when nations, for a grave reason, and as a last recourse, must go to war. But this is always lamentable, and surely not entertaining. People often die terribly in war, and in other violent ways.
The adventure movies and video games often present simplistic and cartoonish notions of violence. For example, our hero may be involved in a high speed car crash. Despite this, he often walks away from it and remains quite fit to do further battle. But in reality no one walks away from a high speed car crash unscathed. The whole body is wrenched and there are almost always neck and back injuries that require months to recover from. Some never recover. Further, as our hero kills bad guys left and right, we are never invited to consider that in real life death has terrible ripple effects as families, children and others related to the dead, experience the tragedy and often never recover.
The CBS video below speaks of an area I know little, the world of video games. I will admit, that video games are simply not, and never have been a part of my world. When I was in high school the only video game available was “PONG” (a simple monochrome tennis game). Pac Man and Donkey Kong were just on the horizon, but I never warmed up to them in college years. The first video shows that a new rating system has come into play for these games, many of which are horribly violent as well as being saturated with sex and bad language. I am personally glad to see it and hope it will guide parents to be more sober about what their kids are playing.
I intend no crusade here. I am not calling for abolishment of such games, or of adventure movies. Neither am I saying that these movies and games cause mass killings. I am simply saying that they don’t help. I will even say I oppose those who refuse to let little boys have toy guns and play war. I figure for them it is just a stage, a boy thing. But that is a central point, it should be just a stage.
So what I do propose is that, as we grow in our Christian walk, the notion of raw violence as a form of entertainment, should become increasingly untenable for us. As we grow and consider real life, violence is something we increasingly mourn, increasingly find troubling. If it ever did appeal to us, it appeals less and less. The voice of Jesus echoes in our conscience: Put away your sword (Matt 26:52).
And as we grow in grace, that still small voice of Jesus gradually has its way. The swords are sheathed, the video controllers are set aside, the movies look silly, and violence becomes unappealing, lamentable, and a subject for prayer, rather than a form of entertainment. At least that has been my experience.
I’m glad I don’t like the “high kill ratio” movies any more. Somehow I think that’s how it should be, that I’ve outgrown them. I do worry that some young people have a pretty steady diet of this stuff and may be desensitized. I rather doubt that most of them will ever become mass killers. But I don’t think it helps by making the simulated killing of other people entertainment. And, at some level, it is worth asking our self, “Why do I like this?” Honestly, to say that the killing of large numbers is a reasonable solution to a problem, is generally a kind of an “anti-gospel.” At best, the violent engagement of an enemy is deeply lamentable and rarely necessary. And when it must be undertaken it is subject to the tenets of the Just War Tradition. Surely there is nothing “entertaining” about real violence.
A couple of videos for further reflection.
The first video is from CBS News and details some of the problems with violence in video games. The second video is a humorous description of how silly adventure movies really are. Pardon a could mild profanities. One of the lines says, Cool guys don’t look at explosions, they blow things up and walk away, and never think of the people they’ve killed.
I played “PONG” too and I think that violent video games should be questioned. Video games which depict the realities of war ought to be reserved for those seeking to become troops and should be oriented toward proper values such as defending the innocent from the threat of cruel violence and oppression. Other violent video games which simply orient on senseless killing ought to be dicontinued and banned.
Movies and game videos violence are both simply are symtoms of a disease, which is the disease of the “culture of death” which is a society wide issue.
Thank you for this article! I agree with you and Anne Marie. The problem is not that there are guns, violent video games, and violent movies. The problem is WHY we have them. I always see pundits comparing the United States to other countries and labeling us a “gun culture.” We aren’t a gun culture; we are a “SICK CULTURE.”
Remember Jesus never said get rid of your swords. In fact, he told his apostles to get swords! The problem is when the thought behind the use of the sword (living “by the sword”) is disordered.
Guns are in the fabric of the United States existence because we are the last bastion of real freedom in this world; the freedom of the sovereign individual. But we have to use this with the utmost care. I’ll bet everything that if we just heal our disordered and distorted sickness for anger, death, murder and violence the over-purchase of firearms and the proliferation of violent entertainment will go away on its own.
Msgr,
Here’s a great write up regarding this topic http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-01-17/government-pushes-propaganda-through-video-games-0
I too have found that, post conversion, those movies are indeed less appealing than they once were.However, some action movies can, in the end, be justice movies and, with a strong plot and minimal graphic violence (and a lack of sexual immorality, which these movies almost always contain), can be good. In other words, I am hesitant to paint with too broad a brush here. In some ways it reminds of little boys playing army or cops and robbers. Some parents are immediately upset and see these games, especially as they frequently feature toy guns, as too “aggressive.” Upon closer inspection, we see that the boys are learning and play-acting justice, where the good guys ultimately defeat the bad guys, much like the plots of all action movies and much like Christ, who, in the last days will bring the ultimate triumph of good over evil. Again, some action movies are overly graphic in their display of violence to the point where the movie is enjoyed not for good prevailing over evil but simply for violence, here I think of the “Saw” franchise, but other action movies seem to stike the right balance, “For Greater Glory” and “The Avengers” would belong to this later category.
Yes, the broad brush is to be avoided. I think the more central question for me is of my own heart and what I get out the sorts of movies in question. The content is secondary (though not lying wholly outside of critique), what I bring to the table is more central.
Hi Msgr!,
Regular reader of your blog and love ’em. Glad you don’t like the ‘broad brush’ because I do wonder, although ultra-violent, your opinion on the latest ‘Rambo’?…
The reason I ask is because it deals heavily with Christian theme even though it’s extremely simplistic. You can look at the movies Stallone has written and can tell that in the beginning of his career he was very noticable about our Catholic faith (even the opening shot of ‘Rocky’ is a painting of Christ), then he faded away as he got swept up in the Hollywoood lifestyle in writing his movies in the 80’s and 90’s, but then ‘grew out of it’ and came back to faith influencing (his writing at least) in things like the latest Rambo and latest ‘Rocky’ (‘Rocky Balboa– “Life’s not about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep getting back up”… Very Christian, no?)… I didn’t see the new ‘Expedables’ but the first even had a hint when Mikey Rourke was talking about, basically, redemption- through doing “good” assignments in freeing people to take try to remove the ‘bad’ he’d committed throughout his life… True, “with violence” is a joke, but still somewhat Christian themed just the same…. Thoughts?
I think part of the problem is the attitude people have to the movies and video games. A few see them as an exercise of some fantasy, and so they culture their mind and heart to desire more and more violent activity. Other people are just seeking the emotional effects, especially the sense of suspense and victory (fear and joy); this is where most people fit in. I think that some other few will look the stories told in the movies and video games and use them as a basis for reflection about the human situation. Fr. Barron does this well for movies, and this seems to be a mature and healthy attitude to games and action movies. Unfortunately, the majority of consumers are seeking the emotional effects (especially in the gaming industry) so that our movies and games don’t really provide a lot of substance on which to reflect.
Yes, some good distinctions here.
James, I agree with you. I’d just like to add that another part of the problem has to do with “fitting in” by watching what everybody else is watching. I have had many struggles with my kids over certain movies and video games. They want to be able to see what all their friends are talking about. I know my oldest son used to complain that in school, he felt left out of a lot of conversations because he didn’t know what other kids were talking about. I’m amazed at all the junk other parents allow their kids to watch.
As a former member of the military, in a combat field and one who works in the amusement business as an electronics technician, I will say that many manufacturers are making more violent, senseless games and targeting small children. With that said I have introduced some of the games (war style games) to my own children when they were 15, and only after I first played the game. The parents need to be more apart of their children’s gaming choices and make sure they are age appropriate, my children do not want more violence due to playing these games, they know it is fantasy and they get a sense of suspense and beating evil, I believe this is healthy as it does reflect life choices.
Also I would add that most of the violent teens that commit such violent crimes towards innocent people may have played violent video games but that is not the catalyst for their violence, they will always find a way to do evil.
I lost a friend in the Red Lake School shooting due to a young man who was battling depression and in his own note he stated that he would use any means to his ends, however the media tied his actions wrongly to his playing of violent video games. He did not have any video games and had rarely played at friends homes.
I do not believe I am blind to the violent games as I work in the industry, nor would I marginalize that they have some impact on those people that use the games as a form of escapism into a world of violence. If you let your children play the game know what is on the game first.
Conflicted.
Msgr Pope,
What is your opinion of classic entertainment like The 3 Stooges or Looney Tunes? It seems that the laughs are frequently predicated on violence. Obviously not to the extent of today’s entertainment but it is certainly there.
Msgr., thanks for your interesting blog! But violence in entertainment has been around us for a long, long time. Heck, Shakespeare’s MacBeth or Othello has almost the body count of Die Hard or Rambo. My students are reading Julius Caesar right now. In Act III, scene 1, Caesar, onstage, gets stabbed by many different conspirators! I often wonder to myself if Shakespeare would be horrified to learn that his plays were being taught to children.
I also am seriously ambivalent to the idea of violent video games. I hate the idea of censorship. But then, as a husband, father and teacher, how can I approve of a game like Grand Theft Auto?
Again, thanks for a thoughtful piece and a reminder to seek answers through prayer.
Thank you for posting! I’m going to show this to my husband who thinks my distaste for these movies is silly. I refuse to watch them, because I get upset when I see people killed in a movie.
I can’t keep myself from sharing this: this guy who plays chess (we will call him ‘ElDorko’) came up with the best action movie premise I ever heard: Rocky meets Rambo and they go to Vietnam to find MIA’s (they could do it with computers). They plot hinges on this piece of dialogue: Rocky: “There are only two of us.” Rambo: “Yeah, but two of us are like a hundred other guys.”
About ‘bad’ language: sometimes I wonder if the word John the Evangelist uses that is translated as ‘fornicator’ might not be closer to our ‘f-bomb’ than we think.
Homer’s Iliad is the most graphic work of literature about war that I know of and the most honest about the horror of war. Many passages from Homer echo the passage from Jeremiah and St. Matthew: “A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.”
Recently, I helped a neighbor in my town home complex deal with a sudden plumbing leak in her home because her husband was out of town. Her very young son, still in diapers, was standing in front of a television set, game controller in hand, intently engaged in video battles in which he shot, slashed and exploded his human adversaries, up close and personal. Gushing blood, screams of agony accompanied the horrific scenes of viscera and body parts flying off in all directions.
What kind of person do you think this create?
Great article, Msgr.!
I’m in my late 20’s and am starting to not be interested in violent movies as much. I will only watch them if they are not too over the topic and I’m very confident I’ll like the movie and it has some redeeming quality about the film i.e. a good message of some sort. I was attracted to violent movies in my earlier years simply because I wanted a distraction from life. I believe it’s also the same way with video games, although I only played sports games growing up. I don’t think this violent epidemic is TOO alarming, but what is alarming is why do people need such distractions? I understand life is stressful, yet at times, it seems some people are always distracting themselves. This culture really feeds off distraction, yet why? Furthermore, from a Catholic’s perspective, I’m wondering why people can’t distract themselves in a positive way i.e. Thoreau’s nature walks. Doesn’t Jesus call us to be awake? If I have an hour to kill, I learned that going to Adoration is the best thing I can do!
I should also say that due to the popularity of Mel Gibson’s The Passion, I wonder why there aren’t more Christian movies that appeal to the masses? Saul’s conversion story would be a great flick. So would a remake of the 10 Commandments. The conversion of St. Augustine or St. Francis! I understand there are Christian movies out there, but most of them in my mind are rather boring, perhaps because of the low budget.
I think your criticism is valid with games/movies that offer up violence for the sake of violence (many Tarantino movies, SAW movies, etc.) and that serve no purpose beyond trying to shock people in the most base and bloodthirsty manner possible. The same with movies that ‘up the bodycount’ for no reason other than to ‘up the bodycount’.
However, I think we need to be careful about going too far. Violence is part of the human condition and should be portrayed in games/movies as appropriate. How, for example, can you portray war or crime without violence?
Also, I think sometimes this line of thought can be carried too far in another regard. Males like and, in my opinion, need adventure stories. The feminists have emasculated our culture and our Church too much already. I’d much rather have boys playing a mildly violent game or watching an adventure movie than watching My Little Pony or playing with dolls.
It appears to me that all of us have succumbed to the greatest tool the devil has in his bag of wicked tricks: RATIONALIZATION. In my humble opinion, there are only two views to the gratuitous violence we are bombarded with every hour of every day—you’re either for it, or against it. Sorry, there is no middle—that would be the pernicious rationalization the devil wants us to fall into to get his “in”.
Here’s a little trick you can do the next time you’re watching a beat ’em up, shoot ’em up. Close your eyes and listen to the soundtrack and dialog. With the clarity and precision of digital sound these days you can easily imagine and figure out someone is getting the snot beaten out of them, stabbed, shot, or some other manner of bodily harm. I make this point about the exercise to point out that in the 1940’s and 1950’s much of this violence was unseen on the screen and left up to the viewer to fill in with their own mind.
The point is, we DO NOT need to be (or do we?) exposed to so much intensely graphic violence to understand the theme and plot of a film. What is that old saying that if one lies enough they soon can’t tell the difference between a lie and the truth.
What’s going to happen when we get enough of the graphic violence (or has it already happened) and we soon have no regard for the horrific events that we hear (and see, thanks to the ever-beating heart of the exploitative tools of technology) like the rape victims in India, etc.
The fascination with the undead (zombies), the newest show that will now use all kinds of rationalization to make you believe that zombies aren’t who they appear to be, they’re simply misunderstood. (Underlying message: see EVIL’S not so bad….)
Does the question, “Is Our Lord offended by these horrific depictions of man’s inhumanity toward man?” really even need to be asked?
Horror/slasher movies are the worst. No one watches these satanic bloodlusters except the young. They see nothing wrong with it. Satan hates men and he hates the flesh. He glories to see men destroy their souls with gore and degenerate smut. Sad story: My friend’s daughter was in the process of converting a visiting young Russian girl who had no religion. They talked about the Faith. Great, right? Next thing, she, the Russian, and some friends are watching Texas Chain Saw Massacre for entertainment in the bedroom. I was sickened when I heard about this. My friend who was in his forties saw nothing wrong with it. Nice Catholic impression. I know of one director who rushed to get a “Halloween” movie out for the big day who is himself a satanist. And there is no question there is a connection with sadistic murders and bloodlust movies. Just as rapists are into porn. But these are the extremes. How many souls are damned because they refuse to break impure habits. Before the internet it was movies and magazines. I think Psycho and Rosemary’s baby opened the door back when I was a teen. And there were actually more X rated movies back then. Our Lady said it at Fatima: More souls go to hell for sins of the flesh than any other reason.
I was reading about the Production Code. Apparently, it was created because Hollywood was afraid that Catholics would boycott movies. This presumes that Catholics were offended by indecent and etc. movies. Apparently they were.
So it seems the problem is with us. Enough moral outrage and declining box office receipts would force Hollywood [I use that word as a general heading for all morally offensive media] to make efforts to comply with moral standards–notwithstanding the ambiguity that has come to reside in that phrase.
Moral outrage presupposes living out an assumed moral standard of life…
I think it is absurd for the movie making industry to try to escape blame for violence. Several times they have inspired people to commit crimes depicted in their movies. Additionally they want a society that is gun free–but that does not seem to apply to their violent movies. Guess they will continue to tell as to “do as they say–but not as they do”–they speak with a forked tongue..
I respectfully disagree. There is unfortunately a tendancy to caracture all “violent movies” as a kind of genre, when in fact there are *good* violent films and *bad* ones. Some films exploit violence just for the thrills – blood, overbearing violence, shocking death/mutilation. These kinds of “thrillers” generally are lacking in thematic/narrative value and make no attempt to be anything more than a cheap thrill ride. These kinds of violent movies are bad, and I would agree with your general critisicm of them.
However, there are many violent films that are violent by necessity – war films such as Saving Private Ryan, or the Last Samurai, both of which are magnificent films with require the depiction of violence in order to relate the relavent moral and narrative value of the artwork.
Recently, Tarantino’s latest film, “Django Unchained”, though featuring large amount of “over the top” violence, also made some very critical and necessary observations about slavery, racism, and doubled as a meta-critique of the racism that still exists today. Through the violence we are able to see the raw reality that was, and is, and it allows the viewer to understand aspects of reality and suffering that may have been previously unavailable.
Of course, many cannot “stomach” these depictions of violence, and I, like Paul, would simply posit that if it “offends their conscience” then it is best not to participate or discuss such depictions out of respect for them and the Gospel itself. You, Msgr. Pope, seem to have developed such a sensitivity and I do not criticize you for it. I would only criticize your idea that such movies cannot exist as “helpful” as such a critique ignores the innate moral complexity of art.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Recently, Tarantino’s latest film, “Django Unchained”, though featuring large amount of “over the top” violence, also made some very critical and necessary observations about slavery, racism, and doubled as a meta-critique of the racism that still exists today. Through the violence we are able to see the raw reality that was, and is, and it allows the viewer to understand aspects of reality and suffering that may have been previously unavailable.
I’ll have to disagree with you there. Django is loaded with historical inaccuracy and reduces difficult subjects to cartoon-like gibberish. See James Bowman’s review:
“However distorted the pulp fiction and B-movies on which Mr Tarantino relies for his model, they nearly always retained some tether to reality — on which, therefore, they could shed some light, however dim. Django Unchained, like Inglorious Bastards and Kill Bill before it, has none. Distortion and therefore falsity is of its very essence. And that should also tell us something, too, about the nature of the thrill some if not all the Taranteenies are getting from the supposedly “true to life” blood and guts which here and there, even in the media, people have lately complained of. When that’s the only truth you care about, it’s a pretty sure bet that that isn’t true either.”
Actually modern video games and movies are only the modern version of the Roman Colosseum. They did everything from pantomines to gladitorial contests to horror shows. A lot of times a ton of guts and blood- literally. Even Seneca felt that it was revolting. Nothing different at all. After almost 1500 years its only been brought back and is now in almost every modern home. Want to watch a graphic murder? Just flick the TV on. Want to watch a brutal rape? Same thing. If you really like it you can suscribe to cable and watch your favorite style of murder/ rape and sometimes even at the same time. Why not? After all aren’t we “liberated?” Besides we’re justified watching 90 min of rape and murder because if you really think about it under all that mountain of filth we were able to extract a message that there is good and evil in life. Seriously- the silly justifications we adults who know better fabricate to justify our addiction to soft porn and graphic violence are very very shallow and self serving. There really is no good reason to watch filth when any good that may come from it is trite or can easily be obtained via other moral sources without the filth even if they are less “entertaining.” For those who can’t admit that lets just face it you are addicted and need help.
For those who say its not the “real thing” and thus not the same. I have to ask a few questions. If its not then why do you want to see a graphic represenation of a brutal rape or murder? It looks the same and evokes similar, if not the same, emotional, hormonal and psychological reactions. If you think its so innocent then why is it not fine to do in real life under any circumstance? If its not okay to do in real life but fine to fantasize (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fantasize) about it or at the minimum enjoy watching it being acted out (which lets be honest thats what a person is doing if they are willing watching it) then if you saw it being committed in real life would you be greatly tempted to just watch it because you find it enjoyable. After all you are only watching it and not actually committing it. The Scripture says that whatever is good, etc to keep our mind on those things. How is watching a graphic depiction of murder, rape or a sex scene something good? Even Augustine says that the watching was a horrible thing to do. For a Christain its is not just a sin to act out put a sin can be committed in one’s thoughts. Few modern people realize that. If a sin can be committed in thought then why are we exposing ourselves to such temptations and Occasions of sin? To willfully do so and without sufficient cause is a sin also. To be entertained is not a sufficient excuse. Neither is “the message of the movie in a way demostrates the battle between good and evil” or any of the other silly justifications even the USCCB has used to fawn upon Hollywood’s latest production of filth in order not offend anyone. That is like spraying feces with an air freshener instead of calling it for what it is and tossing it in the trash/ septic were it belongs.
Thank you Msgr. Pope, for being willing to give a Catholic discipleship view on one of the most hidden dangers of modern culture. Video games are addictive. The science studies over the years have proved it. Yes I did play pong and quit when I realized that nothing productive was being done in my life when I was playing it. It did not earn me money; it did not help the relationships in my life. It most certainly did not make me a better disciple of Jesus.
The very best thing is to simply stop buying these brainwashing time-wasters. Whenever this subject is brought up and people like Msgr. Pope and myself say the truth about these games, you can always pick out who the worst game addict in the room is: he or she are the most vociferous (and yes, most angry/violent) in their defense of the video games. “The kicked dog yelps loudest” goes the old saying.
as a christian that is filled with God’s spirit lets see what the bible saids about this and other such matters. First of all are you a christian ? if so, by name or by life? if you are a christian, than the bible is the key for every christians foundation. Many of these games have foul language, sexual content, drugs, and the sense of evil. Let’s look at the word for a answer Philippians 4:6-8 paul tells us “be careful for nothing” that means be on guard but in “EVERYTHING” lets your requests (prayers) be known unto God. We are to pray about everything we do in life. Then how do we know if God has put his ok on what we are doing? the peace of God will keep your heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Let’s look futher, finally, christians are to think on whatsoever is honest, just, pure, lovely, good report.Let me ask you what is lovely of killing another human that is created in the image of God ? what about the sex on these games and tv ? does God put his approval on such matters ? I think not my friend this word does not change it’s the same today as it was 2000 years ago. Lets look futher, How much praise does God get out of all this ? does it bring glory to God? 2 Timothy 4-3 tells us in the last days people will not endure sound doctrine ( the bible ) but they will run to someone who will tell them its ok to do this, go ahead watch that its not to bad. Yet when God made man, he gave people a conscience that is a guide for christians to know right from wrong, you must be honest with your own heart if you are a christian. One day we all must give acount of things we have done in this body good and bad That conscience my friend, will bring peace of God or condemnnation one or the other 1 John 3:19-20, there is no middle ground.If you ar a christian, you are not free to do as you please, you belong to God, he bought you lock,stock, and barrel. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 tells that, so are we being led by the spirit of man ( desires, wants, will, passions,) or by the spirit of God ? as a christian we must be led by the spirit of God, desire the things of God, search for the things that please him that’s what it means to be led by the spirit of God Galatians 5:16-25. Last of all, if you have to ask is God pleased with this I watch,am doing , or saying use the bible as a referance and foundation, still no answer? if your in doubt kick it out that is the straight and narrow way of the will of God, do your own thing and you will be sure to walk down that broad way that leads to hell Matthew 7:13’14 have a great day THE PREACHER