Bro. Love:
And I ask the question again.....but why? You seem firm in your stance yet you have yet to give a reason why. You've been around in this forum for a while and are well respected, I'm sure. Maybe there's something that the rest of us who see a problem with watching pro wrestling are missing.

And I disagree with your comment to Symphony about "two thumbs down" for just turning the tv off. The less time we sit in front of that degenerative box the better.

Amen, macrame.

I'm still waiting to hear from Bro. Love......

Bro. Love:

I'd be interested to hear why you have no problem with going to these wrestling events.....and taking your kids to them.

In general, just because someone doesn't see anything wrong with an activity or form of entertainment doesn't mean that it pleases God when we do it. Isn't that what we as Christians are supposed to be about? Pleasing our heavenly Father?

What about R rated movies? Does anyone think that God is pleased with anyone (especially Christians) who partake of this form of entertainment? Movies in this ratings category contain violence, nudity, and adult language. To be honest, it runs pretty parallel to what is shown in professional wrestling these days.

One of our ultimate goals (if not the main one) is to be as pure and holy as we possibly can. "Be holy, for He is holy." I don't see how that is possible when we expose our eyes to what professional wrestling has to offer.

Whoever wins, the King is still on the throne. And He knows all that is going on and needs to be done. Hallelujah!

People don't know or accept their sin until they come face to face with it because God convicts them of it, or one accepts to have a relationship with Him and then every time they do sin, they (hopefully) realize it and feel the need to confess and get right with God. Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They knew He was their creator, their provider, their friend. They were intimate with Him, and walked with Him in the garden. And once they went against His directions, they were not convicted of it until God came looking for them, and they decided to hide.

Unsaved people do not understand they are deliberately sinning against God. As far as their concerned, as long as they're not hurting anybody, what they do is their own business. I would dare say that the fall of man is not even comprehendable to them or they just don't believe it......until they come face to face with the One who created them, who wants to provide for them, who wants to be their friend.

I've placed a few posts here but have never officially said "hi."

So......"hi."

I'm from Gainesville FL (USA) and am a freelance graphic designer by day, and a hospital lab guy by night. It's great to be here and be encouraged, be an encourager, and enjoy conversations with my fellow brothers and sisters.

Later.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

[Luke O:]

Luke O:
While I appreciate and respect your comments, I just don't see the validation for the sport.

When you started this thread, you wanted Christian views of professional wrestling, of which I stated mine. In your reply to my post, you presented the individual perspectives (including yours) from participants in wrestling.

What really needs to be addressed is the foundational aspects of professional wrestling. It's violent and portrays women as objects, whether these women set out to be viewed in such a way or not. It glorifies punishment to the human body inflicted by another. Just because other "religious" people are participants, doesn't mean that it should be acceptable to us as Christians or from a biblical point of view.

If you get right down to it, it's not even wrestling at all. As a former wrestler in my youth, these people that I have seen on tv are more of a kind of fighting acrobat. Don't get me wrong, they do possess athletic ability which helps them with various high risk maneuvers. But there's very little wrestling that actually takes place.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen
 

Well, this is probably not going to go over very well, but....

I'm sure that many of you view professional wrestling as harmless since, in reality, none of it is real. However, I'd like to point out a couple of things.

First, it feeds a carnal desire to see someone suffer at the hands of another. Yes, I know it's not real. But some of those things that the wrestlers do have a high chance of resulting in pain if not performed to perfection. I've seen a few documentaries on wrestlers where they have talked about breaking bones, having concussions, and other injuries. And I think that we can all agree that the crowd is not going wild because they approve of how wonderfully executed the fake maneuvers are.

Second, it wasn't this way in the early days of the "sport", but today's televised wrestling has turned women into objects, rather than portraying them with the beauty and uniqueness that God designed them with. They are eye candy whose only purpose is to get more men to watch, which obviously increases revenue. They come out scantily clad in outfits with bodies that have been generated by science, not the Father. And they parade themselves around because they know that's what the viewers want. They may as well work in a strip club. Satan's pretty smart, isn't he?

Third, this kind of "entertainment" is right up there with R-rated movies. It would be interesting to find out how many of you would approve going to them. God has told us to "be holy for I am holy." Please tell me how allowing ourselves to view such filth can be seen as holy through the eyes of a holy God. The two simply do not go together.

As far as wrestlers being evangelists or claiming to be Christians let me say this. If the Million Dollar Man (Ted DiBiase) is an evangelist now, does he still promote the sport? If he does, then I question his calling.

I went to the Nora Greenwald site and found nothing there that says she's a Christian. Maybe I wasn't looking in the right place but I found myself being very leery of surfing through the site after I saw some of the links that she has on there. It seemed to be all about her with nothing about Jesus. And that's just a little out of whack.

DreamWeaver, you said, "Who am I to judge wrestling?" I don't see it as a judgement as much as it is an observation. And I hope that none of the comments I made here will be seen as judging either. I simply use God's Word as a filter of sorts. And if it passes through, then great. But if it doesn't, then there's something wrong. And professional wrestling does filter out.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

[emptyemerica]

while it would be good to see a rich black man to be put away, to set an example for his species, it seems likely that this harlot is just falling back on this "rape" bull to put an innocent away

What kind of statement is this? I agree with emptyemerica. It definitely is not an attitude that would be pleasing to Christ. His species? He's human. What particular species are you referring to?

But in response to the post that started this thread, he, by his own admittance, stated publically that he had been unfaithful to his wife. I don't know whether Kobe is a Christian or not but the bible clearly states that our sins will not stay in the dark. God will eventually bring them into the light for all to see. Think of Jimmy Swaggart and how long he was "meeting" with that prostitute before he was found out. I'm sure that wasn't the first time. I once heard a sermon that described a pastor who had been having affairs with various women for 40+ years. At the height of his ministry when everything seemed to be going so great, he was found out and his whole life caved in on him.

This appears to be a similar situation with Kobe. Whether he did it or not, to me, isn't the relevent thing. Although with the evidence that I've heard along with the sudden dismissal of the case leads me to believe it was consentual and not a rape. More importantly, his sin of infidelity has been made public and no matter how great his basketball career may be, this is something that will never be forgotten. I see it as a wake-up call for him and perhaps that God is trying to touch his heart and draw him near.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

I can't believe what I've been reading here! I never thought I'd come across so many Christians who feel the tithe is not necessary anymore just because it was in the old testament. In all honesty it sound like all of you who are anti-tithe are trying to justify your reasoning for not doing it, just because it comes from the Old Testament. Should we then abandon the Ten Commandments because they are from the Old Testament and be allowed to murder, lie, covet, and the like?
I should hope not!!!

I do agree that bible doesn't specifically address tithing in the New Testament, but I did find this:
"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17

These are Jesus's own words.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

There's one thing that matters both on earth and heaven...what you did for Jesus.

Instead of looking at all of life from your perspective, try to see it from Jesus' perspective or a heavenly perspective. Jesus expects us to be the best we can in everything we do. Even though they may seem like mundane and unimportant at the time, they could be times that he is trying to use you to reach a lost family member or friend. Once you are saved (and I'm assuming you are) Jesus expects you to go to work, either as a sower or a harvester, showing His love to a lost world, telling others about Him.

As far as life's memories are concerned, those are things that you would not have had if God had decided not to create you. Sure He wants us to enjoy things and have great experiences with friends but His ultimate purpose for us on this earth is His Glory and pleasure, which we will be rewarded for when we find ourselves in heaven.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

Yes, God requires us all to give back at least a tenth (tithe) of everything we make.

We're all trying to save up for something. But I speak from experience when I say that you will have a harder time saving for what you want if you refuse to honor God and his commandment to remember the tithe. He will make sure of it.

I have three teenagers who don't have jobs. But they get money at birthdays, Christmas, etc. And they all give a tenth of that money to God, no matter how much money they take in. And they always have enough left over for themselves.

Okay, I just saw your age in your post about giving money. No need to answere that one.

If you have accepted Jesus as your Saviour and Lord of your life, then you don't have to worry about the mark. God has already stamped His mark into your forehead and no one can remove it. So you won't even be here for the tribulation.

One thing you need to realize is that you have no control over when you go. God has already numbered your steps and when He says it's time, it's time. We all would like to live to the ripe old age of our grandparents. It's perfectly normal to feel that way. But I can tell you one thing, if Jesus were to come back today, I'd have no problem with it. In fact I think I'd be jumping for joy!!!

I've seen and answered a couple of your posts and I like to ask you how long you've been saved and how old you are.....if that's okay?

In Christ Alone,

Stephen

Well, unfortunately you have no choice in the matter. It's a command "to love they neighbor as thyself." And it doesn't matter who that neighbor is, whether it's your grandmother or Bin Laden.

The key to this is how we love or how we approach the attempt to love. If you try to do it on your own, you will most likely fail, as in most things that we try to do on our own. But if you allow Christ to do it through you then it becomes much easier every time you do it. Think of how Jesus died for you while you were still his enemy. There was nothing in you (or any of us) that was appealing because of our sin. And yet "even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5: He didn't wait for us to be more likeable or to do something that would make him proud of us or want to be around us. He did it while we were still his enemy. If you try and remember that, then loving others who aren't family members or freinds becomes much easier.

But on that note, I'd like you to look at Matthew 10:37-38:
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."

Basically Jesus is saying that even though you may love your father and mother (and I'm sure you do) that your love for Him must be greater. The best way I can illustrate this is this way. If your parents asked you to do something that you knew was against God's instruction, would you do it? Jesus commands us to follow his instructions completely, with no wavering to the right or the left.

As far as people like Bin Laden are concerned, the one thing I do first is to not associate the sin with the sinner. By that I mean that Bin Laden is lost just like a large portion of the rest of the world. And when you break it down, he's a sinner just like you and I are. The only difference is that we've accepted the gift of grace and Bin Laden hasn't. And unlike our system of government that hands out different levels of penalties for breaking the law (a different sentence for murder as opposed to a parking ticket) God doesn't see it that way. All sin is sin, bottom line. And what an unsaved person has in their life is Satan with free reign to use them as he wishes. Without Jesus in one's life, the sin nature can lead someone to do things that could be quite disturbing.

I hope this helps. I've struggled with this before so I can certainly identify with you.

In Christ Alone,

Stephen