Church ‘Do Nots’
Recently my wife and I discussed why some churches have such long lists of “do nots.” Why are “do nots” so important?
Some Christians do not believe in dancing. As for me, dancing is not an issue. I don’t dance. Let me rephrase this—I can’t dance. I took a class in square dancing when I was at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. The teacher was a great teacher. I was not a good student. I thought maybe having someone to tell me what to do would help. It did not.
Regardless of my real ability or inability to dance, I do appreciate Christians who do not dance. One only needs to watch a music video on television, on a computer, or a phone to realize the motions in dancing today are anything but holy and acceptable unto God. Also, the messages that some singers sing and motions that they make send wrong ideas to impressionable children and youth—and even adults.
Some Christians do not believe in playing cards. Once again, this is not an issue for me. I can’t play cards because I do not know how to play cards.
As a child, I played Go-Fish. I have no idea how that is played.
Regardless of my ability or inability to play cards, I see why some Christians would not. When I watched westerns growing up, people got shot all the time in saloons playing cards. Today, when I think of casinos, I think of cards, chips, and gambling. I’ve never been to a casino so I’m clueless if they serve alcohol like the saloons did. But if they do, I could see why they may not be a great place to recreate.
Many lives have been destroyed by such places and activities. I can see how and why God may frown upon such places and activities and why Christians should avoid them.
Some Christians do not believe in watching television. From the early 1960s until now, television has come a long way. National, state, and local news can be seen and heard at any hour of the day.
However, depending on the origin of the news, news can be as conservative or as liberal as the company presenting it. It becomes difficult to decipher the truth from the untruth.
In addition to newscasts, television has grown from a few channels to hundreds of channels. Many of these channels and programs do very little to improve the lives of those watching them. Instead, some might say they do quite a lot towards the destruction of individuals and families. Yes, there are some programs labeled as Christian, that do not give seekers real knowledge and hope, but false hope and empty wallets. I can understand why some Christians choose not to watch television.
These are but a few of the “do nots” that some Christians attempt to avoid in their lives.
Why the avoidance? The desire of the “do-not-ers” is to seek a holier life and a closer relationship with God. God’s Word says that we should be holy and blameless before him. The Bible encourages us to learn what is pleasing towards God and to be imitators of God. If we are honest with ourselves, there are a lot more “do nots” that we should be doing in our lives each day.
My prayer is that we will all start reading God’s word more and avoiding more those things which destroy individuals and families, and can lead people into an eternity that no one would ever desire.