Posted on 10/13/2015 11:11:47 AM PDT by fwdude
HBO's Game of Thrones won the Emmy Award last Sunday for Best Drama. What does its popularity say about us?
Writing for The Atlantic, Christopher Orr recently asked, "Why does the show feature so much sexual violence?" (his italics). Fans claim that Game of Thrones merely reflects the novels on which it is based. But Orr notes that the show's writers "have gone out of their way, time and time again, to ramp up the sexual violence well beyond their source material."
Why? What do the show's producers know about our society?
Pornography sites receive more regular traffic than Twitter, Amazon and Netflix—combined. When I was a child, pornography was confined to Playboy and similar "adult" magazines. Now it's a click away on any Internet device. Child pornography is a $3 billion industry. Premarital sex is more accepted than ever before. Adultery is more common than ever before. The Supreme Court has redefined "marriage" to include homosexuals. Polygamy is next.
What does God think of our Game of Thrones culture?
Ezekiel 16 is an extended parable in which Israel is an abandoned young woman whom God rescues and clothes. As a result, the Lord says to his people, "You grew exceedingly beautiful and advanced to royalty. And your renown went forth among the nations because of your beauty, for it was perfect through the splendor that I had bestowed on you" (vs. 13-14).
How did Israel respond? "You trusted in your beauty" rather than the One who bestowed it (v. 15). The people engaged in all manner of sexual immorality, proud of their licentiousness when they should have been ashamed of their decadence.
And their lust was never satisfied (v. 29). Rather, it enslaved them and forced God to bring judgment against their nation: "You bear the penalty of your lewdness and your abominations, declares the Lord" (v. 58). Israel's destruction at the hands of the Babylonian Empire was the result.
But that was twenty-six centuries ago. Does Ezekiel 16 apply to America today?
"If any nation will not listen, then I will utterly pluck it up and destroy it, declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 12:17). "Any nation," at any time.
As God saw Israel's sins, so he sees ours: "The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man" (Psalm 33:13). God demands that we "flee from sexual immorality" (1 Corinthians 6:18). The Lord warns that "he who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself" (Proverbs 6:32). He instructs Christians: "Sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints" (Ephesians 5:3).
Game of Thrones is so popular because the sexual immorality it exhibits is so popular. What is our only remedy?
"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!" (Psalm 33:8). Why? Because "the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love" (v. 18). In short, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" (v. 12).
Can God bless America today?
That they love rape & violence?
Maybe only “rape rape,” as Whoopie Cushion Goldberg puts it.
Dumb Sheep like people (worshipers of modern culture) have an inherent need and lust for being ruled by a king like figure even if they are corrupt as hell.
This is the paradox of freedom, once several generation have it their descendants grow corrupt and want to be ruled by others.
Bread and Circuses...
Makes you focus on someone else and all their stuff ...
Reality TV, laugh at others makes you feel good...
Sick
The wife and I enjoy the series. It’s a good show outside of the wanton displays of sex and violence.
That being said, the one point I like to make is that sex and violence is part of humanity throughout history. There’s nothing being shown in the show that was out of the ordinary from history.
Christianity brought about the morality that we all saw as enlightening, but as it’s slowly going out of style again, we’re degrading into the violent, sexually unfaithful society we once were.
/dons flame suit
All the little kids are watching.
Today’s dating mothers think that’s okay.
Game of Thrones is the world before Christ. There are many reasons to watch.
“It’s a good show outside of the wanton displays of sex and violence.”
I keep reading wondering if you think that is really true. If so, you should don that flame suit.
And your point is?
degenerate entertainment leads to callousness..and lower community standards ....rinse and repeat
People are continually getting this backwards.
It should be Can America bless God today?
If we bless God, then He will bless us. Not before.
As I believe Billy Graham said, “If God doesn’t pass judgement on America, he owes Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.”
SNL Explains the Nudity in Game of Thrones
http://gawker.com/5902076/snl-explains-the-nudity-in-game-of-thrones
My wife and I love the series also. Sure, the sex scenes should be deleted on the cutting room floor, but other than that it’s an interesting story-line.
Martin write really compelling political drama. The books were fantastic. HBO has done an exceptional job with the cinematography. If you can look at it through a secular lens, it’s quality material. And remember, this is HBO. If this was on broadcast TV, I’d have a problem with it, but people choose to pay to watch this stuff. If you don’t like it, don’t pay for it.
I make it a habit not to watch any tv series. I do not have the bandwidth to keep up every week and I am surmising they suck anyway by the people I hear/see talking about them. Just like Breaking Bad, Walking Dead, Son’s of Anarchy, et. al.
Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone, somewhere is having a good time. - H.L. Mencken
Yes, I think focusing only on the gratuitous sex as a reason for the popularity is a short-sighted analysis. Yes, there are sex scenes, just like EVERY other HBO show and pretty much any premium cable series has.
If the sex scenes were the cause of the popularity, then every premium cable series would be just as popular, but they aren’t.
Paganism: Bringing down Gods wrath upon your nation...and bragging to your friends about it.
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