Concerns of a Christian Bookworm

I haven't posted in quite a while. In fact, I do believe that in my last post, I promised to be more regular with my posting. I wont make that promise this time. I am busy, but I do intend to be more frequent. Nevertheless, I can't honestly promise that I will be.

Anyway, onto today's topic-

The concerns of a Christian bookworm:

(aka- the problems that Christians have when they read)

Disclaimer- these are my experiences. Let me know yours in the comments below :) )

1. Praying for the characters. As Christians, we are told to pray about all things (Philippians 4:6). When we practice this, it starts to become second nature. As such, I've found that I pray for the characters and the plot of almost every book that I read. 'God bless them', 'God please look after...', God please heal...', Lord please may they realise...'. I generally catch myself mid-prayer and remember that they are fictional characters in an already-completed novel, but then something else happens and I start praying again.

2. Moralising. It can be difficult if the characters of the book do not share your moral codes. If the book is written in first person, then the reader is more likely to identify with the concerns of the character. If the concerns of the character, and their response to them, do not align with your morals and beliefs, then this may serve as a barrier to your ability to fully enjoy the text. This is certainly not an experience limited to Christians, though.

3. Missing the point. I know that not all Christians are the same, but I am very sheltered. I've often read a book and completely missed some of the more inappropriate metaphors. These metaphors add depth to the text, so missing them isn't always ideal.

4. Language. When a character uses profanities and inappropriate innuendos, it can make for a very difficult read. I have Christian friends who wouldn't think twice about this and others, like me, who find it very off putting. I can almost guarantee that if you've sworn in the text, then by the third time, you've lost me. If you've sworn at least three times in the first chapter, then I don't have the time for the book. Of course, I'm not like this in reality with my friends; I won't leave if they swear, but having time for people and having time for characters in a book are two very different things.

5. Content. I'm a literature student, and there have been books with I have been assigned which I have not read simply due to the inappropriate content. If the book is about vampires, witches, or other occultist beings/ practices, then I'm out. That pretty much excludes an entire genre. Of course, there are other texts in other genres which also possess content which I wont' read. Sometimes this means that I miss out on 'classics' or 'masterpieces', but I don't mind so much. What I feel God wants me to avoid, I will avoid.

I feel like this post is a poorly written, so I apologise if I didn't make to much sense.

Please let me know what you think!

Have a lovely day,