Question:
Why does your family love Star Trek so much? It is not a Christian program and in fact it strongly promotes a lot of non-Christian ideas, including the idea that women can be leaders and should not be submissive to men? Doesnt this go against your life views? Dont you think it will influence your children in a way that is undesirable to you?
Answer:
There are many parts of this question to address, so Im going to take it one at a time.
Why does your family love Star Trek so much?
Because it is awesome! If you havent seen it, you can watch original episodes on YouTube and on cbs.com. The newer series DVDs are going down in price and our collection is slowly growing.
It is the most witty, entertaining and thought provoking show that either my husband or I have ever seen, and we both grew up with cable. My husband has a saying, "Even the worst episode of Star Trek is better than the best episode of anything else." I whole-heartedly agree. We even love some of the fan series, also on YouTube.
Star Trek has something for everyone. My husband is a student of human nature, history and politics. He loves the interweaving stories of how different worlds are incorporated into the Federation and how other worlds fight against it. He loves the rebel Marquis fighters and the creativity that came when new planets were explored in "Voyager."
I am a science geek myself. I find warp theory fascinating and my heart beats a litte faster when something goes wrong and I again get a further glimpse into how those engines run. I am intrigued by new species and the challenges Neelix faces in preparing foods for many different races. Looking at issues in genetic modifaction today verses in the "future" provides an interesting study of its own.
This stuff is so fascinating, and fun to think about. It is fun that my husband and I have something we both love and enjoy and discuss in depth. It enhances our marraige and our friendship. I am relatively new to Star Trek and am seeing many epsiodes now for the first time. He has been watching Star Trek his whole life. For each of our children, their first TV experience was Star Trek, and my husband can tell you which episode each child saw shortly after they were born.
It is not a Christian program and in fact it strongly promotes a lot of non-Christian ideas, including the idea that women can be leaders and should not be submissive to men?
The Bible does not say that women cannot lead, nor does it say that women have to be submissive to men in general. The Bible says women are to submit to their husbands. I dont have to submit to your husband, my father, my brother, or any other man besides my husband, who I chose to marry because I love him and trust his judgement.
As far as women being leaders, the Bible is clear that women should not be in authority over men in the church. I, as a Christian woman, have no desire to have authority over men in any capacity. However, in the Bible Deborah, was a military leader because no man would stand up to the challenge. The Bible was pro-woman in a shocking way for thousands of years. It is only recently when new standards for women have rapidly emerged that the Bible is looked on as anti-woman. The idea of a husband loving his wife as Christ loves the church is more pro-woman than the philosophies of any other major world religion, and that was written thousands of years ago. For me, that command to my husband fulfills the desires of my heart as his wife, and is as pro-woman as you can get.
Doesnt this go against your life views?
Some of what is portrayed in Star Trek does go against our life views. Some of what is portrayed in Veggie Tales goes against our life views as well. It would be impossible to find a TV show that we agreed with 100%. Some Christians decide not to watch any TV because of this. Agreeing 100% isnt our standard for TV, movies, friends, a church, or books.
We choose to watch TV but think through what we watch. Dan and I talk about everything we watch. We discuss what was hilarious, what was accurate, what got us curious for more. If a Christian is not willing to think through what they are watching, they may need to abstain from watching TV, but there is no reason that those who are willing to put in the work of discernment should abstain as well.
Dont you think it will influence your children in a way that is undesirable to you?
It is possible that our children may think the world of Star Trek is real, but we are planning on teaching them the difference between what is imagined and what is real. Star Trek is a great way to get them thinking about imaginary worlds, possibilities, new ways of thinking and other peoples points of view. In our opinon, that is a good thing for children.
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