WaywardNowHome
Puritan Board Freshman
Lately, I've been thinking about how I've been spending my time and what I've been doing with myself now that the semester is over and I'm home for the summer. Naturally, this led me to contemplate my hobbies and it eventually brought me to this question:
Are hobbies sinful by nature?
For example:
- Watching a movie or TV show (e.g., LOST)
- Playing a video game (e.g., World of Warcraft)
- Playing a sport (e.g., Tennis)
- etc.
In the above examples, I've listed activities and hobbies that I personally enjoy. Until the season finale, I was very excited about watching the next week's episode of LOST; I do play a few hours of tennis every few days with my friends; I do play World of Warcraft in my free time. Interspersed with all of these activities, I tend to multitask by reading PB, watching sermon clips on Youtube, etc.
But as for these activities (and other hobbies in general), is it necessarily sinful to be doing these things?
The reason I ask is because I don't know of anyone, including myself, who says, "I'm going to watch LOST for God's glory! I'm going to play tennis for God's glory! I'm going to play WoW for God's glory!" Usually, these activities have the sole purpose of entertainment and fun, which is about worldly pleasure, right? How can we possibly do these things for the glory of His name and the advancement of His kingdom? If we aren't doing these things for those reasons, isn't it sin?
There may be a sense of legalism in this post but this is just a genuine question that I have. I am not trying to judge anyone who enjoys their individual hobbies.
Are hobbies sinful by nature?
For example:
- Watching a movie or TV show (e.g., LOST)
- Playing a video game (e.g., World of Warcraft)
- Playing a sport (e.g., Tennis)
- etc.
In the above examples, I've listed activities and hobbies that I personally enjoy. Until the season finale, I was very excited about watching the next week's episode of LOST; I do play a few hours of tennis every few days with my friends; I do play World of Warcraft in my free time. Interspersed with all of these activities, I tend to multitask by reading PB, watching sermon clips on Youtube, etc.
But as for these activities (and other hobbies in general), is it necessarily sinful to be doing these things?
The reason I ask is because I don't know of anyone, including myself, who says, "I'm going to watch LOST for God's glory! I'm going to play tennis for God's glory! I'm going to play WoW for God's glory!" Usually, these activities have the sole purpose of entertainment and fun, which is about worldly pleasure, right? How can we possibly do these things for the glory of His name and the advancement of His kingdom? If we aren't doing these things for those reasons, isn't it sin?
There may be a sense of legalism in this post but this is just a genuine question that I have. I am not trying to judge anyone who enjoys their individual hobbies.