Dilemma in Comics Land

 

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,

Whatever is right, whatever is pure,

Whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –

If anything is excellent or praiseworthy –

Think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a long-time fan of the comic section of the newspaper.  I grew up reading Dagwood, Peanuts, Lil Abner, and Dennis the Menace.  When I reached my teens, I added the human drama strips such as Mark Trail, Mary Worth, Judge Parker and Rex Morgan, M.D.  A few fantasy strips made my list:  Spiderman, and Prince Valiant.  For Better or Worse, Luann and Stone Soup were more recent additions, along with Frazz, Betty, and Pearls before Swine.  Most of these strips are available each morning on my cell phone.

A few years ago, one of my favorite strips took a very dark turn, with kidnappings, murders, torture, lies, deception, corrupt government agents, and political intrigue.  Kindness?  Caring?  Purity?  No. The traits that Paul urged the church in Philippi to think about were no longer in evidence in that strip.  When I asked myself why I was still reading it, the answer came back – habit – and a bad one, at that. That strip is no longer a part of my comics diet.  

I will admit that it's siren call still pulls at me occasionally.  When it does, or whenever I feel a twinge of concern about something I am putting into my brain, I repeat this verse to myself.  It guides me to the right decision every time.