One of Celeste’s Allstar geekdoms is Sci-Fi! One of the pioneers of modern Science Fiction was Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein. This 1818 classic presents a fascinating talking point… Does the fact that you can do something mean that you should do it? Join us today as Celeste talks through this question.

Written Devotional

In 1818 a young lady named Mary Shelley created a story that reinvented a genre. Science fiction had been around since the 1600s, but Mary Shelley’s story of a doctor who went too far changed the genre. In this story, the overall theme is simply this, “Should you really do something just because you can?” Today on Geek Devotions, we are talking about how that concept applies to our lives as Christians. 

Like we said in the intro, the central theme of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is “Just because you can, does not mean you should.”  We see a similar mindset in Corinthians. 

All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful.” All things are lawful for me, but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Corinthians 6:12 (English Standard Version (ESV)

Paraphrasing, Paul tells the Corinthians, “Look, you do not live under the rabbinic law anymore, but just because you can do certain things does not mean it’s a good idea.”

Was it a good idea for Frankenstein to take other body parts from dead people to create a whole other life form? NO! It was a terrible idea and caused much pain for everyone involved. But even for things that do not harm others, the last part of that scripture in the ESV version says, “I will not be dominated by anything.

The Walkout

We talk a lot about balance here at Geek devotions because it is something that is important. We have to balance not only our love of Geekdom and our love of God but also our time, energy, and overall life is better when we have balance in place. And sometimes, that means being aware of how different things affect us. For example, we had a comment recently on an older video of someone saying that they wanted to get into a particular anime. The problem is that this anime affected their mental health negatively. As a result, they could not handle that particular show and stay healthy, so the balance in that is they stay healthy and do not partake in that show. 

Be sure to examine yourself regularly in your walk with God and be honest. For example, ask yourself, “is what I’m doing hurting my relationship with God?”