There may be extremely unusual circumstances where a few of these activities may not be sinful, but those are very rare.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marianinark 
The main thing in all these activities is to not cause someone to stumble, and to avoid every appearance of evil.
|
Agree... and I think this is something that is hard to avoid, especially with mixed swimming.
I would ask what we are teaching our children when we let them participate in these type activities when they are young. I am not sure what good can come out of it and they may easily believe that nothing is wrong with the older children participating in the sinful way that they do. Not many parents will even begin to know how to coach them properly.
Beauty pageants exalt pride... "Look at me, I am the prettiest girl here!" It causes the winner to scream... "LOOK AT ME... I WON!" It causes the losers to look at the winner and say, "I want to be like her!" It causes them to spend no telling how much money to compete for money and pride. It causes their parents and grandparents to be sinfully proud.
Jesus Christ would NEVER attend such or have anything to do with this. He would say to the girls who participate... "For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness."
He would add to those who are Christians, "You Hypocrites! So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
God hates pride and haughtiness. The greatest sin of all mankind is pride.
1Jo 2:15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world--the desires [lust] of the flesh and the desires [lust] of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world.
Mat 18:7 "Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Ti 2:9 likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire,
1Ti 2:10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works.
1Pe 3:3 Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing--
1Pe 3:4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
Gal 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,
Gal 5:20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions,
Gal 5:21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Eph 5:3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
Col 3:5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Col 3:6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming.
Pro 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the lamp of the wicked, are sin.
1Ti 3:6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.
2Ti 3:2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,
2Ti 3:4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
Jam 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
I will agree that there may be one in a thousand instances where it would be an extremely rare case that these activities would not be sinful, however, I would suggest all Christians play it safe and avoid them like the plague!
