Does the presence of sensuality, swearing, and violence make a piece of entertainment out of bounds for the Christian? That question can be complicated. But when a show has graphic nudity and graphic violence (all the time), we ought to ask the question of our hearts: why do we find this entertaining in the first place?
And Jehoash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all his days. … Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away. (2 Kings 12:3-4)
It is possible for God’s people to get many things right, while still getting one very important thing wrong. Several times during the years of the divided monarchy, we read of basically good kings who basically did what was right—kings like Jehoshaphat, Jehoash, Amaziah, Azariah, and Jotham. Each one walked in the ways of God. And yet, all of them failed to address one critical area of disobedience. “The people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places” (2 Kings 15:35). These local shrines were used for making sacrifices, burning incense, holding feasts, and celebrating festivals. They were pagan places devoted to the worship of pagan gods. The high places were too normal and too popular for God’s people to remove them.
Which brings me to Squid Game, the South Korean television series about 456 indebted and down-on-their-luck players who receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a survival game, with hopes of winning 45.6 billion won (more than $38 million). Although the contests involve children’s games (of which squid game is one), the premise of the show is anything but kid-friendly. Every game ends in death (often extremely graphic and violent), with each death adding another 100 million won to the grand prize. Since its worldwide release on Sept. 17, Squid Game has been watched in more than 142 million households, becoming Netflix’s most watched series to date.
Isn’t this just another Hunger Games? Not exactly. According to IMDB Parent’s Guide for Squid Game, here’s what you can expect from the show. In Episode 4 a man and woman have sex in a bathroom and female nudity is shown. In another episode an older man removes his bath robe and requests a younger man to satisfy him. In the same episode there are many nude women with paintings on their body.