Question re: Goth subculture and horror movies

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

Glory to Lord Jesus Christ! Glory Forever! This is my first post on here. Many more to come in the future God willing.

Two Questions:
1) Is it mortally sinful to watch horror movies such as: Night of the Living Dead (and its sequels), The Exorcist, The Omen, Halloween, and other similar type horror movies from the 1960's/70's/80's and some '90s. Also classic TV shows such as The Addams Family and The Munsters.

I don't gain pleasure out of watching people suffer. I avoid movies with sex scenes/immodestly dressed women, vulgar language (which is a little tougher) and homosexuality, etc. Anytime I watch anything (regardless of genre) that speaks in a negative manner against Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church, I immediately turn it off.

I enjoy watching horror movies and reading gothic literature for the suspense and because at the core it reminds me of being a child/Halloween. However, at the end of the day my #1 priority is to do God's Will for the salvation of my soul.

2) For many years now I've considered myself goth, but recently I've become very frustrated with how so many goth websites pretty much always have immodestly dressed women/feminine men and will regularly have satanic or pagan/witch craft symbols. Yet when you research goth, you'll regularly hear that goth is not associated with any religions (Satanism, Wicca, etc. etc.).

My plan is to create my own branch of Goth for traditional Catholics (even if I'm the only member lol), because any "Christian Goth" websites I view seem to be full of Protestants and "open minded"/comprising (with the world) individuals whom become friends with those who hate Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ and His Church.

Do you think that being my version of Goth (Traditional Catholic) is a mortal sin?

If you have any questions or need clarification please ask away. I would really appreciate your honest feedback. Thank you and Dominus Vobiscum!

[Maximilian]

Do you think that being my version of Goth (Traditional Catholic) is a mortal sin?

I think it's a waste of time of the type that is typical for new converts. Before one became devout, one was involved with "Hobby X." Now it seems rather iffy. "But I will be the one who rescues it by making it Catholic."

A better approach is to focus on the interior life, and then allow the interior to form the exterior. If one says, "I am going to become serious about my prayer life, but I intend to continue wearing heavy doses of black makeup and leather clothes," then you are limiting the ability of the spirit to transform your life. Let the promptings of your interior life inform your decision what kind of clothes you ought to wear. Maybe it will be a habit; or maybe not. But it will be something new, and not the old.

[Vetus Ordo]

This is my first post on here. Many more to come in the future God willing.

Welcome.

I have a question: why did you chose Byzantine Catholic Warrior for your screen name? Are you an Eastern rite Catholic?

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

Do you think that being my version of Goth (Traditional Catholic) is a mortal sin?

I think it's a waste of time of the type that is typical for new converts. Before one became devout, one was involved with "Hobby X." Now it seems rather iffy. "But I will be the one who rescues it by making it Catholic."

A better approach is to focus on the interior life, and then allow the interior to form the exterior. If one says, "I am going to become serious about my prayer life, but I intend to continue wearing heavy doses of black makeup and leather clothes," then you are limiting the ability of the spirit to transform your life. Let the promptings of your interior life inform your decision what kind of clothes you ought to wear. Maybe it will be a habit; or maybe not. But it will be something new, and not the old.

Thank you for your reply. I've been a traditional Catholic since late 2013/early 2014, so in a sense I am relatively new to authentic Catholicism when compared to others who've been Catholic since before Vatican II. Prior to that I attended the Novus Ordo Mass since birth (1983).

I do indeed wear all black most of the time, but my style is more along the lines of Gomez Addams from the Addams Family than the stereotypical goth style you describe above in your response.

Ultimately, my goal is not to offend God and I wanted to know if I could still watch classic horror movies/TV shows and live a modified version of the goth lifestyle. By modified version, I mean listening to goth bands that don't have antichrist lyrics, reading gothic literature and continuing to wear all black.

Thanks again!

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

This is my first post on here. Many more to come in the future God willing.

Welcome.

I have a question: why did you chose Byzantine Catholic Warrior for your screen name? Are you an Eastern rite Catholic?

Thank you for welcoming me. I am indeed a Ukrainian Greek (Byzantine) Catholic in Full Communion with Rome. I call myself a Warrior of Lord Jesus Christ, because we are engaged in regular spiritual battles with Satan and the other evil spirits from hell.

Prior to officially switching rites in 2018, I attended the true Roman Catholic Mass of All Ages: the Traditional Latin Mass (via an independent chapel (Ave Maria Chapel- CTM Catholic Traditionalist Movement) and the SSPX. I attended a few SSPV Masses before but due to personal reasons, I decided it would be best to just stick to the SSPX or Ave Maria Chapel). 

Unfortunately there are no FSSP Chapels near where I live to occasionally attend. I am very happy however being Byzantine Catholic now. Very minimal modernist influences.

[Vetus Ordo]

Thank you for welcoming me. I am indeed a Ukrainian Greek (Byzantine) Catholic in Full Communion with Rome. I call myself a Warrior of Lord Jesus Christ, because we are engaged in regular spiritual battles with Satan and the other evil spirits from hell.

I understand.

Unfortunately there are no FSSP Chapels near where I live to occasionally attend. I am very happy however being Byzantine Catholic now. Very minimal modernist influences.

Do you attend mass at the Society of St. Josaphat or at regular Byzantine Catholic church?

[Chestertonian]

Addams family was a fantastic show. The munsters is a gay knockoff

[Acolyte]

Addams family was a fantastic show. The munsters is a gay knockoff

You know, I always thought that Herman had...... tendencies lol

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

Thank you for welcoming me. I am indeed a Ukrainian Greek (Byzantine) Catholic in Full Communion with Rome. I call myself a Warrior of Lord Jesus Christ, because we are engaged in regular spiritual battles with Satan and the other evil spirits from hell.

I understand.

Unfortunately there are no FSSP Chapels near where I live to occasionally attend. I am very happy however being Byzantine Catholic now. Very minimal modernist influences.

Do you attend mass at the Society of St. Josaphat or at regular Byzantine Catholic church?

I attend a Diocese Byzantine Catholic Church, which is fairly traditional. Perhaps not as much as the Society of St. Josaphat, but our Church has many of the Latin rite devotions that we all love so much. The main issue I have is that there is no perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, which is heart breaking. The Divine Liturgy is done in either English, Ukrainian and sometimes both. No Old Church Slavonic which is how it was before Vatican 2.

Where do you go to Mass?

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

Addams family was a fantastic show. The munsters is a gay knockoff

That's hilarious! LOL! Touché

[Tales]

Greetings and welcome.

I'll first comment that I went through a quasi-goth phase in high school quite some time ago.

I think the general goth sentiments include a distaste for the lack of spiritual meaning in the modern world and a disgust towards the utilitarianism which swamps our lives.  But it, excluding perhaps yourself as the singular outlier, is wrapped up intimately with sexual vices and some manner of anti-Christian spirituality.  I do not think it can be separated.  Hippies had some similar good sentiments, but they too were intimiately connected to sexual vice and libertarianism.  There was no way to make hippy culture ok by steeping it in Catholicism.  But perhaps that's what the N.O. is....

Goth is heavily involved with darkness, whereas Catholicism rejoices in the light Jesus brings to our dark world.  Religious whom wear black do so as to decrease their attachment to the world, but other than religious I'm unaware of anywhere else in Catholicism that Catholics wore black.  It seems appropriate for the religious orders, but not so for the laity.

As for horror, it does not seem that the genre has much of anything to do with Catholic culture.  It seems more Protestant or pagan.  E. Michael Jones has given good talks on his theory on horror, you can find them on youtube.  tl;dr the monster is the consequences of the sexual revolution coming to kill the immoral.  Anyways, I don't suspect the saints were telling kids horror stories.  It seems like they were all extremely busy doing the corporal and spiritual acts of mercy.  And the laity were busy being familymen (raising large families and providing for them) and celebrating the feasts in their community.  None of this seems to have anything to do with horror or the gothic subculture.

Are you married?  If not is this on the radar?

[sedmohradsko]

Thank you for welcoming me. I am indeed a Ukrainian Greek (Byzantine) Catholic in Full Communion with Rome. I call myself a Warrior of Lord Jesus Christ, because we are engaged in regular spiritual battles with Satan and the other evil spirits from hell.

Prior to officially switching rites in 2018, I attended the true Roman Catholic Mass of All Ages: the Traditional Latin Mass (via an independent chapel (Ave Maria Chapel- CTM Catholic Traditionalist Movement) and the SSPX. I attended a few SSPV Masses before but due to personal reasons, I decided it would be best to just stick to the SSPX or Ave Maria Chapel). 

Unfortunately there are no FSSP Chapels near where I live to occasionally attend. I am very happy however being Byzantine Catholic now. Very minimal modernist influences.

Have you officially switched churches, or are you merely attending a Ukrainian parish regularly?

[ByzantineCatholicWarrior]

Thank you for welcoming me. I am indeed a Ukrainian Greek (Byzantine) Catholic in Full Communion with Rome. I call myself a Warrior of Lord Jesus Christ, because we are engaged in regular spiritual battles with Satan and the other evil spirits from hell.

Prior to officially switching rites in 2018, I attended the true Roman Catholic Mass of All Ages: the Traditional Latin Mass (via an independent chapel (Ave Maria Chapel- CTM Catholic Traditionalist Movement) and the SSPX. I attended a few SSPV Masses before but due to personal reasons, I decided it would be best to just stick to the SSPX or Ave Maria Chapel). 

Unfortunately there are no FSSP Chapels near where I live to occasionally attend. I am very happy however being Byzantine Catholic now. Very minimal modernist influences.

Have you officially switched churches, or are you merely attending a Ukrainian parish regularly?

Hello. I did indeed make the official change from Roman Catholic to Ukrainian Catholic. I went to my Ukrainian Church for over two years first and then had to write a letter to my parish Priest  and eparchy (diocese) Bishop requesting the Rite/Church change for myself and my family. My Priest had to provide a letter of recommendation. It took around 9 months to get the approval from the Ukrainian Bishop and to be released from the Roman Catholic Bishop in my local Diocese. It was a wonderful decision that eliminated a lot of confusion and frustration. The are more reasons behind the  rite change but I'll save it for anyone who wants to know. Thanks for your question. Have a great day/weekend!