All Stories Have Morals
Morality is inescapable. Like theology, the term seems like a much bigger, weightier word than it actually is. Every person on this planet has their own set of morals; the rights and wrongs that guide them through making everyday decisions. Often times these morals align with a greater cultural or religious context, but sometimes — what is especially popular in the U.S. and many Western countries today — people come up with their own moral codes based on what they feel is right and wrong.
Much like our theology, our morality leeches into everything we do. How we define right and wrong is going to present itself in the things we create and, especially, the stories we tell, even. When we write, direct, draw, or speak a story, we are — inadvertently or intentionally — going to convey to the world where we stand on a variety of issues. Think of the physical structure of our brains; neurons connected to neurons in an intricate web of thought. If our morality can be reduced down to a pattern of thinking, a route that our brains habitually take in our day to day lives, our thoughts are going to naturally — either consciously or unconsciously — follow along those familiar pathways. Morality is in some ways physically inescapable without significant time and effort to change. In many ways it is how you have trained your brain to think.
Now, the consequence of this is that there is no such thing as “just a fun story.” All stories have an innate morality, just as they have an innate theology. They represent the creator’s commentary on God’s nature as well as what they view is “right” and what they view is “wrong”. So, even the most fun-filled, brainless, goofy little stories have some kind of morality to them. They are conveying to the audience what is right and what is wrong (in the storyteller's opinion).
The caution with this is that we humans, as social creatures who communicate heavily through storytelling, tend to unconsciously start picking up whatever stray morality, theology, cultural norms we are exposed to regularly. If we are paying attention or if something comes across our moral centers as being completely antithetical to what we believe in, we will likely assess and filter a story’s moral message, accepting what we agree with and rejecting what we don’t. However, even if we are on our guard 24/7 with the stories we are intaking, oftentimes we lose by repetition. What we once resisted first became routine, then normal, then acceptable, then something to advocate for.
What this means as consumers — and we should be consuming stories regularly; this is a call for caution not abstinence — is that we have to be on guard, especially with stories that are trying to normalize what we know is Biblically and morally wrong. Hold each story up to the light of the Word and see how it shines. Does it reflect Godly morality and standards? Or is it dull with the selfish-centeredness and human pride of the secular? Not all stories are going to perfectly reflect God’s morality due to human limitations, but some reflect it more than others, and some are not going to reflect it at all.
What this means as creators is that we need to be aware of what morality we are putting into the stories we tell. Even in our most “fun” and “easy” stories, we are making some kind of moral commentary; we are telling the audience what we think is right and what we think is wrong. The simplest way to figure out exactly what we are going to put into a story is to recognize what is guiding how we build our morality. Is it the secular world with all of its various and often contradictory opinions? Or are we getting our moral code from God’s Word? If the former, then we are just going to be regurgitate human-based morality (which can be correct but is on very shaky ground). If it is the latter, not only are we going to be expressing a morality that will feed the audience properly, but we are going to tell better stories.
Now, this might seem very intimidating, but do not fear! If you are seeking after the Lord, following His footsteps, listening to His Word, and being diligent to heed other strong Christians He has placed in your life then you are training your mind with good morality. The stories you tell will be far better if you take care of your spiritual health first and foremost and let that be the foundation of your creativity. Additionally, know that you do not have to — nor will you be able to — perfectly express Godly morality (and that is okay!). You are only a finite human in the process of sanctification, so have grace for yourself and trust the Lord to guide you!
