When I grew up I gave up childish things

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Yeah, you’re overthinking it.

The Scripture read in context (1 Corinthians 13: 8-13 ) is an analogy for how we grow spiritually, like a child grows to be a man.

It has nothing to do with adults watching cartoons or playing with toys or anything else like that, in moderation of course and while not shirking their adult responsibilities.

Don’t be taking one Bible verse out of context and interpreting it. That’s not how Catholics read the Bible.

Note that in another part of the NT (Matthew 18:3), Jesus talks about how people must become like little children in their humility and trust of God. He didn’t mean we all should start crawling around like preschoolers, reading beginner books. It’s another analogy.
 
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Wendy1989 said:
Animation has gone beyond Bugs Bunny & Roadrunner and has become an artform.
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Ahem. I submit that Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner (along with most of the others of that period such as Foghorn Leghorn) were and are art.

ETA: If you were to say that animation in general, including the earlier ones, in large part due to some of the current works has become more widely recognized as an art form, then I would say I agree with that.
 
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whatistrue said:
Ahem. I submit that Bugs Bunny and Roadrunner (along with most of the others of that period such as Foghorn Leghorn) were and are art.
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Agree. Animation, done well, has been art since its inception.

Bugs and Road Runner were always done well. It is easy to see the cheaper forms of animation because of the restricted movement of the characters and the simpler art. Bugs and Road Runner had no such issues.
 
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BartholomewB said:
I remember a conversation with a friend, years ago, when we were both the fathers of young children. It was his considered opinion that Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the greatest movie ever made. I think he was slightly prejudiced – he earned his living as an animator, mainly for television commercials – but I certainly see his point.
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No question about it, one of the greatest, and it was so acclaimed in its day.

Just think back to some of the old Disney animated films and the quality of the animation, and how difficult that was to do back before computers.
 
Animation is now more than just ‘cartoons’. Currently, my son is working on some photorealism for his portfolio. This is where one needs caution. The story line as well as the animation. Most of the special effects you see in media today are completed by animation and not the traditional set-building.

The photorealism of animation is where one needs to use caution with the artform and the story. Animation, especially photorealism is being used to create virtual reality in gaming and pornography.

On the other hand, the mapping of Notre Dame Cathedral by a VR designer has come in quite handy as of late. Animation has been used to ‘stitch’ together various 3D laser points. A thoughtful use of Art & Science together for the sake of restoring a beloved Cathedral!

 
Wendy1989 said:
Animation is now more than just ‘cartoons’.
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I think most of us are aware of this. I think most of us also have some idea of the many techniques by which animation is made nowadays.

The point being made was that cartoons are also animation and can be art, and many of them are art, and have always been art.

Also, photorealistic material is not the only type of animation where one needs to “use caution”.
There’s plenty of immoral cartoons, anime etc out there and there are a lot of people who have a fetish for that.
 
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Marinakeer said:
I know it’s not a sin to watch these shows per se, but I’m a bit wary because I’m an adult and the Bible says that when we grow up…
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I would be more concerned that you are letting the opinion of others dictate what you can or cannot draw enjoyment from.
If there is no sin involved, then that settles it.
enjoy.
 
I think we all have a child still within us or at least we should.
After all, kids cartoons are written by adults:)
 
In my case, when I was a little kid, I loved toddler-cartoons. When I was a slightly older kid, I loved cartoons with intense fighting, but I hated toddler-cartoons. When I was a teen, I loved adult cartoons (specially South Park), and hated kid cartoons. When I became a young adult in my early 20s I started watching some animes, and I found myself watching a mix of everything, with a preference for children cartoons (both “new” and “old” ones). Eventually, I grew out of it somewhere at around 25. I progressively lost interest on them. The same thing happened to me with videogames.

In my understanding, the verse you mention has mostly a spiritual meaning. There’s nothing intrinsically evil and no sin involved in watching kids cartoons (which I don’t think is as clear in adult ones, such as South Park). I also think there are better ways to spend our leisure time than watching tv, movies or sports. If those are properly moderated, there should not be any problem though.

But I also observe in myself that what we do is a sign of one’s own maturity, and in that sense I suggest it might be worth thinking a bit about it. I don’t see myself as a complete functional man if I do childish things. If I performed correctly in my job but I slept with stuffed animals or played with toy cars in my room, I wouldn’t be a complete and mature adult. And I think cartoons are included there.
 
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kikiki32 said:
I don’t see myself as a complete functional man if I do childish things. If I performed correctly in my job but I slept with stuffed animals or played with toy cars in my room, I wouldn’t be a complete and mature adult. And I think cartoons are included there.
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With all due respect, that’s your own personal issue, and may not be shared by other people.

If a grown man wants to relax by watching cartoons in his off time, it hardly makes him less than a “complete functional man”.

My father was a “complete functional man” who fought in two wars, went to work at a respectable office job every day, supported his own family and his elderly mother, fulfilled his duties as a Catholic husband and father just fine, nothing the least unmanly about him. On weeknights after dinner and after watching the news, he would watch the “Tom and Jerry Show” and spend a half hour laughing at cartoons of a cat chasing a mouse around.
 
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@Tis_Bearself Maybe I used bad wording (English is not my main language). Where it says “I wouldn’t be” it should say something like “I wouldn’t consider myself”.

With all due respect, that’s your own personal issue.

Of course. That’s exactly why I put myself as the example and I talked about myself there. I just shared it here since I have a different point of view compared to the previous 50 responses.

Your father (as my grandparents) probably reached his maturity and manliness way before cartoons were popular and widespread around children, which changes things a bit. In the case of those who have grown up watching cartoons, continuing watching them in adulthood is mostly a regressive behaviour.
 
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kikiki32 said:
Your father (as my grandparents) probably reached his maturity and manliness way before cartoons were popular and widespread around children,
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He grew up in the era before television; however, the movies in those days before television routinely showed cartoon features as part of the regular program, to adults.

Cartoons have always been to some degree an adult art form. I don’t know where you are located, but in the United States there are many cartoon shows specifically made for an older audience, as well as cartoon shows made for all ages, but containing jokes, puns and satire that the kids watching won’t get but the adults will.

Yes, it is regressive to sit all day in your mother’s basement doing anything, whether it’s read superhero comics, watch cartoons, or play with toy cars. It doesn’t mean that a responsible adult doing those things in moderation is somehow less mature. If you personally don’t enjoy them, that’s okay, though. It’s just your preference.
 
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@Tis_Bearself Did you read what I wrote in my first message right before the part you quoted? Because it is exactly what you have just written: if done in moderation, there’s no problem.

I’m not sure if there’s much point in continuing with this discussion. I think you might have seen my words as an attack (which they weren’t) and put a bit of passion in the debate In any case, I may be wrong, since written communication lacks much information.

You think watching cartoons is not a regressive behaviour. I think it mostly is nowadays. I recognise them as a form of art, and I know there are cartoons for adults and some adult jokes in kids cartoons (which are a wink to the parents who watch them with their kids).

I recognise all of that, but I don’t like being treated like a child, since I’m not a child anymore. That’s why I don’t enjoy cartoons or watching the news, and why I prefer to read. And while this is not what St. Paul was saying in the verse op mentioned, I shared it here because it was different from what everyone was saying and might be useful for the op to read a different point of view.
 
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kikiki32 said:
You think watching cartoons is not a regressive behaviour. I think it mostly is nowadays.
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We clearly have a big difference of opinion.

I argued the other side. I’m not sure why you’re making such a big deal out of it.

I’m happy to end this discussion because frankly, I find your viewpoint a bit distasteful and frankly, it sounds very insecure, as do some of your responses.

Muting now.
 
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