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What are your limits for movies with the Lord's name in vain. Do you watch them? What is your criteria for not watching a movie?
What are your limits for movies with the Lord's name in vain. Do you watch them? What is your criteria for not watching a movie?
What are your limits for movies with the Lord's name in vain. Do you watch them? What is your criteria for not watching a movie?
This is a good question, even if I think it is worded incorrectly. I would prefer to think of it in terms of "What is your criteria FOR watching a movie?"
I hope the change in emphasis and tone is evident.
For me, and I do think the answer is subjective, it is primarily about story and plot development. My personal opinion is that it is incredibly niave to simply go by ratings (i.e., anything and everything R rated is off limits, but anything that is PG-13 or "below" is fair game).
The specific content of the movie is, in my thinking, in support of the story and plot, and indeed the "message" or "point" of the story. I won't watch a "slasher film" because of the point, what it is trying to illicit from the viewer, even though the older ones like Friday the 13th aren't really any more gruesome than, say, Saving Private Ryan, which I will watch. I'll watch something with nudity - for example, there is a bit of nudity in Schindler's List and Braveheart and in an episode or two of Band of Brothers - but I won't watch a movie like Unfaithful which is a story that virtually celebrates a woman's adulterous relationship and then her husband's murder of her lover...
It is also true that a great many movies have no substantive or intriguing story or plot and then they try to substitute for that lack with vulgarity and profanity... I have little time for such an insulting assault upon my intelligence.
Anyway, while our minds prefer "easy" hard and fast absolute rules, I think that this is an area that is relatively flexible.
Praise the Lord for the gospel.
My personal opinion is that it is incredibly niave to simply go by ratings (i.e., anything and everything R rated is off limits, but anything that is PG-13 or "below" is fair game).
My personal opinion is that it is incredibly niave to simply go by ratings (i.e., anything and everything R rated is off limits, but anything that is PG-13 or "below" is fair game).
Case in point: the Twilight movies. Anyone here who watched either one or both of them should be groveling about in sackcloth and ashes right now.
My personal opinion is that it is incredibly niave to simply go by ratings (i.e., anything and everything R rated is off limits, but anything that is PG-13 or "below" is fair game).
Case in point: the Twilight movies. Anyone here who watched either one or both of them should be groveling about in sackcloth and ashes right now.
What are your limits for movies with the Lord's name in vain. Do you watch them? What is your criteria for not watching a movie?
We have no business watching movies that blaspheme God. We have no business watching most movies at all in my opinion. I try not to watch any R rated movies and anything that blasphemes the name of God.
What are your limits for movies with the Lord's name in vain. Do you watch them? What is your criteria for not watching a movie?
We have no business watching movies that blaspheme God. We have no business watching most movies at all in my opinion. I try not to watch any R rated movies and anything that blasphemes the name of God.
I am going to have to agree with you...
We have no business watching movies that blaspheme God. We have no business watching most movies at all in my opinion. I try not to watch any R rated movies and anything that blasphemes the name of God.
I am going to have to agree with you...
...We aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from watching R-rated movies...
I am going to have to agree with you...
...We aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from watching R-rated movies...
How is this true?
We have no business watching movies that blaspheme God. We have no business watching most movies at all in my opinion. I try not to watch any R rated movies and anything that blasphemes the name of God.
I am going to have to agree with you...
Responses like this worry me because the word "we" is thrown around a lot. I think it's perfectly fine if *YOU* want to set those standards for yourself, but be careful when you start including others in your personal standards.
We aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from watching R-rated movies...
I am going to have to agree with you...
...We aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from watching R-rated movies...
How is this true?
One could also say we aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from p0rnography. This is a dangerous path to go down.
...We aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from watching R-rated movies...
How is this true?
It's technically true since there aren't "degrees" of holiness. You're either holy, or you aren't.
One could also say we aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from p0rnography. This is a dangerous path to go down.
Apples and oranges. There are CLEAR prohibitions in Scripture against p0rnography and sexual sin.
How is this true?
It's technically true since there aren't "degrees" of holiness. You're either holy, or you aren't.
I believe any film that does not seek to glorify Christ is at least not profitable and at most destructive to the soul. 2 Corinthians 6:14-15
Is that true? In heaven we will be sinless and holy yet our holiness will not even compare to the holiness of Christ. Is it not our duty to grow in holiness, to be continually separating ourselves from sin and killing our sin. Do we not grow in holiness?
One could also say we aren't more or less holy because we refrain or don't refrain from p0rnography. This is a dangerous path to go down.
Apples and oranges. There are CLEAR prohibitions in Scripture against p0rnography and sexual sin.
I'll agree about sexual sin, but where are the prohibitions against p0rnography?
por·nog·ra·phy (pôr-nŏg'rə-fē)
n.
Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Apples and oranges. There are CLEAR prohibitions in Scripture against p0rnography and sexual sin.
I'll agree about sexual sin, but where are the prohibitions against p0rnography?
Let's agree on a definition of p0rnography first. I'll offer this as a definition (feel free to disagree if you like):
por·nog·ra·phy (pôr-nŏg'rə-fē)
n.
Sexually explicit pictures, writing, or other material whose primary purpose is to cause sexual arousal.
Can you think of Scripture that would forbid this? I sure can! Howabout Matthew 5:27-30 for starters?
27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
Now you will have to provide the argument that equates R-rated movies with p0rnography in order to make your analogy work.
p0rnography's just pictures. There's nothing wrong with looking at it as long as you're not lusting.
"p0rnography's just pictures. There's nothing wrong with looking at it as long as you're not lusting."
You sure about that? There is everything wrong with it. These people are committing sin in the picture and there is nothing nothing good in it.
Of course, I think it's wrong, for the same reason I think R-rated movies are.
And therefore, for you, they are wrong. I have no problem with that whatsoever. But not all R-rated movies are created equal, right? That's why I hate getting drawn into these discussions because this is an area of discernment each Christian must make on their own.