What about ‘R’ rated movies 

   What about ‘R’ rated movies or ‘PG13’ movies or any other rating of movie? There is an old saying, “Garbage in-garbage out’. I think we should be interested in the content of movies and TV even beyond their rating. If the bottom line of the program is ‘Soul Pollution’ then why do we need someone giving us a ‘Christian Rule’ that says we can watch this one and not that one; the rule is ‘don’t watch stuff that pollutes your soul’. If you start to watch something and you get a nudge from the Holy Spirit, just follow the nudge and hit eject. If you are at a theater and the Lord says, “you need to get out of here”, just get up and go. You may have to explain it to your friends later but they will be easier to deal with than the Lord who told you to go if you don’t.

 

   Some may say that this is not ‘realistic’. Why not? What is so unrealistic about seeing something that is wrong for you and not continuing with it? We need to develop a taste for things that are good for us and pleasing to the Lord. If you go to bite into a sandwich and find that it is made with something you detest (in my case it would be liver and onions) you would not only stop eating it, but would spit out any the bite you had already taken. Your taste buds would say, “Not in THIS mouth!” If sin is distasteful to you, spit it out. That is really the issue. We should not wish to be entertained by things we know are not right.

 

   The key idea is to be ‘content conscious’ not merely rating conscious. Let the Holy Spirit be your rating guide. Some movies may have content that is truly inspirational and offers reinforcement of concepts that are good and right that may be so intense that the rating would indicate that it might be too intense for kids or people sensitive to that level of intensity. The movie ‘The Passion’ was rated R because the violent images were so graphic that it required a warning. It would be very difficult to depict much of the Bible without an R rating because the Bible describes some very vivid real life action that was not always pleasant.

 

   I personally am not so offended by a movie that shows it like it is for the purpose of bringing people to the conclusion that things that evil is wrong and righteousness is good. I get offended when the movie is gratuitously ‘sexed up’ or bad language is thrown in just to have it in there with no contribution to the point or flow of context.

 

   At times, a movie may well have a great theme and worthwhile story but the presentation includes material that is simply across the line and ALWAYS out of bounds in terms of Christian standards and basic morality; just let that one go by. You don’t need to see it. Hollywood has nothing to teach you that the Bible can’t teach better anyway.

 

   I don’t have a set in stone rule about the rating per se but I do have standards. Some Christians set their standards on simply not watching movies. I respect that and understand the point. Others have joined their teenagers in compromising to the point that they make excuses for evil content and rationalize their standards away entirely. They just want whatever their flesh likes and concoct a spiritual ‘good reason’ later to make it right to their own satisfaction. Others like the movie but insist on edited versions or devises that screen out objectionable content (like the commercials which are often worse than the movies these days!).

 

   Let the Holy Spirit guide you. If your church has established boundaries for those who are members, respect and honor them. You may miss some movies but you really aren’t missing anything that God won’t replace with something much better. If you are in a church where there is no across the board guidelines, the Lord will be faithful to show you what is right and wrong just follow His lead.