Christians, are there certain things in movies that you refuse to watch?

Question

I'm watching 8mm and just realized that a lot of Christians would be against it. We all have different standards for what we see as acceptable.

Christians: are there any factors that would make you walk out of a movie? Sex, violence, language? I am pretty liberal minded when it comes to these things, and I'm curious if the movies I watch (and enjoy) may be seen as a bad thing by other Christians.

Do you just reject them on a level of personal preference, or would you go as far as saying it's a sin for Christians to watch certain movies?

Answer 1

Good question... I think that ther are many reasons not to watch "bad" stuff. how about child rape....? is that ok? I don't think so. I know it exists, but I don't have to watch it. and won't. That is both because of issues of faith, and of choice of entertainment.
I saw 8mm and thought it was a good movie about the development of Cage's character, but that doesn't mean it's viable entertainment. I think that it has a morbid attraction much like an auto accident and when people rubber neck.

I think also that art should reflect what is best in humanity. So I try to fill my thoughts with "art" as opposed to the morbid.
Those movies which reflect theme's of Honor, nobility, and character. Many do, many don't. I don't watch porn, but I'm not offended by it. I just don't see it as hmmm... appealing to the higher senses.

They didn't need to show a sex scene in the days of Bogart, Stewart, or Gregory Peck, but for some reason now they do. Does anyone really think that it advances the plot when it's implied vs graphic? Nah.

Answer 2

Well, as far as violence and sex and stuff like that, I've seen it in movies (although I tend to close my eyes when it gets to be too scary--lol!) and I am a Christian. Now, does it offend me . . . it depends on the circumstances. If it's done just for shock value, then yes, I'd leave. If it's just too much or done in bad taste, then I wouldn't be able to enjoy the movie and would leave. Now, is it a sin to watch movies that have sex, violence, and foul language... that's a tricky question. I'd say that if you knew God was watching you and you'd have a hard time with it, then yes... it would be. However, I think that movies are typically just entertaining. They're not there to try to lure you away from God or to get you to act violently--it's there to tell a story, which typically has a moral or a point to it or at least a "good verses evil and good wins out in the end" kind of theme... that is, GOOD movies do that.

Answer 3

When "The Last Temptation of Christ" came out, every preacher and Christian leader I heard said not to watch this movie because it shows Jesus thinking about what marriage to Mary Magdalene would have been like, including a scene in which He envisions having sex with her. Now, I'm a free thinker, and like learning things and making up my own mind about them, and if this is the thing they found most objectionable about the movie, I didn't see a reason not to see it since we're told Jesus was tempted in every way as a man, yet without sin.

I watched it. I made myself sit through the whole thing. I wanted to throw up. I was appalled when I left, and wished I'd never gone, but that scene they referred to had nothing to do with it. I've seen it only that once, and never given it another thought, so I can't remember exactly what offended me the most, just the whole thing, I guess. Now, I love movies, and I love watching them, and pretty much I'll watch anything once. I've fallen asleep at movies, but there's only a few I've walked out of, and those mostly because they bored me to death. Bad language doesn't really bother me in a movie because I hear far worse every day (and in some cases I've even said far worse). Sex doesn't really bother me, though it sometimes embarrasses me (and some things scare me; I mean, just how exactly do they get into some of those positions?!). Violence doesn't bother me much, but can, but it's a fact of life and even if it's dramatized, sticking your head in the ground won't make it go away. I know there was one movie, though, that I absolutely wouldn't watch, but I don't remember what it was. There are a LOT of movies I really wish I'd never seen.

Answer 4

I'm strongly against censorship, but do admit that there are certain things I personally don't care to watch in films, such as torture scenes. I dislike gore films, modern splatter films (for horror, I prefer the old black-and-white suspense films) or outrageous amounts of gratuitous violence. One of the few exceptions to this, for me, is "Fight Club", because that book, and the movie, struck me as more of a strong sociological statement than violence for violence's sake. As a Christian, I'd much rather hear "naughty" words and see some skin in a film than to sit through a celebration of pointless violence. People use bad language every day, so it's nothing new, and the human body can be beautiful, but my religious beliefs leave no room for blatant acts of violence toward others.

Answer 5

I think this is a good question,

As an audience, this is already very important for you to set your own bottom line when choosing movies to watch. If they are too violent, too sexually... etc

As a Christian myself, I still watch some movies that is against the law of God, like same-sex relationship movies or some what violent movie. However, I think you can just take those movies for personal entertainment. Don't try to think having same-sex relationship or think of murdering after seeing some of the movies.

Again, this is about your self-control or the bottom line you have set...

Answer 6

I'm LDS so you might just inore everything i say but this is waht i have to say. Every person has to draw there own line. Me personally i would probaly only walk out of a movie for sexual content. or crude humor, violence is alright to a point, if you know what i mean. laugae umm, depends really. how bad. really what it comes down to. Is do you feel guitly when watching or not and would u feel comfortable with the Savior sitting right next to you.

Answer 7

I try to avoid shows, movies, etc. that have nudity just for the "fun of it", profanity just for the shock value, anything where children get hurt (can't stand that!) and all horror movies (mostly because I hate the noises and possessed voices more than the blood). I think most of this is just my personal preference because I don't find it entertaining or enjoyable, but sometimes I do ask myself if this is what God wants from us. I like uplifting and funny movies a lot better.

God Bless.

Answer 8

I try to avoid watching nekkid women in movies. That is simply because I am married and that sort of thing is not good for a man that is a husband. That's a personal thing though.

I saw 8mm - that was a messed up movie.

Answer 9

I think it is something everyone has to determine for themselves.

I know a lot of Christians who are offended by the movie Dogma, but I think it has a lot of truth to it.
I like old-school horror movies (anything pre-millennial) because no matter how bad the bad guy is, the virtuous heroine would triumph.

About the only thing I refuse to watch is the new wave of 'horror' films that amount to torture porn. (Saw, Hostel, Captivity, etc)

Answer 10

I only walk out on Bad movies, unless I'm reviewing them.

If I were not reviewing, I would have walked out on Tomb Raider, that John Travolta film that starts with the ending and goes to the begining, I forget the name, I forget the film, I panned it as an Abusive Gasoline explosion movie from Joel Silver. (For me a good Travola film is Broken Arrow "Don't shoot at the Nuclear weapons!")

When I go to a movie and it sucks I switch multi-plex rooms to find a better movie to watch!

To me a movie that SUCKS is obscene.

For the most part I thought Daredevil Sucked but I loved Electra.

For the most part I thought Spiderman sucked, so badly I have no desire to see II and III

I recently saw the latest Steven Segal movie and I'm a big fan of his and IT SUCKED the big one, because his voice was dubbed through half of it with a voice that sounded so weird I almost couldn't watch the film.

I'm going to turn it into Blockbuster and get $2 credit towards a better movie!

I mean HALF of what you enjoy in a Segal film is that tenor, Zen voice of his saying "Oh, look, my little friends have to come to play!"

You take his voice away and there is no more character!

I felt Fannie and Alexander sucked and I'm a Bergman fan, but after Cries and Whispers everything else is down hill.

I felt High Anxiety sucked, because after Blazing Saddles everything Mel did went down hill.

I felt Eyes Wide Shut and Full Metal JAcket sucked because after Dr. STrangelove and A Clockwork ORange everything Stanley did went down hill.

I felt When Harry Meet Sally was outstanding and Sleepless in Seattle was acceptable, but I was very unsettled with that Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan remake of Little Shop Around The Corner.

I felt the Addams Family was lame, but Addams Family Values was excellent, largely because of the kids and guest stars.

Debbie was outstanding and Christina Rickki is totally talented.

She helped make the last year of Alley McBeal totally outstanding.

Alley was a totally great show, but it got tired in the last year and Christina helped revilatize it.

Ghostbusters is one of my favorite movies but the sequel dragged except for another outstanding talent from Alley McBeal, McNichol. He also helped make Addams Family Values precious

Actors carry some films and it has been proven over and over that Angelina Jolie can be outstanding and she was NULL in Tomb Raiders 1

She didn't do it for me in that movie

Bradd Pitt always does it for me and the two of them in Mr. and Mrs. Smith were outstanding.

Robert Redford always does it for me.

He can read the phone book and I'd watch it!

So can Paul Newman

So can Sterling Hayden

So can Humphrey Bogart

I love Vin Diesel but I hated XXX, but I loved XXX II

I can watch Pitch Black (very distrubing film) and the sequel all the time, but XXX was just NOTHING.

The girl from the Matrix does NOTHING for me, but Sandra Bullock or Jennifer Gardener or Jessica Alba

Jessica carried that horrible, poorly written, poorly focused show.

Jennifer turned her show into something special I was an Alias freak until JJ Abrams started screwing around with his creation.

The BEST Alias episode was the one with Jennifer and Quinton Tarentino

What a delight.

Kill Bill 1 and 2 is an outstanding effort. Most people would call it totally obscene and I call it the ultimate defination of a mother's love.

Zorro, the Gay Blade was totally politically incorrect, but I found it a delightful movie

The best thing George Hamilton ever did!

To me he was a two demensional, serendpic kiss up until he did that movie

Antonio Banderas and Lucy Lieu (another Alley McBeal alumni, David Kelly is a fantasitic TV producer-writer), Fantasic in Ecks vs Sever (Ballistic) a very under-rated action movie with some dialog problems here and there, but an otherwise entertaining action film.

I felt the same way about REPLACEMENT KILLERS. Some weakness here and there, but otherwise an excellent vehicle and with Mira Sorvino in an outstanding role.

Every actor in that movie did their best "character" parts or played "naturally" to a total degree.

There was not a LAME actor in that movie

Just a few writing snafus here and there

A movie is made by an outstanding writer, totally competent director, fantastic actors or ALL THREE WORKING IN TANDEM.

The Sting was a totally outstanding film, as was Dr. STrangelove, Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Cassiblanca, to Have and HAve Not, Run Slient Run Deep.

One has to look at the GREATEST of films

What's obscene is something with NO TALENT ACTORS, NO TALENT WRITING, NO TALENT DIRECTING

As for me, I still haven't made it all the way through THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, because ALL OF THEM did such an OUTSTANDING JOB it hurts to watch the film.