Evil Movies

[dakotagirl]

I don’t think something that’s not living, breathing, and capable of making decisions can be evil. Negative, disgusting, immoral, yes; but not evil. And we all have free will. A movie cannot MAKE someone so something.

An impact, yes, but they cannot make us do something we are not already somewhat prepared to do. A movie is not going to turn someone immoral.

My experience with “negative, disgusting, immoral” movies is that they have a cumulative effect on the psyche. One or two may not be so bad, but after a while the willpower gets a little bit weaker.

 

[Catholic_89]

I think that it is imprudent to deny that the arts, including films have an affect on us. Everything we take in has an affect on us, whether big or small. When you watch a funny movie you laugh, a sad one, you might cry. When you watch a thriller you are scared, and a lifestory -perhaps inspired. The point is, you want to be affected, or moved by a good movie. To what extent you allow this depends, but certainly over time it corrupts. Take violence for example. If my grandmother sees some violent scene in a movie, she will cover her eyes, where as I can watch fine. This shows me that she, who has not watched such violence, is not desensitized to violence, and is still affected by it, where as so many movies have violence in it that I am not as affected, which now that I think of it is a bit sad.
My argument is this. By watching an immoral movie, you have given money in support of it. You have shown your agreement for it. You have given a means for the producers to keep on making such movies. So you have supported a movie which can affect others more profoundly then you might be affected. Secondly, as a practicing Catholic, why would you want to watch that filth. If it truly is immoral, and is glorifying such immorality, shouldn’t you feel offended?
It is like this new movie Angels and Demons. I cannot condone watching such garbage because every cent that goes to them is simply supporting a movie that directly attacks the Catholic Church, and does indeed taint its image in society.

 

[iluvmybabies]

This is interesting, I thought that the reason why we should verify if a movie is “evil” or not advisable by the Bishop to watch was because it broke some law from the Bible or something like that?!

I was raised to see movies as fake, unreal-even though some are based on reality…But to never take those things to mind or heart…None of such movies ever created have actaully influenced me in any way, except maybe like you know if there is a nice purse in the picture or some interesting style I might like, maybe that might get my attention…But even when the news is most violence and terror let me tell you I just sit there and ask GOD to help us that’s it…

I can watch so many different movies and if it’s scary yeah feel a little scared but mostly nothing really like makes me think about things any differently…

 

[djeter]

Here’s a scene from a movie that is a powerful argument for skepticism. I was wondering how an apologist might respond to this

dj

 

[bmaj]

I think that it is imprudent to deny that the arts, including films have an affect on us. Everything we take in has an affect on us, whether big or small. When you watch a funny movie you laugh, a sad one, you might cry. When you watch a thriller you are scared, and a lifestory -perhaps inspired. The point is, you want to be affected, or moved by a good movie. To what extent you allow this depends, but certainly over time it corrupts. Take violence for example. If my grandmother sees some violent scene in a movie, she will cover her eyes, where as I can watch fine. This shows me that she, who has not watched such violence, is not desensitized to violence, and is still affected by it, where as so many movies have violence in it that I am not as affected, which now that I think of it is a bit sad.
My argument is this. By watching an immoral movie, you have given money in support of it. You have shown your agreement for it. You have given a means for the producers to keep on making such movies. So you have supported a movie which can affect others more profoundly then you might be affected. Secondly, as a practicing Catholic, why would you want to watch that filth. If it truly is immoral, and is glorifying such immorality, shouldn’t you feel offended?
It is like this new movie Angels and Demons. I cannot condone watching such garbage because every cent that goes to them is simply supporting a movie that directly attacks the Catholic Church, and does indeed taint its image in society.

I agree wholeheartedly with this. I also believe that frequent viewing of the immorality in many R-rated movies (and even a lot of the PG-13’s!) can eventually lead some people to want to see more and more of that type of visual candy which then can lead to such things as pornography and sexual addictions. And, very sad to say, those addictions can and are destroying marriages and families (and not just Catholic ones).

Our society today is seeing a huge downturn in morals, and Hollywood is to blame for a good part of it. I often think WWJD when a particular movie is showing. If Jesus would be offended and upset by it (and I sure would bet He is with so many of them out there!), then I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to be watching either.

 

[Sierrah]

Most movies these days are junk. I’ve seen a few movies that might be called provocitive but had a good point them and would have been excellent movies without all the junk filler in them…I’m sure you all understand what I mean without me going into detail. Really the only movies I would call evil though are movies that attack GOD directly such as “The Last Temptation of Christ” among others. I don’t watch these for obvious reasons and they are usually pretty lame movies anyway from what I’ve heard. I don’t watch tv either though so I’m a maverick when it comes to entertainment…at least in my choices of what I watch. I tend toward independent films or period pieces but I do go for a go action flick s once in awhile.

 

[crazzeto]

Making no commantary about whether or not a moving in and of it’s self is evil, I do have a question. Anyone know anything about this new “Legion” movie coming out? It’s supposed to be another big SFX blockbuster, I have a bad vibe with regard to it. I have this feeling like the intent is to try and turn Christianity on it’s head, in a fairly aweful way.

 

[Havard]

I was talking to my mom the other day and she recently watched “Pineapple Express”. She said she enjoyed it. I had previously seen it and didn’t like it from the “worship” if you will of sex and drugs. I said those movies (40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, etc.)weren’t good to watch because they put bad morals in a good light. She then said that the movies I watch aren’t any better. She said that movies like Saving Private Ryan, Batman and The Incredible Hulk just promote violence.

What’s your opinion?

I haven’t seen the 40 Year Old Virgin or Pineapple Express, but I have seen Wedding Crashers, and I liked the majority of the movie. The film does anything but glamorize casual sex, if anything, it goes out of its way to portray it as completely pathetic. It does capitalize on juvenile humor, and at times it is more irreverent than I would like, but in some ways that just adds to the realistic portrayal of the men who never leave the Animal House mentality.

 

[johnpmoreno]

I dont understand some people. Its not about the movie having an influence on you. What would Jesus think If he saw you laughing at some of the horrible crude stuff in movies, and he does see you? He would cry. Come on, you know whats right and wrong, especially as Christians.

 

[curl]

With R movies, they’ll let you see it if you’re accompanied by someone over the age 17…

At my local theater, there is a policy that no one can bring children under the age of six into R-rated movies after 6pm.

 

[PatriceA]

I was talking to my mom the other day and she recently watched “Pineapple Express”. She said she enjoyed it. I had previously seen it and didn’t like it from the “worship” if you will of sex and drugs. I said those movies (40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, etc.)weren’t good to watch because they put bad morals in a good light. She then said that the movies I watch aren’t any better. She said that movies like Saving Private Ryan, Batman and The Incredible Hulk just promote violence.

What’s your opinion?

I actually thought the 40 Year Old Virgin was a pretty good movie. The main character stuck to his principals and his friends came to respect him for remaining a virgin.

I for one do not just judge a film on the rating it has received or if it has violence in it. Personally I think a movie such as Saving Private Ryan was one of the most accurate war films ever made, ESPECIALLY the violent parts. Sometimes violence, crude language and whatnot is necessary to tell the story accurately. Other times it is certain not needed if the dialogue can continue to tell the story well.

Life is not pretty, it can be crude and violent. Sometimes both are needed in a movie.

 

[Della]

I actually thought the 40 Year Old Virgin was a pretty good movie. The main character stuck to his principals and his friends came to respect him for remaining a virgin.

I for one do not just judge a film on the rating it has received or if it has violence in it. Personally I think a movie such as Saving Private Ryan was one of the most accurate war films ever made, ESPECIALLY the violent parts. Sometimes violence, crude language and whatnot is necessary to tell the story accurately. Other times it is certain not needed if the dialogue can continue to tell the story well.

Life is not pretty, it can be crude and violent. Sometimes both are needed in a movie.

I agree. I just completed a screenplay that has violence in it that I expect, if ever filmed, would have a PG13 rating. Sometimes films are produced with way too much vulgarity, sex, and violence intended to shock and titillate rather than tell the story. For example, we rented “Wanted” thinking the R rating was most probably for the violence (we’ve rented others with R ratings–which is a rating for children we should remember.) We didn’t think “Wanted” deserved that rating–it ought to have been rated X because the vulgarity was non-stop, the violence way over the top, with explicit sex scenes. How it ever slipped by with an R rating is beyond us. So, we have to be discerning in what we view/read. One has to know how strong one is and what is good/not good for oneself and one’s children.