I noticed you all watched a bunch of stuff that might be bad

[DaveBj]

law and order is one. thats what made me start this

You must be thinking of a different Law and Order. In the universe that I live in, Law and Order 1) does not actually show violent events, but their consequences; 2) portrays the perpetrators of violent events as the bad guys, and 3) is more concerned with the legal maneuverings that the police, DAs, and the court system must go through in order to investigate crimes and arrest, prosecute, and convict criminals.

You want violent, read the historical books in the Old Testament of your Bible. Especially the family history of King David and his immediate descendants. Lechery, adultery by an authority figure, murder by proxy, incest, fratricide, rebellion, and attempted regicide/patricide. Law and Order can’t hold a candle to that.

DaveBj

 

[gam197]

originally posted by Nick Alexander
I think you are speaking with too great a weight… how are you to know and understand what a public school mindset embodies? How do you know that Britney Spears and Paris Hilton embodies the highest attainment of public respect from this age-group, instead of highest attainment of public derision? How can you make such a blanket statement as to what kids can or cannot watch?

I have been involved with my own children, nieces, nephews and many other people’s children through volunteer, etc and that has been my experience.

I thought I was doing a good job of giving my children Catholic values through Catholic schools They went to daily mass during the summer vacations and we did nightly rosary. Yet they were constantly brought into the culture through peer relationships. In a sense I bought into the culture by allowing the “harmless” movies, books, video games etc.

Spent a lot of time and too much money yet they do not know their faith, basics like what is the Trinity- but they have the greatest socialization skills. I am speaking specifically to Catholic faith and values and again my own experience.

Part of growing up is learning how to discern, and if kids cannot be challenged thru art, where will they be challenged? I know too many kids who were raised in a sheltered environment, who were prevented from seeing films that challenged them (in the most basic of matters), and when they finally grew up to enter the real world, found they were woefully underprepared to tackle the issues the real world had for them.

I agree, but their conscience has to have proper formation before they can discern.

That is why I went to home schooling. I am now trusting in the “Seton Home School” that this home schooling experience will leave the youngest with a basic Catholic faith.

 

[Nick_Alexander]

I’m very happy that you are training your children, and that you are homeschooling them.

But what many people on this board watch, after having their consciences fully formed and their understanding of the Trinity intact, should not be restricted due to whether still-being-properly formed children of other posters.

Do you restrict reading “Song of Songs” to your children? You should. It’s very explicitly erotic, and I heard somewhere that Jewish practices actually restricted reading this text until they were 30. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is inspired Scripture.

Right now, my infant twins are still being fed a steady dosage of formula, Stage-2 baby foods, and rice-cereal/or/oats. Taking your logic to the extreme, my wife and I should restrict ourselves to the exact same diet until they are ready to move forward to the next level.

In the meantime, you now know that you have to teach the Trinity, along the basics. I’m happy you recognized that you are responsible for your children’s upbringing, and that you still need to teach your kids what your local Catholic school didn’t. My only quibble is that teaching the Trinity and choosing wisely amongst popular culture films for your children is an apples-to-oranges comparison. Ratatouille, for example, is fantastic in every way. And that shouldn’t dissuade the adults to watch more challenging fare that can be inspiring in a different way, like Magnolia or Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days.

 

[kage_ar]

I’m very happy that you are training your children, and that you are homeschooling them.

But what many people on this board watch, after having their consciences fully formed and their understanding of the Trinity intact, should not be restricted due to whether still-being-properly formed children of other posters.

Do you restrict reading “Song of Songs” to your children? You should. It’s very explicitly erotic, and I heard somewhere that Jewish practices actually restricted reading this text until they were 30. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is inspired Scripture.

Right now, my infant twins are still being fed a steady dosage of formula, Stage-2 baby foods, and rice-cereal/or/oats. Taking your logic to the extreme, my wife and I should restrict ourselves to the exact same diet until they are ready to move forward to the next level.

In the meantime, you now know that you have to teach the Trinity, along the basics. I’m happy you recognized that you are responsible for your children’s upbringing, and that you still need to teach your kids what your local Catholic school didn’t. My only quibble is that teaching the Trinity and choosing wisely amongst popular culture films for your children is an apples-to-oranges comparison. Ratatouille, for example, is fantastic in every way. And that shouldn’t dissuade the adults to watch more challenging fare that can be inspiring in a different way, like Magnolia or Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days.

Thank you.

 

[gam197]

originally posted Nick Alexander
In the meantime, you now know that you have to teach the Trinity, along the basics.

I did teach the Trinity.

originally posted Nick Alaxander
And that shouldn’t dissuade the adults to watch more challenging fare that can be inspiring in a different way, like Magnolia or Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days.

Magnolia is Rated R for strong language, drug use, sexuality and some violence.

In my house someone is usually awake or passing through the room with the TV. There is little privacy. Even if one is in their own room, everyone knows what they are watching and they bounce in.My older daughter likes “Law and Order” and current movies, usually they have an R rating. My son likes Saturday Night Live. My husband likes “The Blue Collar Tour” .

My daughter brings it up to me. Mom I remember when I was little and you used to watch Oprah. On rare occasions I would put the TV on just to hear adult conversation.

 

[Nick_Alexander]

Magnolia is Rated R for strong language, drug use, sexuality and some violence.

You left out the part where it also says the Magnolia is one of the most faith-filled movies you will ever see, with two phenomenal characters who are either devout and/or compassionate. You left out the part that where there is sexuality and drug-use, (that is, free-for-all hedonistic living), it is portrayed negatively, that this is a “bad thing,” according to the screenwriter’s intentions. In much the same way, David & Goliath contains extreme violence, Phillipians 3 contains potentially bad language, Song of Solomon contains sexuality, and John 2 contains hefty amounts of alcohol consumption.

It’s problematic when you equate stories with “strong language, drug use, sexuality, and violence” as being antithetical to our faith. It’s only problematic when you are fostering an environment that wishes to be free of these elements, so that you could help form strong, pure, able-minded minds first… but once those minds are formed, discernment is more about the bottom-line messages in films, rather than unsavory elements.

Most G-rated and PG-rated movies that try to explain the dangers of hedonistic living are in fact, sometimes worse than the R-rated counterparts, because it waters down the problems, making them not look as bad. A G-rated film about prostitution, like the musical “Sweet Charity”, (ETA: I was actually thinking of another all-ages musical, “Gypsy (1962)” and another degraded profession, stripping) does not convey AT ALL the degraded lifestyle that really is. In contrast, “Requiem for a Dream” (released unrated, to avoid the NC-17) has images so brutally hard & disgusting is so vivid a depiction of drug addiction, that it literally scares the **** over any viewer as to never, ever consider getting addicted to drugs.

Accept truth over falsehood, every time. Some truths are R-rated. (and some falsehoods are R-rated). Always accept the R-rated Truth over a G-rated lie.

In my house someone is usually awake or passing through the room with the TV. There is little privacy. Even if one is in their own room, everyone knows what they are watching and they bounce in.

Fair enough. But that prohibition does not apply to other members on this board.

BTW, I’m surprised you didn’t look up “Four Months, Three Weeks, Two Days”–a critically-lauded film about a woman seeking, and getting an abortion. This film actually made at least one secular movie-critic reconsider his stance on abortion, due to the brutal honesty of the film. Far more effective than melodramatic “Bella”.

 

[Joe_5859]

Nick Alexander makes some good points. Though, even a good, seemingly harmless movie like Ratatouille can be problematic for some people. My 3 year old niece got hysterical when the mouse got separated from his family at the beginning. Of course, later, she walked in on the movie after it was already past that part and she was fine with it. It’s all about knowing your kids (and, I suppose, knowing yourself)!

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Which raises a number of questions for me; what did people do before the internet, TV, radio, movie theaters,big bands, plays, card playing, etc?

The rich seem to have always had some form of entertainment, whether it was the “Knight Tournaments” or “Gladiators”. Was the human sacrifice to the Gods in the Aztec, Mayan and Inca culture a form of entertainment for the masses? Was gossip a form on entertainment?

What good form of community entertainment, if any, did common people have on a regular basis in days gone by?

I think ‘the masses’ went to the Coliseum as well.

 

[Nick_Alexander]

What did people do? A lot of them didn’t have leisure. No time for it. Working from sun-up to sun-down.

Many families had a musical instrument in the house, where the family would gather around and sing songs. Not unlike how it’s portrayed in “Little House on the Prairie”.

Many families read together. Some stories were printed in a serial format, in a paper. This is how most of Charles Dickens’ works were initially published.

Elizabethan England had the Globe Theater, with Shakespeare and his competitors. The theater attracted both royalty and common folk, and Shakespeare was smart enough to write for both audiences. Which is why his work survives to this day.

I think ‘the masses’ went to the Coliseum as well.

By all means, let’s ban all Colisseum activities, starting now. I’ve always felt guilty seeing the lions slaughter those poor individuals last week. Turned my stomach.

Seriously, I suspect the complaints imply the transfer of bloodlust from the arena to the special effects-dominated screen is a faulty analogy, if that’s what Sailor was getting at. It’s like comparing embryonic stem-cell research with stem-cell research that doesn’t require the killing of any embryo. And while I agree that copious amounts of shock-gore movie moments are unhealthy for one’s personal psyche, I have a personal love of horror movies done well, which is most rare today. Besides, it gets pretty tough to figure out where to draw the line on these things… many folks on another thread cited the PG-rated “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” as one of their favorite comedies… and yet the scenes with the rabbit are quite unsettling, even if it clearly contains copious amounts of Karo corn syrup as fake blood.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Wut wuz I getting at again?

 

[goofyjim]

Oh, for crying out loud, someone once mentioned that Star Trek would be antiChristian. Will people stop judging what others watch on tv?

 

[aimee]

Oh, for crying out loud, someone once mentioned that Star Trek would be antiChristian. Will people stop judging what others watch on tv?

you watch Star Trek?? is that anti christain?

 

[Mini_gerbel]

Oh, for crying out loud, someone once mentioned that Star Trek would be antiChristian. Will people stop judging what others watch on tv?

well we are trying to help people. I know stuff that people watch that exalts sex before marriage/violence. Like MTV. I think MTV does.
anyway need to be vigilant

 

[aimee]

well we are trying to help people. I know stuff that people watch that exalts sex before marriage/violence. Like MTV. I think MTV does.
anyway need to be vigilant

I don’t know you could be right about MTV…they have some weird stuff

 

[gam197]

originally posted by Nick Alexander
It’s problematic when you equate stories with “strong language, drug use, sexuality, and violence” as being antithetical to our faith. It’s only problematic when you are fostering an environment that wishes to be free of these elements, so that you could help form strong, pure, able-minded minds first… but once those minds are formed, discernment is more about the bottom-line messages in films, rather than unsavory elements.

In R-rated movies, I don’t need to hear “-- you” and “–” Damn" on a regular basis nor do I need to see a couple of steamy hot nude scenes to understand the movie.

If my husband said " -you" even 4 times in 1-1/2 hours, I’d have a problem.

The reality of drug addiction can be learn by taking your teen and working at a soup kitchen, walking down Main Street and looking at the faces of young addicts or reading articles in the news on drug-related robberies or early deaths.

–I rented a couple of movies I’d heard were good and brought them to my single brother’s house. He was totally shocked as he had never heard “-- you” in a film. He didn’t want to watch the rest but the language cleared up quickly, so we watched the movie.I continued to bring him movies but didn’t watch any. About 1-1/2 years later I brought him a couple of movies and sat to watch one.

For the first 15 minutes it was constant language and a steamy nude scene. He didn’t even notice so I continue to watch for another 15 minute hoping and yet more foul language and some nudity. I finally reminded him of when I had brought the first movie and he told me to shut it off… After that, he asked me never to bring him movies.–

I’ve tried to watch “Seinfeld” and “Friends”. I do understand that the series shows people with broken relationships. Couldn’t get into it.

Occasionally I watch R- rated movies. My sons love video games-won’t go there.

 

[Andruschak]

“Any trend to produce programmes and products – including animated films and video games – which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray anti-social behaviour or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion,” the pope said.

its from wikipedia but um alot of shows on here…
… fall under that category

that was funny.
but seriously they do

But seriously, take your head out of the sand and look around. And drop that “you all” nonsense, please. I do not have a TV set, not since 1985. I rarely go to movies, maybe one every year ior two, some G-rated animated film. I do not read nor watch porn (no interest to a eunuch like myself), I do not play violent games, nor watch violent videoes, DVDs, nor anything else.

I live a quiet life at home with my cats, my spiritual reading, my cats, the Catholic Forums, my cats, a few internet newsgroups, my cats, the CFP, and BSP. Did I mention my cats?

 

[Nick_Alexander]

Hey gam197,

If there are elements to films that distract you from the story, why don’t you go to sites like www.screenit.com, that tell you what the offending problems are, before you lay down you hard-earned money?

Because you are missing some phenomenal movies that don’t do exactly what you find problematic, or do it slightly enough.

This past year, the movie “Once” (rated R, for a couple of hard-curses, but not in insult-form, like"F— you"), contains one of the most beautifully rendered stories about fidelity and trust. No steamy love scenes either (which I do find problematic, and sinful on many fronts, but a great story can supercede this, if done in a way that advances a story in which it is appropriate).

Seriously, you sound like you’ve been away from hot water so long that the moment you touch it, it scalds you, no matter how light it is. Or how jalapeno peppers will sting you, even if it’s at the lightest doses. And because of this, you don’t know what to rent, or what to see, because you are too sensitive to offensive material that may advance a storyline that is potentially awesome.

And if you do talk to drug-addicts at the soup kitchen, more power to ya. For those who prefer to be reinforced by popular culture, know that these movies are always there.

But the bottom line is, it is wrong to blanketly condemn others for being able to look past the offensive elements of a film and find the greater stories there.

Personally, when I confront my secular coworkers, to be able to find little Gospel points in popular culture references, even from material as abhorrent as the late Sam Kinisen, is similar to what Paul did, when visiting the Greeks and preaching on the statue of the unknown god. We are called to evangelize, and if this is the major point of reference for the majority of my sphere of influence, then I need to continue to find ways to relate to them, superficial as it may be. (Don’t get me wrong–I,too, have boundaries… they’re just not as stringent as yours).

 

[gam197]

originally posted by Andruschak
I live a quiet life at home with my cats, my spiritual reading, my cats, the Catholic Forums, my cats, a few internet newsgroups, my cats, the CFP, and BSP. Did I mention my cats?

originally posted by Nick Alexander
If there are elements to films that distract you from the story, why don’t you go to sites like www.screenit.com, that tell you what the offending problems are, before you lay down you hard-earned money?

Thanks. I will look into it.

But the bottom line is, it is wrong to blanketly condemn others for being able to look past the offensive elements of a film and find the greater stories there.

Nick, I think I am just battle-worn trying to find decent shows, movies, games and trying to keep others out of my home.

There are some homes that really do a good job and as adults can selectively pick out good films.

 

[goofyjim]

you watch Star Trek?? is that anti christain?

Someone tried to claim it was since Gene Roddenberry was a committed atheist. I don’t believe it for one second. One has only to watch the series and see that despite his objections there were several religious undertones in it.

 

[gam197]

originally posted** by Nick Alexander**
If there are elements to films that distract you from the story, why don’t you go to sites like www.screenit.com, that tell you what the offending problems are, before you lay down you hard-earned money?

I clicked on “join” to see what the monthly cost was and it is free.

It is temporary but it does give you an opportunity to see how extensive their site it. It is quite the site.