Movies with sex and nudity a grave sin?

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seeker63

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Is it a mortal sin to watch an R-rated or NC-17 movie with more or less graphic nudity and/or sex, knowing in advance that those elements are in it?
 
If the sex and nudity are graphic, and intended to provoke lust in the heart of man, then a big YES!! Of course it is sinful.

A film, however, on the Sistine chapel and all the nudes decorating the walls and celing, or on a lost tribe in deepest darkest Aisa, is not sinful to watch.

See the difference is motive. One is made with the intent to degrade and the other to highlight the beauty of God’s creation.
 
But what if the sex or nudity does not produce lust in me, or at least so far as I can tell? Would it be permissable to look away during the “dirty parts”?
 
Your simply putting yourself into the near occasion of sin by trying to look away whilst still listening!

I would simply suggest for your own sake that you give them a skip. They raise the curiosity and can lead into more dangerous stuff.
 
Fergal is right.
Be very careful especial with sexual sin. Sexual sin is always a mortal sin.

Beebs
 
And looking at pornography and masturbating was a bad, engrained habit of mine long before I converted, so I’m probably more at risk in this area.
 
Sexual sin is always a mortal sin.
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So there’s secret fourth requirement for mortal sins…got it:
  1. Must concern grave matter
  2. You must know it’s grave matter
  3. You must give consent of the will
  4. If it’s sex, 2 and 3 don’t apply.
 
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LCMS_No_More:
So there’s secret fourth requirement for mortal sins…got it:
  1. Must concern grave matter
  2. You must know it’s grave matter
  3. You must give consent of the will
  4. If it’s sex, 2 and 3 don’t apply.
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Take it up with Scott Hahn. It was somthing I heard on the Lord Have Mercy program on EWTN.

Beebs
 
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Beebs:
Take it up with Scott Hahn. It was somthing I heard on the Lord Have Mercy program on EWTN.

Beebs
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Well…the mortality of a sin cannot be determined by the TYPE of sin per se…the “sinning” must meet all the requirements. I am sure that it is difficult to believe that there is such a thing as a venial sexual sin, but only God knows the heart, and only the sinner and his/her spiritual advisor can resolve that knot.

We live in a culture where sexuality is a sport, for goodness sake. I pray that the Mercy of God may yet save all those, like the original poster, who were committing sexual sins with the encouragement of the culture. I really believe that much of this culture is invincibly ignorant as to the nature of their sexual sins…
 
BTW Seeker63…stick with the PG-13 or PG movies. No need to hang around in a bar if you are an alchoholic…and not need to tempt your strength because you think your missing something in an R rated movie…Nothing Hollywood puts out is all that important to your salvation…well with the exception of the Lord of the Rings!!!
 
BTW Seeker63…stick with the PG-13 or PG movies. No need to hang around in a bar if you are an alchoholic…and not need to tempt your strength because you think your missing something in an R rated movie…Nothing Hollywood puts out is all that important to your salvation…well with the exception of the Lord of the Rings!!!
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You got that right 👍 (including Lord of the Rings!)(The Chronicles of Narnia come out December!!!)

We also have to remember that the more you go see movies with nudity/sex/junk like that, the more Hollywood will just keep making them. But the more you save your money for supporting the clean films (like Lord of the Rings), the more Hollywood will try to bring out money makers like that!
 
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seeker63:
Is it a mortal sin to watch an R-rated or NC-17 movie with more or less graphic nudity and/or sex, knowing in advance that those elements are in it?
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Well, we have to remember that the very person asking the question, “Is it OK to watch graphic nudity and sex?” is a graphically nude (and sexual) person underneath those clothes. And that that is a “very good” thing (according to God).

I’m coming to realise that the lesson that eventually has to be learned about pornography is that it is not only (ultimately) not exciting, but really downright boring - even boredom itself. At least it reveals itself as boring the more we experience the excitement of seeing what God is up to.

And what is the antidote to thinking that sin/pornography is cool and exciting: The films of David Lynch (in combination with the films of Federico Fellini and Lars von Trier). They teach us how to see sacramentally again, and they reveal sin as boring and a plaything, really.

And the films of those directors run the gamut from G to R… freely.
 
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Fergal:
See the difference is motive. One is made with the intent to degrade and the other to highlight the beauty of God’s creation.
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The motive of the one generating the visual lust opportunity can not affect the sinfulness of the act of the watcher.
 
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Pace:
Well, we have to remember that the very person asking the question, “Is it OK to watch graphic nudity and sex?” is a graphically nude (and sexual) person underneath those clothes. And that that is a “very good” thing (according to God).
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I agree with you, however, it is the graphic nudity / sex that seems to take the film world by storm. It is precisely the graphic nudity / sex that must be placed into films etc that is not there to educate but to exploit and scandalise, corrupt and confuse.

If these films are rated for adults and all adults know that they are graphically nude under all the layers of clothing, why does it have to be spelt out time and time again with the most extreme forms of graphic reality? There is one simple reason to incite a movement away from God and towards sin.

You can go to the Sistine chapel and spend a day there looking at all the nudes, or you can go to the backstreets of Rome to the sleazy cinemas and view nudity also.

Is there a difference?
 
There are few onscreen relationships that I can think of that are more erotic than that of Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in “To Catch A Thief,” even though nothing naughty is shown. But once the threshold has been lowered and you’ve become jaded and lost your sense of shock, there’s very little that surprises or tantalizes. It takes a lot more to keep your attention. And that’s an insidious thing, I admit.
 
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Fergal:
I agree with you, however, it is the graphic nudity / sex that seems to take the film world by storm. It is precisely the graphic nudity / sex that must be placed into films etc that is not there to educate but to exploit and scandalise, corrupt and confuse.

If these films are rated for adults and all adults know that they are graphically nude under all the layers of clothing, why does it have to be spelt out time and time again with the most extreme forms of graphic reality? There is one simple reason to incite a movement away from God and towards sin.

You can go to the Sistine chapel and spend a day there looking at all the nudes, or you can go to the backstreets of Rome to the sleazy cinemas and view nudity also.

Is there a difference?
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My best answer is to again recommend the films of those three directors. I can only tell you that I believe that they are trustworthy and that they will lead you through sin into redemption.
 
Personally, I try to research a movie before I see it. A rating of R itself won’t keep me from seeing a movie, but if I know there’s nudity in it, then I won’t see it. Not all R-rated movies are immoral and not all immoral movies are rated R or worse. Titanic was PG-13, but had nudity.

Generally, I consider all nudity in movies to be morally offensive, and many otherwise good movies have been ruined by nudity (e.g., Godfather). On the other hand, Amistad had nudity in it that I didn’t find offensive.

I don’t put violence in movies on the same level as nudity. A violent movie isn’t going to make me go out and kill someone. Watching a nude scene is sinful.

I like to look at the USCCB movie ratings. Often I disagree with the rating they give it, but they do describe the content of the movie in a way that will help me decide.
 
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seeker63:
But what if the sex or nudity does not produce lust in me, or at least so far as I can tell?
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Dont lie to yourself…especially in light of this…
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seeker63:
And looking at pornography and masturbating was a bad, engrained habit of mine long before I converted, so I’m probably more at risk in this area
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**Watch EWTN its the best show on.!
Yes .sins of the flesh are indeed tough to overcome, however. lust, etc, ect, are all mortal sins,

Lust can become a bad habit, but you can learn to discipline yourself to overcome such thoughts. Taking God over self satisfaction can be done with the help of prayer, communion, confession.

When making any decision, that you know may not be good choice , pray and think if God would approve.

Sara.

Good Luck**
 
Well, I know Hollywood has lost the knack of innuendo.

Someone mentioned Cary Grant and Grace Kelly - the “hottest” scene in the movies, to me, is the smoochin’ scene in To Have and Have Not (Bogie and Bacall). And they keep all their clothes on!

And one of the more horrifying moments was in The Big Sleep, when a Bad Guy poisons someone. All you see is the shadow on frosted glass - much more effective than graphic representation of the medical details.

Yeah, yeah, I’m a major Bogie fan! Here’s looking at you, kid!
 
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