What does the church say about entertainment?

[ServantJohn]

What does the Catholic Church say about entertainment? Specifically, what kinds of shows, movies, and music are ok?

 

[PrayHarder]

Here’s a good resource on movies:
usccb.org/movies/

In general, just use good sound, judgement about selecting your entertainment. Is there something specific you have in mind when you asked this question?

 

[JaredM]

I watch a shows that I don’t think the Catholic Church would approve of.

The Wire, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Trailer Park Boys, etc.

 

[allyl]

I watch a shows that I don’t think the Catholic Church would approve of.

The Wire, Breaking Bad, Dexter, Trailer Park Boys, etc.

I love Dexter! I found it creepy how a serial killer doesn’t feel anything.
I watch House, Modern Family and Community don’t know if those would be unapproved of.

 

[ServantJohn]

Out of all of those shows you two mentioned, House is the only one I have seen. I used to love the show but can’t watch it now. House is very anti-religion/anti-God of any sorts. There have been a couple of episodes that seemed to try to make nice with the religious community; but with all of the drug use, sexual content, and general exaltation of science over faith, I don’t find myself able to watch it with a clear conscience.

 

[1ke]

Out of all of those shows you two mentioned, House is the only one I have seen. I used to love the show but can’t watch it now. House is very anti-religion/anti-God of any sorts. There have been a couple of episodes that seemed to try to make nice with the religious community; but with all of the drug use, sexual content, and general exaltation of science over faith, I don’t find myself able to watch it with a clear conscience.

The answers you will get about what shows various people **do **watch should not be taken as a statement on what the Church actually teaches on the matter.

The Church has no specific teaching on **individual **entertainment activities, movies, TV, etc, outside of a few rare cases when the Church issues a specific statement. It has done so with the movies DaVinci Code and The Compass in recent memory.

The USCCB puts out a movie guide, but even that is not morally binding on a Catholic. However, if the USCCB calls something “Morally Offensive” you can rest assured that it is pretty bad.

In TV, entertainment, movies, etc, we are to exercise the virtues– prudence, purity, faith, temperance, etc. Of course, pornography is specifically a grave violation of the Sixth Commandment. But, other shows can be a violation of the sixth or ninth depending upon their graphic content or foul language.

So, all the content that’s not an outright violation of the commandments falls under prudential judgment. Does it make us more virtuous? Does the content lift us up to God? Is the content appropriate for family viewing?

I think were the trouble lies is that people’s consciences have been dulled as to what violates the commandments and what is un-virtuous content. Reflecting on these things and trying to form our conscience well is something we are all called to do.

The Church does give us quite a lot of guidance along the way. In the US through its movie/film office and at the Vatican through various papal documents and Vatican statements on the media.

For example:

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19631204_inter-mirifica_en.html

vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20090124_43rd-world-communications-day_en.html

usccb.org/movies/

 

[Portrait]

What does the Catholic Church say about entertainment? Specifically, what kinds of shows, movies, and music are ok?

Dear ServantJohn,

Cordial greetings and a warm welcome to CAF.

Whilst the Catholic Church does not address specifically the issue of what entertainments are permissible, it does, nevertheless, call the faithful to a life of holiness. The Church believes that because man is made in the image of God and is regenerated by Holy Baptism, he is necessarily called to the pursuit of sanctity and separation from the godless world. Therefore, Catholics are expected to use their prudential judgement, aided by sanctified common sense, as regards the sort of entertainments to which you refer; holiness and what is conducive to that is their guiding principle. St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, taught that God desires all His people, be they clergy or laity, male or female, children or adults, young or old, to live holy lives and to walk worthy of their calling. Thus each man should strive earnestly to become a saint and live up to the arduous requirements of the Gospel. This has, of course, never been an easy undertaking and has always demanded a vast amount of self-denial and diligent effort. Of course sacrificial service to our fellow man is an essential function of our religion, but this can never be at the expense of a perpetual striving after personal holiness. The Catholic must never be blind to his duty to express his faith in loving acts of charity (e.g. relief of the poor), but at the same time, in the midst of all the distracting and demoralizing influences of the godless world around him, he must ensure that he keeps himself pure and holy by continual remembrance of the demands of the all-holy God whom he claims to serve. To use the biblical phraseology, he must keep himself “unstained from the world” (see St. James 1: 27). This has probably never been more difficult than in the days in which our lot is cast when we are witnessing an unprecedented escalation in evil and iniquity, especially in the decadent West.

In view of what I have said in the preceding paragraph, we surely must needs think long and hard as to what we are allowing into our minds as regards films, TV programmes and music genres etc. As Christians we should be under no illusions that watching films or shows containing indecent and unwholesome content will in time, if not immediately, deaden are moral sensitivity to sin and vice, as well as impede us in our pursuit of holiness. As St. Paul says, “Bad company ruins good morals” (I Cor. 15: 33) - and, by legitimate extention, that can apply to bad films, shows and music etc. Salacious and unwholesome entertainment will decidedly poison our minds and demoralize our lives. If we would keep our innocence and avoid befouling our souls, then we must give a wide-berth to all that is morally corrupt or suggestive and which would compromise are efforts to lead a holy and righteous life. This is not about sliding into some morbid or world-denying Puritanism, but about endeavoring to live up to the arduous demands of our faith and being the devout people that our all-holy God desires us to be.

Do trust that this will be of some help to you my dear friend and thankyou for your question.

God bless you.

Warmest good wishes,

Portrait

Pax

 

[edwest2]

The Church has said much about movies and television. A look over the last 40 years of TV shows an increase in immodest portrayals and sexuality. The dysfunctional person has become the primary character template. Scandalous behavior is shown and celebrated.

Starting in the 1930s, the Catholic Legion of Decency was formed. The Church offered its counsel to moviemakers. It encouraged them to recognize their obligation to portray uplifting and instructive ideas, not those that might injure public morality.

Today, we have programs like Dexter, that lovable serial killer. What’s next, a family of cannibals next door?

Modern Family. What’s modern about it?

Peace,
Ed

 

[1ke]

Today, we have programs like Dexter, that lovable serial killer. What’s next, a family of cannibals next door?

Modern Family. What’s modern about it?

Exactly. These not only lack virtue, the actively undermine faith and morals. I think one would have a hard time explaining how these uphold virtue and do not transgress the moral law.

 

[allnamestaken]

Dexter’s story line examines the nature of God this season, so I hope a lot of people will monitor it. Dexter is a sort of release from the horrors of every day life. For example, there is a 10 mo. old missing baby in the news now, & no leads. How many people watched the Kaycee Anthony trial? There was nothing uplifting about it, but a lot of people watched. (I didn’t). Dexter saves innocent people from evil people because the police can’t always be in the right place at the right time and especially because the justice system doesn’t work. It fails to protect society too often, especially from abusers. You get an interesting look at the minds and hearts of people, maybe making abusers easier to recognize? It’s heartbreaking to watch the news and feel hopeless. Is it harmful or helpful to get a hopeful release from that for one fictional hour a week? I’d hope it would spur people to take real action for reform the justice system because, as a local DA said in a recent article, most abusers are never charged because the caseload is simply too big. Shouldn’t we be demanding that abusers are charged and victims get justice?

 

[edwest2]

Dexter is a serial killer. He is a sociopath. A person who has the urge to cut people up is entertaining or a form of release? The Dirty Harry movies showed a policeman who became a vigilante because the legal system was allowing too many criminals to go free based on technicalities and other reasons. So what does he do? When confronted by bad men, he kills them with “The most powerful handgun in the world.” He even develops a slogan: “Go ahead. Make my day.”

I have watched as the media - and I work in the media - slowly, gradually deadened people’s sensitivity to sin. It took 40 years. First, a little skin, then a little more and a little more. Then in the 1980s, porn on cable. In the 1990s, I’m watching NYPD Blue and I see a warning about “partial nudity.” Partial nudity on ABC? Why do I need to see a bunch of bare butts? To advance the story? I work with some of the finest storytellers and our company has managed to stay family friendly.

Dysfunctional is the new normal on TV. But it’s not normal. As Catholics we should be aware of it but we should reject most of it. And, when we can, politely point out to our fellow Catholics that there is a problem: a lowering of morals, a lowering of respect for human decency and the hypersexualization of almost everything. Human dignity means we treat our fellow human beings with dignity, As creators, we will be held accountable before God. Yes, stories about disturbing subjects can be told honestly but prudently. Not some guy revving up a chain saw as he is about to cut someone up. That’s not entertainment or justice - it’s depravity on the part of the writers and producers.

There was a Legion of Decency that started as the Catholic Legion of Decency. It ran from the 1930s to the early 1970s.

Peace,
Ed

 

[thistle]

What does the Catholic Church say about entertainment? Specifically, what kinds of shows, movies, and music are ok?

Apart from pornography we are free to watch whatever we want.