PCR and movies

My bet, most of the ministers spouses will use TV or these days other device to pacify their children, I'm sure they have busy lives

The PRC has a pamphlet floating around which decries any live-action movies which contain actors, which they call "DRAMA" (woooo so spooky scary). More or less the gist of the pamphlet is that acting is breaking the commandment to not lie since it involves people pretending to be people they are not.

The PRC conveniently ignores voice acting of any sort (audiobooks, radio shows, animated cartoons and movies), fictional material (books, kids playing pretend, etc) despite the fact that they break the ninth commandment in the same way. They do slightly touch on this in the pamphlet but claim that live-action movies contain an intent to deceive unlike any other form of fiction which is patently ridiculous. No one acting in Game of Thrones is going around trying to really convince people that white walkers are real, and no one acting in Star Wars is trying to endorse light sabers as a superior weapon for their governments to use in warfare. They are simply trying to immerse you in the setting and characters, which every other good fictional work also tries to do.

The laypeople in the PRC have largely realized this pamphlet is full of shit and no longer follow it except those that are severely lacking in any rational thought. Unfortunately, PR drones do still exist that follow PRC pamphlets without question but the number is quite small. Of the detractors, no one really has come out and said, "Hey this is crap and movies aren't inherently bad", but actions speak louder than words. There are PR ministers who allow their kids to watch drama but none of them have really put any effort into retracting the pamphlet that is still available on their website. Which shows that even if there is good reason to believe that ministers do sometimes disagree with the hardline stances their colleagues take, you might never hear about it because no ministers have enough of a backbone to speak out in favor of being more "liberal" with your children. The most extreme advice wins out.

Some PRs think movie theaters are sinful. I don't know what the argument for this is, other than some parent wanting to let their kids watch movies without the possibility of being caught in public in the lines for the movie theater by another PR.

Just kind of tongue in cheek, maybe I'm using that expression wrong, but anyways the United States is developing laser weapons as superior. Sure it's not up to the point we can all get light sabers.

I haven't read the article, but yes, I agree, most watch them. Is there not a danger to drama though, in some sense? I would post a passage of scripture, but that is forbidden, but I would say read Romans 1:32. It speaks of taking pleasure of those who commit sin. I would say there are some shows and movies that are ok to watch. The ones that don't portray sin as entertainment. We shouldn't joy in watching someone in a movie go on a murderous rampage and partake in sexual sins and all the rest. If we don't joy in it, then why watch it? That is the danger of drama. We become accustomed to sin, immune to it in a way and it effects are consciences whether we want to realize it or not. Sin has always had it's insidious nature, and that nature has crept into the television shows of today. Look back throughout history. What would of those in the 1930s have thought if they had seen a show such as Game of Thrones displayed on TV? I would say most would be appalled, there would be a nation wide outrage against such filth being portrayed on tv. Yet today the mindset is, so what if there is a bit of nudity, so what if it entices men to feel desire, so what if it glorifies murder and chaos. So what if it portrays homosexuality and all the rest? We think that there is no danger in this, but I believe there is. And that danger is to the very core of our being, to our souls. I know this to be true, for I have watched some of these shows. You might first be shocked when first watching a show that portrays sin, but soon that shock wheres off and you want more and more more. Such is the slippery slope of sin. Such is the path that Asaph in Psalm 73 warns against.

I don't say this to preach and take the high road, for as I said, I have watched sin being portrayed on tv and am no better then anyone else in that regard, but I see the danger in it, no doubt.

I would say taking a stand against all television shows and movies is going a bit far, but given whats on tv today there is starting to become fewer and fewer options, unless you like Hallmark movies and shows.

Maybe you guys are speaking of all drama in general, but I have always heard over the pulpit as not a ban on all drama whatsoever, but as fleeing the sin that is portrayed in certain television shows and movies. That said, I have seen the the pamphlet on drama sitting in the rack at my church. I have never read it though. I have also heard preaching against novels as well.

Using my Hallmark example, there may be murder portrayed in a certain sense or maybe not.  But it is not glorified thing.  As they don't make shows that glorify sin as something to be entertaining.  I haven't watched a lot of Hallmark, so I can't site specific examples and nothing comes to mind so I don't even know if that happens.   The same goes for the sexual relations as well.  I don't recall anything being filmed of that nature.   So no, I don't lump every show together, but there is a difference between Game of Thrones, a fantasy show, and Lord of the Rings, also in the fantasy category.  Both portray killing, betrayal, love and all the rest.  But there is a distinct difference between how far each goes in terms of portraying sin.

I think there is a difference between a show or book that insinuates someone had a sexual encounter (camera panning away, or screen going black before the scene ends) verse actually showing it or writing in detail about it.   That's like comparing 50 Shades of Grey to a Jean Austin book.  Both portray love, but the extent to how they portray it is far different.

Here in lies the problem though, does it not?  For now it leads into an almost legalistic debate about what is and isn't appropriate.  And I feel if the PR churches were to take a stance on it officially and officially say certain tv/movies was ok.  Then were would the line be drawn?   What would ensue would most likely be a legalistic debate.  Or, they can simply say, as I've been hearing over the pulpit, the dangers of sin and the enticement of it, as I mentioned in my first post.  I see it the same with dancing.   There is certain dancing that does not entice men, and I feel that is ok.  But there is various levels of dancing from the harmless to the dancing found in strip clubs.  I am not verse in any way in dancing, so I could not say the names of where I would draw a line.  I am saying there is degrees of what is and isn't appropriate.

My point is that I believe scripture makes plain how far we should go with our movie watching, and movies that "glorify sin", for all movies portray sin to some extent, are things we should not be watching.   Sure, sexual relations in and of themselves within the marriage bond are not sin, does that mean we should watch it unfold on television?   So to answer your question, yes discernment plays a big part, and we should use scripture to aid in that discernment.  I would say look at these verses and make that determination for yourself. 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Matthew 5:28

1 Corinthians 7:4

Matthew 15:19