QUESTION:
What about the issue of self-censorship in the movies I choose to see and the song lyrics I listen to? Can you give me some guidance from the Christian Science perspective? I feel like a lot of movies give a good message, but you have to get through the swear words, images of drug use, nudity, and so on to get message—like the movie Requiem for a Dream, which is about a guy getting addicted to drugs and eventually dying. It's so hard to watch, but you gain from watching it.
A1 The self-censorship you're pondering reminds me of something Mary Baker Eddy said in Science and Health, "Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love" (p. 106). As the desire to be governed by good, by God, in even the little decisions of our lives, deepens, God's guidance becomes louder and more tangible to us. Mrs. Eddy gave this guidance, "... keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them" (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210).
I, too, have seen movies that I felt enriched by, though I had to wade through a huge amount of the mistiness of mortality to catch a glimmer of redemption, compassion, or supremacy of good over evil.
Christian Science teaches that the reverse of error is what is true. But why spend two hours reversing the error in a fictitious movie, when this prayerful reversing of wrongs and holding to Truth is so urgently needed in our lives and in the world? I ask myself, could I—right after seeing a particular movie—help someone who asked me to pray for them?
Two years ago I was on a panel for choosing best picture of the year. About 15 minutes into watching a film, a strong spiritual intuition came to me: "Don't watch this. You don't need to see this." I stopped watching it. I forfeited the right to vote for best picture by not seeing that film in its entirety. I have no regrets. To open the door of thought to a depiction of senseless evil that went beyond excessive was not right for me. The movie won best picture.
We must not be dismayed. Inspired filmmakers making movies such as Tender Mercies in the 80s, on through Gran Torino today, deal with the very hardest things in life that people can face, yet still show the holy hint of Love's redemption in human lives.
As the desire to grow in spiritual understanding and in demonstrating that understanding by blessing others becomes the strongest desire in our lives, we'll recognize and follow divine Mind's guidance to choose films and song lyrics that won't pull us away from growing in grace. We'll develop our ability to think on the true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and good things, even if they appear side by side with mortality's deceptive weeds.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US
A2 I love movies! But with Netflix, Blockbuster, and 32-screen theatres offering an infinite number of movies to choose from, how do you know which ones are really worth watching? This is an individual question that can be answered only from the heart. There have been many occasions when I've really wanted to see or rent a movie, but a "still small voice" has led me away from that film. Later I'd be told that the content was just for shock value and really didn't have a point. Sometimes, against the better judgment of this "still small voice," I've headed into the movie and then wished I'd spent my $12 and two hours on something different.
Does this mean we have to sit in a little garden singing happy thoughts and only watch documentaries about flowers? I hope not! One point of counsel that Science and Health makes is: "Never breathe an immoral atmosphere, unless in the attempt to purify it. Better is the frugal intellectual repast with contentment and virtue, than the luxury of learning with egotism and vice" (p. 452).
When I'm honestly not sure about a movie, I try to remember this piece of advice and ask myself, "Am I going to be a better person by seeing this film? Am I going to help my neighbor, even in a small degree, by seeing it? Or am I just going to intellectually educate myself on this subject and continue on with my life?"
Sometimes this has led me to see a particular movie that might be a little disturbing, but that afterwards has caused me to pray about a particular issue and offer practical and prayerful help for another individual or group of individuals.
Other times I've seen a movie with the same idea, but my motive wasn't one of honestly wanting to find healing, either for myself or for others. In those cases I've found myself tossed around by all the images that were thrown at me and came out of the movie worse off than before. I think it comes down to motives—whatever we honestly feel about what we're committing our thoughts and time to. Only our hearts can give us that answer.
So, listen to that "still small voice" to see if it's something that will benefit you and humanity (even comedies fall into this category), and if this spiritual intuition guides you to do something else, trust that guidance and where it leads you. Since God, the source of this direction, is Love, you're not going to be stuck at home bored and missing out. Love always enriches us with the right activities that not only bless ourselves but help our neighbor as well. And that could include inviting your neighbor to see a great movie!
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US
A3 Movies and music transport us. It amazes me how a powerfully portrayed movie yells, "Jump on board!" carrying me through the ups and downs of a carefully crafted plot.
As a young man in a culture heavily saturated by music and movies, I'm constantly confronted with options for how to spend my leisure time. Today, young people especially are bombarded with the message that sex, drugs, profanity, and drinking lead to a better, more pleasurable life. While in high school, I tended to listen to the popular music my buddies listened to, and the lyrics were not necessarily uplifting. During the years that followed, my musical preferences changed as I discovered that I didn't need to compromise my desire to be a strong force for good. It's been important to me that my choices of music and movies are consistent with values I was raised with, such as respect, honesty, and unselfishness. Why would I avoid immoral activities in my everyday life while being totally accepting of them on a movie screen, or in the lyrics of a song?
Being a Christian Scientist doesn't mean being ignorant of the world, or of what's going on around us, including the latest movies. Many of us have probably seen moving, true-to-life films that tell the story of a character struggling with vice, or some other difficulty, and overcoming it. Hopefully, the movie leads the viewer to witness the inherent good in human nature, instead of simply impressing him with a character's "sinful" behavior. I try to apply this standard when deciding where to draw the line with my entertainment choices. The following statement by Mary Baker Eddy, which I think relates to this issue, has been very helpful to me, "And pleasure is no crime except when it strengthens the influence of bad inclinations or lessens the activities of virtue" (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 362).
Having lived in Latin America the past few months, I've seen the pure pleasure and joy that music brings to people. It's a vital element of the Latin lifestyle. When I see couples dancing to music in front of their homes under their porch light, smiling and enjoying each other's company, it's clear that music, like movies, can be uplifting as well as wholesome.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US
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