MARK B. writes in response to the Auster movie review:

I used to review movies for Spero News and other outlets. I gave it up because one can only watch so many bad and immoral movies, and they are almost all bad and immoral now.

At the time, I joined a Christian Movie Critics web forum, but I got kicked off after I continued to argue that a Christian could never approve of a movie with nudity and simulated sex (of any kind) in it since it, in absolute fact, makes prostitutes out of actors (simulated sex for money), and made panderers and pimps out of producers and directors. I also pointed out that wall-to-wall swearing in movies was problematic. It’s one thing to be an adult and tolerate a bit of salty expression in a work of art, but not what is being said now.

Other critics argued that objecting to nudity in movies was like objecting to the Venus de Milo, Michelangelo’s David, etc. Of course, statues and paintings aren’t people performing such acts, but, yes, insofar, as an artist relies on men and women as nude models, that is indeed forbidden. An artist may use and study their wife or husband for the sake of their art, but they still cannot portray him or her as nude or sexually. That is, if we are going to be true to the Gospel.

Some will say, whoa, what about THE BIBLE! David and Bathsheba and so on. Illustrating sin as sin is not forbidden in words, nor celebrating the mystery of a man with a maid as in the Song of Songs. There is clearly a difference from subject matter meant for spiritual edification and that used merely to exploit human attraction to sensuality and depravity.

Christians shouldn’t be ashamed to called prudes or puritans because they shun vulgarity and crudeness. Yes, I will let Shakespeare be Shakespeare, and Hosea be Hosea, and the Bible be the Bible because they will illustrate the ugliness of sin and what it does to men and women. No, I never liked the sappy sentimentality of shows like Touched By an Angel, or most evangelical Christian movies. Yes, I was moved by The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson, (although I thought the bloodletting was excessive even if true to reality).

What it comes down to is that even most Christians cannot bear not being “in” this world, too, as well as of it. We ask God to lead us not into temptation because we are so weak before it. We could never have a fresh bonfire of the vanities, because we have been too corrupted by our culture. At least the lusty Florentines actually did have one. America and Europe now? Not a chance.

It’s like asking people to be Amish or monks.

Anyway, that’s my bit about watching movies as a Christian and being scourged by other Christians for it.

— Comments —

M. Jose writes:

Mark B. writes:

What it comes down to is that even most Christians cannot bear not being “in” this world, too, as well as of it.

Doesn’t he mean,

What it comes down to is that even most Christians cannot bear not being “of” this world, too, as well as in it?

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