Censorship

[Isaiahs coal]

As much as I find just about everything on TV and radio a gross distortion of truth and a perversion of all that is sacred. The fact remains that until our King returns it will allways be so. Do we yearn for a time that our eyes and ears will be treated with dignity and righteousness, of course, come soon Lord Jesus. However the biblical accounts of the times to come say nothing of righteousness being restored, in fact quite the contrary. Things are going to get worse just reread Mathew 24 its going to get a lot worse before it gets any better(except those times be shortened there would be no flesh remaining).
The other side of censorship is the hate crime bill, this is a censorship that ties the truth up in a gag that restricts preachers from sharing the biblical standards concerning homosexuality just for starters. How far will this be enforced is yet to be seen. Will doctors lose their liscence to practice should they refuse to perform abortions or sex change operations? Will teachers be fired if they dont teach evolution, and on and on it goes. All the result of a censorship document turned into law. Be careful what you ask for.
Again do we all yearn for our King you bet. Do we need to repent as a nation, you bet, is it possible you bet. Is it probable ? Non of the smart money would take that bet. Censorship like everytrhing else will be perverted to achieve the goals of the prince of the air the god of this world.
The up side is that we will probably enter into a time of great harvest as things deteriorate, keep looking up and know that this garbage has an end.

 

[JCFantasy23]

Thank you for your honest answer. Here is the only problem I have with this. Suppose, just suppose, that ll entertainment starts to allow these things in. You go to a movie that is rated PG. You think it is okay because of the lower rating and all of a sudden you see things that are not appropriate and your child is sitting next to you. What do you do? It is too late, the damage for the day is done. I have seen G movies have cursing in it. How it got the rating is because the shock value is disappearing at an alarming rate. Why did they have to put it in there is beyond me. These ratings should not change. The standards keep dropping and if that happens then the choice to go see a family movie is gone. Some of these movies have this unexpectedly in them and you can not prepare for it. Trust me, a little porn goes a long way. A little violence does effect you. But you are right, the human race had alwasy had these in them but we do not need to feed the fire. Desire breeds in the mind untill it gives birth to sin.

I work part time at a theatre so Ive seen this. Some parents are very sensitive to the movie material for their kids, others shockingly lenient. Fact is there is so many different viewpoints on this. I also really do think it can be on a per-kid basis, different kids react differently to different things and a parent would be aware of this.

I do agree PG should stay very mild because it is geared toward children and parents are expecting this. I don't think they're going to make PG bad, though, so I think they would stick with the guidelines of the rating.

I must say I think the age limit for R movies is very silly, though. A sixteen year old can't see a rated R movie without a parent or someone over 18, but they can drive, move out on their own, legally drop out of school and work at that age?

 

[Gozreht]

Just moving it back to the front until the poll is closed.

 

[Gozreht]

I do agree PG should stay very mild because it is geared toward children and parents are expecting this. I don't think they're going to make PG bad, though, so I think they would stick with the guidelines of the rating.

This is from Movie Picture Association of America: I highlighted some things for you to think about.

What Each Rating Means

G — General Audiences. All Ages Admitted. A G-rated motion picture contains nothing in theme, language, nudity, sex, violence or other matters that, in the view of the Rating Board, would offend parents whose younger children view the motion picture. The G rating is not a "certificate of approval," nor does it signify a "children’s" motion picture. Some snippets of language may go beyond polite conversation but they are common everyday expressions. No stronger words are present in G-rated motion pictures. Depictions of violence are minimal. No nudity, sex scenes or drug use are present in the motion picture.

PG — Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children. A PG-rated motion picture should be investigated by parents before they let their younger children attend. The PG rating indicates, in the view of the Rating Board, that parents may consider some material unsuitable for their children, and parents should make that decision. The more mature themes in some PG-rated motion pictures may call for parental guidance. There may be some profanity and some depictions of violence or brief nudity. But these elements are not deemed so intense as to require that parents be strongly cautioned beyond the suggestion of parental guidance. There is no drug use content in a PG-rated motion picture.

PG-13 — Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13. A PG-13 rating is a sterner warning by the Rating Board to parents to determine whether their children under age 13 should view the motion picture, as some material might not be suited for them. A PG-13 motion picture may go beyond the PG rating in theme, violence, nudity, sensuality, language, adult activities or other elements, but does not reach the restricted R category. The theme of the motion picture by itself will not result in a rating greater than PG-13, although depictions of activities related to a mature theme may result in a restricted rating for the motion picture. Any drug use will initially require at least a PG-13 rating. More than brief nudity will require at least a PG-13 rating, but such nudity in a PG-13 rated motion picture generally will not be sexually oriented. There may be depictions of violence in a PG-13 movie, but generally not both realistic and extreme or persistent violence. A motion picture’s single use of one of the harsher sexually-derived words, though only as an expletive, initially requires at least a PG-13 rating. More than one such expletive requires an R rating, as must even one of those words used in a sexual context. The Rating Board nevertheless may rate such a motion picture PG-13 if, based on a special vote by a two-thirds majority, the Raters feel that most American parents would believe that a PG-13 rating is appropriate because of the context or manner in which the words are used or because the use of those words in the motion picture is inconspicuous.

R — Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian. An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children. Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.

NC-17 — No One 17 and Under Admitted. An NC-17 rated motion picture is one that, in the view of the Rating Board, most parents would consider patently too adult for their children 17 and under. No children will be admitted. NC-17 does not mean "obscene" or "pornographic" in the common or legal meaning of those words, and should not be construed as a negative judgment in any sense. The rating simply signals that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrational behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children

So. PG can have nudity and voilence, but not too explicit. Who deemed what was explicit? PG13, no 13 year old needs to be exposed to these things as entertainment, period. Now, I can see having a PG15 rating where the child is starting to make their own decisions and a responsible parent will be there to answer questions AND be an example. I am not a prude. I am socially conservative. But the PG13 says they can show this stuff as long as the nudity is not about sexually oriented material. Then why show it at all? NC17? Might as well be X. Call it like it is. This is just an example of how the shock value has changed over the years and we have become complacent and less sensitive to certain matters. I guarantee these rating guidelines have changed over the years. I would like to see what these were like in the 60's, 70's, 80's ,and 90's just to compare.

 

[Andy S. Wright]

God's commands to his church does not include becoming society's moral police. We are to preach the gospel, baptize those that receive it, and disciple them. If God's people were focused on that instead of picking the motes and beams out of everyone else's eyes the cultural landscape would undoubtedly look different than it does today.

 

[Norah63]

All the ratings did was get the camel's nose under the tent. The PG rating now would make my grandmother blush. It is a warning that parents should know what their children are watching and learning from. Yet how many parents just say, well if it's PG then guess it's alright.
The decline of morals was slow and deliberate for just that reason. Bring on another generation and so on and so on. The enemy of the church is very cunning, and knows just how much to put out at one time. That is why the admonition of not being lukewarm is so important. Once you cool off, temptation can set in.

 

[TheMightyTurtle]

I voted none since it is my responsibility to choose what me and my family watches/reads/consumes, and not the government's. Ideally, society would not present us with filth. Obviously there's a market for filth, however. The root of the problem is society, and not censorship. Censorship is not the answer since we can go past that, and simply remove the market for filth by changing the people.

 

[Gozreht]

God's commands to his church does not include becoming society's moral police. We are to preach the gospel, baptize those that receive it, and disciple them. If God's people were focused on that instead of picking the motes and beams out of everyone else's eyes the cultural landscape would undoubtedly look different than it does today.

That may be true. BUT...

The probloem lies within the church. We still go and see these movies. We still let our own children see these without letting them know the consequences of such. Jesus warned us be careful of what we allow into our lives. We preach on sunday and on monday we pop in a Harry Potter film instead of Chronicles of Narnia. Or we drink sacramental wine on sunday and get drunk on not-so sacramental wine on monday.

We need to stop supporting these things and get more involved. We may need to preach but we preach about these things.

All the ratings did was get the camel's nose under the tent. The PG rating now would make my grandmother blush. It is a warning that parents should know what their children are watching and learning from. Yet how many parents just say, well if it's PG then guess it's alright.
The decline of morals was slow and deliberate for just that reason. Bring on another generation and so on and so on. The enemy of the church is very cunning, and knows just how much to put out at one time. That is why the admonition of not being lukewarm is so important. Once you cool off, temptation can set in.

Thanks Nora. I like this.

I voted none since it is my responsibility to choose what me and my family watches/reads/consumes, and not the government's. Ideally, society would not present us with filth. Obviously there's a market for filth, however. The root of the problem is society, and not censorship. Censorship is not the answer since we can go past that, and simply remove the market for filth by changing the people.

MT, I would agree but if we don't make our voices heard then pretty soon all enterainment goes the way of immorality and then what are we left with? We won't be able to trust anything. I am not for censoring all things. I am for monitoring all things and labeling things...correctly.

 

[srdenelsbeck]

Censorship of any kind is wrong.

As Christians, we are finding ourselves more and more "muted" by the law every day and in more places. We should be affirmed to the ideal that censorship is a suppression of speech and beliefs and stand strong against it.

A free-thinking world in which people may exercise free will is essential to our existence.

 

[ashout]

tv would go off the air if they censored all the stuff i wonder about being bad.

 

[Andy S. Wright]

That may be true. BUT...

There is no "but". There is no jot, dot, or tittle that instructs the Body of Christ to act as society's moral police. By "society" I'm speaking first and foremost of the unsaved. To expect unsaved souls to embrace the Bible's moral codes is like expecting a fish to survive without water. If you wish to express moral outrage at the excesses of society, go for it. Just do not be surprised when the unsaved masses do not flock to you when you attempt to reach them with the gospel after bringing condemnation to their actions.

The probloem lies within the church. We still go and see these movies. We still let our own children see these without letting them know the consequences of such. Jesus warned us be careful of what we allow into our lives. We preach on sunday and on monday we pop in a Harry Potter film instead of Chronicles of Narnia. Or we drink sacramental wine on sunday and get drunk on not-so sacramental wine on Monday. We need to stop supporting these things and get more involved. We may need to preach but we preach about these things.

I agree there is hypocrisy in the church at large; especially when it comes to the "grey areas" of scriptures ("The Bible doesn't SAY I can't watch Harry Potter..."). However, I believe godly wisdom is vital in dealing with these issues. There are subtle nuances in effect whenever the outward actions of God's people are brought into focus. All believers are at a different level of spiritual growth and development (2 Corinthians 3:18). Many of God's people are unjustly judged by their well intentioned, if not overly zealous, peers simply because of a difference in spiritual maturity. Ironically, those who would bring accusation and condemnation against their fellow believers are very often acting with less maturity and wisdom than those they accuse.

If the purpose behind preaching against sin is to bring sinners to Christ, then the motive of that preaching must be of love for the audience; the desire to see a brother rescued and restored, not condemned. Believe me, there are very few of us who, when engaged in sin, are ignorant of our actions in light of the scriptures. I can speak from my own experience. When I found myself in the hog pen, I responded more to the love of the Father who silently waited for me to "come to myself" rather than the sermons I heard condemning my sin. One must be careful to instruct, rebuke, and exhort from a position of love of the saints and not a position of love of being found scripturally accurate. It is very easy to slip into a position of arrogance and pride masquerading as righteous indignation against perceived moral impurities. I daresay, there are a lot of sermons preached from this self righteous position rather than from a position of love and grace.

I'd say you could ask the Pharisees and Sadducees in Jesus' day about these subtleties but I doubt any of us will get an opportunity to discuss it with them...

 

[whitelamb]

i don't like censorship especially by the government but i feel that it's our moral right to censor what is aimed at our children it's our children that we must protect .

 

[Memukan]

What do you expect from the Beast nature.Just throw your TV away. We are in the world but not of the world. Satan is the god of this world to the unbeliever. The earth is the LORDS and the fullness there of. Renew your mind by the reading of the WORD of GOD. What ever is good, what ever is HOLY think on these things. GODS WORD says to teach your children about HIM morning, noon and at night. What does Light have to do with darkness. All you do is pollute your mind watching TV even christian TV.

Memukan

 

[Gozreht]

There is no "but". There is no jot, dot, or tittle that instructs the Body of Christ to act as society's moral police. By "society" I'm speaking first and foremost of the unsaved. To expect unsaved souls to embrace the Bible's moral codes is like expecting a fish to survive without water. If you wish to express moral outrage at the excesses of society, go for it. Just do not be surprised when the unsaved masses do not flock to you when you attempt to reach them with the gospel after bringing condemnation to their actions.

Here is a follow up question for you. Do you think God would want us to sit back and let things like this go on or do you think He would want us to get involved?

I know exactly what you mean. I am not arguing. I am simply asking.

I agree there is hypocrisy in the church at large; especially when it comes to the "grey areas" of scriptures ("The Bible doesn't SAY I can't watch Harry Potter..."). However, I believe godly wisdom is vital in dealing with these issues. There are subtle nuances in effect whenever the outward actions of God's people are brought into focus. All believers are at a different level of spiritual growth and development (2 Corinthians 3:18). Many of God's people are unjustly judged by their well intentioned, if not overly zealous, peers simply because of a difference in spiritual maturity. Ironically, those who would bring accusation and condemnation against their fellow believers are very often acting with less maturity and wisdom than those they accuse.

The bible does not say it word for word that you can not do it, unless you want to follow Jesus completely. We are all held accountable for our actions. If we are at a different level, then that is our own fault, isn't it? We all fall short, sure, but we are all still measured with the same cup aren't we? Now, I understand that we can't go straught to people who are struggling or new to faith and scream at them about the wages of sin, but they still need to know.

If the purpose behind preaching against sin is to bring sinners to Christ, then the motive of that preaching must be of love for the audience; the desire to see a brother rescued and restored, not condemned. Believe me, there are very few of us who, when engaged in sin, are ignorant of our actions in light of the scriptures. I can speak from my own experience. When I found myself in the hog pen, I responded more to the love of the Father who silently waited for me to "come to myself" rather than the sermons I heard condemning my sin. One must be careful to instruct, rebuke, and exhort from a position of love of the saints and not a position of love of being found scripturally accurate. It is very easy to slip into a position of arrogance and pride masquerading as righteous indignation against perceived moral impurities. I daresay, there are a lot of sermons preached from this self righteous position rather than from a position of love and grace.

Yep. But that may be a different subject than the one this thread is about. This is more about becoming active in the world and not just preaching from the pulpit. Do we run for office and "clean up" as much as we can? Or do we become lethargic like I feel we already have become and let the world beat us up? My personal opinion is we need to fight against these things as much as possible.

Thanks for you input. Respected and appreciated.

 

[Gozreht]

What do you expect from the Beast nature.Just throw your TV away. We are in the world but not of the world. Satan is the god of this world to the unbeliever. The earth is the LORDS and the fullness there of. Renew your mind by the reading of the WORD of GOD. What ever is good, what ever is HOLY think on these things. GODS WORD says to teach your children about HIM morning, noon and at night. What does Light have to do with darkness. All you do is pollute your mind watching TV even christian TV.

No one could do this without going insane. We have relied on Tv and other technology of the sort so long that we are too dependant on it. I would love to take TV, cell phones, and stuff and smash them so people would actually communicate with each other and actually have fellowship on a personal basis, not virtual.

 

[ashout]

No one could do this without going insane. We have relied on Tv and other technology of the sort so long that we are too dependant on it. I would love to take TV, cell phones, and stuff and smash them so people would actually communicate with each other and actually have fellowship on a personal basis, not virtual.

I don't watch Tv. I'll admit, its ruff living but you can do it!

 

[buchalady]

The apostle Paul said that we would need to go out of the world to get away from immoral people.

We should shield our children from the world, but adult disciples should not need a protective shield around them. How do we know that we can resist temptation unless we are exposed to it?

"........we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:3-5

We live in the world, but we are not of the world. That is God's plan for us while we are here.

I didn't vote to censor any.

 

[Memukan]

No one could do this without going insane. We have relied on Tv and other technology of the sort so long that we are too dependant on it. I would love to take TV, cell phones, and stuff and smash them so people would actually communicate with each other and actually have fellowship on a personal basis, not virtual.

You may go insane without TV and cell phones or other technology, but that is not a true statement. Technology is great. But if your dependant on it and not on Elohim the Creator then.......................... that is sin ?

Memukan

 

[revrobor]

It should all be censored from the media. But it's not going to happen until the Lord creates the New Earth.

 

[Gozreht]

I can't remember where I heard this or seen this but some have problems with Christians trying to get laws passed that would censor some of the things we have in our society. They say things like we shouldn't try and force our ideas on society or something to that degree. And though that does hold a great deal of sensibility it opens up another dilemma.

Is having a "drinking" age a form of censorship? If we had a free will society then we shouldn't stop 5 year olds from taking a swig of whiskey. Or we should allow drug use to go on without limitations. There should be no ratings on any movies, books, or video games.

So to say that censorship is wrong in all accounts, I ask, what should we do about these issues? Isn't it the same thing and didn't we censor these things in a way?