Hollywood, good or bad?

[SUNSTONE]

Is Hollywood evil, in the Christian since?
Or are they just a business runned by mostly unsaved people?


Alot of the problems associated with Hollywood, are things like nudity, sex, violence, language, as well as a belief system that is counter-christian, in alot of cases.
These things, in some ways are believed to be bad for Christians, atleast some people think that way. Porn is an extreme example of something bad for Christians.
Kids and even adults can and have picked up on the bad language. Some cases the violence was acted out, by a kid or an adult.
Movies could, or has influenced people in a negotive way, and thats not good. But does it make Hollywood evil, or bad?

 

[Jazzcat]

Great question, Sunstone! I love this one!

If Hollywood were intrinsically evil, we would be morally obligated to stay away from it altogether. But that's not so! Art is a very beautiful thing, created by God (who is the most creative and humorous ever) for our enjoyment. Satan did not create movies. He perverted it, just like he has perverted everything in nature. Hollywood is lovely! Hollywood is an incredible showcase of human talent and creativity, both with acting and scriptwriting! Even the camerawork and the soundtrack are so amazing. Powerful enough to rouse you to arms, make you fall in love, or move you to tears. Nothing wrong with that.

Hollywood can be redeemed, and I hope and pray that I will live to see the day when that is at last accomplished. Look at the Passion! It starts with one. Christians should be "infiltrating" and reclaiming secular arts -- music, movies, books, and the like. We need to bring it back to its natural, lovely form, devoid of immorality and rich in creativity, sweeping romance, daring adventure and laughs. It can happen! Pray hard!

 

[kurabrhm]

Is Hollywood evil, in the Christian since?
Or are they just a business runned by mostly unsaved people?


Alot of the problems associated with Hollywood, are things like nudity, sex, violence, language, as well as a belief system that is counter-christian, in alot of cases.
These things, in some ways are believed to be bad for Christians, atleast some people think that way. Porn is an extreme example of something bad for Christians.
Kids and even adults can and have picked up on the bad language. Some cases the violence was acted out, by a kid or an adult.
Movies could, or has influenced people in a negotive way, and thats not good. But does it make Hollywood evil, or bad?

This is a good question. Is Hollywood good or bad? Well, good things about Hollywood. It has the power to produce films that can inspire people. It has the power to create epic films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones - to name but a few. It has the power to portray the public mood. It is, therefore, a very important agent of democracy, especially in the US. Consider political films that portray public cynicism at US politics, for example. This is a very potent example of Hollywood acting as an agent of democracy for the American people.

Some bad things - it does have the potential to create a false sense of consciousness in the public mind. For example, young teenagers are particularly vulnerable to this, although they're hardly the only ones. This vulnerability can lead to negative behaviour which is clearly bad.

On balance, however, I would argue that Hollywood has the potential to create more good than bad.

 

[KenobiKid]

Great question, Sunstone! I love this one!

If Hollywood were intrinsically evil, we would be morally obligated to stay away from it altogether. But that's not so! Art is a very beautiful thing, created by God (who is the most creative and humorous ever) for our enjoyment.

That is the reply that anyone could have came up with. Right on point, I could add something but you've said it all.

 

[mina]

I think that films in and of themselfs are not evil or bad. Like you aren't going to go to hell for seeing a hollywood film. However I do think there are evil things that permeate hollywood. I've read biographies of natalie wood and maryiln monroe and they were forced to do lots of things that were "evil" or had "evil' thrust upon them in order to survive in the business. I imagine there's a lot of that even now, that we just don't hear about. So I don't think making movies is bad, but I think that a lot of times actors and actresses(not all of them) will compromise a lot of themselfs to fit in and to make it big which is unfortunate.

 

[EmAgDnImGiRl]

^ I think they hit it on the dot. Umm I dont think Holy Wood is evil. People just make movie to make it look evil.

 

[Jazzcat]

It doesn't have to be evil. I think there is still plenty of time to allow God to work through us to change the whole industry. With God, nothing is impossible! Even if we are not directly involved with Hollywood on a business level, we can still pray for the conversion of the individuals who are in charge of making movies... Actors, actresses, screenwriters, directors, producers... even the makeup artists. It does make a difference!

 

[desi]

Hollywood is the manifestation of the values of the directors that make movies. They mold the movies to fit their values. For Mel Gibson this caused lots of trouble, for Will and Grace, Rosie, Helen, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy directors/producers this is no problem. Its all a matter of what is socially acceptable and what is not. This leads to lots of questionable material I am forced to wade through to see what is appropriate for my children. Thank God my wife is judicious enough to help me in this regard.