The Importance Of R-Rated Movies

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My entire life I grew up with the message that all R-rated movies were trash. That nothing good could come from them. As a child, I had no problem with this reasoning, but as I grew up I slowly realized that not all R-rated movies were terrible. One side, like my dad, would argue that R-rated movies fill our minds with unwanted thoughts and images. The Bible even talks about filling our minds with what is good: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). They have a good point. As Christians, we should not be filling our minds For instance, take the movie 12 years a slave. This is a fantastic movie that shows the story of a freed African American man in pre-civil war America that is sold into slavery. The movie has themes of perseverance, hope, family. These are all themes that are good and commendable. It also goes to teach the horrors of the past so that the same mistakes are not repeated. The reason this movie was rated R was that it showed in gruesome detail the physical abuse that slaves had to endure. The movie also did not shy away from using foul language such as the f-word and the n-word several times. While I do not condone the use of these words, if the story was going to be told accurately, these words would need to be used. The sad truth is that many movies that are historically accurate are rated R because they do not attempt to sugarcoat the past. They state them exactly like it was. I would rather watch a movie that tells me how it actually was so that I can better understand and reflect on the past, then watch a movie that tries to paint over the Many people, however, will never experience these because they refuse to watch an R-rated movie. When choosing an R-rated movie there is a line between truthful storytelling and excessive use of graphic images and foul language. Many of these movies air on the excessive side, giving R-rated movies a reputation for being inappropriate. There is truth to this reputation. Most R-rated movies are inappropriate to watch especially for young teens, who would not be able to discern where to draw the line between truthful storytelling and excessive use. However, it’s ludicrous to ask adolescents and young adults to just not watch R-rated movies. It is in our very nature to be curious about what is out there. Our minds are drawn to what we believe we cannot have. For teenagers, this can be R-rated movies. What we have to realize is that these young adolescents are going to find some way to watch R-rated movies. If we are willing to have conversations and discuss what the movie was about, the movie becomes more about the themes rather than the graphic images and foul

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