Not a Baptist, but close enough
Guardian Unlimited Film | News | PG rating is ‘too restrictive’ for Christian film — Apparently these folks actually take these ratings seriously and cannot think for themselves. Whew. Incredible. If I were Hollywood I’d give this cheapo film an NR (not rated) and be done with it. Who needs this aggravation?
The American film ratings board has once again been accused of bias and bigotry – this time not by indie producers of a near-soft-porn film anxious to escape the kiss-of-death NC-17 certificate, but by Christian groups across America over a low-budget, inspirational, football (the American kind) film made by Baptist pastors in Georgia.
The case of Facing the Giants, which was given a PG rating by the Motion Picture Association of America earlier this month, is seen by religious groups and commentators as further proof that Hollywood is anti-Christian.
That’s it! Rage against the machine you Baptists!
Reminds me of a job I had in a work-release facility (I installed WWIV on the personnel manager’s Mac SE, if anyone cares). At one time, I had a floor to myself, and all I did all night was snap plastic rings onto plastic disks. Dull, but I could read or listen to the radio.
Then they sent me a group of cons who weren’t working out in other parts of the shop. Fine, I suppose; I liked them well enough except for the south LA gangstas who decided Seattle wasn’t as crowded. (“Boy! If this was the street!”) But then it comes that we’re all at a picnic table inside a vis-queen tent (pre-DHS) and its hot.
So one of them bitches at me to open up the door on the tent, and I do. Five minutes later, somebody bitches because there’s a draft, so I close it again. Five minutes later… Eh, cons. I took my work, book, radio and coffee, went outside the tent and shut everyone else in for the remainder of the shift.
This sounded remarkably similar. You suppose they were Mac-using Baptists, on top of it?
I have a mind to accuse those Baptists of bias and bigotry towards Atheists.
Of COURSE these people think the ratings board is overly restrictive! These are the same folks who take a book full of violent death and illicit sex (whores, affairs, concubines, polygamy), and put it in the hands of their own pre-teen children. Christian kids have had a lot of exposure to the seamy side of life at an early age, constantly bombarding them from between the covers of the family Bible.
Being a Christian should be an automatic pass for admission to an ‘R’ movie.
Well, Gary, in some ways it is. THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST (or, as I call it, the Xian Slasher Movie) is R rated, yet many of the fans brought children to see it.
It’s what’s ‘correct’….
J/P=?
#5, ya beat me to it. I was going to make the same comment. I guess that gives the thought even more validity.
#6, #7, good movie, wasn’t it? I was surprised to see that Satan was portrayed by an Italian actress. It was an interesting choice, but she was very well cast to convey the alluring quality of evil.
#8 KB, thanks for the update. I’ve reduced my orange “attack on faith” alert back to its normal yellow watchful state. BTW, wasn’t that a great picture and caption John posted? Still laughing…
Oops, I screwed up my numbering in the previous comment. Subtract one in your heads 😉
Gary Marks, thanks. You’re top notch. Your #11 in the “Literal Bible” thread was memorable. 🙂
Thx, KB. That must have been the day I was lucid 😉
The movie Crimson Tide gets an “R” rating due to its graphic nature as the movie depicts a mutiny on an American submarine. Brilliant movie by the way. And these Christians want a “G” rating for turning depressives over to a cult that can “accept” them? Let go of all of your morals in life and repent to a diety that not only has never been proven to exist, but is currently being supported by the sitting administration? Hmmmm.
Maybe the filmmakers are mad that if they were to have a PG rating, they could have put in some additional violence, gore, satanic convulsions…I don’t know.
I’m angry at the ratings board for giving Star Wars a PG rating when clearly the entire movie does not depict violence in the right way and children and young ages can not decipher from what is real or fake violence. To parallel my fears, I doubt children can tell between real and false realities as well.
Look.
Lets just let the Christians kill themselves through war, etc. And then when they are all dead with their holy wars, we can have happy happy fun times with peace, sex, and rock and roll. Remember rock and roll? You know, that hard banging thrashin satanic music that Bush and others helped pressure out of your local neighborhoods? Here in the bible belt, we don’t have a single radio station devoted to rock and roll…We have about 2-3 Christian stations though.
I can’t believe Tim’s intolerance. “Let’s just let the Christians kill themselves…”? Just replace “Christians” with “Homosexuals” and people would be in an uproar.
Tim (#12),
You have my utmost sympathy. Seriously. I live just above the Bible belt (Ohio, or “Ahia” to some of the natives), and I still have a few rock stations to listen to. You sound like a prime candidate for Sat-Radio. Or at least start filling up your mp3 player, and listen to that in the car.
Come on Dvorak. You are better than this. “Apparently these folks actually take these ratings seriously and cannot think for themselves. Whew. Incredible.” Why is it incredible? Pardon the poor Baptists for thinking that ratings actually meant something. And pardon us from thinking that we should actually think that your columns contain information. If you are going to make the first argument, you have to accept the second.
Movies ratings are one piece of information and so are your columns (hopefully they contain more than merely one piece of information). There’s no evidence that they aren’t thinking because they want a lower rating. They wanted a lower rating because they think more people will see it. Ben Stiller wanted a PG-13 rating instead fo R for Zoolander and he fought with the MPAA over the orgy scene to get the PG-13 rating so that more people would see it. Where were the comments about how Stiller is nuts?
Come on,
We all know the MPAA is full of bias and bigotry in many fashions. If the makers of this film wanted a G rating then they should have made it without the things that are questionable. Its not like young kids are going to be interested enough in it to want to see it by themselves anyway, it sounds like the film is directed to a more mature audience.
I think the Baptists should choose their battles a bit more wisely.
Nice choice on the picture and caption and the heading for the article by the way John.
Do you just choose your post to stir the pot?
I thought you said you were above that.
Here we go again with the anti-Christian themed posts.
Oh, those poor Baptists. They are probably upset that they can’t use their “movie” for education/indoctrination/propaganda at public schools because of the rating. My heart bleeds (pardon the Catholic joke) them.
Wow… there is a lot of hate here…
Tolerance works both ways.
Its hard to be the “bigger man” and keep turning the other cheek.
There is a lot of tollerance that should be used – on BOTH sides of any issue.
All too often those screaming intollerance are the ones who are intolerant.
What side are you on – and how tolerant are you of those with beliefs different than yours?
Think about it honestly.
I can’t speak to this specific case but I also think movie ratings often don’t make any sense to me. (I’m a movie buff).
It drives me crazy that a single nipple shot or the “F Word” gets an R but OBSCENE blood and guts can get only a PG-13.
It does help when some newspapers give more details about sexuality, nudity, violence, etc.
@ Bogdon
In the phrase “Let’s just let the Christians kill themselves…” substituting the word homosexual for Christian would cause outrage because.
Homosexuals haven’t started any wars that I know of (unless you count Oliver Stone’s Alexander). They don’t believe that everyone must have gay sex to be a good person. In fact they’ve never tried to impose their will on me or any of my unwilling friends. They are usually clean dress well and are very well mannered.
Christians on the other hand have begun the bloodiest wars in history, many of them against each other. They often put people to torture just to get them to confess to something they think is wrong. They’ve attempted to impose their will on me for my entire life and some of my friends have ruined their lives to try to fit in with their cult like culture. Christians are often belligerent about their beliefs to the point of being obnoxious.
If I had to choose my neighbors I’d choose homosexuals any day.
I agree with Paul. I would much rather have homosexuals for neighbors than bible thumpers. Most of the homosexuals I have encountered were entertaining. Most of the bible thumpers I have encountered are at minimum irritating.
And don’t forget that homosexuals give a no hassle quickie 😉
Anyhoo… Bible thumpers in general have a tendency to force their opinions wether the masses like it or not.
There are very good Christians, too bad once they find out you’re gay they start treating you like an animal.
I was just reading over my previous comment (#20) and realized that Jesus himself would have rather been classified as a “homosexual” than as a “Christian.”
He obviously spent more time with the “bad” people than he did with the “good.”
That’s why I still believe in him but have abandoned most of his followers.