Xoffelokin wrote: Remember, people, why we avoid this stuff in the first place: not just because it's immorality, but because it's glorified. Sex in shows like New Girl or books you find in the romance section are glorifying it, leave you disgusted or with impure desires, and should be avoided. Stuff like Les Mis and Mark of the Lion and such do not glorify it, and actually are showing redemption from it.
I don't know, I guess I just sort of see it as, "I'm not going to be close to that person, because she was raped," as opposed to, "I'm not going to be close to that person, because she sleeps around and is of this world." ((Please note the word close, to: while it's not ok to be super bff's with someone of the world, if we do not show love how will they ever get out of it and find Christ?))
Ok, off my little rant now. : )
While that is a perfectly good reason to avoid "this stuff," it is not the only reason. There are many other perfectly good reasons, like, for example, not wanting to see it.
The point you made is perfectly valid, but at risk of sounding harsh, I will say this.
We go to the theater to be entertained. Violence in films is fake. "This stuff" is not. Actors really do "this stuff" in front of a camera. If I may be frank for a moment: Nudity in films is real. Just as real as if that person was standing in front of you, instead of a camera. The same thing goes for "sex", no matter how much or little they "show". At the very least, you're watching people being genuinely sensual on stage, even if it doesn't go beyond that. You wouldn't go to a play and watch two people do "this stuff" on stage, even just for five seconds. But most of us a perfectly fine with watching two real people do "this stuff" on a movie screen. I really don't see this difference. But we're all, myself included, a little too willing to compromise our morals just to be entertained. Sometimes by things that shouldn't be entertaining.
We don't go to movies to experience moral enlightenment. We go to be entertained. Probably we should be spending our time and money on something better, but we live in the First World and therefore have a surplus of both. If we're going to invest these incredibly valuable things in something as temporary and unfruitful as entertainment, why settle for having to spend half our time in the theater looking away, or plugging our ears, or trying to forget what we saw or heard because we didn't look away or plug our ears.
I could say more on that line of reasoning, but it's probably more than enough already. I guess I would summarize what I said like this:
Watching movies is about entertainment. We could get the learning, the inspiration, the message, in other ways. In terms of Jesus and Eternity and What We Should Be Doing, entertainment is the most temporary and fickle of pleasures. If I find myself having to look away, even for five seconds, I feel that it's too high a price to pay for being entertained, no matter how entertained I could be.
Also, while there is nothing wrong with drawing Christian parallels from this work, I would caution that it isn't automatically "Christian" (whatever you would have that mean) just because you can draw those parallels. The original novel was written by a man who was at least an agnostic, if not an atheist. The work was intended to advance socialistic beliefs about society, philosophy, and religion.
The Musical is no better in this regard, at times striking me as outright communist, and certainly as profane.
The movie is merely a film version of the musical, which is a very faithful rendition of the spirit of the novel.
Sorry to rant, and I'm also sorry if I was a little too frank. The discussion will have to continue in PMs since this isn't the appropriate place for a debate on such a delicate topic, given the average age of our membership.
I want to be clear: I'm not judging. I'm not saying that anyone is in sin for watching this film. Paul said that "all things are lawful", and while I don't know what that means, between it and my own sins, it's not my place to tell you what's wrong and right when it comes to morally greyish movies like this one. But I do have a concern about which things are "useful" and to me, this movie isn't.
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Let me know what y'all think! Include details in spoilers! And discuss! (though don't get too touchy with details... try avoiding making your posts tricky subjects material, as there are tricky subjects dealt with in the movie)
I'm really looking forward to it, as I have heard great reviews from my FB friends.
I learned from reading the abridged book that Gavroche was actually her brother, which I hadn't realized before, so I liked how they showed that special connection there.
Russell Crowe's singing was weaker than everyone else's, but I felt he more than made up for it with his portrayal of Javert.
Thus I'm not sure I will go see the movie after all.
