PluggedIn.com's Bob Waliszewski and Cheryl Wilhelmi discuss new releases Avatar, Invinctus, and Up in the Air. They begin to discuss a movie featuring Rebecca St. James, but sadly, and inexplicably, our video cuts off. (BTW, Bob highly recommends it.)
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"...a lot of new-age spirituality, we sing and we sway two different scenes, and we pray to mother goddess who's everywhere and in every little living whatever kinda thing, it's like, I'm like, 'ok, I get it, I get it, gimmie a break on the spirituality'..."
Humorous, Bob's sarcastic mocking of Avatar's "new-age spirituality" while promoting the not-too-dissimilar christian religion.
Was looking forward to the next one...
:-}
I'll look into the Rebecca St. James flick now...I did hear she was doing one.
Looking to see The Blind Side tomorrow but the person I'm going with has been asked to take their nephew to see Avatar tomorrow. I don't wanna see Avatar, even before I saw this review LoL
I'd rather even see Alvin & the chipmunks....but forget me, now that I hear there's all that language and violence, I don't know if this little boy sold be seeing it, either.
I like imdb.com & parentpreviews.com so I'll check that out for a final decision.
Avatar is definitely not a children's movie, so please try to dissuade your friend from taking the little boy, Christina B. That said, the movie's strength is in its gorgeous visuals. I did actually forget I was watching animation. The plot could have used a lot more nuance, but it reminded me a little of the Pocahontas story.
I really liked the visual imagery of Avatar, but I agree with commenter #3- there was way too much unneeded language in the movie. I actually called my sister after watching it to warn her before she took her two youngest sons to see it (of course, because of the stunning previews geared towards children, they have been begging her to let them see it.)
Dana (4), i'm always confused about previews being misleading... they show footage from the movie. Would you rather they start showing potentially offensive content in them? Most of the time the rating and content is listed beforehand, if not on the preview itself it is available for everyone to see in print and online. Language is indeed listed for this movie.
It's a shame when that happens, right, dana111?? Kids can't even be kids. My sister liked it but I doubt she'd take her sons.
Mission successful, Loris!!
sidebar: I love Pocahontas.
"Sarah's Choice" is the movie Rebecca St. James is in that I heard of before, and "Faith of our fathers" is one she's in that is expected to be released next year.
Most people, children especially, pay no attention to the movie ratings or the reasons behind the rating. Studios just want to make money so they expose as many people as they can to their preview, hence why offensive content is not shown in previews.
We, as media consumers, really need to do research on what we are thinking about watching and decide whether or not it is suitable to watch. The MPAA guidelines help, as do reviews like Reel Discernment, but you still need to put in some work. The studio is not going to come out and make a big deal about what you might find offensive in their film.
I'm sorry, but I don't recall if the previews I watched for Avatar included a warning about how many times God's name would be taken in vain. That is my fault though because I didn't investigate the movie thoroughly before I went to go see it. However, studios know that children watch A LOT of television, possibly without needed parental supervision, and they target that specific audience for that reason (ooohhh, Mommy, look at the pretty pictures!!!).
Maybe if I were a parent myself I would have made sure to know as much about the movie as possible before I allowed my boyfriend to shell out almost $40 for two tickets, popcorn, and candy (even though we got free refills on the popcorn)!
The PluggedIn.com review, linked to in the Original Post, explains:
About a dozen s-words. Also, 10 misuses of God’s name (including six or seven pairings with "d‑‑n") and three abuses of Jesus’ name. We hear roughly 20 other profanities ("h‑‑‑," "a‑‑," "b‑‑ch," "b‑‑tard," "p‑‑‑") and three crude references to the male anatomy ("d‑‑k" among them).
Some people don't care for such detail. But I personally find it helpful as I decide whether or not to pay to see a movie.
Avatar's plot can be summarized as "Dances With Smurfs." The reasons I liked this movie were all about the AMAZING special effects and beautiful visuals, which IMO make it worth seeing. Just expect a plot you have seen before and a certain amount of save the earth, war is bad preaching.
Thanks, Ted. I will definitely begin to check out movie reviews on Reel Discernment because of the detail provided. I will also forward the website to my sister so that she can better guard her the entertainment consumption of her children.
A few thoughts.
1.
JuliaH: "Just expect a plot you have seen before and a certain amount of save the earth, war is bad preaching."
I'm confused. You're saying this as though these two "preaching" facets of the plot are bad things? I can attest to the fact that my pastor speaks and prays for wars and environmental degradation to end frequently. I sure hope yours does, too. When has killing people for natural resources ever been ok? The somewhat justified skepticism of environmentalism by the right (don’t spend my tax dollars to save my own children!) has led to a disregard for everything environmental, whether partisan (cap and trade) or not (landfills). I assure you, Avatar is not partisan.
2.
Like Kevin, I'm a little confused with Bob's line,
"...a lot of new-age spirituality, we sing and we sway two different scenes, and we pray to mother goddess who's everywhere and in every little living whatever kinda thing, it's like, I'm like, 'ok, I get it, I get it, gimmie a break on the spirituality'..."
Are we really so naïve to think that on another planet lifeforms will be participating in some kind of Western Christian orthodoxy? What does "New Age" have to do with other worlds? New Age spirituality is a facet of our planet. I don't think the company on Pandora introduced the Na'vi to Enya music and suddenly they were worshiping Eywa... Get real.
3.
Perhaps more than Avatar, I do recommend Up in the Air to everyone. The reviewers really overreact to its language -- it only has a smidgin and all is used quite well for great comic effect. Clooney’s “flings” (correction: he only has one of them) are meaningful and central to the story.
4.
I wish that the reviewers would have covered the thematic sides of both Up in the Air and Avatar more. Visual effects and George Clooney are poor reasons to go to a movie. Better reasons are the simple (as JuliaH mentioned) but deeply moving themes of environmental loss, racial violence, and corporate control in Avatar and current economic/unemployment musings and post-post-modern disillusionment with concepts of home, family and love in Up in the Air. Let us focus upon these things.
Definitely don't waste your time and money... I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????
# 13 James >>And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human????? <<
Lol James... in some cultures some females human actually being topless is not an issue and it is pretty normal...well some African cultures (it is changing but some tribes even today still have that). I understand that in the culture here it is not appropriate thus the movie shouldn't show that; even on aliens, but I guess the aliens in Avatar might have been inspired from some of those tribes... well it is my opinion. They pretty much reminded me of some tribes in Africa...no offense I am from there too ;)!
James: "I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????"
First, it is perfectly acceptable for many cultures for people (especially women) to walk around with fewer articles of clothing, as Edwige noted. Try swimming in France and you'll realize how backward the US is.
Second, I guess you just didn't like the story, which is fine, because they were technically "one with the earth." Didn't you notice their fusion with the root systems during the ceremonies?
Avatar: let's see, a movie about blue aliens...we have to get hung up on spiritual issues here? It isn't the greatest story and is quite predictable, but I doubt it is something that will make a person turn into an Earth-worshiping space-cadet. Solidly entertaining and a well made story in visual form. Just look at it for entertainment and not something meant to steer people away from God.
I loved Avatar.
I get pretty annoyed nowadays by people (reviewers) bashing movies. What I would find pretty cool is when plugged in would write down inspiring moments for the Faith. It's great and all to just put down mostly the "why not to see this movie" or what to beware of, but I would find it interesting to hear about what makes movies good to watch for believers on the other hand.
It's so easy for christians to bash movies, just because it's fantasy and doesn't explicitly scream "Jesus is Lord".
What I would like to see reviewers or just "people like us" do is try to get into the world a movie creates and drawing christian inspiration out of that.
I think movies are able to hit us on pretty deep emotional levels, and that can be a very valuable aid in the christian life. That's why I think it would be better to create some sort of christian framework of a movie, so people can apply what they see and hear in a positive way in their life. Other than just going to the movies, having a "roller coaster" ride, and not think about it. Or other than not going to the movies and judging everyone's faith who does choose to go.
Just to use an illustration; *spoiler alert*
In the last battle where the "good guys" are completely being trampled by the bad guys, when finally those "hammerhead" creatures came to mess the humans up, you get this victorious righteousness feeling, which you can parallel to Jesus' second coming. It may sound silly, but I do think it's a pretty cool thing to look at it like that. Instead of going "ooh, boo violence! boo, human beings being killed who are not saved!" or anything like that. Get your head out of reality, try to "get in" the movie and take the message that's being created in the movie by that experience and use it for something good.
I'm not trying to say that people who know they stumble in faith when they look at movies like this should go and watch it anyway, but i get really angry at people (CHRISTIANS) who are so quick to condemn everything and everyone.
My message to them is; If it doesn't work for you that's fine, but stop taking the easy way out condemning what is unknown to you, and actually do the hard thing: get out of your comfort zone to try to empathize please!
"Definitely don't waste your time and money... I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????"
James, I don't want to offend, but this is an example of an attitude I get really annoyed by.
There's no "we are one with the earth" in Avatar. There is only a lot of "we are one with Pandora (!)".
Just because you interpret that as referring to our planet earth and conveying a message about that, doesn't mean that that's the case, or that everyone is going to look at it like that. What I did was trying to get inside the movie and leaving everything in there: There's aliens on a planet called Pandora, who are apparently one..?
OK great! Lets see what the movie does in this setting!
When you get annoyed by the message you think they're getting across that's perfectly fine. But don't make it into an absolute. Leave the movie for what it is and try to get a useful message out of it.
And btw, it's not good that the reviewer and others are criticizing the "spirituality" and even sort of mocking it. It's only by God's grace we see things differently.
Don't tell me that it makes perfect sense that there's invisible creatures of God and of the devil running around influencing our lives. I want to see a more humble respectful attitude here.
Vincent J. -- I'm amused by your indignant comments. It's clear that you're speaking out of ignorance, of course, since the review of Avatar is actually quite FAVORABLE.
Maybe inform yourself before going off on this review, yeah? Man, I'm tired of people commenting here who don't even bother to watch or read the thing they're commenting on.
edwige wrote (and Befuddled affirmed, "in some cultures some females human actually being topless is not an issue and it is pretty normal."
Sure, and in some cultures female circumcision is not an issue and is pretty normal.
Does that make it right?
Does Scripture have anything to say about this? Or do you consider Scripture irrelevant?
I think RD is a overall a good thing for parents with young children to watch. I'm not particularly attracted to it because the main thing I avoid in movies is sexual content. Perhaps what RD could benefit from is a thesis followed by an explanation. As it is I find the reviews slightly...jumbled.
In the avatar review, for example I thought he made the movie sound amazing. then he said he wouldn't recommend it. for example, a good way to begin the Avatar review may have been:
"Avatar is a visually stunning movie but contains adult language and New age spirituality. For this reason it may not be appropriate for young children."
If the reviews were slightly more thought out they may be able to make their points come across better, as it is I am often left scratching my head.
Hey Ted,
Sorry for not being clear on this.
I was writing more of a general statement than I was commenting on that particular review.
That review wasn't bad at all for their standard, so I'm not complaining about that. It's only that I miss something I would like to see them or any other reviewer write about, which is "How can this film positively influence your christian life?".
For the rest of my post; I was criticizing how christians in general bash everything and everyone. I'm coming from a non-christian background and only converted about seven months ago, so I can testify that seeing condemning christians who don't even take the least of effort to open themselves up to something that is a bit further from their bed than they're used to is maybe the number one reason people HATE christianity. Personally I want to do all within my power to fight against that behavior amongst christians, because we don't live here for ourselves. We should be in everything we do be aware that the non-christian world is watching and we should do what we do in such a way that people will want to come to Jesus. So honesty, humbleness, respect and empathy and such should be things we should have in the front of our minds when we act.
Obviously everyone's going to have a range of opinions, which is great... it's what makes our modern day storytelling what it is.
I found the movie thoroughly entertaining. When it comes to big budget effects pictures, they don't get much better. I found the love story pretty touching, esp given the aliens are entirely CG. The themes of the horrors of war and the eradication of an entire group of people come through pretty clearly - I don't see how anyone could disagree with those messages. It is an intense movie so be mindful of taking the young ones. For my first time seeing a movie in 3D, I have to say it was pretty effective...worth the extra couple of bucks (and time waiting in line) for a big movie like this, but I wouldn't want every movie to be in 3D. I look forward to catching it again in theaters... followed by the blu-ray :)
# 20 Ted >>Sure, and in some cultures female circumcision is not an issue and is pretty normal. Does that make it right? Does Scripture have anything to say about this? Or do you consider Scripture irrelevant?<<
Femal circumcision is not good I agree with you, I have friends that went through that and I can assure u that it is not right and I completely believe that God and scriptures are against that.
ABout the topless thing for women let me explain to you what I meant. In the past in my culture, men believed women breast were for children and saw it very sacred and believed it has to be free especially when the women is breast feeding etc...I can assure u that these men did not see the breast as a sexual thing (I know for a western mind it is pretty hard to believe) they were used to seeing all women since children till grown women and old women topless...
Now even in my culture things have changed especially with the influence of the western culture...
Plus I do not agree with women being topless because I simply did not grow up in that atmosphere and was influence a lot by "other " culture...So I was just stating a fact not agreeing with that...
If you'd like to leave a comment, click here. I couldn't get the commenting feature to work correctly here, but it is available on that less user-friendly mobile version of the blog. Yeah, it's kludgy. Sorry. ~Ted.
1. Kevin said the following at 11:18 AM on Dec 28:
1
"...a lot of new-age spirituality, we sing and we sway two different scenes, and we pray to mother goddess who's everywhere and in every little living whatever kinda thing, it's like, I'm like, 'ok, I get it, I get it, gimmie a break on the spirituality'..."
Humorous, Bob's sarcastic mocking of Avatar's "new-age spirituality" while promoting the not-too-dissimilar christian religion.
2. Christina B said the following at 1:25 PM on Dec 28:
2
Was looking forward to the next one...
:-}
I'll look into the Rebecca St. James flick now...I did hear she was doing one.
Looking to see The Blind Side tomorrow but the person I'm going with has been asked to take their nephew to see Avatar tomorrow. I don't wanna see Avatar, even before I saw this review LoL
I'd rather even see Alvin & the chipmunks....but forget me, now that I hear there's all that language and violence, I don't know if this little boy sold be seeing it, either.
I like imdb.com & parentpreviews.com so I'll check that out for a final decision.
3. Loris said the following at 1:51 PM on Dec 28:
3
Avatar is definitely not a children's movie, so please try to dissuade your friend from taking the little boy, Christina B. That said, the movie's strength is in its gorgeous visuals. I did actually forget I was watching animation. The plot could have used a lot more nuance, but it reminded me a little of the Pocahontas story.
4. dana111 said the following at 2:43 PM on Dec 28:
4
I really liked the visual imagery of Avatar, but I agree with commenter #3- there was way too much unneeded language in the movie. I actually called my sister after watching it to warn her before she took her two youngest sons to see it (of course, because of the stunning previews geared towards children, they have been begging her to let them see it.)
5. James said the following at 4:02 PM on Dec 28:
5
Dana (4), i'm always confused about previews being misleading... they show footage from the movie. Would you rather they start showing potentially offensive content in them? Most of the time the rating and content is listed beforehand, if not on the preview itself it is available for everyone to see in print and online. Language is indeed listed for this movie.
6. Christina B said the following at 4:04 PM on Dec 28:
6
It's a shame when that happens, right, dana111?? Kids can't even be kids. My sister liked it but I doubt she'd take her sons.
Mission successful, Loris!!
sidebar: I love Pocahontas.
"Sarah's Choice" is the movie Rebecca St. James is in that I heard of before, and "Faith of our fathers" is one she's in that is expected to be released next year.
7. Don said the following at 12:32 AM on Dec 29:
7
Most people, children especially, pay no attention to the movie ratings or the reasons behind the rating. Studios just want to make money so they expose as many people as they can to their preview, hence why offensive content is not shown in previews.
We, as media consumers, really need to do research on what we are thinking about watching and decide whether or not it is suitable to watch. The MPAA guidelines help, as do reviews like Reel Discernment, but you still need to put in some work. The studio is not going to come out and make a big deal about what you might find offensive in their film.
8. dana111 said the following at 7:43 AM on Dec 29:
8
I'm sorry, but I don't recall if the previews I watched for Avatar included a warning about how many times God's name would be taken in vain. That is my fault though because I didn't investigate the movie thoroughly before I went to go see it. However, studios know that children watch A LOT of television, possibly without needed parental supervision, and they target that specific audience for that reason (ooohhh, Mommy, look at the pretty pictures!!!).
Maybe if I were a parent myself I would have made sure to know as much about the movie as possible before I allowed my boyfriend to shell out almost $40 for two tickets, popcorn, and candy (even though we got free refills on the popcorn)!
9. Ted Slater said the following at 8:07 AM on Dec 29:
9
The PluggedIn.com review, linked to in the Original Post, explains:
Some people don't care for such detail. But I personally find it helpful as I decide whether or not to pay to see a movie.
10. JuliaH said the following at 9:23 AM on Dec 29:
10
Avatar's plot can be summarized as "Dances With Smurfs." The reasons I liked this movie were all about the AMAZING special effects and beautiful visuals, which IMO make it worth seeing. Just expect a plot you have seen before and a certain amount of save the earth, war is bad preaching.
11. dana111 said the following at 9:33 AM on Dec 29:
11
Thanks, Ted. I will definitely begin to check out movie reviews on Reel Discernment because of the detail provided. I will also forward the website to my sister so that she can better guard her the entertainment consumption of her children.
12. Befuddled said the following at 2:02 PM on Dec 29:
12
A few thoughts.
1.
JuliaH: "Just expect a plot you have seen before and a certain amount of save the earth, war is bad preaching."
I'm confused. You're saying this as though these two "preaching" facets of the plot are bad things? I can attest to the fact that my pastor speaks and prays for wars and environmental degradation to end frequently. I sure hope yours does, too. When has killing people for natural resources ever been ok? The somewhat justified skepticism of environmentalism by the right (don’t spend my tax dollars to save my own children!) has led to a disregard for everything environmental, whether partisan (cap and trade) or not (landfills). I assure you, Avatar is not partisan.
2.
Like Kevin, I'm a little confused with Bob's line,
"...a lot of new-age spirituality, we sing and we sway two different scenes, and we pray to mother goddess who's everywhere and in every little living whatever kinda thing, it's like, I'm like, 'ok, I get it, I get it, gimmie a break on the spirituality'..."
Are we really so naïve to think that on another planet lifeforms will be participating in some kind of Western Christian orthodoxy? What does "New Age" have to do with other worlds? New Age spirituality is a facet of our planet. I don't think the company on Pandora introduced the Na'vi to Enya music and suddenly they were worshiping Eywa... Get real.
3.
Perhaps more than Avatar, I do recommend Up in the Air to everyone. The reviewers really overreact to its language -- it only has a smidgin and all is used quite well for great comic effect. Clooney’s “flings” (correction: he only has one of them) are meaningful and central to the story.
4.
I wish that the reviewers would have covered the thematic sides of both Up in the Air and Avatar more. Visual effects and George Clooney are poor reasons to go to a movie. Better reasons are the simple (as JuliaH mentioned) but deeply moving themes of environmental loss, racial violence, and corporate control in Avatar and current economic/unemployment musings and post-post-modern disillusionment with concepts of home, family and love in Up in the Air. Let us focus upon these things.
13. James said the following at 10:20 PM on Dec 29:
13
Definitely don't waste your time and money... I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????
14. edwige said the following at 2:28 AM on Dec 30:
14
# 13 James >>And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human????? <<
Lol James... in some cultures some females human actually being topless is not an issue and it is pretty normal...well some African cultures (it is changing but some tribes even today still have that). I understand that in the culture here it is not appropriate thus the movie shouldn't show that; even on aliens, but I guess the aliens in Avatar might have been inspired from some of those tribes... well it is my opinion. They pretty much reminded me of some tribes in Africa...no offense I am from there too ;)!
15. Befuddled said the following at 11:53 AM on Dec 30:
15
James: "I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????"
First, it is perfectly acceptable for many cultures for people (especially women) to walk around with fewer articles of clothing, as Edwige noted. Try swimming in France and you'll realize how backward the US is.
Second, I guess you just didn't like the story, which is fine, because they were technically "one with the earth." Didn't you notice their fusion with the root systems during the ceremonies?
16. khalil said the following at 1:19 PM on Jan 1:
16
Avatar: let's see, a movie about blue aliens...we have to get hung up on spiritual issues here? It isn't the greatest story and is quite predictable, but I doubt it is something that will make a person turn into an Earth-worshiping space-cadet. Solidly entertaining and a well made story in visual form. Just look at it for entertainment and not something meant to steer people away from God.
17. Vincent J. said the following at 2:55 PM on Jan 1:
17
I loved Avatar.
I get pretty annoyed nowadays by people (reviewers) bashing movies. What I would find pretty cool is when plugged in would write down inspiring moments for the Faith. It's great and all to just put down mostly the "why not to see this movie" or what to beware of, but I would find it interesting to hear about what makes movies good to watch for believers on the other hand.
It's so easy for christians to bash movies, just because it's fantasy and doesn't explicitly scream "Jesus is Lord".
What I would like to see reviewers or just "people like us" do is try to get into the world a movie creates and drawing christian inspiration out of that.
I think movies are able to hit us on pretty deep emotional levels, and that can be a very valuable aid in the christian life. That's why I think it would be better to create some sort of christian framework of a movie, so people can apply what they see and hear in a positive way in their life. Other than just going to the movies, having a "roller coaster" ride, and not think about it. Or other than not going to the movies and judging everyone's faith who does choose to go.
Just to use an illustration; *spoiler alert*
In the last battle where the "good guys" are completely being trampled by the bad guys, when finally those "hammerhead" creatures came to mess the humans up, you get this victorious righteousness feeling, which you can parallel to Jesus' second coming. It may sound silly, but I do think it's a pretty cool thing to look at it like that. Instead of going "ooh, boo violence! boo, human beings being killed who are not saved!" or anything like that. Get your head out of reality, try to "get in" the movie and take the message that's being created in the movie by that experience and use it for something good.
I'm not trying to say that people who know they stumble in faith when they look at movies like this should go and watch it anyway, but i get really angry at people (CHRISTIANS) who are so quick to condemn everything and everyone.
My message to them is; If it doesn't work for you that's fine, but stop taking the easy way out condemning what is unknown to you, and actually do the hard thing: get out of your comfort zone to try to empathize please!
18. Vincent J. said the following at 3:21 PM on Jan 1:
18
"Definitely don't waste your time and money... I was disgusted and walked out of the theater about a third of the way through. Lot's of "we are one with the earth" etc... And for some reason it's ok for the females in this movie to be topless just because they're not human?????"
James, I don't want to offend, but this is an example of an attitude I get really annoyed by.
There's no "we are one with the earth" in Avatar. There is only a lot of "we are one with Pandora (!)".
Just because you interpret that as referring to our planet earth and conveying a message about that, doesn't mean that that's the case, or that everyone is going to look at it like that. What I did was trying to get inside the movie and leaving everything in there: There's aliens on a planet called Pandora, who are apparently one..?
OK great! Lets see what the movie does in this setting!
When you get annoyed by the message you think they're getting across that's perfectly fine. But don't make it into an absolute. Leave the movie for what it is and try to get a useful message out of it.
And btw, it's not good that the reviewer and others are criticizing the "spirituality" and even sort of mocking it. It's only by God's grace we see things differently.
Don't tell me that it makes perfect sense that there's invisible creatures of God and of the devil running around influencing our lives. I want to see a more humble respectful attitude here.
19. Ted Slater said the following at 4:01 PM on Jan 1:
19
Vincent J. -- I'm amused by your indignant comments. It's clear that you're speaking out of ignorance, of course, since the review of Avatar is actually quite FAVORABLE.
Maybe inform yourself before going off on this review, yeah? Man, I'm tired of people commenting here who don't even bother to watch or read the thing they're commenting on.
20. Ted Slater said the following at 4:08 PM on Jan 1:
20
edwige wrote (and Befuddled affirmed, "in some cultures some females human actually being topless is not an issue and it is pretty normal."
Sure, and in some cultures female circumcision is not an issue and is pretty normal.
Does that make it right?
Does Scripture have anything to say about this? Or do you consider Scripture irrelevant?
21. Cat said the following at 4:37 PM on Jan 1:
21
I think RD is a overall a good thing for parents with young children to watch. I'm not particularly attracted to it because the main thing I avoid in movies is sexual content. Perhaps what RD could benefit from is a thesis followed by an explanation. As it is I find the reviews slightly...jumbled.
In the avatar review, for example I thought he made the movie sound amazing. then he said he wouldn't recommend it. for example, a good way to begin the Avatar review may have been:
"Avatar is a visually stunning movie but contains adult language and New age spirituality. For this reason it may not be appropriate for young children."
If the reviews were slightly more thought out they may be able to make their points come across better, as it is I am often left scratching my head.
22. Vincent J. said the following at 5:06 PM on Jan 1:
22
Hey Ted,
Sorry for not being clear on this.
I was writing more of a general statement than I was commenting on that particular review.
That review wasn't bad at all for their standard, so I'm not complaining about that. It's only that I miss something I would like to see them or any other reviewer write about, which is "How can this film positively influence your christian life?".
For the rest of my post; I was criticizing how christians in general bash everything and everyone. I'm coming from a non-christian background and only converted about seven months ago, so I can testify that seeing condemning christians who don't even take the least of effort to open themselves up to something that is a bit further from their bed than they're used to is maybe the number one reason people HATE christianity. Personally I want to do all within my power to fight against that behavior amongst christians, because we don't live here for ourselves. We should be in everything we do be aware that the non-christian world is watching and we should do what we do in such a way that people will want to come to Jesus. So honesty, humbleness, respect and empathy and such should be things we should have in the front of our minds when we act.
23. James said the following at 5:31 PM on Jan 1:
23
Obviously everyone's going to have a range of opinions, which is great... it's what makes our modern day storytelling what it is.
I found the movie thoroughly entertaining. When it comes to big budget effects pictures, they don't get much better. I found the love story pretty touching, esp given the aliens are entirely CG. The themes of the horrors of war and the eradication of an entire group of people come through pretty clearly - I don't see how anyone could disagree with those messages. It is an intense movie so be mindful of taking the young ones. For my first time seeing a movie in 3D, I have to say it was pretty effective...worth the extra couple of bucks (and time waiting in line) for a big movie like this, but I wouldn't want every movie to be in 3D. I look forward to catching it again in theaters... followed by the blu-ray :)
24. edwige said the following at 12:18 PM on Jan 2:
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# 20 Ted >>Sure, and in some cultures female circumcision is not an issue and is pretty normal. Does that make it right? Does Scripture have anything to say about this? Or do you consider Scripture irrelevant?<<
Femal circumcision is not good I agree with you, I have friends that went through that and I can assure u that it is not right and I completely believe that God and scriptures are against that.
ABout the topless thing for women let me explain to you what I meant. In the past in my culture, men believed women breast were for children and saw it very sacred and believed it has to be free especially when the women is breast feeding etc...I can assure u that these men did not see the breast as a sexual thing (I know for a western mind it is pretty hard to believe) they were used to seeing all women since children till grown women and old women topless...
Now even in my culture things have changed especially with the influence of the western culture...
Plus I do not agree with women being topless because I simply did not grow up in that atmosphere and was influence a lot by "other " culture...So I was just stating a fact not agreeing with that...