Now Playing

Q: Hello, Hope GOD is doing great.. I wanna ask what is GOD's perspective about the modern movies (of course the Hollywood), actors and directors? Why our media is so obsessed with nudity, crime and all other things? Was it actually the Satan who introduces movies to mislead generations? I stopped watching movies long ago since I do not learn anything moral(a few films do) from it.

A: Thank you for your question. I am sure God is doing great and appreciates your interest in Him. In 1959, the Academy Award for Best Picture was awarded to a movie titled, "Ben Hur." Ben Hur was a biblically themed movie that was acted out with the life of Jesus Christ as the backdrop. As one description of the movie reads, "Ben-Hur forsakes the sword for Christ and finally finds redemption." Now, fast forward to 2004. The Academy Award winner for Best Picture was "Million Dollar Baby." The movie was about a female boxer who suffers paralysis after being hit in the boxing ring and, as one synopsis of the movie puts it, the "last 1/4 of the movie is about euthanasia and human morals." My point is that the popular movies, in general, reflect the attitudes of the society during the time in which they were made. There is little argument that the climate in the United States fifty years ago was one more open about the Judeo-Christian values the country was founded on. In modern times we see a push towards more secular values which are in opposition to what one would call Judeo-Christian values. And the movies produced in Hollywood, and many of the actors starring in these movies, reflect that attitude.

The movie "Ben Hur" was based off a book written by an American general and author named Lew Wallace. The full title of the book is, "Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ." There is no doubt the movie was made to appeal to audiences who were basically Christian in their beliefs and wanted those beliefs portrayed on screen. To further support this you don't need to look any farther than the other movies made during this era with similar themes and had varying degrees of success. Such movies like "The Ten Commandments (1956)," "The Robe (1953)," "The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965)," and "Quo Vadis (1951)" were all made with biblical themes. "Million Dollar Baby" paralleled a real life drama going on at the time regarding a woman named Terry Schiavo. Schiavo suffered a brain injury stemming from a mysterious cardio-respiratory problem. A battle ensued between Schiavo's parents and her husband on whether or not she should be allowed to live in her physical condition. On March 31, 2005, Schiavo died of dehydration after a judge ordered she go without any nutrition. An emotionally charged debate went on in the country about the issues of euthanasia. The fact that such a debate ensued over this case is due, in no small part, to the diminished role Judeo-Christian and biblical values play in society today. It is why movies like "Million Dollar Baby" are being made in Hollywood and accepted by the public. Other movies like "Broke Back Mountain (2005)," about a homosexual relationship between two cowboys, and "The Da Vinci Code (2006)," about an apparent conspiracy within the Catholic church, add to the growing trend against the Christian faith and the morals and values it promotes.

The perspective of God on this matter is not so much about the movies themselves, but about the condition of the unbelievers who make these films. About the Last Days, 2 Timothy 3:2-5 says, "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." When you think about it, doesn't this passage of scripture reflect the majority of themes you see in many of the movies made today? Most of the actors that play in these movies do not proclaim to be Christians. Therefore, they see nothing wrong with playing characters in movies that mock the morals and values of the Bible and promote those things the Bible would call sin. You can lump the media in right along with the Hollywood actors since many in the media do not claim to believe in Jesus either. That is why you will see stories and news articles which reflect and even glorify sin and all its public and private manifestations as if it is to be accepted. There is nothing to indicate that Satan is directly involved in "introducing" movies to mislead generations. However, he is the "father of lies (John 8:44)" and the "accuser of our brothers (Revelation 12:10)" amongst other things.

Keep in mind that the "god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 4:4)." Satan is the god of this age. As long as people cannot see the light of the Gospel you will have Hollywood actors and films that do not reflect God and the Bible in a truthful and positive light and a media focused on "nudity, crime and all other things." "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires (2 Peter 3:3)." Unbelievers, whose minds are blinded by Satan, will follow their own evil desires and engage in activities that promote and glorify those desires. With that being said, I don't blame you for no longer watching movies. However, I would caution you against assuming you would "learn anything moral" from watching movies in the first place. As was mentioned, movies are a reflection of the morals of those making them, acting in them and the audience watching the movie. You should get your morals from the Bible and the leading of the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. Remember, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3: 16-17)." Get your morals from the God who made the world and everything in it, not from those who are influenced by the god of this age. Grace and Peace.