Why did you see it ?

Critical examination.

I am unfortunately exposed to TV when I waitress, and I can tell by the commercials that it must be horrible.

There must be some memorable and "classy" lines because a few of the patrons were quoting from it last night.  

I will protect my daughter as much as possible from these things.  I remember going to a friends house at maybe, age 11 (??) and seeing American Pie.  Very, very sad.

I don't even go to movie theaters anymore. I just have no interest. Almost every movie put out by Hollywood is pure trash.

A teddy bear having a relationship with women?  :tv-disturbed:

Critical examination.

In all honesty there is no moral difference between a 40's Hollywood movie and today's Hollywood movies, just that today is more up in your face, while back then had behind the scenes propaganda.

Traditional Guy 20,

I once thought like this, when I first converted to Tradition, which was around your age. Granted, I am only about 5 years older than you, but nevertheless, I thought I'd share the small bit of wisdom in this matter that I've gained in that time.

Here are three good reasons why one should avoid a movie like this altogether, even if one has a staunchly traditional Catholic mind:

1) It can be an occasion of sin. The Church teaches that we should avoid even the occasions of sin, since these frequently lead to actual sin. She even teaches that it can be a sin in itself (yea, even a mortal sin) to willingly, and with full knowledge, put oneself in a situation that could be an occasion of sin, depending on a number of factors which I won't go into here.

Now, judging from the trailers alone, there was a good chance that this movie could be an occasion of sin. In one scene of the trailer, we see Ted (the teddy bear) surrounded by immodestly dressed women, and it looks like their about to 'get down to business,' whatever that would be in the case of an artificial bear. That alone would indicate that the movie is likely to contain some sɛҳuąƖ content. If you missed the trailers, then the movie rating on the posters in the movie theater would also be a good indicator of the content of the movie. The rating usually contains content descriptors like "scenes of violence, nudity, sɛҳuąƖity, etc." This should be a tip-off as to whether this movie is appropriate for anyone to watch, let alone children.

2) By going to see these movies, you are giving money to Hollywood filmmakers which can be used to produce even more immoral movies.

You are also using your "dollar vote" to say, "yes, Hollywood, this is the type of movie I like to see! Please produce more of this!"

3) It can be a source of scandal to others. Yes, I know, sometimes some people should just mind their own business. Still, going to see movies with immodesty and/or sɛҳuąƖ content can set a bad example for other Catholics, particularly the young. It can also lead to non-Catholics pointing their finger at us and saying, 'see, those Catholics are hypocrites! They don't practice what they preach. They always talk about sɛҳuąƖ immorality, but then when a movie like this comes out, they flock to see it like everyone else!'

Those are just three good reasons I can think of off the top of my head to avoid seeing a movie like this. I wouldn't be surprised if there were others.

I tell you all of this, not to judge you (for I've done the same thing myself numerous times), but to hopefully offer some guidance on the path to becoming a more fervent soldier of Christ.

Pax,
Jason

Before we get all morally self-righteous here I'd like to point out those of you who buy and watch old Hollywood films are doing the exact same thing as me. If you think those films are any better you are naive.

Before we get all morally self-righteous here I'd like to point out those of you who buy and watch old Hollywood films are doing the exact same thing as me. If you think those films are any better you are naive.

Granted, but did you really have to go see this movie to confirm that it was smut? The whole exercise seems to be a waste of time. Why not spend the 2 hours reading an edifying book and saving $10, or however much it costs for a movie ticket these days?

Before we get all morally self-righteous here I'd like to point out those of you who buy and watch old Hollywood films are doing the exact same thing as me. If you think those films are any better you are naive.

Nobody's trying to be morally self-righteous. I've even said that I've done the same thing countless times, and I'll likely do so again. But I think you need to move your thinking beyond, "it's OK, it doesn't affect me" to "hmm, maybe it's not OK." It's the gift of guilt! :wink: Eventually, the guilt will get to you and you'll start to do the right thing instead. But if you keep thinking, "oh, there's nothing wrong with it," then you're never going to advance in the spiritual life. Step one is acknowledging the problem (or that there even is a problem); only then can you begin to address said problem.

It's like Alcoholics Anonymous, but for all sins, not just drunkenness. Think of this forum (and by extension, the whole Church, of which we are a part) as Sinners Anonymous. None of us are perfect, but we can strive to help each other to overcome our many imperfections!  :smile: