Christians Should Not View "R" Rated Movies (Affirmative)

1AC: Christians should NOT watch “R” rated movies.

Is the judge ready? Is the timer ready?

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8. This is only one example of the Bible being very clear on what to put into our minds. The Bible does not put qualifications on this, it very simply states to keep yourself pure by dwelling only on what will be beneficial to you.

Before continuing, I would like to define some terms.

Christian - One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

“R” rated – Any movie rated “R” because of hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements.

Movie – Motion picture

There are several strong values that support Christians refraining from “R” rated content, but the three I’ve chosen to focus on are Pure Minds, Honor, and Example. Even when something doesn’t affect us on the outside right away, it is important to keep our minds Pure. Honor is about keeping our minds and our hearts strongly immersed in God’s word and doing what he would want us to. And as Christians, it is important to set a good Example for the world. By watching “R” rated content, we can cause other to stumble or doubt that Christ really makes us different.

Since movies were not around during Biblical times, it is difficult to be decisive about this subject. Instead of relying directly on the Bible, we must rely on the messages given to us. One thing is for certain: God does not look at things the way Man does. When deciding whether or not to view “R” rated movies, one must try to see things from a holy perspective.

Christians should be in the world but not of it. They should be living, breathing, tangible reminders of what Christ did and how he changes lives today. When the world looks at Christians, what does it typically see? Hypocrites. It is extremely important that we work to change this view on Christians. By viewing “R” rated movies, especially in the theater, we are only bringing our faith down. It is important to show the world that Christians are different.

Who we are is defined by how we act. How we act is defined by what we think. What we think is directly influenced by what we take it. If we fill our hearts and minds with “R” rated content, whether we think so or not, it will eventually affect how we think, how we act, and therefore who we are. Who we are needs to set a good example to the world.

Another important thing to consider is the purity of our minds. Everything we put into our minds affects us, whether it is immediately apparent or not. As Renae Richardson points out, “A person is not deemed to be sick of a disease until it is confirmed by outward symptoms or diagnosed by a physician. However, a person is often internally sick before they even manifest the first signs. All diseases begin with one germ that multiplies. All germs have an origin. They don't just manifest.” This means that even though “R” rated content may seem not to affect us, it actually is. Everything we view has an effect on us, good or bad, whether we realize it or not. Change starts on the inside; we ourselves might not even realize it until very late in the game.

The bottom line is honor. Honor God, honor yourself, honor your family, honor your morals. Honor is not about doing what is easy, what is convenient, or what makes sense at the time. Honor is about setting values for yourself and following them even when it is not as appealing. It’s all too easy to make good decisions when you are calm, but when put in different circumstances, our minds are not always clear. It is better to make a conscious decision NOT to watch “R” rated movies than to leave yourself open to temptation and decision in a difficult situation.

In conclusion, Christians should not view “R” rated movies because it compromises their honor, affects the mind whether they realize it or not, and sets bad examples for non-Christians.

Stay tuned for the negative side to this argument: Christians SHOULD watch "R" rated movies.

~Kendra