Ethics and Religion Talk: Sex, Violence, and Hollywood, part 2

Over the years, Hollywood has gotten more and more explicit in displaying nudity, sexual situations and violence. I am curious about how the clergy members on this panel choose which content they will view, especially on the various streaming platforms that are available. Would any of you avoid a program that might be good otherwise, but includes sex/nudity? Has such content become so much a part of society that we have become numb to it? Or, perhaps we should just accept all this as being an honest portrayal of life?

Read the Part 1 of our panel's responses here.

The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds:

For the most part, do not limit my viewing based on nudity, but I do not enjoy violence as a form of entertainment. I do not appreciate gratuitous nudity, sex or violence because it weakens the stories or cheapens it for me. I would not be interested in movies like Fifty Shades of Grey. In contrast I am a huge fan of Call the Midwife. While each episode will show a mother giving birth the plot often engages high ethical and moral dilemmas of the day. I do believe Hollywood has gone further than is needed, always stretching the limits of taste and acceptability. Fortunately, we all get to decide whether to support this form of entertainment or not. 

Finally, Unitarian Universalism has very little to say about this subject, but I would add in our sexual education curriculum there is an opinion given about pornography. The curriculum warns that pornography is a distortion of reality and may create unrealistic expectations.    

Linda Knieriemen, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, responds:

Several years ago I stopped watching most of the cop/detective shows because I was becoming immune to the violence. I will not watch television or movies with sexual violence or gratuitous sex. A good story requires neither. There are times when carefully portrayed sexual expression artfully augments a narrative but more often sexualized scenes serve as titillating additions inserted to improve ratings.

The human body is thing of beauty. Sexuality is a gift of the Creator.  Both are honest portrayals of life. Nevertheless, there is a time and place for everything.  

Certainly, the increasing vulgarity of today's media is a challenge for religious people. It's a clear sign of the current cultural trajectory that for one to avoid such media will open them up to ridicule. Think Mike Pence's treatment on late night TV. It is not just a matter of being a prude. Imagery is very powerful and what enters the eyes and ears has an impact on our spiritual hearts and unfortunately its hard to find anything coming out of the entertainment industry that doesn't have such an effect at some level. I have found that watching any type of streaming requires a vigilant readiness to hit the skip ahead button.  For people who have the willpower using smaller screens like tablets and phones is helpful because it is easier to self censor than a giant TV mounted on the other side of the room. One can simply put their hand over any objectionable imagery. At the end of the day these are only partial solutions. The best solution is to find alternative sources of entertainment. I suggest reading. A good book will save you from the problems of streaming in addition to the benefits of reading that aren't found in watching.

My response:

There is a difference between realism and sex or violence for its own sake. If violence is portrayed honestly because it is party of the story, or nudity is necessary to fully depict the character or the context of a scene, it doesn’t bother me. I happen to think that the writing today is better than it was 60 and 70 years ago because it portrays real human beings in relation to each other, and not some ridiculously limited, idealized, and censured version of society.

I am also not bothered by the action genre of movies in which the number of bullets fired is absurdly over the top, or the hero and the villain exchange enough punches to put both of them in the hospital for half a year, but get up and keep fighting. There was a time, though, in the horror genre in particular, when filmmakers began showing graphic violence for its own sake. I have all but ceased to watch such movies.

This column answers questions of Ethics and Religion by submitting them to a multi-faith panel of spiritual leaders in the Grand Rapids area. We’d love to hear about the ordinary ethical questions that come up in the course of your day as well as any questions of religion that you’ve wondered about. Tell us how you resolved an ethical dilemma and see how members of the Ethics and Religion Talk panel would have handled the same situation. Please send your questions to [email protected].