Movies make me happy. They always have, and I suspect they always will. This is true for billions of people in the world also. We just love the power of movies to transport us to realms and experiences we’ve never imagined. It’s the reason I became a filmmaker.
So, films have that power- and it’s a staggering influence too. But with great power comes great responsibility. And that responsibility is shirked these days when, increasingly, movies freely use expletives in direct relation to/with GOD or The LORD JESUS CHRIST.
‘Long Shot,’ a rom-com with Academy Award winner Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen;
The second season of the dramatic serial, ‘Godfather of Harlem’ with Oscar winner Forest Whitaker alongside an ensemble of brilliant actors;
‘Luther: The Fallen Sun,’ the 2023 movie from the popular British television series of the same name, starring the phenomenal Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, and nobody-does-bad-better Andy Serkis;
‘Sharper,’ a complex personality thriller with Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, John Lithgow, and the ethereal, academy award-winning Julianne Moore.
‘Tetris,’ a based on true events international caper starring Taron Egerton, Ayane, Sofya Lebedeva, Tobi Jones, and Rick Yune.
These movies have 2 things in common. In varying degrees, I massively enjoyed watching them, and I never saw their endings. And that’s because of a 3rd thing they all had in common too.
Somewhere along their gripping narratives, one and all of them used a four-letter expletive referring to and as a direct address to either GOD or The LORD JESUS CHRIST.
That abruptly terminated my viewing experience and pleasure. I instantly ceased watching and where possible, removed or deleted these films from my devices altogether.
Now, it’s true that not everyone believes in GOD or in the divinity of JESUS CHRIST. That’s fine. Each to his/her own; this is not about that. It’s about the fact that billions across the world do believe in the sacredness of these Personalities, as I do.
When movies so blithely pass over the real effect of using the crudest ‘cusswords’ in relation to whom so many have associated with the most profound and holy reverence, it causes great, personal hurt and offense.
It’s also blasphemy, but again, not my fight.
I, of course, speak from personal experience. I follow The LORD JESUS CHRIST, and most acutely notice these sad events in relation to the Christian conception of Divinity. There may exist, unknown to me, instances of the same treatment in films of the revered (P)personalities of other religions.
However, I have not witnessed (perhaps noticed) such four-letter expletives used for the sacred (P)personalities of other religions such as Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, etc.
Please, to be clear. This is not about censorship. Anyone and everyone can objectively or even subjectively question anything or anyone, in my opinion. What am I on about then? It’s about degrading the name of JESUS CHRIST to the same level as a word like ‘f**k’ used as a vulgar expletory. I would write the word in full, but even here I’m respectful of the sensibilities of others and this platform’s rules. That’s what I’m on about.
Why is it so easy for Christian Deities to be so violated in films, do you think? Well, I think it’s because, generally, Christians follow Matthew 5:39.
But I say to you, Do not resist an evil person. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And that’s okay. The Bible says everyone will answer to GOD for everything they do while on earth. As a Christian, I’m content to leave all judgment to The CREATOR, including that for my own shortcomings. It’s a terrifying thought though.
What my piece is about is the personal damage that hearing and seeing my Savior so addressed in films brings to me. I’m speaking to the producers of these films, the actors, or editors, or anyone else in a position to say, “Take this line out, it’s offensive to people.” I’m saying I won’t watch your film if you leave it in.
You’ll notice I took the time to note the Oscar winners among the cast in the films above. Meaning no disrespect to other film awards associations, the Oscars were just the easiest to quote. I did so for a reason.
Actors are in the enviable positions of being role models to millions. None of these performers in the films above would permit, for instance, an LGBTQ slur in a movie they are in, let alone say them. It’s not politically correct today and may even be career suicide.
Why is it so easy then for them to use the f-word and JESUS in the same phrase? Perhaps they need to remember that, our many faults notwithstanding, Christians are people too.
If as an actor you choose to do the right thing out of the fear of GOD, that’s excellent. But if you can’t get there, doing so because you respect the feelings of people who believe in GOD works too. In this world, at least. It’s a whole other conversation when we die, I believe. We also might want to think about that sometimes and consider that this whole JESUS thing might just be true.
Movies have power. It’s time for the responsibility in power to kick in.