I am not sure how things are in the states, but here in the Netherlands movies are not mentioned by name. I know plenty of JW's elders included going to Potter and Lord of the Rings. So what? I also know some that think they are bad.
Greven
I saw a JW Elder at X-Men 2 Movie this weekend!!
by WingCommander 42 Replies latest jw friends
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SYN
Well next time that Elder attempts to counsel you for anything, just stick this particularly interesting little factoid in his FACE dude!
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DIM
Hey Reborn,
You are a little smug, much like a JW. Where I am from, suburban Philadelphia, no one ever mentioned X-Men from stage and no one cared if you went and saw it. Your outline was alot like many many talks I heard, maybe the people in the congregations just didn't care.
The original post in this thread is seeped in negativity and harbors resentment and revenge. pathetic. get a life!
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Reborn2002
Hey Reborn,
You are a little smug, much like a JW.
Think what you like, I just harbor little sympathy or decency for people who make false statements apologizing for the Watchtower Society doctrine. I see you did not deny anything I stated, you simply chose to ignore the facts. People tend to do that when they have no legitimate rebuttal. Jehovah's Witness apologists sicken me, and your statements do just that, apologize for the mind control tactics of a cult.
No one ever mentioned X-Men from stage and no one cared if you went and saw it. Your outline was alot like many many talks I heard, maybe the people in the congregations just didn't care.
See my original post. In Jehovah's Witness-land, they did not need mention any specific film. It was a written rule that R-rated films are forbidden, and that action films which encouraged violence or sex are not Christian. I see you acknowledged the outline I provided.. and you say "maybe the people in the congregations didn't care." Then you admit their wrongs! If that is the case, then they were flatly disobeying their own doctrine. This again demonstrates the hypocrisy of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Admit it. I made you look like a fool. When you make erroneous statements, I called you on it and provided evidence showing you are WRONG. Until you provide facts to disprove me, just suck it up and admit it.
The original post in this thread is seeped in negativity and harbors resentment and revenge. pathetic. get a life!
When the Jehovah's Witnesses instruct people to not go to college and find a way to improve their quality of life, and instead peddle magazines door-to-door in a virtual free slave labor, or kill innocent children by an ever-changing blood doctrine, or condone the molestation of children by protecting the image of the organization.. there is reason to habror resentment and revenge over a cult which controls every aspect of a person's life.
You get a life. When you stop apologizing for Jehovah's Witness doctrine and practices and making erroneous statements or outright lies, then perhaps you can earn someone's respect.
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petespal2002
"Elders will go to hell"
Are we now to assume there is such a place?
I was raised as a witness with strict parental rules, but we always watched tv and going to the movies was a treat at school holidays. Show me in a WT where dubs SHOULD NOT attend movies.
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MikeMusto
I dont think its hard to pick apart witnesses when you purposely go looking
for it. kinda like a seek and destroy mentality.. Im sure there are plenty
of strict dubs who wouldnt think of seeing the xmen movies, and they know others
who have seen it...am i to turn away from a 3 stooges movies becuase it is violence,
or how about the Tom and Jerry cartoons- GASP!! violence against Gods Creations--And Talking
animals-just like the serpant talked in the garden of Eden.
Do you see the pattern?
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undercover
Many JWs have a balanced view on movies/TV etc. But that is despite the fact that the WTS pretty much trys to make you feel guilty if you should partake in any kind of this entertainment. They don't come out and say it word for word, but it is there between the lines. More so at Conventions and Assemblies.
At the last meeting I went to(couple of weeks ago) some people were standing around talking about going to see the X-men. Not one of them was concerned about it being good or bad. Then one of them mentions The Matrix Reloaded and how he was looking forward to seeing that. An elder overheard and mentioned about it being rated R. The brother feigned ignorance and said he didn't realize it was R. As soon as the elder was out of earshot, he rolls his eyes and says, "I'm still gonna go see it." You can look at this two ways. He was being hypocritical and sneaky, not living up to his dedication which makes him no better or worse than any other "religious" person or maybe it's a good sign; JWs(at least some) are starting to realize that they aren't going to allow other people make their decisions for them and are starting to question their leadership.
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MikeMusto
Interestingly enough.........Never have i hears so much talk about
Watching a rated R movies as I have about watching the Matrix reloaded.
Some who swore they would never watch a rated r movie are gonna go see it.
I figure with all the JW's who are gonna watch it now..it should push this movie over 90 million the first weekend alone!
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Oroborus21
Let's see you said that the only reason this guy was an elder was because his father was one, etc. You then went on to (accurately?) describe this guy's character in a way which all here could agree is "un-Elder-like" in quality.
Therefore is it contradictory or hypocritical if this same guy is at a movie (that may be questionable)? Not really there is no hypocracy here. From the testimony of your own mouth, this person is not living up to the expected qualities of an elder.
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Having said that, as with many things within the JW culture, there are many contradictions and illogical distinctions. That the Society has included the general disapproval of "R" rated movies is just another on of these.
A major misunderstanding on the part of the Society and most of JWs is to fail to understand what the MPAA's rating system ACTUALLY MEANS.
Rated "R" means that the movie contains content that has been deemed suitable by the screening group for persons over age 18 and not suitable for children. Rated R does not equal "bad."
Additionally, aside from the ratings system being highly subjective, there is a lot of manipulation of the system on the part of movie producers (and I am not even talking about behind the scenes lobbying or manipulation). A studio or producer knows from the outset what rating they want to obtain for a general release film. These determinations are not about the actual content or "artistic values" of the film but are tied to the judgment of what rating will be the most profitable.
A film like "American Pie" for example which is aimed at the teen to young adult crowd is deliberately made "R" because the teens will think it is "cool" and the adults will think there is enough "raciness" to be entertaining. American Pie could have been easily edited to get a PG-13 or even PG rating but then think how less successful it would have been.
Sometimes a studio wants a PG or PG-13 rating but the initial rating it receives is an R. In which case the film will be edited to get the desired rating for the general release and later the director will often get his "director's cut" which will often be the original R.
Of course some of the critera such as "adult language", "nudity", "violence", "adult situations" etc. that factors into the ratings determination, are things that a christian may find objectionable and the traditional JW argument is that one would not want to deliberately subject themselves to such a situation--even though all of these things permeate our world and society.
But given the fact that the ratings system is so subjective, that the lines between G to PG, PG to PG-13, and PG-13 to R are so blurry and also manipulated, it doesn't seem reasonable to lay out a "hard-line" prohibition on "R" rated movies and to say that a PG-13 movie is "OK" when it may have been a single cut of less than a minute that made the difference to the ratings board in reducing an initial R rating to PG-13.
Ultimately, the decision to see any movie (like so many things in life and within the Organization) should be a matter of individual conscience and blanket prohibitions or endorsements should not be made by anyone.
-Eduardo
A movie should not be objectionable because of its RATING by the MPAA.
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undercover
Ultimately, the decision to see any movie (like so many things in life and within the Organization) should be a matter of individual conscience and blanket prohibitions or endorsements should not be made by anyone.
Excellent post. Unfortunately though, life inside the JW structure does not allow for this. If you are a pioneer, an MS, an elder or higher, it is expressly forbidden to watch R-rated movies(in the US). If you are a publisher, you may not be forbidden but you will be encouraged to follow the example of those with responsibility and if "reaching out" should abstain from watching/listening to anything questionable. There are former Behethlites here. They'll tell you. No R-rated movies allowed at Bethel. No conscience decision there. Forbidden.
I saw an MS friend of mine get called in on the carpet because another brother saw an R-rated movie at the MS's house. This movie wasn't lying around, it was in a closed cabinet. The brother got snoopy and looked in it. If he was offended he didn't do the right thing by saying something to the brother who owned the movie. No, he went straight to the elders. The elders of course came down on the MS. He eventually was removed because he would not get rid of certain movies and music. While the elders have not seen fit to use this former MS thinking it is punishment, this former MS told his buddies about what happened and the actions of the super-righeous brother backfired on him. He was formally included in recreational stuff with the MS and his friends. After that he was never included for fear he would always report back to the elders. As this event unfolded, it made me question what happened to using our christian conscience and this rationalization of running around telling on people. I saw a brother who did no wrong get in trouble while the tattle-tale was rewarded(by the elders; they started "using him") for being "zealous for fine works". Talk about being hypocritical.