In the beginning

August 13, 2010 Eliza 18 comments

Perhaps we can blame my high school history teacher for my descent into apostasy, as it was he who caused me to view my first R-rated movie.

It wasn’t forced or anything. We were covering English history in class, and he offered a Saturday morning movie– come in your jammies, enjoy some coffee and snacks, and watch Braveheart. (Relax, history buffs, Mr. B made sure to point out the historical inaccuracies.) For some reason, I really wanted to see it, and managed to paint it in a scholastic light so as to obtain parental permission.

Say what you will about Mel Gibson, and I’ll probably agree with you, but Braveheart is a kickass movie. It spoke to my sixteen-year-old heart in a big way. I’m not going to pretend like it’s the best movie I’ve ever seen, or even one of my favorites, but it was an earth-shattering revelation to me: it was rated R, and it was… well, it was of good report and praiseworthy.

How was that possible? My prophet had told me not to see R-rated films, and I did anyway, and you know? They weren’t that different than any other film. Some of them were good, some of them were bad, most of them were mediocre, but none of them made me a bad person just by the watching of them. Some of them were even uplifting and beautiful.

I developed a habit. I’d go to my best friend’s house every Friday, and we’d watch a (usually R-rated) film, and agree on a PG-13 to say that we’d watched. I saw my first R in the theatre (The Royal Tenenbaums) and had an awkward moment seeing a couple from my ward at the theatre.

I didn’t feel too guilty about watching R-rated movies, though I didn’t like hiding it from my parents. I never really felt any guilt about breaking rules that I thought were nonsensical or arbitrary. The next semester I took a film class, and the first movie we watched was The Matrix, which was infinitely more kickass than Braveheart. It was all over after that. I knew the prophet was wrong about R-rated movies, and eventually I’d allow myself to wonder what else he was wrong about.

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Peculiar People, Recovery, Rules and Conformity none

#1 | Written by Andrew S. about 2 years ago.

The problem is that there is no explicit ban on R-rated movies. it is a caution on watching movies that are “suggestive, immoral, or pornographic” (of which R-rated movies could, but may not necessarily, apply).
#2 | Written by Leah about 2 years ago.

Good Will Hunting. First R-rated theatre movie. Then after I was exed I gleefully rented Erin Brockavich.

I finally watched When Harry Met Sally just a few weeks ago. Loved it!
#3 | Written by Jeremy about 2 years ago.

Braveheart is a great movie. How does the quote go at the end? I think it’s “Every Mormon dies, but only PostMormons really live.”
#4 | Written by Ed about 2 years ago.

My wife and I actually just saw Braveheart for the first time two weeks ago and had the same reaction.
#5 | Written by Ed about 2 years ago.

The “R-rated” rule always bothered me to no end even while TBM. It was an arbitrary line in the sand that kept people from watching real praiseworthy movies while simultaneously giving them a carte blanche to watch trash that was rated PG-13. Seriously, I knew Mormons who wouldn’t watch Schindler’s List because it had an R-rating, but wouldn’t bat an eye about watching Austin Powers. Soooo dumb.
#6 | Written by Craig about 2 years ago.

@Andrew

There used to be an explicit ban on specifically rated “R” movies. I believe it was Benson who said it once, and it was in the For the Strength of Youth for quite a while before the changed it to what you quoted. I grew up with it being explicitly no Rated “R”, which I also ignored.
#7 | Written by Andrew S. about 2 years ago.

well I’ll be a correlated commandment, Craig!
#8 | Written by TGD about 2 years ago.

I LOVED The Royal Tenenbaums. And it was, oddly enough, a very emotionally healing movie for me. How could something like that be evil just because it’s Rated-R. It’s a secular rating system that the church puts trust in. Isn’t that even more ironic?
#9 | Written by Eliza about 2 years ago.

I think it’s common knowledge amongst Mormons that you’re not supposed to watch R-rated movies, but nobody seems to know specifically where that’s written, who issued the edict, or how “bad” it is on the sin scale. It was definitely in the “For the Strength of the Youth” pamphlet when I was growing up, not so very long ago. I don’t know of any North American Mormons who aren’t aware of this rule, and active Mormons who watch R-rated movies do so in spite of this rule, and often feel compelled to justify their actions. I certainly did.
#10 | Written by Eliza about 2 years ago.

It’s still one of my favorites. I love Wes Anderson.
#11 | Written by Eliza about 2 years ago.

I remember a conference talk given by a woman that said we shouldn’t watch PG-13s either. I was really little, and barely remember it, but my parents let me watch them, so I thought she was off her rocker. Luckily, very few of the Mormons I know paid attention to that, although I am acquainted with a few who won’t even watch PG movies. It’s hard to take people like that seriously.
#12 | Written by Andrew S. about 2 years ago.

I still do *not* think that it is “common knowledge” among Mormons that you’re not supposed to watch R-rated movies. It is about as “common” as the “knowledge” that Mormons don’t drink coke/caffeinated soda — e.g., if you come from an area where that is the cultural norm, then that’s what you have. But if not, then not. People swear by culture and say culture is doctrine.

What I’ve always heard was that there is no explicit ban on any rating precisely because there can be uplifting movies that are graphic (R), but spiritually terrible movies that slide by with something like a PG-13. The idea behind not watching spiritually destructive PG-13 movies isn’t “no PG-13″ movies, but that you can have content that doesn’t uplift anywhere.

maybe I just had a better-than-average ward…who knows, our Bishop was p. awesome.
#13 | Written by TGD about 2 years ago.

I remember the no R rated movies bit being stated in general confrence many years ago. It’s also odd because that rating system only applies to the USA. What about the other countries?
#14 | Written by winterborn about 2 years ago.

I do believe my first R-rated, er… film… was Pretty Woman, which my father rented very quietly when my mom was out of town for whatever reason. My father the future bishop of our ward. Hmm. That doesn’t exactly count, though, because I was pretty little and I don’t think I actually realized what was up at the time.

But yeah, I grew up with it being a RULE that Mormons did not watch things with an R rating. Braveheart had a pretty strong impact on me, too, tho I’m not sure precisely when I first saw it. Some of the very best films I’ve ever seen would never fly on the scale of what’s acceptable in mainstream American Mormondom. (Trois Couleurs, anyone?)
#15 | Written by Ed about 2 years ago.

@Craig: I think the change happened in the late 90s. I joined the church in the mid-90s when it was definitely a ban on “R-rated” movies. It was after I was out of high school a few years later that the Strength For the Youth Pamplet was changed (@Andrew S: Love the correlated commandment comment!).

I grew up in Arizona where Mormonism is a little more weird and paleo than other places, and it was considered a sign of true righteousness if you went above and beyond and didn’t watch anything PG-13 either. It always made group dates a pain in the butt, as there was always somebody in the group who couldn’t watch something completely benign because of the PG-13 label.

Ooooh the memories!!!!
#16 | Written by Friendlyexmo about 2 years ago.

Its funny, cause R-rated movie played a role in my leaving the church too. I remember watching one (and I don’t remember which movie it was) and I remember feeling that same feeling inside that I had always attributed to being the spirit. But I shouldn’t be able to feel the spirit while watching a rated-R movie! I was taught that when we break such rules, the spirit flees, and ceases to influence us. That’s when I realized that “the spirit” is simply a natural emotional reaction that your body has to a highly moving or emotional stimulus. Nothing more, nothing less.
#17 | Written by Cara about 2 years ago.

When the Matrix came out, my mom asked me how i liked it (I was married). I told her it was great, and I didn’t know why it was R rated. She proceeded to rent it for FAMILY HOME EVENING! My little bro and sis were only like 13 and 16. Then she got a little mad at me for recommending it. “Not for FHE!” I said.
#18 | Written by Carla about 2 years ago.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen This Film is Not Yet Rated, but this has to be about the weirdest, most flagrantly arbitrary and pointless rules in Mormondom.

#1 | Pinged by Sunday in Outer Blogness: Publicity and Gay Rights Edition! | Main Street Plaza about 2 years ago.

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