I'm so thankful that early on in our marriage both Curtis and I agreed that we had no interest in scary movies. We love movies- it's so fun to escape in that way. I love a good sci-fi, mystery, spy action, comedy and of course romance. I don't know what I would do if Curtis was one of those guys who wanted to rent "Paranormal" or "Saw." We have made a point of talking to our kids about this a lot and I appreciate his back up. He says straight up "those movies scare me" (which is just powerful coming from a manly man like Curtis). And I tell the kids that I sincerely believe those movies are straight from Satan, just like church lady on SNL said! I saw a few of those movies as a teenager (always at a friend's house- who's parents were renting those for us?!?) and literally 20 years later there are scenes from them that I can still remember clearly. I'm just so grateful that I learned pretty quickly to get up and leave and didn't see very many.
We've had lots of talks in our family about how precious your mind is. And how truly powerful images are. My mom would often ask me to think about the messages in movies, books and music. At the time I was just annoyed but her words stuck and to this day I find myself analyzing what is truly being portrayed, encouraged and promoted in entertainment. In my opinion, horror movies have done too much to normalize sociopathic behavior, or at least to make it entertaining. We should listen to the genre name and be "horrified." I haven't even mentioned all the demonic possession type movies. I avoid those for a different reason. Those movies invite evil into your life, plain and simple. I believe there is an adversary and he has spirits that follow him. Why would I knowingly invite that into my life?
I'm so thankful for the standards for the youth of our church. I need them as reminder in my adult life! This line is instructive:
"Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal, humorous, or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. Have the courage to walk out of a movie, change your music, or turn off a computer, television, or mobile device if what you see or hear drives away the Spirit."
I know that many people think Stephen King is a genius. Sorry (not sorry) I think he's a creep.
