Well-reasoned post, Philip, but, and if you'll pardon the opinion, not intended personally, it deals with an absolutely irrelevant, culturally insipid, intellectually weak position.

Pigeonholing films into a particular worldview lessens the worth one derives from them - culturally, visually and morally. Any film, or human effort, is multi-faceted, contradictory, rich.

The identification of certain films with this world-view are specious, as is the term 'Christian', used in this sense. The tent is large, but not that large.

Stopped watching R rated movies back in college, only because most of the oens shown were junk. Still don't watch, because the previews tell me the movie is going to suck.

Aaman, I agree with you, but I've occasionally taken on the issue of so-called "the Christian worldview" on my blog, and I'll continue to do so, because that view does hold sway with a lot of people near and dear to me.

I know a family of otherwise-reasonable people who made a rule against watching R-rated films years ago. They almost broke it for Saving Private Ryan, and were actually driving to the theater when they changed their minds and turned around and went home. Then, in 2004, came The Passion. Their church is buying out entire showings. So what do they do? Chuck the rule out the window. Which makes me want to ask, "What was the point of the rule then?"

If someone wants to avoid most of the dreck involved with movies that advocate or aren't negative enough about immorality, I hardly think that the entirely-secular MPAA is the best source of info, you know?

At that same church, a popular visiting preacher (Bishop Joseph Garlington) used an illustration from The Matrix (rated R) and interrupted himself in shock when he realized that the pastor of the church hadn't seen the film. "Oh brother, you've got to go see that one!" he said.

Amen.

Also, I think The Passion illustrates one of my often-repeated statements, that the Bible is R-rated at least, just read from beginning to end, with no effort made to spice it up.

Anyone dumb enough to refuse to watch R-rated films is robbing themselves of the greatest films ever made (Schindler's List). On the flip side, anyone dumb enough to refuse to watch G-rated films is also missing some of the great films ever made (Wizard of Oz).

We Were Soldiers had strong family values and was one of the best films of the year it was released. I tend to not like war films as a whole (hated Saving Private Ryan, loved Apocalypse Now), though enjoyed Gibson's work. I have yet to see The Passion because I don't play into that trip. Violence disturbs me, whether performed on a bikini-clad babe in Friday the 13th or upon some actor playing someone's interpretation of this cat called Jesus.

No one is forced to watch a fucking movie a la Alex in A Clockwork Orange. It's called choice. It's called keeping an eye on the kids while they're growing up and make sure they don't check out some Italian zombie film. As long as there has been films, there has been controverisal films (remember Birth of a Nation?).

It's art baby, and you can't mix it with fabricated morality, family values or Aryan beliefs.

I should point out that it is presumably possible to perform real statistical analysis on the movies released in a given year, taking into account not just the average gross by rating, but also the number of films in each rating, the budgets, etc. That might actually yield some interesting info, unlike Baehr's screeds.

I was turned on to this article by a colleague, and am pleased I can post a response.

It bears mentioning that MOVIEGUIDE is a business, at its heart. Certainly we strive to enlighten and inform parents about making wise an discerning choices for their children's viewing habits, and adults' choices as well. But at the end of the day it is all about the bottom line, and in this case it is revenues generated by donations, and by financial incentives provided by production houses.

You will notice that everything, articles and reviews both, that appears on www.movieguide.org solicits for donations. This is an integral part of our income. More so is the money paid to the Kairos Marketing Group, a sister company of MOVIEGUIDE and the Christian Film & Television Commission.

Production houses submits a monetary fee to Kairos, which in turn rolls the money over to me at movieguide.org, and I then lean the subsequent review of that producer's movie to be much more favourable in terms of rating for Content and Acceptability.

Therefore, in the case of a Christian-friendly movie such as THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, we will bend out reviewing standards to extoll the wholesome Biblical worldview while largely ignoring the "torture porn" aspect of that film. By the same token we will take a clean and interesting film like THE DA VINCI CODE and attack it endlessly, because it posits subject material antithetical to our Christian ethos.

It is a money game we play here, gentlemen. MOVIEGUIDE must play to its conservative Christian base, and to do so we must re-interpret our own rules in order to keep up the bottom line.

Yours in Christ,

Dr. Ted Baehr
Founder, Christian Film & Television Commission

Of course, I'm reasonably certain that the previous comment is *not* posted by Ted Baehr, for what are probably obvious reasons. I actually don't question the real Ted Baehr's sincerity; I just suspect that he is blind to his own inconsistency.

Bill Maher's RELIGULOUS Hits The Nail on the Head!
Oct 2nd, 2008 Humorous Comedian Bill Maher's New Movie Is Full of Laughs.

By Dr. Ted Baehr, Publisher, and Dr. Tom Snyder, Editor

Religulous, comedian Bill Maher's insightful look at Christianity and religion, is full of truths, facts, and logic. It's a tremendous documentary that will win the hearts and minds of the average American. It is also very well researched and argued.

Mr. Maher visits a small trucker chapel and starts questioning the pastor and a small group of men about their Christian faith. Though one man angrily stalks out, the others do a good job of answering most of Maher's questions, then pray to God with him that God will answer all his questions. After the prayer, Maher thanks them for being "Christ-like" instead of acting like "Christians." An important distinction!

The rest of the documentary is filled with lighter moments.

Finally, at the end of the movie, Maher launches into a diatribe comparing all religious leaders and believers, including President George Bush, to allegedly Muslim terrorists. After making that accurate statement, Maher rightly denounces people of faith for being too certain and too judgmental. He then tells them that it is actually more "humble" to acknowledge doubts and belief in God and religion, like he does. Amen!

Maher contends during the movie that the Book of Genesis teaches that a snake talks with Eve, that the Bible never teaches original sin, and that Jesus Christ never promised his followers clothes, shelter and food. All of this is true. I mean, a talking snake? How lame is THAT?

As Chapter 28 of Ezekiel and Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 make clear, the talking "serpent" in Chapter 3 of Genesis is actually Satan, or the Devil, a fallen angel who tempts all people to rebel against God, including Adam and Eve. We will call this "fucking dumb explanation #1" Thus, either this fallen angel miraculously took on the form of some kind of serpent. Or, some words in Genesis must be interpreted completely symbolically or figuratively (but still literally)(say fucking WHAT?), as a symbolic or metaphorical comparison of Satan to the deceit and wickedness of a serpent with a forked tongue. "Fucking dumb explanation #2"

Then, Maher claims that the virgin birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ are just legends that Christians borrowed from earlier pagan religions. As examples, he cites the Hindu worship of the god Krishna, the Egyptian god Horus who is the son of Isis and Osiris, and the Greco-Roman worship of the god Mithra. Christianity is busted!

These truths from Bill Maher are amazing enough. What's perhaps even more heartwarming is that Maher gets some help from Father George Coyne, Director Emeritus of the Vatican Observatory. At one point in the movie, Coyne tells Maher that some of the documents in the New Testament were written 200 years after Jesus Christ's death. Absolutely true!

Throughout Religulous, Maher constantly exposes the warped and ridiculous theology of the Bible and of Christianity by exposing the Bible and Christian theology in the most sensible, logical ways imaginable. For example, according to him, all Bible-believing Evangelical Christians are stupid "fundamentalists" who believe in a completely non-figurative, literal Bible that teaches the Earth is only about 5,000 years old. Unfortunately these fucktard fundamentalists are the same ones ruining America today!

Finally, Maher ridicules Christians and believers in other religions as being narrow-minded, judgmental, arrogant, irrational, full of stubborn certainty, and hypocritical. ABOUT TIME someone pointed the finger at these kooks!

It is always telling to MOVIEGUIDE® how the best films and the most important documentaries tend to slam Christianity, as did JESUS CAMP and ou personal favorite, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. Lots of slamming happened in that last one.

The more research the MOVIEGUIDE® staff conducts, and the more evidence we dig up, the more we have found that the Bible and Christianity are complete horse-shit, and all other ideologies that contradict them, or that make contrary assertions to undermine them, are right on the money. Jesus Christ is a complete fabrication. And, the Bible is indeed the "inerrant, infallible Word" of a God that doesn't really exist.

Of course, don't take OUR word for it. Go and do the serious research and evidence gathering on your own. Examine the biblical passages we cite and look up our sources. Then, pray to Jesus Christ that God will answer the remaining questions you may have. And see what happens. That's right, dick-all.

Again, I'm reasonably certain that the preceding comment is not actually by Dr. Ted Baehr. My opinion of Dr. Baehr isn't overwhelmingly positive, and was not helped at all by a series of requests to remove all posts even remotely critical of Dr. Baehr, but time has passed, and this article no longer tops the search results, and so I'm pretty sure Dr. Baehr has moved on.

More to the point, the preceding commenter writes from a perspective antithetical to Dr. Baehr's -- and mine.

Ted Baehr is NOT a doctor. People should stop giving him undue credit and properly refer to him as Mr. Baehr. He has a Juris Doctor which is a 3 year law degree and requires less education than a Masters in Law let alone an actual Doctorate. In fact, it is illegal in many places, such as San Diego, to refer to yourself as Dr. if you have a J.D., as it is against the Code of Professional Ethics.

Friends, President-elect Barack Obama has just won the presidency. Our first honest election since 1996.

I have been a terrible person for many years, a hypocrite and a complete idiot. I vow to change.

As of November 10th I will resign as president of the Atlanta Log Cabin Republicans. I renounce Christianity and embrace atheism. I fully admit my own homosexuality and apologize for all the lesbians, gays, and transgenders I have offended over the years.

I am truly sorry.

Dr. Ted Baehr
Christian Film & Television Commission

I'm not sure who has such a grudge against Baehr, to keep posing at him, but it's uncool. I think Baehr is a blowhard and an idiot, but the insinuations from fake-Baehr are just silly.

I received your email, Phillip. Why the question of authenticity? It actually is me, though I would be hard pressed to prove my identity in this anonymous online world.

I would encourage your readers to send their most generous donation possible to MOVIEGUIDE®.

Readers may also contribute by calling 1-800-577-6684 during business hours or 1-800-899-6684 day and night. Our mailing address is 2510-G Las Posas Road, Suite 502, Camarillo, CA 93010.