Reasons I Didn’t Watch R Rated Movies Well into Adulthood

Not all R rated movies are the same, of course. Some stories are very compelling and worth watching. Some — not so moving, not inspiring, not well done. Such is any category.

In my college years, I attended one semester at a Christian college that tried to limit adult students to watching G rated movies, even on Christmas break. It was ridiculous. Also, they couldn’t monitor you at home, so basically they were forcing people to be compromised by lying, get kicked out, or leave family gatherings where even just PG rated movies were shown. That’s not appropriate for adults. They can’t limit your freedom off campus.

There are extremes for everything out there, and while I still believe in making intentional choices, I do watch a variety of movies throughout the range of ratings with some exceptions. I still don’t see much value in watching horror and certain “romance” movies. I’m different in a very uncelebrated way. I want to honor God with even my media choices, so I think about what I want to watch.

F words

A sprinkling of foul language to show someone’s extreme anger, the situation’s intensity, or the bad guy’s evilness is artistic. Every other word is annoying and makes it all nonsense. I don’t enjoy that as a writer and editor. Language is so much more complex. We quote movie lines, not “well-timed” cuss words, after all.

Gore