Justified Drama

Even the Bible is filled with accounts of bloodshed, sexual sin, profane speech and behavior, and false worship. The inclusion of such material fulfills a purpose, however, and is not simply intended to boost readership.

Many movies contain scenes of intense and graphic violence. Whether or not these are justified depends greatly upon the theme, message, and intended impact. Does the story glorify violence? Are the scenes gratuitous, or do they serve to deepen the story and develop the characters? The film “Glory”, for instance, vividly depicts battlefield action, yet powerfully communicates that there is little glorious about war.

The same test can be applied to sexual content. Is it present simply to arouse or to build the drama? Is it love or lust? Are the sexual scenes essential to the story or do they constitute pornography?

Justification for profanity and occult material is a more difficult call. In a very few instances, profanity could conceivably be used to depict a character’s evil nature or crude mind. But in the vast majority cases, it is simply a standard dialogue device which the scriptwriter uses to give the audience what he feels they want and/or expect. And while a quality program will often communicate that violence or immoral sexual behavior is wrong, it may still allow profanity to slip by without comment, treating it as an accepted practice.

It has been said that since everyone has heard these words before (even kids!), we should not be shocked or bothered by them in the media. Shocked? No. Bothered? Yes. Overhearing crude language “on the street” and paying to be assaulted by a steady stream of it are two very different things.

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Occult themes are a touchy area as well. In some stories they play an essential role in setting up dramatic conflict. Take C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, for example. It contains a witch who cast a spell over the land of Narnia. Unlike most video games, which either include magic for no apparent reason, or portray it as a neutral, even good power, magic has a purpose in Lewis’ book. The witch represents one side of a conflict between evil and God (as seen in Aslan, the Christ-type character). She is also defeated in the end.

Another example is “The Never Ending Story II. This creative adventure involves a sorceress who cast a spell over the land of Fantasia. The young hero who comes to rescue the kingdom uses an amulet to defeat her. On the surface these elements seem undesirable. Yet they are woven deeply into the story and, in the end, are dealt with effectively. Bastian ultimately uses the amulet to give the witch a heart, which fills the “emptiness” that has settled over the land, and destroys her. He later discovers that the amulet is powerless and that it was his courage in confronting evil that actually won the day. While the film does contain magic and witchcraft, it clearly depicts them as dangerous, destructive forces.

The next time you encounter profanity or occult material; ask yourself why it was included. Does it play a role in developing the characters or plot? Or is it simply there to spice up the story? Is there a reason why the characters talk that way? Are occult elements used to set up a battle between the forces of God and evil? Or is evil portrayed as a curious, neutral force?