Three times in Jeremiah God reprimands the
Israelites for losing their ability to blush.
Jeremiah 3:3-"Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame."
Jeremiah 6:15 and Jeremiah 8:12-"Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame."
Jeremiah 6:15 and Jeremiah 8:12-"Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to blush with shame."
Recently I have been reading comments about the soon to be released
remake of Disney's Beauty And The Beast. It appears that the Director made a
statement in an interview that many have seen as controversial:
"Bill Condon, who
directed the film, and is openly gay, told the British magazine Attitude that
the manservant LeFou, played by Josh Gad, has 'a nice, exclusively gay moment'
in the movie"
(You can find the entire article here: http://attitude.co.uk/world-exclusive-beauty-and-the-beast-set-to-make-disney-history-with-gay-character/ )
(You can find the entire article here: http://attitude.co.uk/world-exclusive-beauty-and-the-beast-set-to-make-disney-history-with-gay-character/ )
When I first read the
article, like many others I was upset and then I had to ask myself why? Why is
the thought of a scene in a Disney movie where they expose our children to the
LGBTQ life concerning to me? Why did I immediately decide I would boycott
the movie?
Anyone 50 or older will
remember the days when Ricky and Lucy Ricardo (I Love Lucy), who
were a married couple, had to sleep in twin beds on television. The show
aired in the 50's and it followed the Hay's Code which had been founded in the
1930's:
"As it de-sexualized cinema, production code films
dedicated themselves to marriage, an institution they were required to portray
as sacrosanct. Adulterers were punished and sex outside of marriage was
forbidden. Married couples weren’t cleared for lusty displays, either. To
appease British censors, couples slept in separate beds. The bedroom wasn’t the
only living space disrupted by the code. Movie bathrooms lost their toilets to
avoid the threat of potty humor. The code policed displays of
affection carefully. Kisses couldn’t last longer than three seconds and
couples had to always keep at least two feet on the floor. Usually it was
the man who could not leave their feet,” Kuntz said. “The woman could lay down.
She could lie on a couch or a bed. The man could even lean over and kiss her
but he could never leave his feet. You could never have the man and the woman
simultaneously horizontal.”
That code changed in the 1968 with the
implementation of the MPAA system. Interesting the change
occurred because movies like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" pushed
the boundaries of the Hays Code and became hits, thus eroding the code.
So we have gone from what I just described to
what we have today. From one cuss word in 1939's Gone With The
Wind to what we have today. How did that happen? I
surmise that it is because people like me forgot how to blush. So when
I began to have the reaction I did to the LGBTQ scene in Beauty In The
Beast, the Holy Spirit started talking to me and I had to ask myself
"what was the last show you watched where a couple was committing
adultery? What was the last show you watched where a couple was cohabiting
without marriage (Big Bang Theory)? The truth of the matter is this blog
post probably couldn't contain all the movies or TV shows that I watch and
choose to ignore the sin that is being displayed. Often I "pat
myself on the back" for turning the channel if there is nudity (Games Of
Thrones) or if a gay couple is kissing or engaged in sex and I do try to
research movies before going to see them. But too many times I choose to
not turn off the TV when I know I should. My line of acceptance keeps
moving so that scenes no longer bother me and I accept them more and more.
I have lost my ability to blush.
Am I concerned that Disney, who we trust as
being family friendly, cares more about pleasing the very minor LGBTQ community
than protecting our children? Many might argue that our children don't
need protecting. I disagree. When I was young and wanted to play
football with the boys or "cowboys and indians" with our guns, I was
labeled a "tomboy". Never was there any suggestions being made
that perhaps I was "really a boy". I fear the more and more our
children are introduced to the idea that your gender is what you "identify
with" rather than the actual DNA behind how God created them, then we
become a world where anything goes and anything is accepted. So I ask
myself when our children are in their 60's what will make them blush?
So, while I will probably still boycott Disney
(although I was really looking forward to the movie!), I became convicted that
I can't just be concerned about the LGBTQ message, as I need to be just a
concerned at any message (adultery, fornication, divorcee, drunkenness, lying,
etc.) that is contrary to God's best for us all. I need to revisit what
makes me blush and cry out to God "create in me a pure heart and renew a
right spirit in me" Psalm 51:10
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