PG-13. I'm 23, so i'm good right?

When I was 15, I made a pact with a friend to never watch a PG-13 movie again. Being typical 15 year olds, we agreed that the punishment would be that we would have to do 300 pushups. I followed that challenge religiously until I was almost 22. I had to defend myself countless times about that one as well as receive flack for never having seen certain movies like most of the marvel movies. I'd like to document how that challenge went for me and some things I learned.

So when I first thought to do the challenge, I was scared because I really liked Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Pirates of the Caribbean. I thought that it would be too hard to do the challenge. As I went through with it, I realized it was easier than I had ever thought. I didn't miss them nearly as much as I thought that I would. I learned two lessons there. Usually the "thought" of doing something is harder than actually doing it. Once you commit and just go for it, it isn't as bad as you thought it was. Especially if you are doing something for Jesus. The other lesson is that I can still be happy without movies. They aren't bad to watch every now and then, but I am much more productive and just as happy when I don't watch them.

I noticed some spiritual blessings from doing this challenge. There was once that I was with a group of people, and they decided to turn on Thor, so I left and did Family History work the entire time that they watched it. I came back down afterwards, and I could feel that the atmosphere in the room had changed. Everyone was arguing between themselves about different things. It wasn't turning violent or anything, but I could see that the spirit had left the room. I knew that I had the spirit with me because I had been doing family history work the whole time, and so I could see a big change. They didn't notice the change though. It was like a frog in water that gets turned hotter and hotter. He doesn't notice.

I went for years without watching all of the biggest movies. I began to notice how much people bond over movies because of the ostracization I would feel when I wouldn't be able to talk about a movie or a TV show. It didn't make me want to watch movies to fit in though, it made me realize that I wanted to find people in my life who also don't watch movies because I don't like that it is such a point of bonding for people.

After my mission, I had talked to a lot of people about it, and some had some really good point that I shouldn't just judge a movie for its rating because it is so subjective. Some PG movies are as bad as some PG-13, and some PG-13 are as bad as R. I decided that I would take it movie by movie instead of just saying no to PG-13 movies.

I began to watch a lot of movies that I had never seen before like Star Wars 7, 8, Han Solo, and Rogue One, all of the Hunger Games, and some marvel movies like Thor Ragnarok and Black Panther. I thought for a while that I was still normal and wasn't affected by any of it. I realize now that I actually was desensitizing myself. Somehow, I pulled out of it and turned it around. A big turning part was when I rewatched the Pirates of the Caribbean series for the first time, and I realized that it was an extremely violent series. I was bothered by the violence, and I remember thinking "What am I doing?" I started to get more and more particular about what I would watch again. A big impactful moment was when I bought my roommate Han Solo for Christmas. I had already seen that movie, and I had really liked it. We watched it as roommates, and this time I was appalled by the language, sexual content, and violence of it. I realized that proved that i had been desensitized because the first time I watched it I had no issues with the content, but the second time I did.

I am currently back to almost not watching PG-13 movies. I still base it on a case by case basis by its content, but I am bothered by enough things that it is almost like it used to be. It definitely makes it hard to always turn down movie invitations, or encourage people to watch Disney while at a party, but I feel the spirit very strongly every time that I walk away from one of those situations. I don't think it means that those who watch it are bad people, and I am feeling the spirit because I have done a right thing and they haven't. I think it's more like I am sacrificing something for God, and He is pleased with me that I do that. I think whenever we sacrifice something for God, He is pleased, and my thing is movies.

The research shows that violent media is correlated with negative outcomes on all ages. The risk is much greater for younger children than for adults, so the PG-13 guidance makes sense. However, I personally don't like the idea in some cases of "I am an adult, therefore I can see whatever I want to and be fine." The scripture says "Except ye become as little children ye can in nowise enter the kingdom of Heaven." Are we not all children compared to God. When I hear the "I'm an adult, so I can view these things. I like to imagine God saying "You really think you're so mature?" I love a quote that I heard once that says something like "I avoid bad things not because I am too good for it, rather I am not good enough to not be affected by it!"

I've also heard the "Oh it's just PG-13 because of violence" more times than I can remember. Just think of how appalling Roman Colosseums were. The fact that people would go to a theater and watch people tear each other apart... wait, we still do that. In the scriptures, it does say that God sent the flood because of violence. Violence is a tricky one for me because I am unaware of where to draw the line of what is too much violence, whether it is senseless violence or if it has a purpose. I like something a good friend of mine told me. She said "I just like to think about how the movie makes me feel." I think that is a pretty good guideline.

I do not think that people are bad people or are doing bad actions if they watch PG-13 movies. I just know that not watching them has been a great blessing in my life and the life of those that I have seen also not do it.