R rated movies

Here's a letter to the editor that I wrote in response to a conversation that's been going on in the Daily Universe, with a little bonus material for the blog readers. Disclaimer, it's directed towards a Mormon audience, not to the community in general:

n the discussion on R-rated movies some crucial considerations have been left out. All of the talks cited where General Authorities state their position on R-rated movies come from over 20 years ago, except one by Elder Koffard speaking about marriage. In those twenty years, the MPAA rating system has changed greatly. Not only have its rules become more lax, but it has also become a much more political body. Their system of ratings has not been made public and their rulings have been inconsistent. There is not a strong emphasis on religious views, but solely on secular definitions of good and bad. My impression is that the church has recognized these facts and so has begun to pull away from referring to the ratings system in official settings, but that is just my impression.

Something I do know for sure is that it has been upsetting to me to see many people who balk at the outsourcing of American jobs overseas have no such complaint about outsourcing their morality to a bunch of media moguls in California. Too many people base their whole movie experience and its spiritual effects on the decisions of people who have no real understanding of Church standards or teachings. The MPAA ratings might be a useful baseline, but it is no substitute for the Spirit. In my experience my conscious is more than able to let me know what types of movies are good to see and which are not. What would Jesus watch?

Bonus material:

Basically, I think the rating system is pretty worthless and people should just use it as a base guideline and do their own research and find out for themselves what movies they should see and which they should not. Take responsibility, basically. I think a shift away from movies that put bad thoughts into our mind would be good for LDS society as a whole. But I don't think people need to feel terrible either if they see an R-rated movie here or there, as long as it teaches good things. Don't let Los Angeles decide your morals. If a movie is uplifting and makes you a better person, glorifying righteous principles than I'm all for it, but if it pulls you away from true principles, shun it. That's why I'm much more willing to watch more intense dramas including some R's, at least those who don't glorify violence and extra marital sex, but won't watch hardly any PG-13 comedies. I think I'm pretty conservative when it comes to movies I'll watch overall, but I've realized that I have to interpret what is a good movie for myself, and not leave that decision up to others.