Why Are We So Focused On The Line??

My mind is kind of all over the place right now so don't be surprised if this blog post is too. :)

I read an article earlier today...

http://thisweekinmormons.com/2014/01/stop-it-with-the-r-rated-movies-thing/

... and it got me thinking about why Mormons do what they (we) do and I wanted to share my thoughts. I found the link on Facebook, but I didn't think that was the right place to express my feelings about this. That's when I remembered my blog!! (My poor, forgotten blog...) This is definitely a better place to express myself. :)

Like I said, my mind has kind of been all over the place so forgive me if I'm not making sense, but what started out as a moment of pondering the rated R movie thing turned into me pondering lots of other things that I've been taught since I was little.

So first off, rated R movies. You can ask anyone, I don't watch them... usually. I'm grateful that, for the most part, an R rating at the end of an amazing movie trailer is enough for me to say "Nevermind. I don't want to watch it anymore." My mindset has kind of always been "I don't need to invite any more vices into my life. I have enough already." And that's gotten me through almost 25 years of life with few rated R movie interruptions. :)

I do own a couple, though, and I'd love to own a few more. I love The Green Mile because, like a commenter from the article said, this movie "inspired me and taught me a great deal about mankind, hope, redemption, forgiveness, love, family, etc." Black Hawk Down and We Were Soldiers humbled me a gave me a greater respect for what members in the military have gone through to defend freedom. The Patriot taught me about the lengths people have gone to in order to do the right thing and reminded me that I'll probably never have to do so much in order to stand up for what is right. The Hurt Locker helped me understand why someone close to me changed so much while being deployed and why coming back to civilian life wasn't the release I thought it was going to be for him.

I have learned a lot from those movies and they're all rated R, but I feel like I'm a better person for watching them. I can't say the same for a lot of the PG-13 movies I've seen. And that's the point that the author of that article was making. Which is why I've adopted this as my standard:

"The Lord's way is that we hearken to our leaders' teachings, understand correct principles, and govern ourselves" ("The Lord's Way" by Stanley G. Ellis.)

I feel like as I've grown up I understand the purpose behind the suggestion to not watch rated R movies. I understand the WHY. Why should I not watch movies that are crude, vulgar, violent, and sexual?? Because they don't fit with the Christ-centered life that I'm trying to live.

I feel like so many people don't understand the WHY so they argue that crude, vulgar, violent, and sexual PG-13 movies are fine, as long as they aren't rated R. That's the danger in focusing on the line drawn instead of why it was drawn in the first place.

I'm not really sure at this point where I want to go with all of this. I'm remembering what Elder Bednar taught in St. George a couple years ago about the Lord's side of the line. He cautioned us to stay away from the line. Don't focus on the line, with Satan on one side and our Savior on the other. Turn your back to the line and focus on the Savior. And follow Him. By doing so, you will always be walking away from the line, moving farther and farther from Satan and closer and closer to our Savior.

I'm also thinking about how judgmental we can be sometimes when we hear about people standing so close to that line... and how judgmental we can all be in general, I guess. I'm reflecting on my own attitudes and actions towards others and I wonder how I can become more Christ-like.

So back up to the top where I wrote that I've been pondering a lot of other things I've been taught since I was little...

I've thought a lot today about WHY I do the things I do? Not just about WHY I don't watch rated R movies and WHY I go to church on Sunday? But, WHY did I decide to get baptized when I was 8? WHY have I continued to choose Mormonism as I've grown into adulthood? WHY do I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored church of Jesus Christ back on the earth? WHY did I decide to make covenants with my Heavenly Father? WHY did I want to get married in the temple? WHY?!

I can assure you, and J will back me up here, I absolutely hate to be pushed to do things. I don't appreciate being forced to do anything and I will straight up FIGHT back if I feel pressure. So it's definitely not because I was told to. My parents were great about teaching me correct principles and letting me govern myself. And that's exactly why I gave my BYU-graduate mother the reasons I did when she asked me why I didn't want to attend BYU. I told her that I wanted the freedom to dress modestly because I WANTED to, not because it was a school rule and I needed to know for myself that I WANTED to do it. I needed the freedom to choose.

I know WHY I did (and still do) all of those things because I had the freedom to choose. I didn't make covenants with my Heavenly Father because it's the "it thing to do" in my Mormon young-adult years. I didn't get married in the temple because I was afraid if I didn't I would be judged by my friends and family. And I don't go to church because my mom and dad make me.

Because I was taught correct principles and was allowed to govern myself I feel like I am converted so much more than I would be if I had been told to do all of these things. So I guess that's the moral of all of this... (I'm rolling my eyes because I don't even know if that's the point of my rambling...)

Instead of focusing on the line that divides what I can and cannot do, I'm going to focus on the Savior. I'm going to focus on His teachings. And I'm going to decide for myself if what I'm doing is in harmony with a Christ-centered life. I'm not going to let a movie rating or the cultural norm influence what is right and wrong. I think that's how I interpret the article's last headline "Rate it yourself with better resources."

Anyway... I've ignored Jarvis for long enough.
I'll write again soon. :)