I posted previously about films like The Omen, Dario Argento films and Zombie flicks and determined I can watch them if they don't affect me and I am 59 and just look at them as entertainment. I also have a big collection of DVDs. Crazy me asked my confessor (I confess every month)and he said I should get rid of all of them. I was stunned and couldn't speak and panicked and said I have so many, he said I sound fixated on them, but I am not, i told him and I also told him that I cannot remember when I watched the last one. He didn't say anything and just gave me my penance. What do you think? Am I sinning by keeping the films? That means I have to go into the US Bishops conference and find each and every film and see if it was rated. And what do I do if it is not even listed? Some of these films are Italian horror like Suspira, Inferno, Zombie.....Oh boy, I am shaking....

-- maryann (maryann.parker@citigroup.com), November 29, 2004

Answers

bump!

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 29, 2004.

Maryann,

I'm a horror fan too. :)

IMHO though, if your confessor recommended you to get rid of the movies, you should. You may have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to ask the question. It would certainly be a noble sacrifice if you offer it up to Christ. If your confessor told you this in the sacrament, I think you should seriously heed his words. There is a reason he gave you this advice and it could only be for your benefit.

Do you otherwise trust your confessor during confession? If so, why not trust him in this especially since it is such a difficult thing to do. There is real power in the sacrament of Penance and you have the grace to do the right thing. God may be waiting for you to take the next step in holiness and this could His way of telling you what it is.

I know it wouldn't be an easy thing for me to do.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 29, 2004.

Maryann, I think that Andy has given you some good guidance, assuming that the priest is your regular "confessor" and a sort of spiritual director to you. Remember that such a priest would know about your virtues, vices, problems, etc.. So he may have judged that you are mistaken when you say that the films "don't affect me." He may have observed that they do have a negative effect on you, one that you yourself don't notice.

However, if the priest does not really know you, he may have overreacted. I notice that, after you told him that that you are not "fixated" on the films and "cannot remember" the last time you watched one, he "didn't say anything." If this priest is not your regular confessor, I would say that his silence indicates that he decided not to order you (for example, as part of your penance) to get rid of your films, but left it up to you to decide.

I used to like those kinds of films myself. Most people like suspense, and many even get a bit of a perverse thrill out of horrible-looking things, bloody crimes, imaginative images of demons, etc.. In recent years, though, I have decided to avoid those films completely, because I have come to realize that they can foster an unhealthy curiosity about things that are dangerously diabolical. There are enough UNavoidable dangers in our lives, so there is no sense in my intentionally placing myself in the way of an avoidable danger, a potential occasion of sin.

Geo P.

-- (gpomeroy@panlink.com), November 29, 2004.

Andy and Geo, thank you for your responses. I do trust him, but I really don't know how I can possibly go into the US Bishops Rating and find all of my movies. I know that some will not be there. I was surprised that Omen is rated O, and Exorcist is IV (meaning it is okay for adults). So I would have to try and find a ton of films on that site and either sell them or throw them away. Help......

-- maryann (maryann.parker@citigroup.com), November 29, 2004.

Maryann, Are you a Catholic? If so , aren't you obligated to do as your priest says? I'm just curious. I don't have a religion. Thanks, Mere

-- Meredith Montgomery (montymere@yahoo.com), November 29, 2004.

I checked some movies in the US Catholic Conference of Bishops ratings guide and the following movies are all "O": child's play, american werewolf in london, pet semetary.

What do you all think of that? I have all of them and don't feel they damage me at all........there must be another rating guide...

-- maryann (maryann.parker@citigroup.com), November 29, 2004.

Maryann.. Since you cannot remember when you watched the last one, why are they so important to you then? And although when the priest suggested you might be fixated on them you said "no", you are thinking about them so much that you've posted about them on a forum, and even used the word "shaking" to describe how it makes you feel just thinking about being without them.

Are a bunch of movies really worth all of this?

Perhaps it might be best to box them all up for a time and put them away from you..if they are TRULY just a form of harmless entertainment, then that will be easy to do. If it's NOT easy to do, then I'd suggest that perhaps the "entertainment" may not be as harmless as you think.

-- Lesley (martchas@hotmail.com), November 29, 2004.

“Are you a Catholic? If so, aren't you obligated to do as your priest says?” LOL! The main entertainment I get from this site is seeing the seemingly never-ending list of wacky beliefs which non- Catholics wrongly ascribe to Catholics. No Meredith, our priests are not omniscient dictators and it is not a sin to disobey them.

Maryann, personally I can’t stand “horror” films which deliberately use gore, violence, demonic images etc to excite revulsion and horrid fascination (though I appreciate non-revulsive “suspense” films like Hitchcock’s). But I know some good Catholics who do watch them with no apparent ill effects. If you haven’t actually watched any of these DVDs for a long time, maybe what you are really “fixated” on is the fact of materially possessing an impressive collection of things, which people accumulate for no good reason? (I’m prone to that sin myself.) Perhaps it’s your attachment to material possessions which is the main or only problem?

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), November 29, 2004.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), November 29, 2004.

-- Meredith Montgomery (montymere@yahoo.com), November 29, 2004.

"“Are you a Catholic? If so, aren't you obligated to do as your priest says?” LOL! The main entertainment I get from this site is seeing the seemingly never-ending list of wacky beliefs which non- Catholics wrongly ascribe to Catholics. No Meredith, our priests are not omniscient dictators and it is not a sin to disobey them" Well, I guess I don't feel real welcome here. That's too bad, just trying to learn. Meredith

-- Meredith Montgomery (montymere@yahoo.com), November 29, 2004.

Maryann,

There is nothing wrong with a film collecting hobby, even if those films contain gory or immoral material. The protrayal of immoral acts in film is not sinful if it is part of a larger and virtuous theme. In the past century, horror films have become a constitutive and significant part of American and foreign cinema. Not only do many "horror flicks" contribute to social commentary on a unique level, but they are just one genre of artistic expression that portrays the battle between good and evil.

I do believe it is dangerous for young ones to see these movies and immoral if they watch it simply for the gore. Also, it is both irresponsible and immoral for parents to allow their children to watch them. But for a 59 year old, who has probably seen great evil throughout their lifetime, I don't see anything wrong with watching these movies as entertainment and being able to handle their themes as part of a larger context.

I don't know you or your confessor, but given what was written, and with all due respect, I think your confessor is out of touch with mainstream society and culture and doesn't know you very well at all. Personally, I enjoy Dario Argento and a lot of the American films that came out in the 70's and 80's. I can't stand 90's horror flicks (Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer). They're shallow and bland. I think the last great horror movie to come out was "28 Days Later."

-- brian (brian@brian.com), November 29, 2004.

Dear Meredith, I do hope you stick around and thanks for coming to learn about our Catholic faith. If you click on the "Catholic" link at the top you can go to the main page and ask a question if you like, to learn more about our beliefs. There may be some who come across a bit harsh, but I don't think Steve would have meant it that way. Have a good day,

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com"), November 29, 2004.

I’m sorry Meredith, I didn’t mean to cause offense. Sometimes my humor can be a bit rough. I wasn't criticizing you personally, I was just making a joke out of the fact that many people are brought up being taught terrible and incredible lies about the Catholic Church. You are welcome to ask any question you wish and I will try to answer them more politely.

-- Steve (55555@aol.com), November 29, 2004.

Thank you all for your responses. Please be patient with me as I am scrupulous and need to set things straight in my head. I confess once a month. If I decide to watch either Child's play or a Dario Argento film, do I need to confess it? If I have to confess it, would I have to mention it was rated O by the US Bishops (which I researched and found that lay people rate the films).

EWTN Web of Faith had some questions on these films and the responses were: "it would at least be an occasion of sin to see movies judged morally offensive by the conference of bishops"

What is an occasion of sin? Is it a sin? Does it have to be confessed?

thanks all maryann

-- maryann (maryann.parker@citigroup.com), November 30, 2004.

Dear Maryann,

Why not pray to the Holy Spirit for wisdom and follow your conscience? St. Paul in Romans 14 says that in many matters (e.g. drinking of wine vs. abstinence from alcohol, eating meat vs. vegetarianism) we all need to follow our conscience. If watching such movies devours your time and energy and gets you sidetracked from the Lord, then of course it is not good for you. On the other hand if it is a rare diversion, well, maybe it's just up to you and the Lord. There's no need to get scrupulous about every single matter of our lives. For heaven's sake, relax--God loves you!

-- Michael (edwardsronning@prodigy.net), November 30, 2004.

By the way, Maryann,

I should mention that I try to stay away from truly offensive films, that are known to profane the name of the Lord, have gratuitous violence, or sex scenes. In this way, I do try to keep my conscience pure and honor the Lord with my mind. This is just common sense.

Cordially,

-- Michael (edwardsronning@prodigy.net), November 30, 2004.

Maybe he meant get rid of the BAD horror films. "Child's play"? Sheesh, there's a dvd that was meant to be a coaster and not a movie to be watched if I've ever heard of one. Now "Dawn of the Dead" on the other hand is a great movie, IMHO. I guess you get out of things what you put into them.

I like somebody's advice above which was: if the priest knows *you* as a person well, and told you to get rid of them based on what they know of your life, you probably should, as you might have asked that question at the Holy Spirit's urging in part knowing they were doing you a disservice. OTOH, if you were in a confessional where the priest was speaking more in general and doesn't know your personal situation, I wouldn't toss them yet, but would go talk with a priest who knows you and your life and get their opinion.

But in either event, try and use a filter on "good" from "bad" movies in general! I shudder to think I'll be reading a post here extolling the virtues of "Leprechaun III".

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), November 30, 2004.

It's interesting that virtually no horror films made more than 20 years ago have an "O" rating. Also, whenever there is a remake or sequel to an old film, the new version almost always has a poorer rating than the original. Just shows the direction Hollywood has gone with ever-increasing graphic violence and gore, gratuitous nudity, sexual situations, and anti-religious, expecially anti- Christian overtones. And the story lines in most cases are no better than those of the old movies.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 30, 2004.