My wife and I love the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and we were watched the third in the trilogy just the other night. At the end of the movie there is a fight scene between the pirates and the soldiers of the British Army, and anyone watching the movie is hoping that the pirates will be victorious. Then I thought, why? Especially as Christians. Aren’t the pirates actually the bad guys? They are the ones out stealing, looting, pillaging and living a very sinful life.
I realize that they main character in the British Army is evil and a few of his henchmen that he has surrounded himself with are evil as well, but overall the soldiers are just following orders that this deceitful general has given them. Not to mention that getting rid of pirates is not necessarily a bad thing, as they were breaking just about every law they could. Their credo was, “take what you can and give nothing back.” The lifestyle they even portrayed in the movie was that of vivaciousness. They had no moral scruples (it was all insinuated in this movie and not shown), drank continually, and fought for no apparent reasons many times, yet everyone who watches hopes that Captain Jack Sparrow will be the victor in the end. Why? Because he was helping some other law breaking pirates, or trying to find the treasure they stole to begin with. What if we lived like that today? In many ways we are.
How does this compare to Philippians 4:8, “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable—if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise—dwell on these things.”
It has been hard for me to reconcile what appears to be a very safe movie in comparison to many others, but at the same time it promotes a lifestyle that is far from what Paul is talking about in Philippians. How can we dwell on anything within the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that is truly lovely, as the “good” guys are actually the criminals?
On the other hand, what an ingenious way to undermine our Christian values and make unacceptable life-styles seen as normal and permissible in our society! As I reflected on the moral principles within the movie, I realized they are pretty much the exact opposite of what I teach. So, how can I tell anyone to see the movie? Wouldn’t that be giving my approval for the values shown within it?
I am wondering how many movies we would actually go see if we based what we viewed on the morals that are being promoted as virtuous and acceptable through the eyes of Christ and His commands in the Bible. For that matter, how many television shows would we have to stop watching? Have our minds really become like that of Christ?
I pray O’ Lord that You continually change me and let me be a Philippians 4:8 man, that I would only think on what You value as right and true, that my mind would be transformed into the mind of Christ.
Romans 12:1-2, “1Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
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