1. ionaofavalon says:

    Very true, very true. We overlook the above for the sake of the good things in the story, so… perhaps we should do the same with BATB. It is still a good story, even with this whole LeFou fiasco. I too, am more frustrated than angry about the principal.

    • I agree, Tamra, though I don’t know as I’d characterize it as overlooking the sin. Rather, I think we simply need to say, That’s wrong. We need to recognize it, examine it in light of Scripture, and then move on. Will it spoil the whole movie? Maybe for some people, but I think it’s more important for us to realize ALL sin is egregious to our holy God. But He left us in the world for a purpose, so we need to engage our culture, not hide from it.

      Becky

  2. Sounds to me like a call for biblical spiritual and emotional maturity. Amen! We all need more of that! Thanks for the encouragement!

    • Yep, that’s pretty much what it is, Brennan. And a call to exercise discernment so we don’t gullibly and glibly consume everything or reject everything on the basis of the current cultural hot button issue.

      Becky

  3. So well said. The modern double standard among Christians where we find it easy to turn a blind eye to fornication, adultery, and other illicit relationships in our media — even telling ourselves that scenes of sexual nudity can be OK for the sake of “art” — but act shocked and appalled when two women hold hands or men exchange a kiss on screen, is hypocritical. We don’t get to whitewash the sins we find personally appealing or at least understandable, while loudly condemning the ones we don’t.

    That being said, I’m not interested in the BatB movie whether LeFou is portrayed as gay or not. Despite my long-standing love for the fairytale and the great lesson it represents (as G.K. Chesterton so succinctly put it, “a thing must be loved before it is loveable,” a highly Christian concept of love which we rarely see in media), I haven’t seen a thing in any of the trailers to convince me that a live-action shot-by-shot recreation of an already classic Disney animated film has any reason to exist at all. It looks like a cynical cash grab to me, and I’ll be greatly surprised if there’s any quality of innovation or surprise to recommend it.

    • Excellent points, RJ. I may stay away from the movie based on that line of thinking, too. The animated film is a classic! There’s no way a realistic version could improve on it, I don’t think. It’s just another sad example of film making taking the easy way out. Why come up with a new story that might be, you know, creative, when we can just remake one we know people already love?

      Becky

      • I admit I was pretty skeptical about the live action version of CINDERELLA as well, but that turned out to be a rather lovely movie with a surprisingly fresh take on the story and a thoughtful message about kindness that wasn’t in the animated movie. Whereas this one seems to follow the animated version practically note for note (songs very much included), and that just seems pointless to me.

        • Sparks of Ember says:

          Actually, I’ve heard the movie expands Belle’s character quite a bit and spends more time developing the relationship between her and the beast. And the movie also features 2 interracial couples. I was not excited about Cinderella based on the previews and didn’t see much difference in the movie aside from when the king passed away, which I loved. So it’s difficult to judge the nuances of the live-action from the previews.

  4. Onisha Ellis says:

    It bothers me because the idea of questioning ones sexual identity is being nudged onto our children. I agree with your points about all of the other sins in literature and movies, but to me, this is deeper.

    • Onisha, I should have made a distinction between the discernment we need for our own lives and that which we need for any children we’re responsible for. I’m greatly concerned about the younger generations, too. They don’t have a refined ability to discern. They don’t know Scripture well, they aren’t aware of the harm that can come to them when they see sin portrayed as normal. I think part of a Christian’s responsibility to expose sin is to give the needed guidance a young person needs.

      But we need to do so Biblically.

      Becky

  5. Autumn Grayson says:

    I think my main problem with the way the homosexuality is being portrayed in popular media is the fact that they tend to stick to a similar narrative in most stories, usually ignoring all the side issues that make a big difference. People act like it’s such an unusual thing to write about gay characters, even though everyone and their brother is writing gay characters now(especially if you look in the indie comic community online) Or the fact that LGBTQAetc supporters cry for representation, yet hardly ever represent people like asexuals in their stories, as if it’s hard for them to write stories about people that choose not to obsess about romance or sex.

    And then, more importantly, there seems to be the subtle narrative that homosexuality and questioning one’s gender identity is definitely right for society, and that those who disagree are rarely right about anything. They depict most people that disagree as backward, ignorant, stupid, or evil. And they want to introduce the issue to little kids this way. Rather than subtly teaching people that disagreeing with homosexuality is evil or stupid, why can’t they be as open minded as they claim to be and present all sides of the issue? Many people disagree with homosexuality in the same way they disagree with someone who eats nothing but junk food. They may disagree with it and think it’s unhealthy, but they don’t hate the eater of junk food or want to hurt them.

  6. Sparks of Ember says:

    This. Yes!
    Am I thrilled about the agenda – no. But I don’t understand the stink everyone is making considering the content they choose to overlook in other movies.

What do you think?