I raised my sons in the 80’s - 2000’s I censored programs when they were little I sat like she did as they got older and used the shows as teaching moments Just my reaction to what was going on got there attention! I would pause the program and talk about it with them. Right Wrong Good Bad Ugly Beautiful etc. Now they are both good strong catholic men leading good wholesome lives with their wives and children of there own. I giggle when I see them doing with their children what I did for them. Soooo nice to see! Thank you for this video You did a wonderful job 👏🏼
so like a Game of Thrones when you got to the point where the sister and brother were having sex did you pause the video and explain that to your son as well? Please there are ways to teach your children without showing them things that could lead them to a life of destruction to themselves and to women.
@@TheHawaiianmama exactly he's subject to all that horrible stuff in real life he doesn't need a teaching moment with good old mom and a pornographic TV show.
heavenly flame So, exposure to real life incest is good, but exposure to TV incest is bad? As a good mother she probably knows which scenes are too much for her sons. Besides, her methods worked. Her sons grew up to be good and virtuous. It's going to be different for everyone and I'm sure as a mother she was prudent in her methods. More often than not, it's those who were never exposed to bad things, in real life or TV, who end up unable to deal with the reality of sin, so they end up depressed and hopeless when they hear stuff like the sex abuse crises, because they grew up thinking that life on earth is all roses and chocolates.
"More shocked from seeing something beautiful and true [in media]." Ms. Nicolosi says things I didn't know how to express. The way she described floundering of characters without God is dead on.
Our savior died on the cross while shedding his precious blood to set us free from bondage of sin & death. We must refrain from faulty indulgence & work to expose acts of ugliness. killing God's beauty is killing our likeness for him.
Barbara, You are wonderful! As a father to four adopted children, I and my wife are doing our best to raise them in our faith. Bringing them up as "disciples" in this dystopian time and culture is a great way to give our children the opportunity to discern what is good for their soul, and what is not. I really love listening to someone as faith filled and intellectually astute as you are! Please make more videos on Ascension Presents! John McHatton
I like your take on this. I am an Indie film actress and my teenage son is involved in a film production magnet high school program. We watch a lot of movies together and discuss the themes, scenes, character development, cinematography etc. We even do this with TV shows as it is part of his curriculum. I think the most important thing is that he and I discuss what is being shown and to me, it's important that I see in him a different viewpoint in that it isn't just entertainment but a commentary (mostly sad) on current society. Breaking Bad is a good example as we are watching it now and the themes of ego, hate, fear, jealousy, power, and violence are discussion points as he recognizes the degradation of "the common man" into this supervillain because he relies on himself and disregards the value of the lives around him. I guess with regards to children/teens you have to be aware of what they are watching and what they are digesting from this and keeping them aware to the core family and faith values.
@@ccbarr58 Actually it's a college-level course he is taking after school where he earns credits with a local college - he had to obtain a certain GPA to be admitted and to remain in the classes. He has a good academic and spiritual foundation with Catholic grade and middle school. in addition, my son is a skilled writer and is learning how to write screenplays, etc. He is interested in telling stories about the human condition. If anything, I am very proud of him and look forward to a Catholic raised film-maker/writer and what he will do in the future. God bless you.
She definitely is. We need to also learn more about the Catholic Imagination to be able to discern shows and movies better, and offer better critiques of them than just saying "blasphemy" or hiding from them
@@melissaumuhire7804 Not really. A lot of Christians will just say "blasphemy" for any movie they deem not wholesome enough, without offering a more constructive criticism of many movies. Good art is not always meant to be "safe."
I appreciate the nuance in this view. It's great to hear someone who understands that some of these stories are actually honest about brokenness in the world! For a long time I've told people that believers can actually agree with the basic message of breaking bad! You watch how Walt literally descends into chaos and ruins his entire life, and his whole family by participating in grave evil. That is the exact message of the Scriptures about what happens when we say "yes" to evil continually.
There's a thought-provoking quote from Francois Mauriac, a Catholic theologian and fiction writer that I took to heart when I started writing in earnest: "a literature of edification falsifies life; to depict man in all his misery is to unmask the abyss opened, in the modern world, by God's absence".
I love you for this video. I'm on a journey learning the best way to approach secular media. I'm that guy who has banned most of the secular stuff in his life. Your video has given me new food for thought. Please do pray for me to know God's will in this area of my life. God bless! :)
To me, watching as a doctor doesnt just mean watching clinically and observantly but also with a caring heart that's moved to help and take care of the afflicted.
Again 👏🏼 Thank you so much! Please 🥺 keep it coming! We need more of this! When I read the title I thought I knew the answer coming... nope! And I’m soooo happy. This helped me a lot. May God bless you!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these things. It is incredibly freeing to know I am not a bad person for being interested in movies that R rated, or series that aren’t talked about at the coffee social: in fear of being judged a bad person. I too learn what’s going on in our world, and I also learn what to pray for, and what to talk about with my children. Thank you, again. This video has been a blessing to me. God Bless You and your work!
Personally, I wouldn't recommend going to R rated movies for that reason, you can always do web searches and read about what is going on in today's world. But I would recommend Christian websites for that. Movies do have spirits (sex/lust, horror/fear, obscenities/anger) and they rub off into our own spirits.
I really appreciate the take on this video. The message really spoke to me -- in that she is telling the audience about the way it is, not how it should be. Most children are out of there depths with adulting because their parents fail to prepare them.
I’m a Catholic ofc and I can be scrupulous sometimes and I watch a Rated R movies sometimes not too often and I feel like I do see the stuff and say that’s wrong but I’m only watching this because it’s entertaining and our society has made it popular
I love this description of how to raise your kids in this culture. I have seen sheltered Catholic kids who don’t do well when they leave the protection of their family. There are no guarantees that talking through bad stuff will save them from difficulties, but at least they will have some sort of framework to work with.
Keep these videos coming from Barbara Nicolosi! They’re amazing! Great insight in how to approach media and culture as disciples of Christ, not writing them off entirely, but gleaning them to diagnose the suffering of our fellow man and find ways to evangelize! Thank you Barbara for your wonderful insight! God bless!
Barbara, I’ve heard you give this talk before. I loved it then and I love it now. You are correct. Kids need to know how to navigate the culture they actually live in, not a culture that we would like them to live in. My mom was pretty strict about what I watched. Yet when I was little, I remember watching All in the Family. When I was a teenager, she and I watched Dallas together. So I wasn’t that restricted. If I wanted to watch something that she thought she didn’t want me to watch, she’d sit down and watch it with me and then I’d usually get to watch it. I think she had a good balance - more freedom as I got older. When I turned 17, she let me go to R rated movies with my friends. She actually wanted me to go with her to see JFK, which is rated R. I was in my early 20’s. She even sat through it with Joe Pesci’s character saying the F- word almost every other word. I usually don’t see R rated movies. I haven’t in a long time. If there was an R rated movie that really interested me, I might watch it. My “guilty pleasure” is Law and Order:SVU. Even though it can be a bit much sometimes, I like the characters and the story line interests me. I’ve actually learned from the show. I hope you’re going to be doing more videos. I enjoy them. And judging from the comments, a lot of other people do, too.
I very infrequently comment, but I feel compelled to state my enjoyment of the videos with Barbara Nicolosi. This woman is tremendously intelligent and a great role model for Catholics and Christians wading through an increasingly secular world. Keep her on call Ascension Presents!
This is a topic I'm really interested in as a young Christian. I love watching secular movies and looking at them with a Christian worldview, it's incredibly interesting but I definitely struggle on occasion with, is it ok to watch this or not? I often wish there was a clear cut yes or no because I know the heart is wicked and it can be hard to discern if my justification is valid or I just really want to watch the film.
Jesus said that we all walk with a divided heart. One side dark and the other light(love) You will be able to discern what side of your heart is being fed by what you look at or what you hear. Just watch yourself like I do. If I see or hear anything that provokes any of the deadly sins, I change it immediately to something else that feeds my heart with joy, love and peace. Feeding the living, loving, caring side of my heart, the spiritual side of me as well by reading the Bible daily, going to church and discerning the spirits. I was taught that discerning the spirits involves noticing if something evokes peace and joy in you verses anything BUT peace and joy. Chaos confusion etc. So if your concerned about the dark side of your heart growing more inside of you.... Stick with the more wholesome things you can do with your life like a good clean hobby. What are you interested in? Carpentry, painting, music, volunteering, etc the list goes on and on. There are soooooo many good things in this beautiful world that God created for us to enjoy then there are bad! Media would say otherwise. Pray. Ask God to guide you to something that he sees fit for you. Then wait. You will NOT be disappointed!!!! Trust me God Bless you on your walk with Christ Jesus ❤️ He’ll be right by your side 😊
i'm guessing that I won't be ready for marriage for a looong time (if that is even my vocation), but i have been stressing for a while about how I would raise my kids in today's culture! thank you for this!
I have to say I disagree. I already know humanity is suffering right now, I don't need to be watching the same things they are. I don't need to feed the lust of the flesh in the meanwhile. Why would you do that to yourself as a Christian?
Well, I can tell you from personal experience what happens is you end up joining a parish community of like minded individuals who grow increasingly more insular and crazed, your children grow up either resentful or incapable of interacting in modern life with no real way to address or understand their own theology or means to resist these new found temptations; and whole things implodes when you find the priest is pedo, the upstanding church members’ kids has been sexually abusing each other and victims had no real words or conception to communicate this to you. And, oh, look at that! The “lose” and “undisciplined” catholic family who, *shocker* let their children play video games and watch Disney films, actually still have children who still practice the faith, while 5 out of 6 of yours have all left the church with a burning hatred and have a host psychological problems. Just saying...
I feel this is a very good lesson. Being a desciple of Christ in the time you're born in. Sometimes I find it difficult, because of cinical or too pessimistic views of the world that a lot of shows depict, but it is true that as a deciple of Christ, you have to accept it and work from this point.
Very nice video, I agree. There is no point in censoring some programs or preventing your kids from seeing certain content. They will access it anyways, without you knowing it.
@Matthew Brady except God can understand any language. And I would assume he would help me do that too....... it is God. Language is a very trivial thing for God I would think, especially if He stopped by to eat popcorn! 😄😂
I really hope Ms. Nicolosi is a regular on here. What she has to say is so relevant to what we're facing. I have two young kids and I want to shelter them from the world and it's hard to fight that impulse to just ban everything immoral but she's right. That won't help anyone.
This video needs a different title. I was immediately biased against the video, because the answer is such an obvious YES, Catholics can and should be watching R rated videos. So...I was totally disarmed by the speaker’s thoughtful, nuanced explanations. To my surprise, I agree. I take my Catholicism with a huge grain of salt (as did my mother, bless her). My idea is to always divorce myself from my religion when I am the witness to a work of art. But I finally reached my limit when I saw the film, “The Favourite.” I should have walked out. This was too cynical a view of human nature for me not to be sickened by it. To this day, I am amazed at the critical accolades. Did my Catholicism, such as it is, play any role in my judgement of this film? Possibly. I cannot rule it out. This experience certainly taught me a lesson. Kudos to the woman speaking here. And thank you.
Fabulously balanced and such well put words.sheltering is creating ignorance , I agree. Being engaged and planting seeds, so important. Like a good diet of healthy choices, makes junk food exactly that. Junk. As a child no bars held on what I watched but interestingly enough I stopped watching most tv and now I go back and it’s so usually disappointing and unrewarding. A good book though is another story. A pure life leads to a pure heart.
Hey, this was a surprisingly interesting video Man on his own alone and suffering nailed completely Usually I do not agree too much to the usual christian preacher, I stick to Neville Goddards teaching, that we live all the lives we are supposed to until we are crucified on Jesus christ and then realise he was inside us all along, and is in fact us - Golgotha is the human skull -- and Jesus is the humans wonderful imagination, the one power Man has over all other creatures The most underrated quote in the bible, is nothing less than a solemn promise; "Whatever you ask for in prayer - Believe ( IMAGINE) that you have already received it, and it will be yours" Mark 11:24
As a creative writer I watch a lot of them, There's certain things you can learn from some of these shows/movies into how you can tell better stories. Some stuff is unbearable to watch and a pilot usually can tell me all I need to know.
As a general rule: yes, but it depends on *why* exactly the movie is rated what it is: shows like "The Patriot" (a history film that is quite morally acceptable), likely the Passion of the Christ, would be absolutely rated "R", but due to the violence in the movie. But if a show proves to be intended to induce immoral scenes into your head: walk right out, forfeit the money for the ticket, and simply write off the expenditure as a bad investment you realized is a bad investment- at that moment your sole responsibility is to protect your own soul and that of your family. Unless, of course, you're doing so to preview it to see if it will lead *others* astray, then you have to know when to take your charges out to avoid them seeing forbidden scenes- like indecent scenes in the movie.
On the matter of films; I briefly considered, and promptly rejected, watching the film "the Death of Stalin", not because it wasn't historically accurate... it was, but because the characters were such potty-mouths that it was pathetic at best, and the swearing they engaged in was really sexual in nature. While they would do that, I didn't want to listen to that- and that is why I refuse to watch shows that depict immodesty in dress or mouthing off: it is because I don't want that garbage in my head, nor my character! Especially if I am compelled into atheism due to my endorsement of the Catechism of the Catholic Church- which I absolutely am regarding where it forbids any contact with spirits, and it also clarifies that God Himself is a spirit- thus having any contact at all with God is sinful in and of itself. But then I am compelled to take even more extra-careful care what I permit myself to witness therefore- as my situation is all the more fragile. But the words of the Church's saints in warnings against the occult have proven to me that all revelation is heretical in its very nature- that absolutely applies to the bible and Sacred Tradition at that, so the entirety of the Church's dogmas are to be thrown out as a direct fruit of that simple condemnation, and that condemnation is right to be there. The result is that it is even more imperative that I take absolute care what I allow to pass before my eyes- not because I believe that spirits are lurking, I don't put any weight behind the claims of a next life. I did, sadly, but the teachings in the Catechism drove me out of that- and rightly so... so thus I shalln't have anything at all to do with the saints, nor with God, and I never even *wanted* anything to do with the evil one to begin with! Direct result of that simple condemnation is that I shall have to live as a mix of a deist and an atheist for all of the rest of my existence, but endorsing the Decalogue's regulations, especially the commandments 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, for the effects they have on me, and to keep myself pure of heart- though I shall never ever have a place in myself for God, nor anything else spiritual, due to the wording of the Catechism in that one small passage set I mentioned the teachings therein. It really is the need to avoid drinking poisoned water, or eating poisoned meat- that kind of thing, and certainly avoiding abusing my neighbors, but the teachings of the saints have forever ruined any belief in any idea of any good spirit at all- they are all filled with malintent, and that absolutely includes God, or simple ineptitude towards mankind due to His majesty and our lowliness.
I’m 12 years old and I have seen rated r movies since I was 4. And I started trying to obey the rules of god and this one I’m not sure if this is sin. And I have played video games like call of duty and other ones and I’m still not sure if that is sin. Please somebody let me know because I didn’t really understand these words well
First of all: congrats for trying to remain holy in this generation! Second, regarding your question, I'm 18 and I still have troubles discerning whether I should watch this or watch that, you are not alone. I'm not gonna tell you if it's a sin or not, but I'll give you an advice: pray a lot, especially the Rosary, spend time in Adoration, and if you can, find a good and holy priest on which you can trust to be your advicer and confessor; and trust him your concerns about this topic; he can guide you and put you in the right path. Hope this helps a little, either way, I'll be praying for you. See you in Heaven one day!!
Whether or not something is offensive to you is irrelevant to whether it is offensive to God. It is not your interpretation that matters, it is God’s. There is never an excuse to watch a movie with pornographic or blasphemous scenes. Watch Father Ripperger’s homily on movies.
I’m sorry but this disgusts me. Game of thrones literally has tons of pornography and a little boy whose innocence I’m sure is lost “breastfeeding” on a complete stranger. Soo I don’t understand how we can watch and support evil to see the “suffering of man without God.” And this “what are your friends watching.. let’s watch it and talk about it.” What is that?! These people that think protecting the innocence of our children is a BAD thing?!?! Makes me very very sad. It’s so untrue. The BEST people I know have come from families that lived like the 1800s. I know a family that lived like that and literally 5 nuns came from their children. Another family like that, all 9 children remained strong Catholic and are happily married/a couple priests too. How about we do not in any way support mortal sin? How about we boycott evil? Literally ALL the Saints say reject evil and be pure and think on God etc. There are thousands of Saint books and things to do outdoors and as a family. Be extreme. Teach your kids to LOVE GOD AND REJECT EVIL. All evil. It’s not “the means justify the ends.” If a show has nudity or mortal sin DONT WATCH IT!! That simple. God calls us to a pure home ESPECIALLY in our times!!! We TEACH our children about how to live in this culture and suffer and be strong NOT by exposing them to evil!!, but by speaking with them and loving them and praying and homeschooling and every single day instilling the faith SO STRONG into them, and explaining the evils when they’re of age, but they’ll be so Catholic and full of values and Catholic standards by the time they are men and women that it’ll be ok. Especially if they’re raised with MARTYR Saint stories, Saint Dominic, Saint Max Kolbe etc, rosary miracles, Fatima, and all the WONDERS OUR FAITH HAS TO OFFER!! I’m so close to being done with this channel. Father Mike Schmitz or any other priest if you read this I’m begging you to take off this liberal modernist video. I haven’t watched TV for a year and don’t plan to ever again. Even “good” movies. It’s time to rise up and change the world, not lower ourselves. Imagine if all Catholics boycotted TV - imagine the impact on non Catholics. IMAGINE!!! they’d see such a different way such a beautiful way, people actually spending time with each other. Children playing outside! What a concept. I could go on. But nobody is going to even read this I suppose I just felt like ranting after watching this modern regurgitation.
If your heart is pure, watching rated R movie will not be an issue. It is all about your mindset. We already live in a messy society, if you want to be 100% CLEAN, the only way is to live in a mountain by yourself or become a monk and live in a temple. Is eating expensive food a sin? Is watching rated-R movie a sin? Is having lots of money a sin? If you think like that, EVERYTHING in this world can be a sin. So stop that. It all comes down to your mindset. Thinking like that leads to paranoia, leads to guilt, and eventually it will restrict you and imprison you, which is the opposite of what GOD wants
I don’t think it’s imprisoning yourself by choosing not to watch certain entertainment. I think it’s being humble about one’s own purity and honest about your humanity. Being pure in heart is entirely a grace from God and not from one’s own ability. Our flesh, as St Paul said, is weak. Watching an R rated movie can be putting yourself in near occasion of sin and the devil can use that easily to tempt you. Discernment is necessary, I think, and asking yourself if this piece of entertainment you’re about to watch will bring you closer to God or not. And if you end up watching something that goes against your values or sense of morality, it doesn’t mean you’ve sinned necessarily, but I do see the necessity of facing that question, “Did that help bring me closer to God or not?”
Leonardo Arruda...,. Do be careful on your quest for purity. I find so often your type indulging in over scrupulousity and pride, often followed by scandal, despair, and rejection or corruption of the church and her teachings when it enviable what you are tempted by encompasses that which is innately innocent but you have no real fortitude or prudence to see it.
Re: the signs of the times and the examples you give. Doesn’t every generation go through this? The ppl of Israel wanted a king so bad, they got King Saul even as Samuel gave them God’s warning of slavery.
Why would you want to start a flame war or ruffle people's feathers? There is no joy in your words. Why say something like that? This is what Barbara is talking about first hand. I can hear someone saying this in an R-rated movie. Christians know it's wrong. God knew you were going to write this before you did. So, why? Further...Good triumphs over evil every time. Be good always. This world has bad things in it as it is. Plus...You're God's child no matter if you believe or not. Peace be with you.
None of us should be watching people have sex, mutilate one another, take the name of our Lord in vain.....The Bible tells us to think on things that are pure, honorable, ..... People have actually gotten demons by watching horror movies.
@@mariadonkova2759 There are REAL spells in Harry Potter, you are subjecting yourself to demonic influence. Demons have been known to come through movie/tv screens. Also, movies that depict the occult in a positive light are harmful, especially to impressionable young people.
For those who say no, The Passion of the Christ was rated R. Be careful with absolutes.
So is Unplanned.
The Passion of the Christ was a lousy movie with a questionable theological agenda. In no sense is it a movie for children.
@@dallasmcquarrie1937 I was not suggesting it was a movie for children.
@Brendan Lewis I wouldn't recommend for adults, either.
ATHIEST !
I raised my sons in the 80’s - 2000’s
I censored programs when they were little
I sat like she did as they got older and used the shows as teaching moments
Just my reaction to what was going on got there attention!
I would pause the program and talk about it with them.
Right Wrong Good Bad Ugly Beautiful etc.
Now they are both good strong catholic men leading good wholesome lives with their wives and children of there own.
I giggle when I see them doing with their children what I did for them. Soooo nice to see!
Thank you for this video
You did a wonderful job 👏🏼
Good Mother
so like a Game of Thrones when you got to the point where the sister and brother were having sex did you pause the video and explain that to your son as well? Please there are ways to teach your children without showing them things that could lead them to a life of destruction to themselves and to women.
They already knew what incest was. Their friend was a victim of it
Didn’t need tv shows and movies or the news for that teaching moment
@@TheHawaiianmama exactly he's subject to all that horrible stuff in real life he doesn't need a teaching moment with good old mom and a pornographic TV show.
heavenly flame So, exposure to real life incest is good, but exposure to TV incest is bad? As a good mother she probably knows which scenes are too much for her sons. Besides, her methods worked. Her sons grew up to be good and virtuous. It's going to be different for everyone and I'm sure as a mother she was prudent in her methods. More often than not, it's those who were never exposed to bad things, in real life or TV, who end up unable to deal with the reality of sin, so they end up depressed and hopeless when they hear stuff like the sex abuse crises, because they grew up thinking that life on earth is all roses and chocolates.
"More shocked from seeing something beautiful and true [in media]." Ms. Nicolosi says things I didn't know how to express. The way she described floundering of characters without God is dead on.
The Hypocrisy of so called Catholic politicians have alot of nerve claiming they are good Catholics, yet think Abortion is ok! That sickens me!!
Maybe whipping on the town square for them? Or beheading?
Or take away their livelyhood?
Whatever you think is proper punishment for such treatory!!!
Heretics
They are still spiritually deaf and blind pray for them.
🙏🙏🙏❤❤❤🙏🙏🙏
@@itsmeGeorgina lol like the Muslims?
Yes, those hypocrites should be ex-communicated.
Is she going to be constantly at this channel ? That would be fantastic, great points of view, I like her a lot
I feel the same in all counts!
I REALLY like her too!
Yes I like her very much. She is thoughtful and takes into account different factors.🎉
"Rated R" for "'Reading the signs of our times"
Löwen Welle SO well-spoken!
Our savior died on the cross while shedding his precious blood to set us free from bondage of sin & death.
We must refrain from faulty indulgence & work to expose acts of ugliness.
killing God's beauty is killing our likeness for him.
Barbara,
You are wonderful! As a father to four adopted children, I and my wife are doing our best to raise them in our faith. Bringing them up as "disciples" in this dystopian time and culture is a great way to give our children the opportunity to discern what is good for their soul, and what is not. I really love listening to someone as faith filled and intellectually astute as you are! Please make more videos on Ascension Presents!
John McHatton
I like your take on this. I am an Indie film actress and my teenage son is involved in a film production magnet high school program. We watch a lot of movies together and discuss the themes, scenes, character development, cinematography etc. We even do this with TV shows as it is part of his curriculum. I think the most important thing is that he and I discuss what is being shown and to me, it's important that I see in him a different viewpoint in that it isn't just entertainment but a commentary (mostly sad) on current society. Breaking Bad is a good example as we are watching it now and the themes of ego, hate, fear, jealousy, power, and violence are discussion points as he recognizes the degradation of "the common man" into this supervillain because he relies on himself and disregards the value of the lives around him. I guess with regards to children/teens you have to be aware of what they are watching and what they are digesting from this and keeping them aware to the core family and faith values.
@@ccbarr58 Actually it's a college-level course he is taking after school where he earns credits with a local college - he had to obtain a certain GPA to be admitted and to remain in the classes. He has a good academic and spiritual foundation with Catholic grade and middle school. in addition, my son is a skilled writer and is learning how to write screenplays, etc. He is interested in telling stories about the human condition. If anything, I am very proud of him and look forward to a Catholic raised film-maker/writer and what he will do in the future. God bless you.
I’m really enjoying hearing from Barbara Nicolosi! She’s so relevant
She definitely is. We need to also learn more about the Catholic Imagination to be able to discern shows and movies better, and offer better critiques of them than just saying "blasphemy" or hiding from them
@@Montfortracing What do you mean by blasphemy? A movie taking the Lord's name in vain?
@@melissaumuhire7804 Not really. A lot of Christians will just say "blasphemy" for any movie they deem not wholesome enough, without offering a more constructive criticism of many movies. Good art is not always meant to be "safe."
Really appreciate your insight. It was unexpected and well-articulated. God bless!😃
I appreciate the nuance in this view. It's great to hear someone who understands that some of these stories are actually honest about brokenness in the world!
For a long time I've told people that believers can actually agree with the basic message of breaking bad! You watch how Walt literally descends into chaos and ruins his entire life, and his whole family by participating in grave evil. That is the exact message of the Scriptures about what happens when we say "yes" to evil continually.
There's a thought-provoking quote from Francois Mauriac, a Catholic theologian and fiction writer that I took to heart when I started writing in earnest: "a literature of edification falsifies life; to depict man in all his misery is to unmask the abyss opened, in the modern world, by God's absence".
Not the answer I was expecting to hear, but absolutely agree.
I love you for this video. I'm on a journey learning the best way to approach secular media. I'm that guy who has banned most of the secular stuff in his life. Your video has given me new food for thought. Please do pray for me to know God's will in this area of my life. God bless! :)
To me, watching as a doctor doesnt just mean watching clinically and observantly but also with a caring heart that's moved to help and take care of the afflicted.
Again 👏🏼
Thank you so much!
Please 🥺 keep it coming! We need more of this!
When I read the title I thought I knew the answer coming... nope! And I’m soooo happy. This helped me a lot.
May God bless you!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these things. It is incredibly freeing to know I am not a bad person for being interested in movies that R rated, or series that aren’t talked about at the coffee social: in fear of being judged a bad person. I too learn what’s going on in our world, and I also learn what to pray for, and what to talk about with my children. Thank you, again. This video has been a blessing to me. God Bless You and your work!
Personally, I wouldn't recommend going to R rated movies for that reason, you can always do web searches and read about what is going on in today's world. But I would recommend
Christian websites for that. Movies do have spirits (sex/lust, horror/fear, obscenities/anger) and they rub off into our own spirits.
These videos with Ms Nicolosi are awesome! Please keep them coming.
I really appreciate the take on this video. The message really spoke to me -- in that she is telling the audience about the way it is, not how it should be. Most children are out of there depths with adulting because their parents fail to prepare them.
Claps! My life and siblings. We were thrown in a world that we didn't know how to handle. Made very wrong choices. All of us. Now, we know better.
I’m a Catholic ofc and I can be scrupulous sometimes and I watch a Rated R movies sometimes not too often and I feel like I do see the stuff and say that’s wrong but I’m only watching this because it’s entertaining and our society has made it popular
I love this description of how to raise your kids in this culture. I have seen sheltered Catholic kids who don’t do well when they leave the protection of their family. There are no guarantees that talking through bad stuff will save them from difficulties, but at least they will have some sort of framework to work with.
I'm really excited to keep hearing from this woman! Thank you Barbara!!!
Keep these videos coming from Barbara Nicolosi! They’re amazing! Great insight in how to approach media and culture as disciples of Christ, not writing them off entirely, but gleaning them to diagnose the suffering of our fellow man and find ways to evangelize! Thank you Barbara for your wonderful insight! God bless!
Barbara, I’ve heard you give this talk before. I loved it then and I love it now.
You are correct. Kids need to know how to navigate the culture they actually live in, not a culture that we would like them to live in.
My mom was pretty strict about what I watched. Yet when I was little, I remember watching All in the Family. When I was a teenager, she and I watched Dallas together. So I wasn’t that restricted. If I wanted to watch something that she thought she didn’t want me to watch, she’d sit down and watch it with me and then I’d usually get to watch it.
I think she had a good balance - more freedom as I got older. When I turned 17, she let me go to R rated movies with my friends.
She actually wanted me to go with her to see JFK, which is rated R. I was in my early 20’s. She even sat through it with Joe Pesci’s character saying the F- word almost every other word.
I usually don’t see R rated movies. I haven’t in a long time. If there was an R rated movie that really interested me, I might watch it.
My “guilty pleasure” is Law and Order:SVU. Even though it can be a bit much sometimes, I like the characters and the story line interests me. I’ve actually learned from the show.
I hope you’re going to be doing more videos. I enjoy them. And judging from the comments, a lot of other people do, too.
I very infrequently comment, but I feel compelled to state my enjoyment of the videos with Barbara Nicolosi. This woman is tremendously intelligent and a great role model for Catholics and Christians wading through an increasingly secular world. Keep her on call Ascension Presents!
Very informative video for myself as a Catholic considering working in the film industry, thank you AP.
This is a topic I'm really interested in as a young Christian. I love watching secular movies and looking at them with a Christian worldview, it's incredibly interesting but I definitely struggle on occasion with, is it ok to watch this or not? I often wish there was a clear cut yes or no because I know the heart is wicked and it can be hard to discern if my justification is valid or I just really want to watch the film.
My rule of thumb is to hold off if it makes me feel tempted to sin (or o expect it to). You have my prayers!!
Jesus said that we all walk with a divided heart.
One side dark and the other light(love)
You will be able to discern what side of your heart is being fed by what you look at or what you hear.
Just watch yourself like I do.
If I see or hear anything that provokes any of the deadly sins, I change it immediately to something else that feeds my heart with joy, love and peace. Feeding the living, loving, caring side of my heart, the spiritual side of me as well by reading the Bible daily, going to church and discerning the spirits.
I was taught that discerning the spirits involves noticing if something evokes peace and joy in you verses anything BUT peace and joy. Chaos confusion etc.
So if your concerned about the dark side of your heart growing more inside of you....
Stick with the more wholesome things you can do with your life like a good clean hobby. What are you interested in? Carpentry, painting, music, volunteering, etc the list goes on and on.
There are soooooo many good things in this beautiful world that God created for us to enjoy then there are bad!
Media would say otherwise.
Pray. Ask God to guide you to something that he sees fit for you. Then wait. You will NOT be disappointed!!!! Trust me
God Bless you on your walk with Christ Jesus ❤️ He’ll be right by your side 😊
I am with this problem too ,for example I like animes and star wars
Hope to see much more content from Barbara Nicolosi on this channel and UA-cam at large!
Well spoken, thoughtful in addressing an important concern. Unfortunate choice of a title when so much more is offered.
I love hearing her talking. She is so wise and charismatic, speaks relevant stuff. I what more pleeeeeeeease
i'm guessing that I won't be ready for marriage for a looong time (if that is even my vocation), but i have been stressing for a while about how I would raise my kids in today's culture! thank you for this!
I have to say I disagree. I already know humanity is suffering right now, I don't need to be watching the same things they are. I don't need to feed the lust of the flesh in the meanwhile. Why would you do that to yourself as a Christian?
Yes completely agree.
Well, I can tell you from personal experience what happens is you end up joining a parish community of like minded individuals who grow increasingly more insular and crazed, your children grow up either resentful or incapable of interacting in modern life with no real way to address or understand their own theology or means to resist these new found temptations; and whole things implodes when you find the priest is pedo, the upstanding church members’ kids has been sexually abusing each other and victims had no real words or conception to communicate this to you. And, oh, look at that! The “lose” and “undisciplined” catholic family who, *shocker* let their children play video games and watch Disney films, actually still have children who still practice the faith, while 5 out of 6 of yours have all left the church with a burning hatred and have a host psychological problems. Just saying...
peitro dominic that has nothing to do with not watching inappropriate movies.
Thank you. It's just a way to justify watching movies that you want to but feel guilty about.
Good point
I feel this is a very good lesson. Being a desciple of Christ in the time you're born in. Sometimes I find it difficult, because of cinical or too pessimistic views of the world that a lot of shows depict, but it is true that as a deciple of Christ, you have to accept it and work from this point.
Thank you AP for more Barbara Nicolosi. 👍👍
Wow....Food for thought. Planting seeds well Ms. Nicolosi.
Great content! Thank you Barbara!
This was super powerful, sobering and challenging.
Thank you so much for this video. It was something I needed to hear. I’ve been struggling on how to raise my children in this moment in time.
Hacksaw ridge was an r-rated film.
Can’t get enough of Barbara.
What a refreshingly honest assessment and take.
Thank you for this ma'am, it was helpful for me a young adult. God bless you!! Love from the Philippines.
She reminds me of Hildegard of Bingen somehow.. clear eyed but not afraid of the world.. keep up this kind of good work! tnx..
Lots of wonderful stuff. Thank you!
Very nice video, I agree. There is no point in censoring some programs or preventing your kids from seeing certain content. They will access it anyways, without you knowing it.
Thank you, Barbara
Now that is good advice. I rarely hear something so wise from catholics, at least in my country.
Our judge in our house it.........if we couldn't watch it with Jesus sitting next to us on the couch eating popcorn then it is not ok.
I wanted to make a quip about what would happen when the party runs out of popcorn:)
@Matthew Brady except God can understand any language. And I would assume he would help me do that too....... it is God. Language is a very trivial thing for God I would think, especially if He stopped by to eat popcorn! 😄😂
Thank you so much! I love your wisdom and guidance in your videos. I know very little about this topic and again, thank you for your knowledge.
Wow....thank you so much, that was an eye opener
Great info. and contrast love to see more of Barbara Nicolosi!
Agree, most is trash. But there are some, very few, that deserve our attention.
I really hope Ms. Nicolosi is a regular on here. What she has to say is so relevant to what we're facing. I have two young kids and I want to shelter them from the world and it's hard to fight that impulse to just ban everything immoral but she's right. That won't help anyone.
This is actually really fascinating.
This video needs a different title. I was immediately biased against the video, because the answer is such an obvious YES, Catholics can and should be watching R rated videos.
So...I was totally disarmed by the speaker’s thoughtful, nuanced explanations. To my surprise, I agree.
I take my Catholicism with a huge grain of salt (as did my mother, bless her). My idea is to always divorce myself from my religion when I am the witness to a work of art.
But I finally reached my limit when I saw the film, “The Favourite.” I should have walked out. This was too cynical a view of human nature for me not to be sickened by it. To this day, I am amazed at the critical accolades.
Did my Catholicism, such as it is, play any role in my judgement of this film? Possibly. I cannot rule it out. This experience certainly taught me a lesson.
Kudos to the woman speaking here. And thank you.
Fabulously balanced and such well put words.sheltering is creating ignorance , I agree. Being engaged and planting seeds, so important. Like a good diet of healthy choices, makes junk food exactly that. Junk. As a child no bars held on what I watched but interestingly enough I stopped watching most tv and now I go back and it’s so usually disappointing and unrewarding. A good book though is another story. A pure life leads to a pure heart.
This is a great video. I have been looking for something like this. . .
Hey, this was a surprisingly interesting video
Man on his own alone and suffering nailed completely
Usually I do not agree too much to the usual christian preacher, I stick to Neville Goddards teaching, that we live all the lives we are supposed to until we are crucified on Jesus christ and then realise he was inside us all along, and is in fact us - Golgotha is the human skull -- and Jesus is the humans wonderful imagination, the one power Man has over all other creatures
The most underrated quote in the bible, is nothing less than a solemn promise;
"Whatever you ask for in prayer - Believe ( IMAGINE) that you have already received it, and it will be yours"
Mark 11:24
This was great. I think it would have had more views if the title was different and more reflective of the excellent content.
As a creative writer I watch a lot of them, There's certain things you can learn from some of these shows/movies into how you can tell better stories. Some stuff is unbearable to watch and a pilot usually can tell me all I need to know.
Honestly, I think the best coming of age movie is Spider-Man (2002).
Thank you for sharing☺️♥️
I wonder what she thinks of lady bird- painfully realistic story about coming of age as a modern catholic
Catherine Terelak uff I would love to know what she thinks about it too
Thank you for the insight! Observe "like a doctor." And understand the manifestations of culture as signs of the times.
Thank you!
I’ve often found her to be insightful!
Should be retitled as “Should Catholics Watch R-Rated Movies?”
The question is more why do Catholics want to watch R rate when PG is now horrible? I am not impressed by the artistic content.
As a general rule: yes, but it depends on *why* exactly the movie is rated what it is: shows like "The Patriot" (a history film that is quite morally acceptable), likely the Passion of the Christ, would be absolutely rated "R", but due to the violence in the movie. But if a show proves to be intended to induce immoral scenes into your head: walk right out, forfeit the money for the ticket, and simply write off the expenditure as a bad investment you realized is a bad investment- at that moment your sole responsibility is to protect your own soul and that of your family. Unless, of course, you're doing so to preview it to see if it will lead *others* astray, then you have to know when to take your charges out to avoid them seeing forbidden scenes- like indecent scenes in the movie.
very good! im enjoying her videos
I watched a movie called 1917, it was based off of world war 1. Although it is rated R, most of what they showed on this film happens in real life.
I think these movies should be shown,because it shows all the evil in this world,and shows people NOT WHAT TO DO!!
Basically agree but To watch a nudity is going to be classified as pornography and a mortal sin in almost every case. Check the catechism on it.
I love listening to her
Should Catholics/Christians look at skin magazines, even one from the 50s and 60s that are pretty tame by contemporary standards ?
Great points
Censorship is dangerous. I’ll watch anything that is interesting to me and then formulate an opinion.
Wow. As a “disciple”, you ought to look for better things than depravity. Why do you have to always be entertained? Get rid of your TV!!!!!!
Exactly. Reject the world. Read Saint books. This video disgusts me.
What about stuff like John Wick..? Incredibly violent, but in a campy way. I definitely have no desire to imitate any of the actions in those movies.
Old Testament. Think about it...
I didn't watch the video yet, but the answer is yes.
On the matter of films; I briefly considered, and promptly rejected, watching the film "the Death of Stalin", not because it wasn't historically accurate... it was, but because the characters were such potty-mouths that it was pathetic at best, and the swearing they engaged in was really sexual in nature. While they would do that, I didn't want to listen to that- and that is why I refuse to watch shows that depict immodesty in dress or mouthing off: it is because I don't want that garbage in my head, nor my character! Especially if I am compelled into atheism due to my endorsement of the Catechism of the Catholic Church- which I absolutely am regarding where it forbids any contact with spirits, and it also clarifies that God Himself is a spirit- thus having any contact at all with God is sinful in and of itself. But then I am compelled to take even more extra-careful care what I permit myself to witness therefore- as my situation is all the more fragile. But the words of the Church's saints in warnings against the occult have proven to me that all revelation is heretical in its very nature- that absolutely applies to the bible and Sacred Tradition at that, so the entirety of the Church's dogmas are to be thrown out as a direct fruit of that simple condemnation, and that condemnation is right to be there.
The result is that it is even more imperative that I take absolute care what I allow to pass before my eyes- not because I believe that spirits are lurking, I don't put any weight behind the claims of a next life. I did, sadly, but the teachings in the Catechism drove me out of that- and rightly so... so thus I shalln't have anything at all to do with the saints, nor with God, and I never even *wanted* anything to do with the evil one to begin with! Direct result of that simple condemnation is that I shall have to live as a mix of a deist and an atheist for all of the rest of my existence, but endorsing the Decalogue's regulations, especially the commandments 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, for the effects they have on me, and to keep myself pure of heart- though I shall never ever have a place in myself for God, nor anything else spiritual, due to the wording of the Catechism in that one small passage set I mentioned the teachings therein.
It really is the need to avoid drinking poisoned water, or eating poisoned meat- that kind of thing, and certainly avoiding abusing my neighbors, but the teachings of the saints have forever ruined any belief in any idea of any good spirit at all- they are all filled with malintent, and that absolutely includes God, or simple ineptitude towards mankind due to His majesty and our lowliness.
I’m 12 years old and I have seen rated r movies since I was 4. And I started trying to obey the rules of god and this one I’m not sure if this is sin. And I have played video games like call of duty and other ones and I’m still not sure if that is sin. Please somebody let me know because I didn’t really understand these words well
First of all: congrats for trying to remain holy in this generation! Second, regarding your question, I'm 18 and I still have troubles discerning whether I should watch this or watch that, you are not alone. I'm not gonna tell you if it's a sin or not, but I'll give you an advice: pray a lot, especially the Rosary, spend time in Adoration, and if you can, find a good and holy priest on which you can trust to be your advicer and confessor; and trust him your concerns about this topic; he can guide you and put you in the right path. Hope this helps a little, either way, I'll be praying for you. See you in Heaven one day!!
Whether or not something is offensive to you is irrelevant to whether it is offensive to God. It is not your interpretation that matters, it is God’s. There is never an excuse to watch a movie with pornographic or blasphemous scenes. Watch Father Ripperger’s homily on movies.
I watched Deadpool, but when it got graphic/constant violent/sexual stuff I skipped past. Same with Logan. Haven't watched R rated otherwise.
I’m sorry but this disgusts me. Game of thrones literally has tons of pornography and a little boy whose innocence I’m sure is lost “breastfeeding” on a complete stranger. Soo I don’t understand how we can watch and support evil to see the “suffering of man without God.” And this “what are your friends watching.. let’s watch it and talk about it.” What is that?! These people that think protecting the innocence of our children is a BAD thing?!?! Makes me very very sad. It’s so untrue. The BEST people I know have come from families that lived like the 1800s. I know a family that lived like that and literally 5 nuns came from their children. Another family like that, all 9 children remained strong Catholic and are happily married/a couple priests too. How about we do not in any way support mortal sin? How about we boycott evil? Literally ALL the Saints say reject evil and be pure and think on God etc. There are thousands of Saint books and things to do outdoors and as a family. Be extreme. Teach your kids to LOVE GOD AND REJECT EVIL. All evil. It’s not “the means justify the ends.” If a show has nudity or mortal sin DONT WATCH IT!! That simple. God calls us to a pure home ESPECIALLY in our times!!! We TEACH our children about how to live in this culture and suffer and be strong NOT by exposing them to evil!!, but by speaking with them and loving them and praying and homeschooling and every single day instilling the faith SO STRONG into them, and explaining the evils when they’re of age, but they’ll be so Catholic and full of values and Catholic standards by the time they are men and women that it’ll be ok. Especially if they’re raised with MARTYR Saint stories, Saint Dominic, Saint Max Kolbe etc, rosary miracles, Fatima, and all the WONDERS OUR FAITH HAS TO OFFER!! I’m so close to being done with this channel. Father Mike Schmitz or any other priest if you read this I’m begging you to take off this liberal modernist video. I haven’t watched TV for a year and don’t plan to ever again. Even “good” movies. It’s time to rise up and change the world, not lower ourselves. Imagine if all Catholics boycotted TV - imagine the impact on non Catholics. IMAGINE!!! they’d see such a different way such a beautiful way, people actually spending time with each other. Children playing outside! What a concept. I could go on. But nobody is going to even read this I suppose I just felt like ranting after watching this modern regurgitation.
Movies shouldn't violate the principle of the integral good.
more barbara yes!
God blessings and love for telling the truth. Please pray I can get a home debt free.
There is the pseudodionysian principle of the integral good...
man, interview her more! she has such good insight!
You think TV and Movies have complicated problems? Try videos games.
If your heart is pure, watching rated R movie will not be an issue. It is all about your mindset. We already live in a messy society, if you want to be 100% CLEAN, the only way is to live in a mountain by yourself or become a monk and live in a temple. Is eating expensive food a sin? Is watching rated-R movie a sin? Is having lots of money a sin? If you think like that, EVERYTHING in this world can be a sin. So stop that.
It all comes down to your mindset. Thinking like that leads to paranoia, leads to guilt, and eventually it will restrict you and imprison you, which is the opposite of what GOD wants
I don’t think it’s imprisoning yourself by choosing not to watch certain entertainment. I think it’s being humble about one’s own purity and honest about your humanity. Being pure in heart is entirely a grace from God and not from one’s own ability. Our flesh, as St Paul said, is weak. Watching an R rated movie can be putting yourself in near occasion of sin and the devil can use that easily to tempt you. Discernment is necessary, I think, and asking yourself if this piece of entertainment you’re about to watch will bring you closer to God or not. And if you end up watching something that goes against your values or sense of morality, it doesn’t mean you’ve sinned necessarily, but I do see the necessity of facing that question, “Did that help bring me closer to God or not?”
Dont watch it if contains gore/exessive violence or pornography
Leonardo Arruda...,. Do be careful on your quest for purity. I find so often your type indulging in over scrupulousity and pride, often followed by scandal, despair, and rejection or corruption of the church and her teachings when it enviable what you are tempted by encompasses that which is innately innocent but you have no real fortitude or prudence to see it.
Re: the signs of the times and the examples you give. Doesn’t every generation go through this? The ppl of Israel wanted a king so bad, they got King Saul even as Samuel gave them God’s warning of slavery.
*laughs in passion of the christ*
May God cover you with his precious blood...i pray one day you know how much He loves you and waits for you to open your heart to Him
@@yolandasalas1308 Are you implying that I'm not Catholic and haven't given my life over completely to God's will???
spooks _, stay away, Satan!
Why would you want to start a flame war or ruffle people's feathers? There is no joy in your words. Why say something like that? This is what Barbara is talking about first hand. I can hear someone saying this in an R-rated movie. Christians know it's wrong. God knew you were going to write this before you did. So, why? Further...Good triumphs over evil every time. Be good always. This world has bad things in it as it is. Plus...You're God's child no matter if you believe or not. Peace be with you.
Im starting to think people don't understand the joke...
Love this channel but sometimes the silliest things are asked.of course you can watch R rated movies. I also listen to heavy metal.
None of us should be watching people have sex, mutilate one another, take the name of our Lord in vain.....The Bible tells us to think on things that are pure, honorable, ..... People have actually gotten demons by watching horror movies.
I watch Harry Potter not everyone is scared of ghosts
@@mariadonkova2759 There are REAL spells in Harry Potter, you are subjecting yourself to demonic influence. Demons have been known to come through movie/tv screens. Also, movies that depict the occult in a positive light are harmful, especially to impressionable young people.
"Secular Filmmakers"
❤❤❤❤❤
Why would you?