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Then, suddenly, Phoebe panics. We realize she has never seen the end of the movie before. She explains that her parents always turned off the movie before Old Yeller gets rabies and is shot. We laugh with the laugh track as Phoebe's face reacts to the harsh reality of the story's conclusion.

It's a hilarious scene. And yet, there's something a little sad about seeing Phoebe's happy illusions erased by the sight of real-world brutality. I know many Christian parents who, like Phoebe's parents, "turn it off" to protect their kids from scary or the tragic episodes. Some reject television and movies entirely. Others even consider it a sin for a grownup to attend an R-rated film, and many blame violent movies for provoking acts of real-life violence.

We are creatures that learn by example, and as Christians, we are exhorted to keep our minds focused on what is honorable, excellent, and worthy of praise. But does that mean we should seek to remain ignorant of such real-world behaviors as sexuality, strong language, and violence? Should we teach our children to "see no evil"?

Film Forum invited critics and readers to respond to questions about violence in the media—just as we did previously on subjects of nudity and foul language—and we were buried in e-mail as a result. Here are a few of those responses, which we hope will provoke further conversations on the subject.

Steve Lansingh, webmaster at www.thefilmforum.com, has heard many opinions on what "quantity and quality of violence to trim … The burden is always placed on the movie not to offend, not on us to dialogue with the art form. A more productive approach to violence is to ask why violence attracts people in the first place."

Lansingh believes audience enthusiasm for violent movies can come from an honorable desire: "Although we tend to assume it's our sin nature or American bloodlust, I believe a stronger attraction is the order these movies impose on a chaotic world. The real-life violence we read about in newspapers is so often senseless and unsolved, but in the movies, there's a reason why things happen. Movie violence is usually contained within a framework of justice, where the 'bad guy' is punished and law restored. These movies cry out for a righteous God to show his face."

Perhaps that is why as children we laughed to see "the wages of sin" when Wile E. Coyote's violent ploys to catch the Road Runner went off in his own face. So, should we then guiltlessly indulge in violence as a form of justice? "A steady diet of violent movies is hardly beneficial," says Lansingh, "since in real life justice comes rarely or slowly. The fantasy of a two-hour resolution does not equip us to live in the real world, where Christ calls us to administer social justice, and real change is hard-fought. Complete immersion into the film world can be just as lazy as skimming off the 'safe' end. The key for Christian moviegoers is to keep wrestling, questioning, and seeking God in all they see, rather than placing the burden of worthiness on any film in particular."

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August (Web-only) 2001, Vol. 45