Can We Find Nemo in Your Home?
by Mike Paulson
Can We Find Nemo in Your Home?
As I did many years ago for the movie Lion King, I recently viewed the movie called Finding Nemo to see if there were any 'dangerous leaven' in the movie. It would be good to have some input just in case anybody actually would ask me for my pastoral two-cents.We all should know by now that Disney is far from being the innocent entertainment company that so many of us thought when we were growing up. We should have known that the little fairy flying around the castle would be a problem some day.
These days, with Disney becoming so obviously and blatantly supportive of queerness and lesbianism - I am surprised that so many Christians support their movies as well as they do. Well, maybe "not so surprised" these days knowing the level that 'modern' Christianity has fallen to when compared to the truth of the King James Bible.
I see that there are more and more of those Christians who 'stick to the ole reliable KJV Bible' but who are still willing to let Disney get into the mind and heart of their child or grandchild. Well, it's like I said, nothing surprises me anymore.
I see this movie as one more piece of modern media that has crept into our houses to do what the Scriptures warn us about. Unfortunately, these things don't have to 'creep' into our homes anymore - we purchase them and rent them and bring them into our homes on purpose.
Below are my quick observations and for what they are worth, I am making them available to anyone interested. As a most pastors are finding out today, not only does it NOT matter what the preacher says, it doesn't even matter what the Scriptures say. I can hear it already - "This movie has fantastic animation of the undersea world and all the 'innuendoes' and 'concerns' that are being mentioned will be found everywhere in this world, so why get upset about a movie!"
I'll tell you why? Because the Scriptures tell us to be upset and to keep this stuff out of our home! That's why! We are told to abhor evil and if these things don't teach 'evil' than we are more seared than I want to believe. Have we all become so seared that even though the obvious messages in this movie are so Scripturally wrong, we STILL show this and other movies to our little children and grandchildren?
It isn't that long ago that these things would NEVER have been permitted in our homes - let alone on any movie screen. But my biggest fear is that this movie portrays NOTHING NEW - that this stuff already exists in our homes - Christian homes - KJB homes.
I will say this: Nemo is a great movie, but it is a great movie for:Are we really and honestly interested in bringing our children and grandchildren up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord? This movie only shows that most Christians not only have no idea, many have "no desire" to consider the nurture and admonition of the Lord for their own children!Evil communications corrupting good manners! More leaven slowly leavening what is left of any Christian morals that are 'hanging on' in the homes of modern America! Not avoiding the appearance of evil! Not only does this verse apply to 'looking' and 'dressing' like evil, etc. but we also must consider 'where' this evil appears - and these days, evil is appearing right in our own homes. Not only is it in our TV's that many still won't turn off (even though they say they can control it), but Christians today go out and rent evil and bring it home and call it entertainment! Continuing to sear our children's conscience. We no longer can accuse the public school system of damaging our children and grandchildren; we do it in our own homes! Talk about corruptible seeds being subtly planted!!! Evil is becoming more and more being called good - and good is being called evil more and more each day. Just let the movie kingdom carry you and your children through the subtle process. If we are so concerned about our children that we teach them the truth and keep them away from the public school system, then we have no excuse for showing them these movies. Ya might as well throw em into that government educational system if you are willing to throw the world's entertainment at them.
I see in Nemo one main underlying theme that I have yet to have heard anyone mention. There are the obvious ones - but there is one message that is hidden very well - but it is there. I will tell you later!!!
And one final comment before I throw in my observations: I have had a number of Christian folks actually tell me where the rough spots in this movie are. In other words, THEY KNOW where this movie is bad yet they show this stuff to their children and grandchildren anyway. That is amazing to me!
"Whatever..."
My concern is this: Does the movie "Finding Nemo" warn us about any future moral decay or does it already portray what is acceptable in our Christian families? With movies like this, it is no wonder that more and more young children think, act and talk like they do. If this movie was enjoyable entertainment for your child, then don't ask your pastor in a few years why your teen chooses the direction he chooses!
Remember, Nemo is just starting school, so he is very young!Yes, this is a movie that is marvelously animated - and wonderfully scary - and very educational as it portrays the underwater world magnificently, but what it teaches our children and grandchildren just irritates me. Even more than that, though - to think that us adults laugh at this stuff and show it to our kids and grand kids. Where do we draw the line as parents - or do we even draw one anymore? Should we draw a line? Are we so afraid of keeping our children from being entertained - are we so afraid of 'losing' them with our Christianity, that we will still just laugh at the worlds humor?This little 'kid' is already arguing with his dad - and his dad allows himself to be helpless in his responses. Maybe because spanking with a flipper just doesn't work, eh! This movie supports the 'dislikes' and perverted representation of Ellen Degenerate and her liberal, politically correct, "alternate lifestyled" cross-dressing perverts of the new Disney productions. Not that Hollywood has ever put forth a moral testimony, but the picture put forth these days is total perversion - and we support those folks as well teach our children they are 'ok.' (Did you watch the cross-dressing queered lesbianated staff party in the 'extra features?' - these are the folks that are teaching your children!!!!! (I know, Dori was funny - but it was still Ellen Degenerate! The slang and talk level of the 'turtles' are glorifying and searing our little children with the talk of a drugged out brain fried 'cool dudes' of today's drug and rap oriented youth. We dealt with some of them at our local fair - do you really want your kids to grow up talking like that? Seriously? You do? Just keep taking them to the movies and you can guarantee that it will happen!. Nemo has planted the seed! "Touching the butt" - "That sure is a pretty big butt!" instead of the word 'boat!' Remember, don't get mad at your kids if their language is a bit crude and 'off color.' You taught it to them. I know, you say, "That really isn't that bad!" When it does get 'that bad,' what are you going to do then! Yes, there is NO swearing and taking God's name in vain in this movie, but don't you see this type of humor as inappropriate? Hmmm, maybe it is us adults that need to do a self-check with our own humor level! What DO you consider proper and improper? What do you giggle at in your home? "Think dirty thoughts" Sure - you want your little ones to learn about thinking dirty? "Wanna hock a loogie! Again, just more little seeds of leaven that continue to bring our moral humor lower and lower in America! Funny to most, but think of the 'level' of humor for your children and grandchildren. America's moral level continues to plummet with things that 'funny' to most today. Remember, we are to live like the NEW CREATURE that we are now - not from our former humor levels. Aunt Flow is coming! So, little comments about a woman's "time of the month" is appropriate for little children. Sure, it is reality, but you might as well take them to an 'x-rated' movie so they can learn about the realities of life there, too! Want a piece of me? Are you ready to explain that to your grandchildren what that means? It may be common, but it is still not appropriate for our 'little ones' to hear. The portrayal of 'Mom' telling Dad to 'loosen up' and let some stuff happen to the kid! Sure, child protection can be over-done, but that is not the issue in this movie. Dad was right a number of times but he lost out in all of the situations. Unfortunately, I figure this is all too late to warn our children about - they ALREADY SEE THIS IN THEIR HOME, but folks, IT ISN'T FUNNY! I see that the dad apologizes at the end of the movie, but the child never does. That is a good thing to teach your kids! Let's giggle and teach our kids to say, "I inked!" The teacher wanting to stick his nose into the family situation is very typical of school teachers! They really do think they know better and do better than the parents. I know - I used to be a teacher and I used to think that way. Sad to say, though - in some cases, it is true - but that is still not the design of God. This movie is full of empty parental threats of punishment - just like in the homes today! All talk! No wonder their is no respectful fear of father in our homes today. "Flippin" for the "F" word. "Flipping" and "freakin" - you do know when your kids are almost using the "F" word, right? Swimming in our own 'sh.........!' Come on, you thought the word, right - they may as well just put it in the movie. Oh, THEN you would not watch the movie, eh? Did you see the 'false guilt' that dad had put on himself throughout the movie? He says this wouldn't have happened if I had only ... Baloney, this wouldn't have happened if the kid had obeyed his dad! There are some folks who don't need to see the dentist office portrayed like this movie portrays it. As much as I hate dentists, I would hate to see any little children develop any fear of dentists from this movie. When the 'woman' Dori said to the dad, "Trust me" - dad soon found out he shouldn't have trusted her! A 'whale' of a problem suddenly developed when he trusted her when dad really did know something didn't look safe! During the aquarium scan, the one fish suddenly covered himself like he was naked - so in the rest of the movie, he must be naked - right? Oh, I know - it is just a fish and fish have nothing to cover up - so, you just laugh. This is just another great example of that little leaven! Well, there HAS to be a line drawn somewhere between the nurture and admonition of the world versus the nurture and admonition of the Lord. May I suggest you examine the line you have drawn - or maybe even finally draw one!
You know, it is no wonder kids think and act like they do today. I have learned from the 'slang dictionary' us adults really have no clue as to what is being said these days and so the result is we have no clue as to what is happening to our children and teens. Yes, the Bible loses territory every day with our children, and I don't find that funny at all!
Oh, the underlying message that I saw? Well, the movie starts with the kid heading off to public school. The little school fishies are playing and giggling and having a great time - and yet the parent is not wanting it to take place. At the end of the movie, the kid is back in school, just like he wanted.
The subtle message I see in Nemo? When Christian dads say to their kids that they will be homeschooled, they will find that the seed for public school had already planted from movies like Nemo and naturally as Nemo portrays, dad is wrong and the kids will want to go to public school! I find that seed the most disturbing seed in this whole movie. The movie starts with the schooling scene and ends with Nemo just having a great time in school in HIS TERMS now.
Folks, the world wants your kids - yours and our grand kids. I remember a number of years ago when a letter was passed all over the country written by a queer who stated that they WILL get our children. Well, we can see today that he was right.
Let's at least fight a little for our children and grandchildren! Don't just hand them over bit by bit - because you will never get them back!