The Blue Moon and the Gold Compass

Time was, movies were condemned by the Legion of Decency for being too suggestive or using certain words (and not necessarily swear words). The Moon is Blue was condemned, and yet it might get a PG rating today–maybe PG-13. The Outlaw was condemned, and it would never get an R in today’s world. This is to say that many R movies would probably have been condenmed back in the 1940s and 50s.

But now, the tables have turned so much that the USCCB has pulled its own (somewhat favorable) review of the Golden Compass due to concern from faithful and bishops alike. The new concern is, can we really trust USCCB reviews? Are they too permissive? Notice, the question is not whether or not movies are too permissive… everybody knows that is a silly question. OF COURSE THEY ARE! This is like asking a drug dealer if he knows that he is hurting people. But, is the USCCB too permissive? This seems like a strange question, but it is an example of how the tables have turned. When culture is a sewer, where’s some clean water?