Battle of the Ban

Editors note: These articles are intended to create healthy discussion among students and provide clarity on the rules in place. The poll was conducted by Amber Tiller, the feature editor, at the Reber Thomas Dining Hall during dinner hours Saturday, March 28.

PRO – Tré Goins-Phillips

It is always a wonder to me to see what it is that creates debate, inspires discussion and ignites disagreement. Around Liberty’s campus, much of that talk is focused on the R-rated movie rule.

Students’ perception of the rule is varied. Some find it absolutely uncalled for while others see value in the ban. Based on Champion research, the latter view is the minority.

I have heard the discussion from both sides an innumerable amount of times, and I understand the comments and concerns of each side of the debate.

In full disclosure, I have watched a few R-rated movies and, as university President Jerry Falwell wrote in the “Presidential perspective,” there are exceptions to the rule. Some movies with the restricted rating do provide valuable and wholesome content.

But to me, the rule has much less to do with R-rated movies being inherently bad and much more to do with teaching and instilling within students respect for their fellow man and woman.

“It does create a better atmosphere,” Joel Cockrell, a resident assistant and graduate student at Liberty, told the Champion. “I think it teaches people responsibility, how to handle authority and how to handle people around them. (Liberty’s rules) teach greater values in the end.”

As students, many of whom live in close quarters in university dorms, it is important to learn that what is offensive to one may not be offensive to another.

Instituting an overarching rule blocking R-rated material is much more feasible than picking and choosing which movies to allow and which to restrict.

“If you were to look at R-rated movies as a whole, I think (restricting them) is a good choice,” Abbie Seale, a 2013 Liberty graduate, told the Champion.

Though I understand — and generally agree with — the position that, as adults, we should be able to choose what it is we do, watch and say, that is not how the world works.

People will always be under some authority and/or have the responsibility to respect those around them. This R-rated movie rule is simply a method of teaching students that respect.

With differing views on what is appropriate and what is inappropriate, it is better for the one who finds no issue with R-rated movies to practice restraint than for the one who finds them harmful to have to be exposed to them while on campus.

When a student signs an application to attend Liberty, he or she is also signing an agreement to follow the university’s honor code, which is no secret. There are several rules within the honor code that provide structure.

Since its founding, when the university was known as Lynchburg Baptist College, there have been rules — many of which were stricter than the current Liberty Way. The university has changed and adapted to allow for cultural shifts, but the underlying principle of respect has remained.

I see the R-rated movie rule just like I do the curfew rule. It is not that being out after midnight is, in and of itself, bad, wrong or harmful, but it can be disrespectful.

“Respect for ourselves guides our morals,” Laurence Sterne, an 18th-century Anglican clergyman, said. “Respect for others guides our manners.”

The rules that govern us at Liberty help establish within us a structure of respectfulness and a disciple of understanding. This rule is not a mandate on morality. It is — as many of the other rules are — a mandate for consideration.

Just as the movie rule does not indicate that all PG-13 movies are good, it does not establish that all R-rated movies are bad. The fact is, when you are dealing with a 13,000-student campus, there have to be generalizations in the rules established.

“(Before coming to Liberty), there were a good amount (of movies) that influenced me negatively,” Cockrell said. “I wish there were some movies I didn’t see, so I think it’s been good for me to have that restriction.”

At the end of the day, this rule is really about two things: respect for yourself and respect for others. For many, being in this atmosphere is the first opportunity they have had to reexamine the kind of material to which they expose themselves and others.

Goins-Phillips is the opinion editor.

CON – Josh Janney

There are many rules that are questionable in the Liberty Way, but none of them baffle and infuriate me as much as the one that states that Liberty University students cannot watch R-rated movies.

The rule makes it nearly impossible for a movie buffs to really explore their passions when the university is preventing them from seeing so many movies that are vital to discussions about film-making, including R-rated classics like “The Godfather” and “The Shawshank Redemption.”

But the bigger problem with the rule is that it makes an assumption that all R-rated movies are inherently bad. This is not true. A movie can hold a positive worldview while also depicting acts that are too much to handle for a 13 year old.

Depicting R-rated content in a movie is not the same as endorsing it. Pretty much any war movie contains legs and arms getting blown off, but that is necessary in order to accurately depict the setting. R-rated films are more true to real life, and the rating allows for a broader range of topics to be covered.

Even when it comes to sexual content, which is what I presume Liberty’s administration is most worried about when it comes to R-rated films, I would argue that the intent of the sex scene is what is more important in terms of content than the amount of nudity shown.

“Schindler’s List,” which I saw before I came to Liberty, has several moments of nudity, but I do not think any of those scenes are nearly as degrading or objectifying as the camera ogling a scantily clad Megan Fox bending over a car in the PG-13-rated “Transformers.” Many movies contain scenes involving sex or nudity that are directly tied to the plot and are not filmed in a way that is made to entice the viewers.

For example, Bradley Cooper’s character walking in on his wife having sex with another man in “Silver Linings Playbook” is an entirely different form of sexual content from Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis’s graphic sex scene in “Black Swan.” The former was an unsettling development that kickstarted the plot of the entire movie, while that latter was an exploitative scene that served little purpose other than luring teenage males into a movie about a ballerina.

In addition to the morality of R-rated content, the Motion Picture Association of America rating system itself is inconsistent and hardly a good way of determining what is appropriate for a viewer.

Take “The King’s Speech,” an uplifting movie which could have easily snagged a PG rating if not for two scenes in which the main character drops several F bombs as a way to get over his stuttering. It was given the exact same rating as “Fifty Shades of Grey” and a more restrictive rating than dark PG-13 films like “The Dark Knight” and “Insidious,” both of which would be far more traumatic to an 8 year old.

In short, the R-rated movie rule is a mess and needs to be completely reformed or excised altogether.

In addition to getting a job, one of the main purposes of college is for young adults to learn about how to make decisions of their own. To use their own discernment. Yet the rule on R-rated films sends students back to their pre-high school years. I feel trying to shield these students from roughly half of the movies that are being released is hindering their personal growth.

Regulating certain movies based on objectionable material does not resolve the R-rated movie problem, because each person has a different standard on what is objectionable. I suppose some Christians on this campus would argue that the Bible should be the standard by which to judge movies, but people have so many different interpretations on certain aspects of the scriptures that trying to create a universal standard to apply to everyone would be pointless.

For these reasons, I think it is time to stop coddling young adults as if they were impressionable toddlers who would take poisoned candy from a stranger. Liberty students are adults and should be allowed to view movies that deal with adult subject matters that they or people they know are dealing with. Lifting the ban on R-rated films would be one of the most significant changes in the Liberty Way’s history, but it is a change that would encourage students to think for themselves and to start judging movies by their content rather than their rating.

Janney is the asst. news editor.

Frequently asked quesions:

• What gives a movie its “R” rating?

According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a movie recieves an R-rating if it contains “some adult material.” This material often refers to explicit sexual content and/or frequent vulgarity and sexual references throughout the film.

Based on the MPAA’s recommendation, children under the age of 17 should be accompanied by an adult guardian or parent.

However, film ratings are not required for every movie, according to the Classification and Rating Administration. Rather, it is a voluntary decision made by the filmmakers.

• Can an R-rated movie be approved?

According to Student Government Association President Quincy Thompson, no official system is in place to get an R-rated movie approved for viewing. However, there are a few movies which are unofficially permissible, such as “The Passion of the Christ.”

Thompson said the SGA has presented bills in the past to make adaptations to the movie restriction and plans to present a bill in the future that would streamline an official process for getting movie approval.

Right now, movie viewing allowance is permitted or restricted by the Dean of Students Office on a case-by-case basis.

• What does the Liberty Way say?

According to the Liberty Way, the university’s official honor code, absolutely no R-rated movies are allowed to be watched. All Liberty students agree to follow this honor code when they sign their application to attend the university.

The official text of the Liberty Way states any “attendance at, possession or viewing of an R-rated movie” results in “12 points” and a $50 fine.

Appeals are permissible, according to the honor code. These appeals should be submitted in writing to the student’s resident director or the Student Court within 48 hours of receiving the reprimand.

A message from the President – Jerry Falwell

The standards in the Liberty Way fall into two broad categories. Some of the rules (e.g. cheating, dishonesty, immorality) are based upon indisputable biblical values on which almost all evangelical believers would agree. These standards are in place at Liberty to foster biblical morality in students and our community.

Another category of rules (e.g. dress code, curfews, convocation attendance) are designed to instill personal discipline in students, much like the rules at West Point are intended to train future soldiers. The goal of this category is to help students learn how to lead disciplined lives by complying with a code of conduct during their college years. These rules have been changed and updated over the years to stay relevant with current cultural norms and will continue to be revised and modernized.

The Liberty Way policy on R-rated movies, restricting certain movies that contain inappropriate images or content, is part of the second category of rules designed to teach discipline and to create an environment at Liberty that one would expect at the world’s largest Christian university. While the Hollywood ratings system is an imperfect gauge for separating appropriate from inappropriate movies, it is the most practical way for Liberty to establish a standard. Recognizing that some R-rated movies promote values that are important for students to learn, we do grant exceptions to the policy.

When a student leaves Liberty we want them to be prepared to evaluate and make the difficult life choices they face through the framework of biblical morality. While not a perfect system, we believe that the Liberty Way teaches self-discipline and helps students develop a biblical worldview to navigate life.