Bill Donohue serves on the Christian Film & Television Commission’s Board of Reference, the chairman of which is Ted Baehr; he publishes MOVIEGUIDE, a publication which monitors Hollywood from a Christian perspective. Baehr has asked his board members to support him in a petition drive aimed at curbing offensive fare in the movies. We urge you to participate.
Baehr is seeking to persuade the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) to tighten its film ratings system; it is all too evident that its ratings have been dumbed down in recent years. Baehr has drafted a code of decency to reverse this trend.
The Entertainment Code of Decency
1. The basic dignity and value of human life shall be respected and upheld.
2. Restraint shall be exercised in portraying the taking of life.
3. Evil, sin, crime, and wrongdoing shall not be justified.
4. Detailed, protracted and overly bloody or gory acts of brutality, cruelty, physical violence, torture, and abuse shall not be presented.
5. Indecent or undue exposure of the human body shall not be presented.
6. Illicit sex relationships shall not be justified. Intimate sex scenes violating common standards of decency shall not be portrayed. Restraint and care shall be exercised in presentations dealing with sexual aberrations.
7. Obscene speech, gestures or movements shall not be presented. Undue obscenity and profanity shall not be presented.
8. Religion shall not be demeaned.
9. Words or symbols contemptuous of racial, religious or national groups shall not be used so as to incite bigotry or hatred.
10. Excessive cruelty to animals shall not be portrayed, and animals shall not be treated inhumanely.
If you agree with this petition, please write to Dan Glickman, Chairman, Motion Picture Association of America, 1600 Eye Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006. Let him know of your concerns.
