appealing to teenagers is the byproduct. There is a very lucrative aspect to sex and violence in movies. People from every culture in the world can relate to sex and violence. You can translate it into any language, and they will be able to relate and buy your product. There is more sex in violence in movies and shows because there is more money to be made internationally rather than nationally.

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Aaron Josh Wright
Second Baptist Chruch, Humble Tx
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

If you've watched the movie "Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King," you get the top portrayal. The queen of Denmark in it is portrayed as a goddess. She is in search of a husband and only one man in the world can measure up to her strength and beauty. The movie is quite depressing, however, and interestingly all sinning parties end up being punished by "providence" although God is not in it.

Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Jean-David Jutras
URCNA
Alberta

Do you guys think that the violent heroines of today would have been received well by the adolescents of 50 years ago? They have the same hormones as today's youth. Obviously just a guess, but I expect that they would be largely repulsed.

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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas

I am always loathe to admit this about myself, much less introduce myself this way, but I'm a young woman with a 3rd degree black belt in Tang Soo Do with about 15 years of practice behind it. I'm not a body-builder (eew, gross); I'm a pretty normal looking girl who tends to surprise people by what I’m able to do.

Thus, I've found your discussion quite interesting. Amusing, too, at times. Perhaps I can add one or two thoughts to it, from a (non-male) Reformed perspective.

First, the movies -- definitely there is suspension of disbelief involved. They're unrealistic, amoral, anti-Christian, feminist, against Biblical manhood... the list goes on. They're pushing people away from a Christian worldview ever so subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) by presenting the modern liberal agenda as the norm, as the heroic, as the example. Why do we even watch them? I don’t think I could call them “edifying” or “right”. And yes, guys who are attracted to the type of females portrayed in these movies are very disturbing.

Second, in God’s providence, physical differences between men and women are real. Men tend to be stronger and tougher than women. Men have a God-given duty to defend and protect. It makes me angry when women try to usurp that or when men try to neglect it. I think my anger is biblical and I hope you are angered by it as well.

Third, the military. If I were a man, I would consider going into the military. I’m not, and I won’t (although in some cases, women can be in non-combat situations, e.g., Deborah). Women have no place in military combat. As has been said, training for the men gets 'dumbed down' for women, which makes the military weaker (and promotes sinful ‘gender-neutralization’). That being said, there are some physically incredible women. “Weaker vessels” doesn’t mean “weak”. It’s comparative. I don’t care how incredible they are, though, it’s still unbiblical (aka sinful).

Fourth, self defense. I grew up a Reformed, conservative, Christian homeschooler. For physical education, my parents enrolled all of us kids in martial arts. It’s great for discipline, character, perseverance, self-control, respect, ... and yes, self defense. I’ve had a lot of fellow Reformed believers give me strange looks when I “confess” to being involved in martial arts. But I strongly believe that women should be trained in basic self-defense.

Men, think about this. Do you really want your wife or daughter to be the character in the movie who runs away in a nightgown? How likely is it that they’ll be able to escape? Not in the movie – in real life? You got it: not very likely. Now, if you’re home, perhaps you can defend your wife or daughter. If you’re off serving your country in the military or on a business trip, do you want your wife or daughter to be helpless? They have a responsibility to do what they can to protect their bodies – else they are ultimately breaking the 6th commandment by not protecting themselves against violence (that’s not a gender specific commandment, after all!!).

My first line of defense – as a trained martial artist – is to avoid conflict. Running, pepper spray (if I owned any, which I don’t), calling for help, negotiation, and prayer are good options. Expecting any men around to defend me is very high on my list. But if I can’t avoid physical conflict, I don’t want to be defenseless. I want to be able to protect other women or children (or defenseless men). I want to be able to prevent as much harm as possible with as little damage as possible. I want other women to be able to do likewise.

A few side notes. Not all women are weaker than all men. There are exceptions. Please admit this, for your own sakes. Macho isn’t always going to win the fight. Many types of martial arts are based on using your opponent’s strength to your advantage – thus, a twig of a girl could leave you whimpering on the floor. Skill can beat strength. Speed and tactics can beat brute force – so can just speed, or just tactics. If I’ve trained my mind and my body and you’ve only trained your body, I have an advantage. Being small can be an advantage (sometimes). Lots of guys think that just because they’re guys and thus inherently bigger and strong, they can beat a woman no matter what she knows. They’re wrong (and they shouldn’t ever be thinking about beating a woman anyway outside of controlled sparring in class).

Just because a woman can fight doesn’t mean she wants to or should have to. I despise the idea of being in a fight. I hope that I never am in a situation where I have to ‘fight’. I hope that if I ever am, there’s a man around who can do it for me – as I think he ought. But if he can’t, I’m not going to watch anyone get pummeled if I can prevent it. That wouldn’t be loving my neighbor.

Sarah Lachman

It is just an opinion, but I think it has been a gradual progression from then to know. "Frankenstein" and the "Wolfman" used to scare people now they are kids movies the modern equivalent is something like "Hostel."

How do the roles of women in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" or "War of the Worlds" where women were mostly supporting the main guy. In modern movies like "The Hitcher" or "Silent Hill" where women are the heroes.

People expect different things from movies now than they did then. It is almost as if they were glad just to be watching something then now we have seen it all.

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Erick Bohndorf
http://qayaqtraveler.blogspot.com/
Jeremiah 23:16,17, "Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. 17They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you."

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For the Glory of our King,
Joe Johnson
Married up in 1988 and blessed with two wonderful sons
TMS graduate
Preacherboy at Cornerstone Community Church, Escanaba, MI
http://www.SoundLife.org

I think it's something much more basic. I just finished a SciFi novel about a future where the military ranks are mixed with women regularly kicking butt, and as you've all pointed out, you'd have to be dead not to notice it in movies etc.. as well. I'm 210 pounds and got through my Uni on a wrestling scholarship, and I've always just thought it was cute; a way to use sex to sell a movie, book, etc.., not something that anyone would take seriously. But this book had a pic of the author inside the jacket and he was a wimpish fellow. I got to thinking, and looking around, and I'm sure a large part is that many of these script writers, authors,etc.. really think it's true! In their fantasies women protect them, and they like it. And not only physical saviors and heroes, but moral as well. As one guy said "Oh Ann Coulter! Please marry me! I'll do the cooking, cleaning...anything! And even better, Mia Hamm on that commercial where she threw Michael Jordan over her shoulder. Michael had to jump to help her, but afterwards she claimed she really threw him!

I think if she were alive in our day, Deborah would have just backed Sisera, it's so bad.

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member PCA church but currently attending EV Free church. San Luis Obispo County, California.