An Open Letter To Hollywood

Dear Hollywood,

Like you, I have a passion for stories and storytelling. I watch and listen to the stories you tell through some of the movies you make. Storytelling has been important and integral to humanity since the dawn of time. Our brains are wired for stories. Stories teach us things about ourselves and help us connect to those around us. Stories make us feel many different emotions and move us in a particular way. Not only do I watch and listen to the stories you tell through film. I also tell stories of my own through writing books. I have a respect, fascination, and passion for acting. I'm not an actress. I just admire the art form of acting.

However, I consider it my obligation to inform you that there is something that I take issue with. In many movies and TV shows, the name of my God is being constantly abused. My God is the triune God of Christianity. I am a Catholic Christian. I recently went to see No Time To Die, the newest James Bond movie. In it, my God's name was abused six times total. Three times the name of Jesus Christ was misused and three times the name of God was misused.

Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed the movie. But as a practicing Christian, I wince when my God's name is used as a curse word. I have two fathers: my earthly father and God the Father.

Would you use your father's name as a curse word? So please stop using my Heavenly Father's name as a curse word.

Jesus Christ is my brother, my friend, my Lord, my Savior, and my King.

Would you use your brother or your friend's name as a curse word? Would you use President Biden's name as a curse word?

Then please don't use Jesus's name as a curse word.

Telling someone your name is a sign of trust.

I know there are a number of people in Hollywood who are practicing Christians.

It is not just your Christian audiences that are offended when the name of the Christian God is misused. God the Father & the Lord Jesus are also offended. Now, my God is not only a God of Justice. He is a God of endless mercy. He is eager and anxious to forgive you. All you need to do is stop writing His name as a curse word in movie scripts and stop using it while acting in movies and TV shows. My God wants to have a relationship with you and He is eager to be reconciled with you. He loves you.

Now, according to an American Catholic apologist, there is a difference between actually misusing my God's name and misusing it while acting in a movie or a TV show. However, as someone who has a respect, fascination, and passion for acting and as someone who would like to do some acting with live theatre companies in my area in my free time, I would never, in any circumstance, use God's name as a curse word or irreverently, especially while acting in a play or a musical.

This American Catholic apologist said our cooperation with your misuse of God's name is remote material cooperation because individually, we are not the reason the movies come out. Our cooperation with the success or failure of your movies is very trivial. I do not want to withhold money from you unjustly. Withholding monetary compensation unjustly is a serious sin in my religion. It's one of four sins that cry to Heaven for justice so it is a very serious sin.

But just because my cooperation with the success and failure of your movies is remote and material does not mean it is OK that you are using my God's name as a curse word. If you were using the Muslim God's name as a curse word, you would not be able to get away with it. There would be some serious backlash from Muslims if you did. How is using the Judeo-Christian God's name as a curse word any different?

However, there is a principle that can be applied when I do watch your movies, knowing full well that the name of the God of the Bible is being constantly misused. Catholics are allowed to vote for pro-abortion political candidates as long as they are not voting for political candidates because of their permissive stance on abortion and as long as Catholics are voting for pro-abortion candidates other reasons.

Likewise, I think it's OK for me to watch your movies as long as I am not watching them because the name of God of the Bible is being abused and as long as I am watching them for other reasons, like the story and the characters.

But please, do stop using my God's name as a curse word. Instead, if you would like to mention my God's name in your movies, please use it reverently and respectfully.

Thanks for your consideration.

Cordially yours,

Susana Christine, a concerned fan & fellow storyteller