-To spell it out for a morally
challenged culture, I interviewed Fr. Patrick, an exorcist, along with three
members of his deliverance team about the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon.
Leaders from the Catholic Church warn it is immoral. Domestic violence groups warn that it dangerously glorifies sexual violence against women. Even literary and movie critics warn
that Fifty Shades of Grey has “no discernible story and lacks a reason to
exist.” And yet, it broke box office records for Valentine’s Day openings earning an estimated $81.7
million in its first three days.
It also became the second-highest February
debut ever, behind The Passion of the
Christ’s” $83.9 million opening in 2004. It is a slight relief that more people were drawn in by the holiness of Christ than by the evil of a sadomasochistic movie. Fifty
Shades fans, however, are not going to use the “e” word to describe their attraction to it. But for Catholics, a synonym for “moral
reprehensible” and “against the dignity of women” is evil.
challenged culture, I interviewed Fr. Patrick, an exorcist, along with three
members of his deliverance team. He was taking a break between two cases with
his team, when he took my call and put me on speakerphone. Fr. Patrick (not his real name) is a parish
priest who has been a designated diocesan exorcist for 5 years after apprenticing
for 6 years under an experienced exorcist. Members of his deliverance team that
were present for the interview, engage in prayer support for him while he
battles against demonic forces in people who come to him for help. Everyone involved in the interview asked to
keep their identity secret for this article due to the nature of their
work.
deliverance team will be attributed as DT.
Although Fifty Shades of Grey is
R-rated, its sexual violent theme puts it on par with pornography so both
topics were discussed.
Shades] will open you up to whatever is being promoted. Whatever you take in,
you take into your heart. It deforms the
heart and then that is going to play out in your relationships. People are enjoying
it–calling it recreation–but it is a mockery of God’s creation.
us, but this desecrates. The movie makes
a mockery of what God created. It is the
spirit of irony that the main character is named Christian Grey. He acts in another way, not as a Christian. And grey? There cannot be shades of Christianity; it’s all or nothing. It is the devil that tries to convince us there is a grey area of right and wrong, and it is the devil that mocks.
of our Lord Jesus Christ and his divinity. But in a black mass, everything is
upside down and mocked. The holy is made unholy. Just
as sex in marriage is a holy gift, in the movie it is against virtue and
chastity and against God’s creation. That is what the devil does.
be a slippery slope where the mind loses its ability to discern right and
wrong and what is clean and unclean. We are talking about spiritual warfare.
movies. Why do people like them? Which
spirits are they welcoming into their lives?
Sucking blood? It’s contrary to
what is holy; entering into a dark world where something is dead and dead forever. People are letting darkness into their lives
and their relationships will not be better for it.
The work of the devil can be seen whenever righteous roles or
relationships are attacked. With sins of the flesh, ultimately it is against
the person. All of the other sins we
commit are outside the body but sins of immorality are against yourself the inside
of the body.
point of contact, every breath we take, every thought we take, takes us closer
or further away from God. If we sit still,
the clock ticks…if we do nothing it’s an opportunity lost.
DT: In sex cults, people are drawn in with curiosity, but it becomes a matter of what they are willing to do against virtue and against morality. Depending on what you are willing to do to diminish the dignity of another person, it will determine how high you rise.
Fr. Patrick: They [bad movies and pornography] are against the path of sanctity. They open people up to that way of thinking. We
begin to justify sin and then our filter can no longer discern holiness from
evil. Instead of asking if there is
something wrong with a movie, I would ask, is it redeeming?
programs on the harm of pornography to individuals and society. Recently, she has particularly called out the
insidiousness evil of the movie Fifty Shades of Grey. Below are some of the resources she suggests to
Counter Pornography and specifically Fifty Shades of Grey
Conformed to the Culture.” Teresa Tomeo http://www.ignatius.com/Products/EM-H/extreme-makeover.aspx
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Grossman, a child and adolescent psychiatrist has written “A
Parent’s Survival Guide to Fifty Shades of Grey” and her letter
to young people about the dangers the film poses.
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