Article by Cameron Spink

Our societies obsession with rights and free choice was again on display today in an article about a gay zombie pornography movie that had been banned from screening at the Melbourne International Film Festival and subsequently refused classification by the Film Classification Board, and rightly so. The article, on news.com.au, states that the director Bruce LaBruce was elated with the finding because "I'll never understand how censors don’t see that the more they try to suppress a film, the more people will want to see it".

His sentiments are echoed in comments under the article where readers declare that Australia is a backwards state because of a lack of free choice to the point where they describe our censorship as an attempt to “nanny” and playing the role of “big brother”. All the comments aren’t negative and it is good to see a certain amount of common sense displayed in some responses calling the film “trash”, “controversial for the point of being controversial” and “way over the line of Free Art”.

For the moment, however, I will concentrate upon the secular idea of free choice and individual rights. Many a time society tells us that at the ripe old age of eighteen, or perhaps even younger for some of us, we are allowed, nay should be allowed to do anything we please even if it is not good for us.

This is the message that is continuously rammed in our ears and the message starts getting really sour when examples of individuals, for instance Bruce LaBruce, utilize it for promotional purposes. Unfortunately controversy sells and people do things that they shouldn’t just because they can.

This is the danger of the law being placed as far outside of reasonable ethics as possible. The law sets a very broad ideal and it is up to the individual to decide. I would suggest that if indeed this is free choice it is not something that is admirable. Particularly from a Christian perspective.

Part of the difficulty faced by today’s youth is humility. It takes a great deal of modesty to acknowledge that someone else has a better solution to a problem than you do. So instead of conceding to any sort of boundary or receiving any sort of advice young adults decide themselves. They say to their parents and teachers and whoever else “you can’t decide for me”. Indeed Bruce LaBruce is banking on these people responding in exactly that regard to the Film Classification Board’s refusal in order for his film to be successful in Australia.

Paul gives us insight to what really brings us freedom. “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything” he reminds us in 1 Corinthians 6:12. In Romans 5:16 Paul reveals where true freedom comes from:
“For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offences resulted in justification”.

Therefore, it is not for us to decide what we should fill our minds with; it is not for us to determine what we should do because, in the end, our commitment to Jesus should determine our actions. This is real freedom that transcends society’s lies. Suppressing a film because it is not in the public interests to see it is not a bad thing. Nor is it wrong to rid yourself of other social norms that may seek to corrupt you. “For you were called to freedom, brothers” (Galations 5:13) called to be the salt of the earth. And it is only with modesty and wisdom that we can avoid the snares of that which society calls “permissible”. 1 Corinthians 7:23 “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men”.