Take your kids to THIS movie and teach them about life

Martinsburg, WV – When is the last time you really wanted to see a movie? When was the last time a movie was so captivating and riveting that you barely realized two hours had passed? I don’t know about you, but it’s been a while for me. (For goodness sake there are plans for a Titanic 2…how is that even possible?) It seems that any garbage can pass for entertainment these days. Hollywood’s penchant for violence, sex, crude language and other images I wouldn’t watch, let alone allow my 2 year old son to see, is nearly insatiable.

 

I wonder how long before someone points out to the brilliant movie execs that family friendly movies sell far more tickets and other memorabilia than any other productions. Why? Because people are tired of the offensive smut that barely passes for intelligence in most movies. They want something life affirming and heart warming to counter the depression spewed by nightly news programs.

One such movie that apparently does just that is the chart topping sequel Toy Story 3.

Lifenews.com recently reported that Toy Story 3 wrestles with, and answers questions about the inherent value of every life; without attaching any qualifiers.

“One theme (of many) running through Toy Story 3, currently the top movie at the box office, is the conflict over ‘toy nature,’ so to speak — the nature, purpose and value of the toy characters. The question the film must answer is whether each toy is valuable for its own sake, as an end and not merely a means to something else. And the answer is that every toy, regardless of usefulness or ‘newness’ or brokenness, is special. That’s the message Toy Story 3 ultimately affirms.” (Click here for a family friendly movie review. Click here for an in-depth review of the movies themes and content.)

I recently tackled this issue elsewhere. Is life sacred because it is life and is inherently sacred? Or is life sacred only because value and worth are ascribed by someone else imposing their standard of what life is? If life, all life is sacred simply because it is life then it must be protected and defended at all costs. To do anything less is to act contrary to this belief. But, if life is only sacred because someone else grants value and worth to it, where does that line of thinking end?

The same message affirmed by the movie that “every toy, regardless of usefulness or newness or brokenness, is special,” must be said of every human being. Every person, regardless of age, ability, “quality of life,” and free of any other qualifiers we might be tempted to attach, is indeed special.

Parents must take proactive steps in teaching their kids that life is sacred. They won’t hear it in school, on the news, radio, or television. Many lawmakers and media outlets seem bent on spreading the perception that people believe there must be a certain “quality” in order for life to be protected. I wonder if the mother of the autistic child feels the same. I’m curious if the parents of the down-syndrome child agree. I doubt that the children of the elderly parent would affirm that sentiment.

Life is sacred because it is life, plain and simple. You can either begin to instill this value in your kids, or you might be the one regretting it as an elderly parent down the road.

My thanks to Pixar for, whether intentionally or unintentionally, creating such a life-affirming movie. My hope is that lawmakers and the folks in Washington will watch the movie and learn a thing or two.

 Nathan A. Cherry lives in Bunker Hill with his wife and two children. He is a contributing blogger for the Family Policy Council of West Virginia as well as Eastern Panhandle Moms. Nathan is the Connection Pastor at New Hope Church in Inwood West Virginia where he serves to connect folks into places of service both within the church and in the community