‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Movie: Archbishop Schnurr, Other Religious Authorities Slam The Film
The Fifty Shades of Grey movie has been getting slammed by various groups following the release of the steamy Fifty Shades of Grey trailer during the Super Bowl. The latest of these attacks come from Archbishop Schnurr, Megachurch Pastor Ed Young, and various other religious authorities.
The producers of the movie probably knew that their attempt to put the bestselling novel on the screen was going to be the subject of much religious condemnation. A similar protest happened after the movie The Last Temptation of Christ was announced, a movie which turned out to have one of those twist endings, but still drew enough controversy to make it infamous before it even hit theaters.
The Fifty Shades of Grey movie revolves around the relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. Their romance turns kinky as the book is notorious for portraying, to the point that many critics of the book called it “‘Twilight’ porn.”
“A direct assault on Christian marriage” Archbishop Schnurr http://t.co/tQxDRgTNba pic.twitter.com/CReR4fnG6S
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) February 7, 2015
The Fifty Shades of Grey book is the first of three volumes by British author E.L. James.
Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr recently wrote to his pastors, alerting them to the film being “a direct assault on Christian marriage and on the moral and spiritual strength of God’s people.” He calls them to action to “highlight the beauty of God’s design for loving relationships between a husband and a wife in the bond of marriage” instead of the “destructive” message the film allegedly relays.
Bishop Richard Malone had a similar message against the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, according to the Huffington Post.
“Remind the faithful of the beauty of the Church’s teaching on the gift of sexual intimacy in marriage, the great dignity of women, and the moral reprehensibility of all domestic violence and sexual exploitation.”
There is little doubt that Fifty Shades of Grey casts a rather controversial light on traditional values, at least for those who actually took the book seriously. Others, such as voice actor group Team Four Star and Doug Walker, decided to point out how ridiculous it is by reading the book at conventions, using several hilarious impressions (part one of three, below).
Megachurch Pastor Ed Young took a much more proactive approach to the condemning of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. He plans to baptize copies of the book to make a point, says the Christian Post.
“There is a cultural epidemic out there that is wrapped up in complete fantasy. The book, Fifty Shades of Grey, is a perverted attempt to trap readers and leads them to a misunderstanding of what intimacy and connection are all about.
“It is a pathetic distortion of a more powerful reality about relationships. God is not anti-sex, and he isn’t ‘grey’ when it comes to relationships. I want to wake people up to the reality that God’s purpose and plan for their lives is so much greater!”
Do you find the Fifty Shades of Grey movie to be an affront to traditional Christian beliefs, or a laughable attempt to cash in on the controversy?
[Image via Chuck Zlotnick / Focus Features]
