Is It Wrong for Christians to Watch Deadpool?

Within the last two weeks, it seems that my facebook news feed has consisted almost solely of posts about Deadpool and the appropriateness of this film for the Christian viewer. On the one hand, there are some who speak about Christian liberty as if one can simply watch whatever they desire for entertainment purposes. Many have pointed to the statement of Christ that it is not what goes into, but what comes out of a person that defiles them (Matt. 15:11). Just as food is a simple matter of Christian liberty, so is the entertainment that one partakes in. The argument makes sense as far as it goes, but it raises some other important questions. What about pornography then? What if one desires to watch hardcore pornographic films for entertainment purposes? If what Jesus means in Matthew 15 is that no external thing matters at all in terms of one’s life, then the logical conclusion of such an interpretation is that there would be nothing wrong with viewing pornography. Those who defend their right to see such movies as Deadpool would surely (hopefully!) not defend watching hardcore pornography. This raises the question then: where is the line? How does one decide what is OK and what isn’t? What differentiates graphic nudity and sex in an R-rated film from that in pornography? Porn itself is almost impossible to define. It’s been said that it is, in fact, undefinable, and that one simply knows it when one sees it.

The other position I have seen on social media is an outright condemnation of any Christian who decides to watch Deadpool. The argument here is that it is in fact a mild form of pornography, and that the Christian, therefore, should avoid it. Just like the line between a graphic R-rated film and a pornographic one is rather hard to draw, however, so is the line between a film like Deadpool and other popular movies which Christians seem to have no difficulty watching. Many of those who condemn Christians that watch Deadpool pay to see every other superhero movie, and watch a number of television shows that one might consider to be rather graphic. Remember that other Marvel movies, such as Iron Man, depict sex and other portrayals of naked women. Television shows such as Daredevil are extremely violent, and are likely to bring up thoughts in one’s mind which are not particularly holy. Or, think about some of the television shows that many conservative Christians watch. I see a lot of discussion, from these same people who are condemning Deadpool, about television shows like Parks and Recreation, and Community. Both of these series promote homosexuality and mock Christianity. Another that is extremely popular is How I Met Your Mother which is almost entirely based around premarital sex. If you are going to condemn one of these things, and partake in the others, what is your rational for doing so? It seems to be quite arbitrary.

If a Christian from 100 years ago were to watch one of these shows which we deem acceptable today, they would probably be shocked about the fact that anyone claiming the name of Christ would be OK with such things. I’m not just speaking of the pietists here. C.F.W. Walther condemned the viewing of plays which we would, today, see as virtually harmless. George Henry Gerberding condemned silent films as glorifying violence and evil. Maybe there really is something to the fact that Charlie Chaplin shared Hitler’s mustache style! I’m not saying that whatever standard Walther, Gerberding, or anyone else set up is some kind of universal rule which we all should abide by. What this demonstrates, however, is that the Christian view of these issues has been in a constant state of flux, and that there is no clear demarcation of what is acceptable and what isn’t.

My point here is not to say that Christians should not watch any of these movies or shows. Nor is it to say that we should. My point is that the issue of where we should draw such lines is a difficult one. There is nothing in Scripture that would cause us to say that, for example, it is OK for a Christian to watch a movie with premarital sex, but once a breast is exposed, suddenly it is forbidden territory for the believer. It seems that what we like to do is draw the line somewhere for ourselves, and then hold everyone else to whatever standard we have settled on. We use the law then, not in a Biblical manner, but in accord with our own decisions and desires, beating one another with whatever standard we have arbitrarily decided is OK.

So, let’s get back to the question asked in this post: is it OK for Christians to watch Deadpool?

You may realize by now that I’m not going to give you a clear answer. Personally, I have decided not to because of the graphic nature of certain scenes. But, I have to ask myself: Why am I OK watching Daredevil, or Battlestar Galactica, or other things which are quite graphic? It’s time for some self-reflection, for me as well as for most of us.

Where do we draw the line? When we do draw a line, do we then have the right to condemn everyone who might draw it in a slightly different place?

Maybe it’s time to look at ourselves rather than condemning those around us.