R-Rated Movies

Do "good" Latter-days Saints avoid R-rated movies? Many in the Church gesture towards rules against consuming media with too-mature ratings, but where do those rules come from? Are Church leaders trying to control what we watch, or is this just a part of Church culture?

Is it against the Church rules to watch R-rated movies?

No, there is no specific policy against R-rated movies. However, Church leaders teach that we should avoid "anything that is not consistent with the Spirit"[1] and not view anything that is "vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way."[2]

But was there a rule against R-rated movies in the past?

Sort of. In a 1980 BYU devotional, President Kimball said, "I would warn you against the [R-rated] movies,"[3] and in the April 1986 General Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson told young men, "Don't see R-rated movies."[4]

An MPAA warning still from before a movie, circa 1970s, when Latter-day Saint prophets and leaders cautioned members against viewing R-rated movies, blue with white writing. — A still from an older MPAA R rating warning, ca. 1970s.

But even today, isn't there a cultural rule against R-rated movies?

Yes. Several Ensign articles have warned against R-rated movies.[5] Some Seventies have repeated the warnings against R-rated movies as well in varying contexts.[6] Orson Scott Card[BIO] also wrote about his experience—and the experience of other members with this cultural rule—after the Passion of the Christ came out. [7]

Didn't the For the Strength of the Youth Pamphlet explicitly call out R-rated movies at some point?

No. None of the For the Strength of the Youth Pamphlets have specifically mentioned R-rated movies.[8] Earlier editions warned against "salacious films" and "objectionable television,"[9] while later editions warned specifically against pornography and violence.[10]

So does the Church lean on a secular ratings system?

Not anymore. Older counsel sometimes referenced specific ratings,[11] but more recent counsel to young adults has stated that the prophet has not drawn a line.[12] This may in part be because the Church has become more worldwide, and rating systems aren't consistent for members outside of the United States.[13]

What qualifies a movie for an R rating in the United States?

Movies are judged by a board of the Motion Picture Association (MPA) referred to as CARA (the Classification and Rating Administration).[14] R-rated movies are considered to "contain some adult material."[15] Church leaders have cited this "adult material" in R-rated movies as a reason to avoid them.[16]

What about unrated shows?

Unrated shows have no warnings about the content they contain.[17] Some shows are unrated because they are a different cut of the film or contain deleted scenes and commentary that the MPA-rated theatrical release does not contain.[18]

What about a TV-MA rating?

TV-MA is approximately equivalent to R, but the ratings can vary.[19] TV shows are also rated by episode, so the rating can fluctuate throughout a show's run.[20]

Have R-rated movies "gotten worse" over time?

Studies have shown increases in violence, profanity, sexual content, and drug use in R-rated films from throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s.[21] Criteria for movie ratings also change along with prevailing culture, sometimes referred to as "ratings creep,"[22] so the ratings may not be equal across time.[23]

Aren't some PG-13-rated movies "worse" than some R-rated movies?

Probably. In this context, Elder Lynn G. Robbins[BIO] referred to "ratings creep" and stated that the "cunning result of this creeping trend is that the 1986 R-rated movie has deceptively become a PG-13 or PG movie in 2013."[24]

Is it okay to fast-forward through the "bad parts" of a show?

The Church does not give specific guidance on the topic.[25] However, in the past, some have counseled against "justifications" for watching movies with inappropriate content.[26]

Why does the Church care what I watch?

The Church teaches that "just as your body is affected by what you eat and drink, your mind and spirit are profoundly affected by what you read, watch, and listen to."[27]

The Facts

In the 1980s, prophets advised youth against watching R-rated movies.
Ratings have changed significantly since the 1980s.
In the twenty-first century, prophets have "not drawn a line" concerning movie ratings.

Our Take

Are Latter-day Saints allowed to watch R-rated movies? Does the Church control what its members watch? People choose what media to consume based on preference and personal values, so having the Church be prescriptive about what movies are off-limits can feel controlling or stifling. Is this an actual policy, or is this cultural?

In 1980, President Kimball said in a BYU devotional, "I would warn you against the [R-rated] movies," and in April 1986 General Conference, President Ezra Taft Benson told young men, "Don't see R-rated movies." In the years since, many Church articles and leaders have reinforced the warning against R-rated movies, which has created some cultural aversion to R-rated movies amongst Church members.

However, in the twenty-first century, leaders like Elder Lynn G. Robbins in 2013 have addressed the youth of the Church to say that the prophet has not "draw[n] a line" on what rating of movies the youth watch. And the 2022 For the Strength of Youth advises avoiding "anything that is not consistent with the Spirit."

For youth and adult members, it seems the Church’s concern is with the spiritual effect that media has on its consumers, and this concern doesn’t translate to specific policies based on ratings systems. Some Saints may differ in their movie-watching standards, and that's okay. The Church's counsel is simple: seek uplifting content. Members can feel confident navigating media for themselves with the guidance of the Spirit and teachings from Church leaders.

What's Your Take?

Matthew
“It’s a better and more holistic guideline to say we shouldn’t watch movies with inappropriate content, regardless of what they’re rated. However, if it’s rated R there’s a good chance there’s content in it that would drive the spirit away and wouldn’t be good to expose yourself to.”
Josh
“The R-rating is a secular rating that is done by man. We shouldn’t “trust in the arm of flesh” (2 Nephi 4:34), but rather “trust in the Lord” (Proverbs 3:5-6). So, I think we should consider and ask what God would want whenever we are about to watch any rated movie.”
Bob B.
“I teach film courses at the high school level and have a masters in film studies. I teach a unit on the development of the rating system in America and its relationship to social trends, the Production Code, and censorship. My conclusion is that it is a pretty poor measure.”
Michael
“Good article. I've had to take the perspective that there are R-rated films that have value because of the history or cultural background they provide. Examples would be Schindler's List or Saving Private Ryan. Others simply tell a great story. The Shawshank Redemption is one.”
Emerson
“At the risk of cherry-picking, the "ratings creep" trend is not always towards permissiveness. Overt sexuality and nudity that used to show up in PG movies (e.g. Airplane and Ghostbusters) would never get that now, and IMO many Disney PG movies would have been G 40 years ago.”

Read More Difficult Questions

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Footnotes

BIOOrson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card (b. 1951) has authored many novels, including science fiction novels Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead. Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series "The Tales of Alvin Maker" (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts.
Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. He also teaches writing and literature at Southern Virginia University.
BIOLynn G. Robbins
Lynn Grant Robbins (1952-present) was called to the Second Quorum of the Seventy in 1997 and to the First Quorum of the Seventy in 2000. He served as a member of the presidency beween 2014 and 2018. Robbins was released and given emeritus status in 2022.
[1]↩︎
The 2022 For the Strength of Youth pamphlet offers the following counsel in the same paragraph around media:
Don’t participate in anything that dulls your judgment or sensitivity to the Spirit, such as violence, alcohol, and harmful drugs. Have the courage to turn off a video or game, walk out of a movie or a dance, change your music, or turn away from anything that is not consistent with the Spirit.
R-rated movies are not specifically mentioned.
- Most recent (2022) For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet advises seeking entertainment that uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit.
[2]↩︎
In a 2013 BYU Devotional, Elder Lynn G. Robbins said:
President Gordon B. Hinckley never drew a line. Neither has President Thomas S. Monson. But the prophets have taught us principles found in For the Strength of the Youth, such as the following: Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable.
- Lynn G. Robbins discusses movie ratings, concludes the Holy Ghost should guide what movies we watch.
[3]↩︎
President Kimball, while speaking of "things of the moment and social diversions," said:
I would warn you against the R- and X-rated movies that unfortunately seem to be so prevalent these days. For the most part, they are filled with violence, sex, profanity, and crime. I can hardly imagine that any young man at the BYU, or elsewhere in the Church, would ever think of taking his lovely date to such a movie.
- Spencer W. Kimball warns BYU students against R- and X- rated movies.
[4]↩︎
President Benson's remark covered more than just R-rated movies:
We counsel you, young men, not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards. Don’t see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic.
- President Ezra Taft Benson counsels the young men to not see R-rated movies or vulgar videos.
[5]↩︎
Most of these articles expand on Ezra Taft Benson's counsel to the youth. They are usually focused on keeping yourself unspotted from the world and similar themes, though they do directly address R-rated films.
For example, Robert L. Simpson, an Assistant to the Council of the Twelve in the early 70s, said that X- and R-rated movies should be "automatically eliminated" as viewing options for Latter-day Saints. Kieth W. Merril, an Academy Award-winning director and Latter-day Saint, explained, "With a few exceptions, R-rated films have proved to be unacceptable to the tastes and moral conscience of most Latter-day Saints."
Joseph Walker, a former film critic and a specialist in the Church's Public Communications Department, addressed the idea that the restriction shouldn't apply to just to children:
It seems illogical to expect a youngster to feel uncomfortable about watching R-rated films on the sly if Mom and Dad bring R-rated videocassettes home for their private viewing. Justifications like “Well, it won an Oscar” or “There’s only one little scene (or word, or grotesque special effect) that gave it an R-rating” are just that: justifications, hollow excuses for going contrary to the Spirit of Christ. Never mind that Mom and Dad won’t allow the kids to watch the show with them. The only thing that particular limitation teaches is that it’s okay to assault your values with video violence, profanity, and sexuality, as long as you’re an adult.
[6]↩︎
One piece of counsel from Elder Hartman Rector, Jr., in a 1972 general conference talk directed to the youth, gave this piece of counsel: "Do not attend R- or X-rated movies, and avoid drive-ins."
Elder Cree-L Kofford, while responding to commonly asked questions about preparing for a temple sealing, added in an Ensign article:
Young people know they should not watch R- or X-rated movies, and yet time after time I hear them say, “Well it’s only rated R because it’s violent.” What difference does it make why it is rated R? The fact is, a prophet of God has said not to go to R-rated movies (see, for example, Ezra Taft Benson, “To the ‘Youth of the Noble Birthright,’” Ensign, May 1986, 45). That ought to be good enough.
Elder Joe J. Christensen tied in counsel from Gordon B. Hinckley in a General Conference talk he gave in October 1996, saying:
It is a concern that some of our young Latter-day Saints, as well as their parents, regularly watch R-rated and other inappropriate movies and videos—one more reason why the ‘devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice’ (3 Nephi 9:2).
Just a few months ago the Lord’s prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, shared with the youth, and with all of us, this clear and unmistakable counsel:
“Be clean. I cannot emphasize that enough. Be clean. It is so very, very important, and you at your age are in such temptation all the time. It is thrown at you on television. It is thrown at you in books and magazines and videos. You do not have to rent them. Don’t do it. Just don’t do it. Don’t look at them. If somebody proposes that you sit around all night watching some of that sleazy stuff, you say, “It’s not for me.” Stay away from it" (Denver, Colorado, youth meeting, 14 Apr. 1996).
The Lord and His living prophets are counting on you to avoid the trash that surrounds you in the media. When anyone chooses to ignore or defiantly go against the counsel of the living prophet, he is on very shaky ground.
[7]↩︎
For example, Orson Scott Card described his experience of receiving some backlash in 2004 for reviewing "The Passion of the Christ," a film with an R rating, along with the following experience a sister shared with him:
This past Sunday, for instance, which was a testimony meeting in some wards, one sister (who later wrote to me) stood up and bore her testimony about how seeing The Passion had brought new awareness to her of the meaning of the sacrament. At the end of the meeting, the bishop's counselor, in an obvious rebuke, told the members, "I would just like to say that our church does not condone going to see R-rated movies based on their violence, graphic and sexual content."
- Orson Scott Card explains his rationale that there is no commandment against R-rated films.
[8]↩︎
The 1965 For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet doesn't specifically address media.
The pamphlets from 1966-1972 contain the same section on "Literature, TV, [and] Entertainment."
In the 1990 pamphlet, more specific direction is given regarding "Media: Movies, Television, Radio, Videocassettes, Books, and Magazines" and addresses pornography more specifically in that section.
The 2001 pamphlet broadens its counsel to a section on "Entertainment and the Media," advising to "have the courage to walk out of a movie or video party... if what is being presented does not meet Heavenly Father's standards."
The 2011 pamphlet continues this trend, becoming even more general and advising to "not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way."
Finally, the 2022 pamphlet is more principle based, leading with the suggestion to seek out that which uplifts, inspires, and invites the spirit, and then simply suggesting to "Have the courage to turn off a video or game, walk out of a movie or a dance, change your music, or turn away from anything that is not consistent with the Spirit."
[9]↩︎
This applies to all the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlets from 1966 to 1972, which share the segment "Literature, TV, Entertainment."
[10]↩︎
The 1990, 2001, and 2011 are more specific on what to avoid, while the 2022 pamphlet gives counsel on what to seek after. All of them specifically note avoiding pornography and violence.
[11]↩︎
For example, President Kimball and President Benson warned against R-rated movies in the 80s.
- President Ezra Taft Benson counsels the young men to not see R-rated movies or vulgar videos.
- Spencer W. Kimball warns BYU students against R- and X- rated movies.
[12]↩︎
Elder Lynn G. Robbins, in a BYU Devotional in 2013, said the following:
If the Church were to draw a line with movies, that would be like giving permission to watch everything up to the line. President Gordon B. Hinckley never drew a line. Neither has President Thomas S. Monson. But the prophets have taught us principles found in For the Strength of the Youth, such as the following:
Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable.
President Hinckley taught, “Avoid pornography as you would a plague.” Did you notice his use of the word avoid? President Monson has said, “Avoid any semblance of pornography. It will desensitize the spirit and erode the conscience.”
He still warns against R-rated films in this talk but adds the counsel that "the Holy Ghost should be our Internet, movie, and TV guide."
- Lynn G. Robbins discusses movie ratings, concludes the Holy Ghost should guide what movies we watch.
[13]↩︎
For instance, The King's Speech (2010) is rated R in the United States and rated PG in Canada. The Passion of the Christ (2004) is rated R in the United States, while it is rated PG-12 in Japan and 12 in France.
The Lion King (1994) is rated G (all ages admitted) in the United States while it is rated 12+ in Russia.
[14]↩︎
The raters on the board must be parents who do not have ties to the entertainment industry. Each rater must have children between the ages of five and fifteen when they join the board, and they must leave the board once all of their children have turned 21.
They serve up to seven-year terms. The chairperson of the board selects the raters to "represent the diversity of American parents."
- The Rating Rules document provided by the MPA outlines the makeup of the board for CARA.
[15]↩︎
The current CARA Rating guide outlines this more specifically, as follows:
An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously.
- CARA outlines the criteria for rating a movie G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17.
[16]↩︎
A common theme in avoiding R-rated movies is linking them to pornographic content. For example, Ezra Taft Benson stated:
Don’t see R-rated movies or vulgar videos or participate in any entertainment that is immoral, suggestive, or pornographic.
In 1972, Hartman Rector, Jr. gave the following in a list of "barriers" he counseled for the youth:
5. Do not read pornographic literature. 6. Do not attend R- or X-rated movies, and avoid drive-ins.
More recently, in 2013, Lynn G. Robbins, in his remarks about movie ratings, said the following:
But the prophets have taught us principles found in For the Strength of the Youth, such as the following: Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. President Hinckley taught, “Avoid pornography as you would a plague.” Did you notice his use of the word avoid? President Monson has said, “Avoid any semblance of pornography. It will desensitize the spirit and erode the conscience.”
[17]↩︎
The Classification and Rating Rules (from CARA) outlined the following information about film ratings, with G dealing with unrated film content:
F. All motion pictures intended for exhibition in the United States produced or theatrically distributed by a member of the MPA must be submitted to CARA for rating. Such motion pictures may only be exhibited in the United States with a CARA rating and rating descriptors and are subject to these Rules, as well as the Advertising Administration Rules.
G. Any motion picture not produced or theatrically distributed by a member of the MPA may be submitted to CARA for rating in the same manner and under the same conditions as those applicable to submission of motion pictures by members of the MPA. However, the producer or distributor of such a motion picture may elect not to accept the rating and rating descriptor for that motion picture, or to surrender the rating for the motion picture, and thereafter may exhibit or distribute the motion picture in the United States without a rating.
- The "Classification and Rating Rules" document of the MPA outlines that anything made by an MPA member must be rated to be distributed.
[18]↩︎
The Classification and Rating Rules provided this description of what might be unrated material:
If a rated version of a motion picture is distributed in the home entertainment market with audiovisual material in addition to the rated motion picture, such as deleted scenes, interviews, commentary, bonus material or other similar materials ("unrated content"), the distributor must comply with the Advertising Administration Rules with respect to such product and must include on the packaging of the product the following legend: "This product contains the _-rated motion picture and additional unrated material" or a similar legend acceptable to the Advertising Administration.
- The Classification and Rating Rules document of the MPA details that movies may include unrated material like deleted scenes, interviews, commentary, etc.
[19]↩︎
The TV-MA rating is rated for "Mature Audiences" with the following description:
This program is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for children under 17. This program may contain one or more of the following: crude indecent language (L), explicit sexual activity (S), or graphic violence (V).
The MPAA R-rating has this description:
R - Restricted. Children Under 17 Require Accompanying Parent or Adult Guardian.
An R-rated motion picture, in the view of the Rating Board, contains some adult material. An R-rated motion picture may include adult themes, adult activity, hard language, intense or persistent violence, sexually-oriented nudity, drug abuse or other elements, so that parents are counseled to take this rating very seriously. Children under 17 are not allowed to attend R-rated motion pictures unaccompanied by a parent or adult guardian. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about R-rated motion pictures in determining their suitability for their children.
Generally, it is not appropriate for parents to bring their young children with them to R-rated motion pictures.
While the ratings for television are modeled after the ratings for movies, they are determined by a different board.
- The Television Ratings Guide segment on TV-MA rating and how it is modeled off of movie ratings.
- CARA outlines the criteria for rating a movie G, PG, PG-13, R, or NC-17.
[20]↩︎
The TV Parental Guidelines, made by the TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board (comprised of experts from the television industry and public interest advocates that function like CARA but for Television) elaborated:
TV ratings are applied on an episode-by-episode basis. This can result in individual shows within a series carrying different ratings.
- The TV Parental Guidelines detail how ratings are applied on an episode-by-episode basis.
[21]↩︎
In 2011, a study published in Journal of Children and Media found the following:
A quantitative content analysis of 45 films was conducted, and significant increases in violent content in the PG-13 rating category from Time 1 (1988) to Times 2 (1997) and 3 (2006) were found. However, similar increases in other types of adult content in the PG-13 rating category were not found. Results suggest a leniency toward violent content by the MPAA ratings board that parallels America's parents' greater comfort with children being exposed to violence than other types of adult content—sex, for example—in the unrestricted PG-13 rating category.
Additionally, a Harvard study in 2004 found:
A significant increase of violence, sex, and profanity in films. . . suggesting that the MPAA became increasingly more lenient in assigning its age-based movie ratings. Their results suggest that the overall increase arose largely from increases in violent content in films rated PG and PG-13, increases in sexual content in films rated PG, PG-13, and R, and increases in profanity in films rated PG-13 and R.
- Ron Leone & Nicole Houle conclude from a 2006 study of "ratings creep" found a significant increases in both sexual and violent content in PG-13 movies from 2000 to 2003.
- Harvard Study finds significant increases in violence, sex, and profanity in movies between 1992 and 2003.
[22]↩︎
The term "ratings creep" was used in a 2004 Harvard study as well as a 2011 study published in Journal of Children and Media to refer to the apparent progression of acceptable levels of violence, profanity and sexual content in movies.
Lynn G. Robbins characterized "ratings creep" as follows:
But what would a movie given an R rating in 1986 be rated today? Would you agree that Hollywood has relaxed its standards? It is referred to as “ratings creep.” Hollywood has gradually allowed more vulgarity, profanity, nudity, violence, sex, etc., over the decades while maintaining the same ratings.
[23]↩︎
The fluidity of the ratings system was described on filmratings.com (the official website of the MPA) as follows:
Furthermore, to ensure our rating system reflects the current sentiment of parents, CARA’s system is constantly evolving. As American parents’ sensitivities change, so too does the rating system. Elements such as violence, language, drug use, and sexuality are continually re-evaluated through surveys and focus groups to mirror contemporary concern and to better assist parents in making the right family viewing choices.
- CARA explains how the movie rating system is "constantly evolving."
[24]↩︎
While speaking of "ratings creep," Lynn G. Robbins said the following about PG-13 movies:
The cunning result of this creeping trend is that the 1986 R-rated movie has deceptively become a PG-13 or PG movie in 2013. The shifting or creeping of the line could be compared to the mists in Lehi’s dream that “blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.” As members justify the viewing of such movies based upon a deceptive rating, they become more and more desensitized to inappropriate material that a prophet identified as dangerous back in 1986.
- Lynn G. Robbins discusses movie ratings, concludes the Holy Ghost should guide what movies we watch.
[25]↩︎
While the Church does not get into whether or not it's OK to fast-forward through the "bad parts" of a show, it does offer advice on what to seek out in the current For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet, which includes the following counsel:
Seek that which uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit. As you make choices about what to watch, read, listen to, or participate in, think about how it makes you feel. Does it invite good thoughts? Stay away from anything that mocks sacred things or that is immoral. Don’t participate in anything that dulls your judgment or sensitivity to the Spirit, such as violence, alcohol, and harmful drugs. Have the courage to turn off a video or game, walk out of a movie or a dance, change your music, or turn away from anything that is not consistent with the Spirit.
- Most recent (2022) For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet advises seeking entertainment that uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit.
[26]↩︎
Joseph Walker, a former film critic and member of the Church's Public Communications Department, had this to say in an Ensign article in 1990:
Justifications like “Well, it won an Oscar” or “There’s only one little scene (or word, or grotesque special effect) that gave it an R-rating” are just that: justifications, hollow excuses for going contrary to the Spirit of Christ. Never mind that Mom and Dad won’t allow the kids to watch the show with them.
And in February 2002, the New Era published a "Mormonad" depicting a cockroach in an ice cream sundae with the caption:
It’s Great Except For . . . except for the bad parts. What kinds of movies and music are you feeding your mind? (See A of F 13.)
- Joseph Walker warns against justifying watching R-rated movies, encourages 13th Article of Faith as a guideline, regardless of rating.
- The New Era publishes a Mormonad depicting a cockroach in ice-cream, relating it to what kind of movies or music you participate in.
[27]↩︎
The 2022 For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, while detailing how good choices improve your ability to feel the spirit, reads:
Just as your body is affected by what you eat and drink, your mind and spirit are profoundly affected by what you read, watch, and listen to.
- The 2022 version of the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet explains that making good choices improves your ability to feel the spirit.