5 Toxic Movies God Wants You to Stop Romanticizing

Difficult Relationships - Christian Wisdom for Life's Toughest Ties - A podcast by Kris Reece Ministries - Thursdays

5 Toxic Movies God Wants You to Stop Romanticizing Who formed your idea of love? If you’re like many, it wasn’t God, it wasn’t your parents, it wasn’t even the person you fell in love with. No, it was something much more distorted and toxic. It was the movies. For as long as films have been in existence, they have continued to pervert and disfigure the truth meaning of loving relationships. That’s why in today’s episode, I want to talk to you about the 5 toxic movies that God wants you to stop romanticizing, NOW. Pop culture affects our views of love and relationships more than we’d like to admit. Even ones that we know are ungodly can even shape our desires and expectations in destructive ways… if we’re not careful. Entertainment is not as passive as we’d like to believe. Think of the word….ENTERtainment. When we sit down to a movie, TV show, video game or any other piece of content, we are allowing those images, stories, and ideas to ENTER into our soul. Think of how much easier you laugh at jokes at a comedy club….that’s because the environment has been set. So when you sit down to a romantic movie, you’re likely doing so with an open mind to receive all the thoughts and feelings associated with this movie. And based upon those feelings, you build your belief system. How many times have you heard someone describe a man or woman of their dreams and this person only exists inside of a movie? That’s because our view of reality is skewed.  They say that more men struggle with pornography than women, but I don’t believe that. Even if women aren’t dealing with the same type of porn as men, their version can be found in the form of romantic movies and fantasy novels--films that give you the warm and fuzzies (romantic feelings) but are riddled with codependency and toxicity.That’s why in today’s episode, I want to talk to you about 5 toxic movies that God wants you to stop romanticizing.But before we do, let’s lay the groundwork by talking about the myths that these ‘romantic’ movies portray. These myths include:If it’s true love, you’ll forgive and forgetYou can’t help who you fall in love withLove and addiction are one in the sameMiscommunication is normal and makes for a more romantic relationshipYou need the other person to make you wholeLove conquers all (there is truth in that but not in the way we romanticize love. We all have a ‘soulmate’Being chased is romantic. Constant fighting means we have passion. If I miss you, we must be meant to be together. And lastly - the payoff. Here’s where we believe that sticking with someone no matter what will have a big payoff, such as maybe hearing the words “you were too good for me” on their death bed Let’s dive into the 5 toxic movies God wants you to stop romanticizing:A Star Is Born Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper took the world by storm in the latest retelling of A Star is Born, but we can’t ignore the dangerous message it sends: that women should stay in abusive relationships. Ally continues to make excuses and sacrifices for Jackson because she feels like she owes him for her success. No matter how lightly she treads on those eggshells, or how much she loves him, she can't save him from his demons. Instead of celebrating Ally's achievements, Jackson spirals further into addiction and depression. There isn't a happy ending to this tale, yet filmgoers were captivated by this “love story.”  This movie is riddled with breathtaking levels of codependency. It’s a story about doing what feels right and not overthinking. The truth is, Ally would have done well to N