http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/01/disney-launches-first-exclusively-gay-moment-beauty-beast/

I just saw an article about Disney’s new Beauty and the Beast due in theaters on March 17.  (As a side note: the article headline, which I reposted on Facebook, indicated Christians should boycott the movie…I wasn’t posting the link as an endorsement of the call to boycott, or an argument that we shouldn’t.  My only intent was to inform people of the facts of the article.)  Apparently…

Many families are concerned after the company says the film will feature a gay character and a love scene. 

Disney calls it the debut of their first ever “exclusively gay moment” on the big screen. 

Much of the storyline centers around LeFou, the clumsy sidekick of the film’s main antagonist Gaston. LeFou, played by actor Josh Gad, struggles with secret lust for Gaston throughout the movie.

‘It’s somebody who’s just realizing that he has these feelings,” director Bill Condon told Attitude magazine. 

…

He believes adding a gay character will bring America one step closer to accepting the gay agenda, but many parents are outraged.[1] 

And another article states, “By representing same-sex attraction in this short but explicitly gay scene, the studio is sending out a message that this is normal and natural – and this is a message that will be heard in every country of the world, even countries where it’s still socially unacceptable or even illegal to be gay.[2] (This article is slightly more robust, if you choose to read one.)

I’ve read all kinds of comments back and forth about how parents felt they should respond…  I think the general concern is that parents are saying, “children see, children do.”  And they feel that Disney is intentionally pushing the LGBT agenda, knowing that what we see affects and normalizes how we feel about something.  Also, they are irritated that Disney had to taint something that was pure and innocent.  (I was wondering just how they would change the remake – they always change it, they never just simply retell it.)  Of course, there are others that think the concern is ridiculous and/or a message of hate…  that they aren’t going to “become gay” just because it’s in a movie… to which the parents are arguing that there is a difference in how things affect a 4-year old mind vs. a grownup’s mind. And one person gently pointed out that her personal choice not to see something isn’t about hate or even boycotting, but about wisdom.

I love a good healthy discussion, and appreciate when others gently challenge me to think through my decisions Biblically, but I’m afraid much of what I see on Facebook becomes unhealthy (and even unbiblical). I love that phrase, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” because it reminds us that at the end of the day we are all simply accountable to God and God alone for what we do, not what we argue on FB or who we convince to see things our way.

I want to point out that no matter how you respond to the movie (see it, don’t see it) the enemy can twist your response into something unhealthy in your children, just as God’s love can cover and protect them, no matter what you do. So, a kid can see the movie and be affected by seeing a gay agenda on screen. That same kid could also grow up thinking his parents were hateful towards gays because they didn’t allow him/her to see it. They can misunderstand God’s plan for sexuality, or misunderstand his heart for people—because Satan twists things and is out to hurt us. Need I remind parents that Adam and Eve had a perfect Father and there was no sin…and even STILL Satan convinced them that God was holding out on them?! Imagine how much easier it is for him with our children—with sinful parents in a fallen world! But not to despair, greater is He that is in us, and His love can cover over a multitude of wrongs! The enemy is searching the earth looking for someone to devour. God is searching the earth, looking for those whose hearts are fully His that He might bless them. The question is, who will you (and your children) be found by?

No matter what you decide to do for your family in regards to this movie (and all things), PRAY! Pray for wisdom in your decisions. Pray for the wisdom to communicate your decisions well with your children. (There were many things growing up that my parents didn’t let me see or do that my friends were doing. You know what I remember? It’s not that I couldn’t do something, it’s the WHY. I remember why my parents had concerns about certain things, and that showed me their heart, their love for Jesus and righteousness, and their care for me… and it got me “on board” with their decisions so I was less likely to want to rebel.) And finally, pray for God to protect their hearts and minds from the enemy who would try to twist your decisions for your family into something ugly. Oh…one more thing…pray that God would give you grace for those who choose differently and especially for those who criticize your decisions.

Pray. Be wise. Communicate your thoughts and decisions clearly and lovingly. Try to get buy-in from your kids about those decisions. Ask God for His protection over your children/family. Be graceful to those who choose differently… and pray for them, too! And remember, whatever the enemy intends for harm God is able to use for good. So, partner with God in allowing this new Beauty and the Beast to become an instrument of good and not harm in your home.

[1] http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/entertainment/2017/march/why-some-parents-may-not-take-their-children-to-see-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast?cpid=:ID:-18068-:DT:-2017-03-02-15:20:52-:US:-JG1-:CN:-CP1-:PO:-GC1-:ME:-SU1-:SO:-FB1-:SP:-NW1-:PF:-TX1

[2] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/01/disney-launches-first-exclusively-gay-moment-beauty-beast/