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Why the 'Porn' Excuse in the New Spider-Man Should Concern Parents

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The newest version of Spider-Man hit theaters this week to the delight of moviegoers nationwide.

It's expected to be a blockbuster film, loaded with tons of fast-paced action and comedy as the newest actor to portray Peter Parker makes his debut.

Movieguide reports "Spider-Man: Homecoming" includes a lot of great themes, like a strong redemptive worldview, self-sacrifice, and even loving your enemies.

But there are also a few reasons for parents to be concerned about the film. For example, it's loaded with profanity and paganism, including a number of sexual jokes and lewd references.

There's also this – Movieguide points out a moment when a primary character uses porn as an acceptable excuse for not getting caught doing something else. It reveals a lot about the state of our culture.

Here's how the scene plays out. In the movie, Parker has a best friend and techie sidekick named Ned. He's using a school computer while helping Spider-Man. A teacher walks up and asks what's going on.

Ned doesn't want her to know what he's doing, so his excuse is this: "I was watching porn."

"The theater erupted in laughter. In fact, the mother sitting next to me, who was with her daughter, found it especially funny," writes Ben Kayser, managing editor of Movieguide.

Kayser says a movie line that makes it "normal and acceptable" for a 15-year-old to watch porn "felt especially irresponsible and frustrating."

"Studies have shown that porn consumption affects your brain negatively, destroys relationships and is addictive like drugs. Surveys also show that children are being exposed to porn at younger and younger ages, many times by accident and other times from curiosity. The negative effects of pornography are real," Kayser points out.

CBN News has recently reported about stars like Chris Rock and Terry Crews revealing that porn destroyed their marriages.

"The last thing families and children need is for Marvel movies, which millions of children watch and enjoy, to normalize pornography among teenagers and pre-teens," Kayser says.

While there is no actual porn in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," parents of young children and teens may find this normalizing mention of porn to be a useful launching point for a discussion about the real dangers it poses.

"The most effective way to address it is to be an active and informed parent. Talk to your children with grace and humility, acknowledging the fact that everyone is open to temptations of many kinds. Don't expect perfection from them, but warn them of all the dangers in their culture so that they don't end up choosing the same destructive roads that many others do. Finally, be sure to show them that the Good News of Jesus Christ is the only real solution to sin and temptation," Kayser says.

For an in-depth family-friendly movie review of the new "Spider-Man,"  you can find Movieguide's review here, as well as a video review from our friends at "Plugged-in-Online" at the top of this story.

And here's the trailer too:

 

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About The Author

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Benjamin
Gill

Benjamin Gill oversees all web content as the Multimedia Manager for CBNNews.com. He has been on staff with CBN News as an internet and broadcast producer since 2000. You can follow him on Twitter @BenGillCBN. Here are some of his commentaries and articles: Pursuing Truth in a World of Fake News: Reflections of a Christian Journalist After 20 Years with CBN News The Breaking Point: Pandemic Pain, Persistent Prayer, and God's Bigger Picture Plagues, the End Times, and Trusting in God's Protection: 'You Will Hear Us and Rescue Us' 12 Powerful Bible Verses to Build Your Faith and Fight Fear