On August 10, 1984, the movie Red Dawn hit the theaters. Starring Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen, it featured something never seen before on a movie: a PG-13 rating. The PG-13 rating means “may be inappropriate for children under 13 years old” and “may contain very strong language, nudity (non-explicit), strong, mildly bloody violence or mild drug content.”1 On this day in 1984, the Motion Picture Association of America introduced this rating, replacing earlier ratings adopted in 1968. Those ratings replaced The Hays Code.
The Hays Code was introduced in 1924 by Will H. Hays, president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA). In 1927, the list was codified into two major groups: Don’ts and Be Carefuls. The Don’ts were things you could not do: profanity, suggestive nudity, all things sexual, willful offense to a nation or culture, and ridiculing clergy. The Be Carefuls list was a bit more extensive and served as a warning to carefully handle those areas: the Flag, religious ceremonies, crimes, interrogations, seduction and sexual situations, surgeries, and approximately 19 other categories.2
When Hays retired from his position in 1945, Hollywood began to stretch the limits of the Hays Code. By 1968, the Hays Code was replaced with the first set of ratings: G (appropriate for all ages), M (for mature audiences, but all ages admitted), R (persons under 16 not admitted without an accompanying adult), and X (no one under 17
admitted). Later, the M became PG and in 1990, the X became NC-17. The X rating was reserved for anything pornographic.3
Today, one must wonder if the ratings really mean anything at all!
While the world and culture seem to have a sliding scale when determining morality and the ratings for television programming and Hollywood movies, God doesn’t. Hebrews 13:8 tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” The Old Testament tells us in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Since God doesn’t change, neither do His standards.
God’s standards are not based on cultural whims. They are based solely upon His holiness and righteousness. Getting a grasp on understanding this concept is difficult because everything we know experientially has been tainted and corrupted by sin.
Attempting to define the holiness of God, Got Questions Ministries writes: “In Him, there is not even the faintest trace of evil. He is impeccably pure, wholly without fault, and uncompromisingly just. God cannot lie. He cannot make wrong decisions. He is blameless, timeless, and sinless.”4
Coming face to face with this realization brings humanity to its knees. Isaiah 6:1-5 gives a powerful picture of this. “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. (2) Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. (3) And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (4) And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, 
and the house was filled with smoke. (5) Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.”
Rather than creating a list of Don’ts and Be Carefuls, why not simply attempt to live by GOD’s standard of holiness? Impossible! you say? Evidently not since we are given this instruction in 1 Peter 1:14-16. “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (15) But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; (16) Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
1https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pg-13-rating-debuts
2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hays_Code
3https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pg-13-rating-debuts
4https://www.gotquestions.org/holy-God-holiness-of-God.html
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