WHEREAS, The gross moral depravity pictured in many of today’s movies is utterly degrading and lacking in redeeming social value; and
WHEREAS, The Columbia Broadcasting System in February broke a critically important moral barrier by releasing for the first time for showing on television an edited version of “The Damned,” a previously X-rated movie, so that there is imminent danger that morally offensive movies may now be channeled more frequently into American homes,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That this Convention hereby expresses its indignation toward those producers of movie pornography, those vindicators of movie violence, and those merchants of movie immorality who for profit prey on the public, both feeding on the people’s basest cravings and building an appetite for ever baser excesses, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That for the sake of society and in the name of the most elementary decency, we call on movie producers, distributors, and exhibitors to exercise greater moral judgment and far more moral restraint in the making and showing of movies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we declare our conviction that television programs which degrade sex, glorify violence, and deny moral decency have no place on the airwaves; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we endorse movie production and television programming which provide wholesome entertainment and that we vigorously oppose that which undermines the moral values and ideals without which no nation can long endure, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call on Southern Baptists to communicate appreciation to producers, networks, and sponsors for movies and television programs that are morally wholesome, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we call on Southern Baptists to express themselves in opposition to the showing of offensive movies both in theaters and on television through letter writing, selective buying practices, selective viewing, the publishing of the names of offending companies in newspaper ads, and a concerted call to legislators for clear legislation that will prohibit the exhibition of obscenity either in movies or on television, and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we view this issue with so much seriousness that we pledge ourselves to work to secure its implementation.
RESOLUTION ON INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE AND WAR
(not adopted)
WHEREAS, Southern Baptists uphold the authority of the Bible in matters of faith, and
WHEREAS, We uphold the right and responsibility of the individual to interpret the Scriptures for himself under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and
WHEREAS, It has been our experience that both conscientious objection to, and conscientious participation in war are two seemingly opposite stances derived from the Bible, and purported to have love as their motivation and justification, and
WHEREAS, Both conscientious participation and conscientious objections are undertaken as Christian attitudes in good conscience,
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, That we honor our traditional belief in the freedom of the individual conscience under God and support both our youth who, as a matter of conscience, choose to participate in war and those who, as a matter of conscience, object to participation in war, extending them assistance in exercising their rights and privileges as permitted under law.