A concerned Christian mother has written an open letter to her daughter, urging her to stay clear of the book-turned-film Fifty Shades of Grey, which will hit theatres on Valentine's Day.
Michelle S. Lazurek is a pastor's wife and a contributing writer for Movie Guide. In a heartfelt letter, she urged her daughter not to get carried away by the sexual hype surrounding the film because it does not present women in a positive light.
"Hollywood does not view you the same way that God does. God wants to liberate you and allow you to be all you can be. He wants you to see yourself as special so you, as well as guys will cherish you as a special gift," she wrote.
The main character of Fifty Shades of Grey, Ana Steele, is attracted to the wealthy CEO Christian Grey who makes her "participate in acts that degrade her and rob of her of her rights as a woman, as God's child and as a human being."
Lazurek reminded her daughter that this is not the way God wants her to view herself as a woman or a human being. She then imparted some lessons about the movie, the first is that bondage keeps a person locked up and does not set them free.
"God created sex to be enjoyed. The euphoria enjoying your body creates is a glimpse into the intimacy God wants us to share with Him. Tying you up and spanking does the opposite of what the book is trying to achieve: it suppresses you; it does not set you free," she reasoned.
She also taught her daughter that lust does not equate to love, although people often mistake one for the other because sexual relationships create a bond between two people.
Lazurek also stressed that pornography is never healthy for any relationship, and lamented that approximately 40 million men currently watch pornography on a regular basis.
"Men who need to watch porn become addicted to it in order to achieve arousal. Soon your relationship won't satisfy. You were uniquely made to be loved and cherished; not used as a means for a man's source of arousal," she wrote.
The next lesson she shared was that Biblical submission is different from sexual submission, meaning that people in a healthy relationship submit to each other out of respect and love, but during difficult moments, it is important to spiritually submit to those situations.
"This is so you can find a solution that unites you, not divides you," she explained. "Allowing yourself to be whipped and beaten for the satisfaction of your partner is far from achieving unity. It takes away your right to establish and keep healthy boundaries regarding personal and physical space."
Lastly, Lazurek said that abuse begets abuse, and being a victim of it distorts a person's view of a healthy relationship.
"Daughter, you are a beautiful woman. You are adored and loved by God. You are beautiful simply because you are you. You are not a piece of trash to be dominated, abused or degraded. One day a man will love you for you, not for what you can do for him, sexually or otherwise," she ended her letter.
