"The Purge: Election Year" is the third and most recent of "The Purge" movies. "The Purge" takes place in the U.S. It depicts an idea of an annual holiday where, for twelve hours, all crime is legal – including murder. All of the movies have their own plotlines and you don’t necessarily have to see the first movie to follow the sequels. However, the third movie does include something the other movies don’t.
I felt especially disgusted when I left the theater because "The Purge: Election Year" had some very misconceived and disturbing views on Christianity. I don’t think I have ever felt truly traumatized, angered, and saddened by a movie up until now.
Obviously, I wasn’t expecting to be spiritually enlightened by a gory horror film, but based on the other movies, I was not expecting it to be quite so directly demeaning and insulting. I’m not one to get offended by everything and anything, but when it targets my savior and everything I love more than myself, I think I have a right to be upset – just like Buddhists would be if it were about Buddha, or it were any other religious figure.
According to Google, here’s a basic overview of the film:
“As a young girl, Sen. Charlie Roan survived the annual night of lawlessness that took the lives of her family members. As a presidential candidate, Roan is determined to end the yearly tradition of blood lust once and for all. When her opponents hatch a deadly scheme, the senator finds herself trapped on the streets of Washington, D.C., just as the latest Purge gets underway. Now, it's up to Leo Barnes (Frank Grillo), her head of security, to keep her alive during the next 12 hours of mayhem.”
What this synopsis failed to mention is that the opponent of the senator was a Christian minister who was all for the Purge. If that isn’t bad enough, in the very beginning of the movie, the minister made a really pleasant representation of Christ by calling the senator the “C” word. Nice, right?
Later, the minister planned a speech in his sanctuary – but not just any speech. What really happened was a sort of sick, twisted, public ritual where the clergy tormented and killed poor and innocent people in front of the altar, using weapons that were supposedly blessed with holy water. Oh, and let’s not forget that they were stabbing their victims in the name of Jesus and saying He died for their slaughter.
“So sad that a nation built under ‘in God we trust’ is able to sit there and watch that for pure entertainment and not feel the slightest bit offended.” -B. Severson
"'The Purge: Election Year' was made for Satan." -M.C.S.
"I try to stay away from those sorts of movies because they show the worst of humanity." -J. S.
But it’s only a movie, right? Wrong. That’s exactly what you’re supposed to think. Anything you put into your mind will influence you. Satan is sneaky and he seeks harm. Being particular to what you watch can be either helpful or harmful to your relationship with Jesus. He took you seriously, so why wouldn’t you take Him seriously? Real Christians don’t appreciate seeing their savior being represented in such a sinister way. If you really love Jesus, save yourself ten dollars and don't see this movie.
