In The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Frodo (played by Elijah Wood) battled orcs, the Dark Lord Sauron and the powers of the ring to save Middle Earth from being ruled by the forces of evil. Now, Elijah Wood is speaking out about a very real evil threatening millions of children worldwide.
Wood told the London Sunday Times that Hollywood is in the grip of a child abuse scandal. Wood said the activity is all organized, “There are a lot of vipers in this industry, people who only have their own interests in mind.” He continued, “There is a darkness in the underbelly. If you can imagine it, it’s probably happened.”
The very real darkness Wood speaks of is darker than the darkest scene in The Lord of the Rings. When Wood says, “If you can imagine it,” he means it. In 1998, Jon Benet Ramsey was murdered at 6 years old—bound, gagged and strangled with a cord. This was an act of lust at its ugliest. The dark forces driving such behavior are not imaginary. They may not look as frightening as an orc, but they’re just as ugly.
Proverbs 11:22 says, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman who is without discretion.” Lured by lust—for women, men or children—one can become a slave to Satan. Behind the beauty of anything someone might lust for is a spiritual darkness that can blind someone to the love of God. In The Lord of the Rings, an actual gold ring was the lure. If you desired its powers, you wound up under the control of Sauron.
For thousands of children and their parents, Hollywood is a shiny gold ring. The hope of becoming famous in movies or on television attracts children with only a small chance of becoming a star. It also attracts pedophiles. To satisfy their lusts, pedophiles need access to children. Unless they are so perverted they’re willing to grab children in parks, they need to be in situations where children come to them. This can be an agent, a manager, a director, a teacher or a youth leader. Movieguide® has published guidelines for churches vetting youth workers and avoiding situations where adults are left alone with a child. Satan does not restrict himself to working in Hollywood.
Elijah Wood says his mother protected him. He told the London Sunday Times, “She was far more concerned with raising me to be a good human than facilitating my career. I never went to parties where that kind of thing was going on. This bizarre industry presents so many paths to temptation. If you don’t have some kind of foundation, typically from family, then it will be difficult to deal with.”
The foundation most needed in Hollywood, or anywhere, is a profound faith in God that enables you to see and avoid the swine behind gold rings. One of the primary reasons for the existence of Movieguide® is to help parents and children see entertainment from a biblical perspective. In the content section of our review, we list the swine-like aspects of every movie, and in our reviews we explain them.
In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo showed tremendous bravery and wisdom (most of the time) in resisting the lure of the ring. In real life, in your own home, an enemy nastier than the Dark Lord Sauron seeks to lure you and your children into darkness. He’s selling (actually giving away free) lust. He is telling you and your children that the path to happiness is self-gratification. Be it food, sex or pride, you’re invited to be selfish.
God offers the opposite: love.
God’s desire, repeated many times in Scripture, is that we would love one another, perhaps by considering how we can help others. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo repeatedly risks his life for the benefit of everyone living in Middle Earth. His quest was not for power, but for light. He sought to lift the darkness off of Middle Earth.
What will it take to lift the darkness of Earth itself?
Elijah Wood rightfully calls pedophilia “darkness.” This is an important first step. Where there is darkness there is a need to call it evil. When a culture refuses to call evil “evil,” it lives in greater and greater darkness. Darkness promises gratification but actually brings enslavement.
The second step in combating darkness is very bright light. Those living in darkness need to see that there is something far better than self-gratification. God’s love, including the forgiveness made possible through Jesus Christ, is an eternal light.
The third step is a rescue mission. Jesus came to set the captives free. Those whom Elijah Wood sees as vipers are really slaves in need of freedom. They need to know God can set them free from lust.
Christians need to see the battle for what it is: spiritual. The more clearly you understand the battle, the less likely you are to fall for temptation, and the more powerful you can be in setting others free.
It’s easy to look at the entertainment industry and imagine vipers. It’s wiser to look and see slaves. Pick up your Bible, and in your hands you hold an emancipation proclamation. Are you willing to battle Satan to get God’s message to Hollywood and the world? {eoa}
This article originally appeared on MovieGuide®. Click here to see what God’s doing in Hollywood.
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