ratings creep, or mission creep?

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. I wish they'd take over for the acknowledged legislators, though, starting with Roy Blunt.

A Christian-themed movie about a football coach's faith in God is finding an audience in Congress, not so much for its inspirational message but for the PG rating it received.

House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and other lawmakers are demanding explanations after hearing complaints that the movie "Facing The Giants" was rated PG instead of G because of religious content.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) claims the controversy arose from a miscommunication with the filmmakers.

"This incident raises the disquieting possibility that the MPAA considers exposure to Christian themes more dangerous for children than exposure to gratuitous sex and violence," Blunt said in a letter to Dan Glickman, MPAA chairman and chief executive officer.

Blunt earns a PG for Puffery and Grandstanding. A movie with "gratuitous sex and violence" will get slapped with an R rating--far "more dangerous" than PG. (This isn't the good old days.) Second, even if we grant that the board decided that religiosity was worth a PG rating on face, so what? Christian themes are mature, and not every parent wants their child exposed to religious propaganda--and it's Christian parents who take offense when other worldviews are given favorable treatment. Ted Baehr's Movieguide on Nacho Libre, for example:

Mixed pagan worldview with some strong Christian content/premise and moral values (including positive prayer and references to Christian faith as well as comic hero helps orphanage and woman tells hero to "fight for something noble or someone who needs your help"), but set in a comedic, slightly satirical, goofy, borderline, and (sometimes) possibly sacrilegious sacrilegious, anti-Christian, but comical, way that may turn off some Roman Catholics and other Christians...

Ironically, the only parents I know who would balk at a PG rating are Christians.

That the movie's producers haven't appealed the decision speaks volumes about the non-controversy--but that's not enough for preening moralizers.

"I'm not satisfied," said Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., who attended the meeting with Blunt. "We probably will want to revisit this ratings process to have some commonality in the standards that exist for movies, videos and video games."

Blackburn said she wants the House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold hearings on the issue.

Because they have nothing better to do.