Recently I went to see the Sound of Freedom and it just made me think. On so many levels. I think this movie is going to bring about great change, although there are some cautions.
Sound of Freedom follows Tim Ballard as he takes on 3 different missions in escalating severity. These are based on true stories and there is video footage of these online. It’s not political in nature at all. Only two times that I remember is there anything “christian” mentioned.
Once when the main actors quotes Matthew that it is better for a millstone to be put around someone’s neck and thrown into the sea rather than cause harm to one of the little ones.
And second, when it is said, “God’s children are not for sale.”
So armored up with that alone, media has said that it is
A Q-anon right wing movie hyping things up beyond reality.
They say it happens but not in the numbers quoted and that it is a conspiracy theory. They are probably right in that it is not as the numbers quotes. It’s probably much, much higher.
And then there are endless videos showing fire alarms going off at AMC theaters, air conditioning being turned off, and lights being kept on.
This is about the children. And that’s what gets lost in the debate.
Some say Tim isn’t the nice guy he comes across as in real life.
Others say he’s bad because he is a Mormon. And while it is surprising that a Mormon would do work like this when Joseph Smith was proven sexually out of control and wildly manipulative, at the same time most Mormons don’t know their own history because they are forbidden to look.
Who cares? If I was being trafficked, or my child had been kidnapped and trafficked, I wouldn’t care who rescued me. Just that someone was doing so.
And B. To the complainers, what are they doing? I’m sure, absolutely nothing. It’s not the person making easy accusations, it’s about the person who is doing the work that matters.
The heartache about the controversy is it takes attention off the children and puts it on a movie. Perhaps that’s the goal. There are a lot of people in high places that don’t want to be caught. Epstein didn’t kill himself.
But there is a warning out there. One of my college classmates started an organization in Colorado that helps trafficked girls get back on their feet. Her focus is on those over 18 because there are few organizations that help after that. She says this:
I’ve been getting a lot of messages ever since the movie Sound of Freedom came out. I love that people are heart broken about trafficking and the exploitation of others. It is absolutely horrific. But here is why I’m not excited. Many people will go see this movie and will be heartbroken and will have an emotional response to do something. They will talk about it on social media, make appointments with people like me who run organizations working with trafficking survivors to talk about what they can do, and in two weeks when their emotional reaction wears off, will no longer be interested. Let this break your heart. But let’s try to put some action to it. Support organizations who are fighting this fight. Many of the people we work with were child trafficking victims themselves. But children grow up and become adults who are struggling with addiction, mental health, and trauma. Support and get involved in local organizations. We need you in this fight, but we need you, and not just your emotional reaction.
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.