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You've been here for two days. It's a little early to start posting threads.

But you caught me in a good mood today, so I'll respond.

I did see "Rent" and it's a good movie. But it's hardly a work of Christian Charity.

Take the character of Mark. In the opening minutes, we learn that:

1. He's freezing in a bad apartment in New York City on Christmas Eve.
2. He has a family in Scarsdale that is well-off enough to send him gifts and want to see him.
3. His family includes at least his mother, his sister, and some nieces and/or nephews.

How is it virtuous that Mark ignores the family that nurtures him and could benefit from his talents? He could be in Scarsdale, helping to keep the family united and perhaps showing the kids some of his filmmaking skills. Instead, he chooses to abandon them for no reason other than they aren't hip enough for him.

Obviously, if Mark had chosen to go to Scarsdale for Christmas, you wouldn't have much of a movie. But it's hardly virtuous to abandon your family in pursuit of a dream to make documentaries.

The same goes for other characters. Tom Collins is a technical genius. Instead of using his skills to help society, he rewires an ATM so that it will disperse free money. Tom could have helped his friends by getting a job with his impressive skills and giving them money.

The characters also make choices that hurt more people than they help. They resist the closing of a building where the homeless stay, but make no effort to help the homeless get their lives back together. The homeless just serve as mascots for their cause.

The characters do a dance number at a diner where they proudly ignore the wishes of the other patrons and the owner. It's a fun scene, but hardly moral.

The characters do have moments of morality. For example, Angel helps Collins after Collins is beaten up. The characters come together to help Mimi. But their morality is the self-annointed morality of someone who gives a homeless man a quarter but would never dream of doing the hard work of volunteering at a school, church, or civic organization to help insure that as few people as possible become homeless in the first place.