Dove Foundation

The Dove Foundation is an American non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon.

It is best known for its ratings of movies to determine suitability for families, from a Christian worldview.

## Movie Ratings[edit]

Dove uses an eight-category system to rate movies, using a scale of 0–5.

The first two categories are positive ratings; the higher the number, the more suitable the movie (any rating 2 or higher is considered favorable). The two positive categories are:

* Faith (in this category, a rating of 4 or 5 is reserved for movies with overt Christian messages)
* Integrity

The latter six categories are "cautionary" (negative) ratings; the lower the number, the more suitable the movie (any rating 2 or higher is considered unfavorable). The six cautionary categories are:

* Sexuality (including on-screen romantic scenes)
* Language (this category includes minced oaths and other non-profane but otherwise "crude" language)
* Violence (this category includes violence in war scenes as well as slapstick or cartoon violence)
* Drugs (this category includes use of alcohol – even if used socially – and/or tobacco, as well as prescription medication whether used properly or abusively)
* Nudity (this category also includes shirtless men, low-cut outfits, and swimwear, along with bare baby's behinds)
* Other (this category is a catch-all which includes "disrespect for authority, lying, cheating, stealing, illegal activity, frightening scenes, demonic or similar references": a 1 or 2 rating indicates that notwithstanding the scenes, the person's character has positively shifted during the movie)

From the rating Dove can give a recommended movie one of three ratings (if no rating is given then the movie is not recommended):

* Suitable for all ages (no cautionary ratings higher than 1)
* Suitable for ages 12+ (has cautionary ratings 2 or higher)
* Suitable for ages 18+ (has cautionary ratings 2 or higher, but also has a 4-5 Faith element rating)

## External links[edit]

* http://www.dove.org/ Dove Foundation website