The Soap Box
I've been deliberately avoiding discussing two significant topics over the last few days: "The Passion of the Christ" and Gay Marriage.
There's a specific reason I haven't blogged about these topics: Because my opinion on both issues is bound to be an unpopular one, especially here in the "Bible Belt." But I just can't help myself, so here goes.
First, on the topic of "The Passion..."
Tonight on World News Tonight, ABC showed video of a sign in front of a church that read "It's settled. The Jews Killed Jesus." Just now, I'm watching MSNBC, and they're interviewing people about the movie. They're saying things like "It really shows you what it was really like."
Guess what? It doesn't. Nothing can show you what it was really like, because there are no living eyewitnesses. IT'S A MOVIE, and it's one person's interpretation of the final hours of Christ's life. Was the crucifixion horrible? Of course. Is the film moving? I'm sure it is. I'm sure it's an exhausting, eye-opening, emotional experience. But it's not a documentary. It's not an eyewitness account. Not even The Bible is an eyewitness account. Nobody began actually writing the New Testament until about 500 years after the crucifixion, and between the faults of the Oral Tradition, and the flaws in translation techniques, nobody can know exactly what happened.
All I can say, is go see the movie. But remember, it is a movie. Designed to make money and entertain. If it wasn't meant to be sensationalistic, then perhaps Mel Gibson & Co. would have made a film about the life of Christ and his message, rather than focusing on his horrific, brutal, gruesome death.
As for the other hot-button issue of the day:
Those of you that know me already can figure out my opinion on gay marriage. I don't have a problem with two people who are in love joining together legally. There are millions of people in this nation who are in unhappy marriages, who aren't in love with their spouses. I have a bigger problem with that. To those who say it's against "God's Will," let's remember that marriage is a legal institution. Last time I checked, atheists are allowed to get married. They just don't generally get married in a Church.
I also don't like the thought of amending the Constitution for this issue. In fact, I don't like the thought of amending the Constitution at all.
All right. I'm off of my soapbox.
I've been deliberately avoiding discussing two significant topics over the last few days: "The Passion of the Christ" and Gay Marriage.
There's a specific reason I haven't blogged about these topics: Because my opinion on both issues is bound to be an unpopular one, especially here in the "Bible Belt." But I just can't help myself, so here goes.
First, on the topic of "The Passion..."
Tonight on World News Tonight, ABC showed video of a sign in front of a church that read "It's settled. The Jews Killed Jesus." Just now, I'm watching MSNBC, and they're interviewing people about the movie. They're saying things like "It really shows you what it was really like."
Guess what? It doesn't. Nothing can show you what it was really like, because there are no living eyewitnesses. IT'S A MOVIE, and it's one person's interpretation of the final hours of Christ's life. Was the crucifixion horrible? Of course. Is the film moving? I'm sure it is. I'm sure it's an exhausting, eye-opening, emotional experience. But it's not a documentary. It's not an eyewitness account. Not even The Bible is an eyewitness account. Nobody began actually writing the New Testament until about 500 years after the crucifixion, and between the faults of the Oral Tradition, and the flaws in translation techniques, nobody can know exactly what happened.
All I can say, is go see the movie. But remember, it is a movie. Designed to make money and entertain. If it wasn't meant to be sensationalistic, then perhaps Mel Gibson & Co. would have made a film about the life of Christ and his message, rather than focusing on his horrific, brutal, gruesome death.
As for the other hot-button issue of the day:
Those of you that know me already can figure out my opinion on gay marriage. I don't have a problem with two people who are in love joining together legally. There are millions of people in this nation who are in unhappy marriages, who aren't in love with their spouses. I have a bigger problem with that. To those who say it's against "God's Will," let's remember that marriage is a legal institution. Last time I checked, atheists are allowed to get married. They just don't generally get married in a Church.
I also don't like the thought of amending the Constitution for this issue. In fact, I don't like the thought of amending the Constitution at all.
All right. I'm off of my soapbox.
Labels: movies
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