Posted on 10/12/2004 2:54:10 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
A movie whose purpose is to prove that Jesus Christ never existed and that demonizes Christian fundamentalists is scheduled to open on June 6, 2006 – that is, 06-06-06, the "666" biblical mark of the Beast.
Directed by Brian Flemming, who is described on the film's website as a "former fundamentalist Christian," "The Beast" promises to spread the theory he claims is "gaining credibility among scholars" – that Jesus was made up out of thin air.
"The authors of the Gospels, writing 40 to 90 years after the supposed life of Christ, never intended for their works to be read as biographies. There are no credible non-Christian references to Christ during the period in which he is said to have lived," states the film's site.
Currently in pre-production, the film's cast and crew are "legally sworn to secrecy," the promotional site says.
Here's how the film's promoters describe its plot:
When her father, a biblical scholar, mysteriously disappears, a Christian high-school student named Danielle investigates. She discovers that he had stumbled across a cover-up of Christianity's best-kept secret: that Jesus Christ never existed.Now that she possesses proof of this dangerous fact, Danielle must confront two strong forces: a band of fundamentalist Christians who will stop at nothing to suppress the truth, and her own desire for Jesus Christ to be real.
Diving into factual territory well-explored by scholars but largely hidden from the view of the public, "The Beast" is an epic story of innocence lost, faith in crisis and the astonishing power of the truth to survive.
On the trailer, which is viewable on the film's site, ominous music plays while these words flash across the screen: "Centuries ago, a legend was invented… forgery … fraud … coercion … wealth … greed … torture … murder … war … gave it the power to dominate the world." The words are displayed on a background of a painting of Christ's face.
The producers offer a newsletter for those interested in following the making of the movie.
Fleming is touted on the film's website as "internationally acclaimed."
States the site: "Flemming's work has been called 'a parallel universe' by the BBC, 'jaggedly imaginative' by the New York Times, and 'immensely satisfying' by USA Today. The Fox News Channel dubbed him 'a young Oliver Stone.' Flemming won the New York Times Claiborne Pell Award for Original Vision for his groundbreaking feature film 'Nothing So Strange,' which was released theatrically in 2003 and is currently distributed on DVD in more than 200 countries."
Supporters of the film have participated in a discussion forum on the site.
Says one excited poster: "I must say, I highly commend this director for his immense courage on putting something like this out!! The fact that he has the courage to put out a movie about the possibility of Christ never existing after all the controversy surrounding a movie about the LIFE of Christ (well death really) is just amazing!!
"Mad Kudos (and thanks) to EVERYONE involved in the making of this movie and good luck in handling all the 'adverse' reactions!!"
Another participant enthused, "I'm so excited! I can't wait until it's released! This is DEFINITELY the age of Aquarius!!"
Greg Koukl is head of Stand to Reason, a Christian apologetics organization. He says this kind of story line is not unusual among books and movies.
"It always turns out that fundamentalist Christians are the bad guys," he told WorldNetDaily.
"The problem with this is the evidence they draw from is always out on the fringes of academic scholarship" – evidence, he says, that is not even used by the leaders of the leftist Jesus Seminar.
Koukl noted historians that have no affinity for fundamentalist Christianity certainly write about Jesus and his impact on history.
"Nobody is trying to explain the indelible mark of Jesus of Nazareth on history by saying he never existed," he said. "That's way beyond the pale. No credible historian would make that claim. … It's a bizarre statement from an academic perspective."
Koukl wonders what motive anyone would have to invent Jesus and then "fool everybody."
He dismisses "The Beast" promoters' argument that because no non-Christian accounts of Jesus exist from the time of his life, he must be a fictional character.
"It may be the case that only Caesar wrote about the Gaelic wars," he explained, "but just because there are no other writing about the Gaelic wars doesn't mean we can't trust Caesar," mentioning the four Gospels are themselves four separate accounts of Christ's life.
He mentioned there are a "number of historical references to Christ outside Christianity, which buttress the fact he did exist."
Ted Baehr, founder and publisher of MovieGuide and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission, predicts "The Beast" will bomb with American moviegoers.
"Generally, these movies do very poorly at the box office," he told WND. "'Saved!' which had a lot of publicity, did about $6 million at the box office. … That's pitiful."
Baehr said bringing the film's contentions into the light of day in the media works well to expose the agenda of its promoters.
"The way you pull the teeth of a false argument is bring up the argument first and show that it's frivolous and fallacious," he said. "Of course it's frivolous. The original apostles wouldn't have gone to their death for Jesus if they didn't believe he was real."
Baehr said, "There is a small group of teenagers who will see ['The Beast'] who will be convinced it is the truth. … It will have an impact on a susceptible few."
One of the film's producers, Amanda Jackson, was contacted for this story but did not respond by press time.
Should I cash in my 401(k)?
Would be interesting to see a list of who actually paid for the "film" to be made. Who would support such hateful bs? Hmmmmmmmmmm.
That's why you should support the space program.
I'm trying to get to Mars, myself. ^^
Hey, I thought the biggest bomb in Hollywood history was that Gigli movie.
Heh, if we can talk them into putting Shaq and J-Lo in it, it'll be a dud for sure. :D
Blimey. Good post Rutles. That's a keeper.
There's nothing that conflicts with the Catholic doctrine. The documents which may be hidden may not be flattering to the administering of the faith in episodes over time, but there is nothing there to contradict what the Church teaches. The biggest hurdle for non-Catholics to clear is the notion that because the Catholic Church declares it bears the totality of Christian faith, it must mean that those who are in power are endowed with infallible judgment outside of matters of the faith. They are not. They are human beings who commit sins and have hurt the flock and betrayed Christ and corrupted their office and politicized their ministries, etc. Welcome to the real world.
However, the fruit of Catholicism embodies in the Apostles, the Church fathers, the holy and benevolent popes throughout history, the heroic sacrifices of the saints and early Catholics in Rome, the countless supernatural miracles, the artistic Renaissance, the evangelization of the New World, and the turning back of Islam from the shores of Europe all point to the goodness that resides in Catholicism. These are the works of God, not men.
Whatever scandals may come, it does not supercede the grace and majesty of the faith. Would certain things disappoint me? Sure. But I guarantee you there's nothing in there that says Mary Magdalene was a soccer mom for the sons and daughters of Christ.
Not to mention that the Latin roots of the words "testament" and "testify" tell what would happen to someone who intentionally lied about something important.
They would be "de-tested".
And that doesn't mean disliked.
...OR that BILL CLINTON never existed!
(c;
Bring out the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch!
Sarcasm?
Oh, NOW you're getting us into real trouble!
Mr. Fleming thinks that he's watching the game, controlling it. But in reality, it's the other way around. He's got a tiger by the tail. God help him.
The Roman Historian Tacitus...in one of the 4 surviving volumes of his18 volume Histories...wrote of the founder of Christianity..."Christos". He describes his as about 5'9" tall and weighing about 175 pounds having long brown hair styled in the way of the Jewish males of the time. His eyes were said to be bluish grey! He was otherwise of ordinary appearance. Tacitus had traveled thru the known world and had gathered much info about all sorts of things including the known religious impulses of the era. He was said to have visited Mary, Jesus' mother! The Histories were published around 70 to 80 AD though Tacitus was a much younger man at the time of his travels!
I would just assume trust Tacitus who at least claimed to have spoken with some witnesses of the times!
As a result, three schools of thought have developed:
1) That the entire passage was invented by later scribes--unlikely, IMHO, since we should have some copies that weren't tainted if this was the case.
2) That the passage is genuine, but Josephus was being sarcastic when he wrote it--distinctly possible, given the man's personality.
3) That the passage is genuine, but later scribes added some interpolations. This seems to me to be the most likely, since the Arabic copies of Josephus' work have the passage, but minus the most questionable material.
In any case, as the other poster pointed out, even if one disputes this passage, there is a second that refers to "James, the brother of the so-called Christ" as the leader of the Church in Jerusalem.
There are also some other references in secular history, including one of the strange darkness that occured at Jesus' death. If you're interested, I'll dig them up when I get home.
God bless,
I refer to it as “religious philosophy” because I believe that was their intent. The Gospels were written down to aid in spreading the word, not to give a history lesson.
I can not understand why some get all up in arms when the term “philosophy” is used in connection to religion. What would Christianity be worth if it contained no guidance on how to live, or the meaning of life? In no way does the term philosophy denigrate religion.
Good Point Aquinas.
+ God bless Mr Fleming, guard him from evil and touch his heart. Amen. +
We know Clintoon existed. We have the dress!
Then who is it that I talk to every morning and who talks to me???? Who is it that has delivered me over and over again? Who made the sun and the moon and stars that show forth their light upon the earth? HOW GREAT IS THEIR DARKNESS.
Very interesting, the war is heating up. A movie cannot change the truth. Amen.
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