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.
Paul is credited with inventing and articulating Christianity as we know it today as a whole different religion from Judaism.
Very true.
The Jews wanted to kill Him for claiming to be God. (Jn.10:33)
"That time is rapidly approaching. I am talking weeks and months, not years."
Christ did say "TIME" would be cut short, the events are compressed into that shortened TIME.
He will if they repent and turn to Him. There's always hope this side of the grave. We should pray for our enemies.
Good one.
You need to use that in your tagline!
Isn't this trying to prove a negative?
So this guy is reacting to his fundamentalist background and now hates fundamentalists. Big deal. There are thousands like him.
What about Christians of the catholic tradition (Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, and Anglican)? Does he hate us, too? Does he even know us? Maybe he should get to know us. He might want to become one of us!!!! That is INFINITELY better than rejecting the Lord of Life, Jesus Christ, and attempting to be an antichrist.
This film-maker might also like to take a good look at George Soros, a REAL precursor of the Antichrist. As an antichrist, this film-maker just doesn't make it!! He might want to try an entirely different line of work.
"I don’t really know if He declared Himself the Messiah or not. I do know that His followers wrote that He did.
As I posted earlier, should The Christ be held accountable for the actions of others?"
Christ held accountable, how exactly does one hold a perfect being accountable for sins of others? We could really discuss accountability about whom it is Written from the beginning who saw himself as 'god'.
Just another one of these tired left wingers who thinks they're being so brave by thumbing their nose at Christianity. How many more of these people are there? And the fact that they get lauded by the media should indicate they're not brave at all - they're just con artists making a fast buck.
Regards, Ivan
This movie isn't even listed on IMDB. I won't hold my breath waiting for this picture's release.
Why don't we, the people on this planet get more easy to see signs, and hard to dispute proof. It would be hard to argue if a powerful Jesus would appear and speaks to us.
That honors no response for me. You are putting words, beliefs, and a lifestyle upon me that I don't practice!
Actually, scholarship suggests the Gospels were written within a few years of the Crucifixion; and that the only book written "decades" after is Revelation (and possibly the epistles of John).
For example, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 would be impossible to ignore, and references to such a monumental event would have found their way into any biblical record. Yet, not even a hint can be found in any Gospel or epistle.
Naturally gay maggots wish that Jesus Christ as well as God the Father Himself don't exist. They are living in a world of serious delusion and the worst of it is that they are trying to drag as many lost souls into the abyss with them as they can.
They are driven, they have a mission - they are burning with a fever of intensity most of us can't even imagine.
It reminds me of how people in the throes of drug or alcohol induced psychosis - or even just plain psychosis - often have the strength of several people. I've seen in a mental hospital it taking several male attendants to bring down own psychotic.
They are driven to promote evil, take themselves and others to hell, and how many conservatives are indulging in a "live and let live" fantasy life? There are terrorists with turbans and Muslim names, and there are terrorists with neat haircuts, suits, Lexuses, and cool apartments in the Bay Area or North Hollywood. Or maybe even Senate offices - definitely in the CA legislature.
Last week my husband went on a date and were walking down Mill Avenue in Tempe, Arizona. A group of people were gathered across the street singing a song. I asked my husband what they were singing, since I couldn't understand them. Then, I saw the sign that said, "Jesus -- Lord, Savior, or Fraud??" A few minutes later there was a loud shouting, "DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE SON OF GOD? YOU MUST BELIEVE IN THE SON OF GOD!" A street preacher was on the other corner yelling at the first group. As a Christian, it's embarassing to see someone yelling like this. It just makes us look like quacks and gives ammunition to these people.
1 Corinthians 1:18
It wasn't so much the preaching as the yelling.
"For example, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 would be impossible to ignore, and references to such a monumental event would have found their way into any biblical record. Yet, not even a hint can be found in any Gospel or epistle."
Didn't Christ say He was the temple, not a building?
Well, yeah. But that isn't really the point.
The physical destruction of Herod's Temple is not in the Bible.
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