Posted on 12/04/2006 7:52:47 PM PST by Pyro7480
'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children
By John-Henry Westen
NEW YORK, December 4, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A review of New Line Cinema's The Nativity story by Fr. Angelo Mary Geiger of the Franciscans of the Immaculate in the United States, points out that the film, which opened December 1, misinterprets scripture from a Catholic perspective.
While Fr. Geiger admits that he found the film is "in general, to be a pious and reverential presentation of the Christmas mystery." He adds however, that "not only does the movie get the Virgin Birth wrong, it thoroughly Protestantizes its portrayal of Our Lady."
In Isaiah 7:14 the Bible predicts the coming of the Messiah saying: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel." Fr. Geiger, in an video blog post, explains that the Catholic Church has taught for over 2000 years that the referenced Scripture showed that Mary would not only conceive the child miraculously, but would give birth to the child miraculously - keeping her physical virginity intact during the birth.
The film, he suggests, in portraying a natural, painful birth of Christ, thus denies the truth of the virginal and miraculous birth of Christ, which, he notes, the Fathers of the Church compared to light passing through glass without breaking it. Fr. Geiger quoted the fourth century St. Augustine on the matter saying. "That same power which brought the body of the young man through closed doors, brought the body of the infant forth from the inviolate womb of the mother."
Fr. Geiger contrasts The Nativity Story with The Passion of the Christ, noting that with the latter, Catholics and Protestants could agree to support it. He suggests, however, that the latter is "a virtual coup against Catholic Mariology".
The characterization of Mary further debases her as Fr. Geiger relates in his review. "Mary in The Nativity lacks depth and stature, and becomes the subject of a treatment on teenage psychology."
Beyond the non-miraculous birth, the biggest let-down for Catholics comes from Director Catherine Hardwicke's own words. Hardwicke explains her rationale in an interview: "We wanted her [Mary] to feel accessible to a young teenager, so she wouldn't seem so far away from their life that it had no meaning for them. I wanted them to see Mary as a girl, as a teenager at first, not perfectly pious from the very first moment. So you see Mary going through stuff with her parents where they say, 'You're going to marry this guy, and these are the rules you have to follow.' Her father is telling her that she's not to have sex with Joseph for a year-and Joseph is standing right there."
Comments Fr. Geiger, "it is rather disconcerting to see Our Blessed Mother portrayed with 'attitude;' asserting herself in a rather anachronistic rebellion against an arranged marriage, choosing her words carefully with her parents, and posing meaningful silences toward those who do not understand her."
Fr. Geiger adds that the film also contains "an overly graphic scene of St. Elizabeth giving birth," which is "just not suitable, in my opinion, for young children to view."
Despite its flaws Fr. Geiger, after viewing the film, also has some good things to say about it. "Today, one must commend any sincere attempt to put Christ back into Christmas, and this film is certainly one of them," he says. "The Nativity Story in no way compares to the masterpiece which is The Passion of the Christ, but it is at least sincere, untainted by cynicism, and a worthy effort by Hollywood to end the prejudice against Christianity in the public square."
And, in addition to a good portrait of St. Joseph, the film offers "at least one cinematic and spiritual triumph" in portraying the Visitation of Mary to St. Elizabeth. "Although the Magnificat is relegated to a kind of epilogue at the movie's end, the meeting between Mary and Elizabeth is otherwise faithful to the scriptures and quite poignant. In a separate scene, the two women experience the concurrent movement of their children in utero and share deeply in each other's joy. I can't think of another piece of celluloid that illustrates the dignity of the unborn child better than this."
See Fr. Geiger's full review here:
http://airmaria.com/
Not true.. The keys were given to the church corporately not Peter.. to all the rocks/stones not just one stone.. The Holy Spirit is the ONLY authority in the church.. not Peter.. or by the way Mary..
Unless you believe that Jesus did not know the future of the church at that time(with Peter).. Suggest you read the revelation of Jesus Christ(revelation ch 1;1)... Because that book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ not John the Apostle who transcribed it.. All Christian church organizations on this planet are clubs.. including Protestant ones.. The Roman Catholic church is merely a club.. Some of those clubs do have members of the church.. with some of them officers in a club..
Amazing the willful blindness of some.. but then if you're blind you're blind.. Some Blind people can hear well but see very poorly.. as other spiirtually deaf people hear poorly but see fairly well.
A secret... Roman Catholics are just where they need to be..
As are JW's, Mormons, Hindu's, Buddists, Animists..
and many christian sectarians..
The Holy Spirit knows exactly what he is doing..
With all respect, I am not interested in your opinion, unless you reason from the scripture in this case.
That is the punctuation that ends every worry, every concern, every uncertainty, every struggle, every discomfort -- "His will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...."
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." -- Colossians 1:16-17"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
"For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen." -- Romans 11:36
With all respect... LOL!
(Homosexual persons) must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being.
NOTE ON CHURCH TEACHING CONCERNING HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE, Cardinal Basil Hume, London, 1995
Friendship is a gift from God. Friendship is a way of loving. Friendship is necessary for every person. To equate friendship and full sexual involvement with another is to distort the very concept of friendship. Sexual loving presupposes friendship, but friendship does not require full sexual involvement. It is a mistake to say or think or presume that if two persons of the same or different sexes enjoy a deep and lasting friendship then they must be sexually involved.
ALWAYS OUR CHILDREN: A PASTORAL MESSAGE TO PARENTS OF HOMOSEXUAL CHILDREN AND SUGGESTIONS FOR PASTORAL MINISTERS, NCCB Bishops's Committee on Marriage and Family, 1998
This child, who has always been God's gift to you, may now be the cause of another gift: your family becoming more honest, respectful and supportive ... It seems appropriate to understand sexual orientation (heterosexual or homosexual) as a deep seated dimension of one's personality and to recognize its relative stability in a person ... Generally, homosexual orientation is experienced as a given, not as something freely chosen. By itself, therefore, a homosexual orientation cannot be considered sinful, for morality presumes the freedom to choose ... God loves every person as a unique individual. Sexual identity helps to define the unique persons we are. One component of our sexual identity is sexual orientation ... All homosexual persons have a right to be welcomed into the community, to hear the word of God, and to receive pastoral care. Homosexual persons who are living chaste lives should have opportunities to lead and serve the community.
You are always my child, nothing can ever change that. You are also a child of God, gifted and called for a purpose in God's design ... In you God's love is revealed.
calling homosexuals a sin
Interesting grammar.
You skate very close to denying the Faith. The Orthodox Faith is not a 'subjective truth'. The Creed is objectively true, not just 'subjectively true'.
It might be good for you to remember the outcome of the Palamite Controversy: the hesychasts see the Uncreate Light. A merely 'subjective' experience would be created, and indeed a poor sort of created light without even such objective reality as the sun shining on our face.
Are you arguing the case for "Sola Scriptura"?..
Or that reality is whatever the clergy of the Roman Catholic church says it is?..
No, wait, Dawg, get a hold of yourself. (Sorry, giddy, got home late from a great Bible Study.)
I shoulda said if ONE views the data, not you as in you as in HarleyD.
You know what? Right now, I don't care to think about this stuff anymore. (that won't last. I'll be ready tomorrow, or maybe even in half an hour.)
God is full of Love. Shaken down, pressed together, running over.
Yee HAH!
It won't be a stone He gives you, and if it's a serpent, it'll be one with a severe headache, a terminal headache.
"It might be good for you to remember the outcome of the Palamite Controversy: the hesychasts see the Uncreate Light. A merely 'subjective' experience would be created, and indeed a poor sort of created light without even such objective reality as the sun shining on our face."
Excellent TRD!
If you have an opinion about an event described in the scripture, I would like to see an argument based on the scripture. I would like to avoid an exchange of personal opinions.
This is not denying the Faith. Faith is both personal and experiential. As such it is subjective, as its existence is known, experienced and evident only to an individual.
Faith is also objective in that it seeks God as its object. The God known subjectively to an individual seems to be strictly conformed to that individual's idea of God, which is as subjective and unique as any individual is.
That idea is based on many factors, from genetics, to personal experiences, family, home, neighborhood, culture, you name it. That's why we have zillions of diffreent renditions of God and only one rendition of gravity.
However, that doesn't mean God does not exist.
Of course, not all monastics experience the Uncreate Light, so it is not a certainty by any stretch. Hence, the seed of doubt, if not denial, and a decision to stay with what we objectively have in our hands and hope for the best.
Why, even Apostles didn't really believe until they saw the Resurrected Christ! And they have seen the miracles Christ performed. And which one of us is so objectively convinced in our faith that, if we heared a voice that ordered us to leave out families, or to have them killed, would comply in perfect obedience rather than first seek medical help?
As I said before (and I don't mean this in any derogatory or insulting manner), let the one who lives 100% according to the Bible, who keeps all commandments, fasts without a fail, lives a spotless Christian life, etc. lecture me about faith.
I assert that we ought not to judge what is required of someone else based on what is required of us individually in our walk with the Lord.
God deals in justice, not equity.
And when they had received [it], they murmured against the goodman of the house, Saying, These last have wrought [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take [that] thine [is], and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee.
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. – Matt 20:1-16
I am generally familiar with the charismatic Protestant theology and know the perspective you are coming from. It is the intense personal experience of God, desire to cut out any transmission belt you did not build yourself, dislike of authority, and a heavy dose of anti-Catholic propaganda.
= = = =
Methinks this must be referring to another planet in another Galactic cluster about 100 Galactic clusters away from ours.
1. I've never thought of an INTENSE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE/RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD as the slightest whiff of a negative. I suppose it is somewhat predictable that RC folks might construe it as a negative if THEIR HIERARCHY; TRADITIONS; PONTIFICAL EDICTS; RITUALS ETC. were not involved. Thankfully, GOD has a very DIFFERENT perspective.
2. Individuals don't build "transmission belts" per se with Holy Spirit--APART FROM THOSE HOLY SPIRIT IS INVOLVED IN LEADING THEM TO BUILD. Given it being Holy Spirit--I figure He trumps any bureaucratic edifice about a dodeca-quaddrillion-trillion times infinity.
3. Inviting the supreme soul searching authority of all creation WHO DIVIDES THE BONE FROM THE MARROW WITH GOD'S OWN INTENSE SEARCHLIGHT OF HOLY SPIRIT BORN TRUTH--inviting such a Search light within in more intense ways and levels and aware that such an indwelling intense expression of Holy Spirit is prone to give ongoing commentary on one's every thought and deed--is
rather the OPPOSITE from hostility to authority.
Irrationally odd that anyone would think otherwise.
4. Heavy dose of anti-Romanist propaganda??? Really? Must be on that distant planet in that distant galactic cluster. The groups I've been a part of have not demonstrated that. Especially the better such groups.
I can certainly believe that a lot of RC folks would have a grossly distorted sample to speak from as well as grossly distorted tidy little boxes from which to assess such a distorted sample. Hard to arrive at truth given all that.
I don't need to tell you how fraught with danger this road is, if taken without the spiritual instruction of the Church
= = =
Oh, really?
Where is the logic in that?
I suppose the Romanist church WOULD BE SOMEWHAT OF AN EXPERT on all the dangers of religion twisted every which way but right into every human religious excess known to obsessive religionists throughout recorded history including a list of incredibly harsh and brutal ones . . . as well as a lot of blasphemous ones.
Thankfully, most Protestant groups have avoided such a traditions-bound-up-in-human-flesh-driven-motives stuff for anything near as long a period as the Romanists.
But there are still many Protestant groups trying to give the Romanists some competition on such horrid excesses and distortions of spiritual truth.
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