Posted on 11/28/2009 12:05:22 PM PST by americanophile
In his new film "2012", director Roland Emmerich reinforces a double standard by depicting the destruction of numerous Christian landmarks while sparing Islamic ones.
The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican all meet untimely fates in Emmerich's latest end-of-the-world extravangza.
However, The Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that is the focus of prayers and the site of the most important pilgrimage in Islam, was spared.
And this double standard was not, it turns out, an oversight or mistake.
A deliberate act
In an interview with Sci-Fi Wire, during which the director admits he is "against organized religion", Emmerich discussed his thought process:
"You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart," explained Emmerich. "But if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have a fatwa."
Emmerich admitted he wanted to depict the destruction of the holy Islamic building, but that his co-writer Harald Kloser talked him out of it.
"Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," Emmerich told Sci-Fi Wire. "But (Kloser) said, 'I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie.'"
In short, Emmerich believed a fatwa, a death sentence, would be placed on someone, possibly himself, had he destroyed The Kaaba in his film.
This news is undoubtedly a surprise to anyone who has seen Emmerich's films and assumed he only feared coherent plots.
Reinforcing a double standard
His fatwa fears, warranted or not, reinforce the mindset in this country that it's alright to attack Christianity, but one must be tolerant and should placate all other religions.
In Emmerich's world, and those like him, destroying Christian landmarks and symbols is good, wholesome entertainment. Destroying an Islamic landmark, on the other hand, would be insensitive and could result in dire consequences.
He shouldn't be able to have it both ways.
Either all religions are fair game or none of them are fair game.
If Emmerich can't handle that, maybe he should try something radical like making a movie that doesn't depend on the destruction of treasured landmarks via expensive special effects.
Of course, considering he is the man that brought us Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow, that might be beyond Emmerich's skill set.
It is high time that mocking of Christianity scared these people as much as mocking Islam does.
Christians should murder those who offend them?
The only reason the Kaaba was spared in Emmerich's film was because he didn't want a bounty placed on his life. It wasn't out of politcal correctness. It was out of concern for his own personal safety. Can't say I blame him for his decision.
Part of me is irritated. Part of me thinks, if he had included The Kaaba in the destruction, how many in his audience would have known what it was and recognized the significance?
That’s OK. I’m betting God will have other ideas.
Listen Fellow Christians, Stop bitching. You know what you signed up for when you confessed his name. We are not being dragged out into the streets or murdered in our beds (yet) like other countries. If we wanted to murder all of those that offend us we are no better than Islam. Just smile and pray for them because there is something that is released in the Spiritual that has an effect on them. No one said it was going to be easy.
They are not cowards. They are just plainly “evil”.
When all is said and done, if you don’t fear God, you’ll end up fearing other man.
Atheists think by denying God he became free, but really all he did was get a new master who’s much worse.
Then as someone rightly suggested here its time that people like this film director learn to fear for their lives when they insult Christanity.
You can pray. This Roman Catholic has HAD IT with punk-ass film directors and other assorted trash mocking my religion with impunity. I’ll take my chances when I stand before my God.
Amen!!!
John 15:18 "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
Hypocrites comes to mind.
Why would this be a surprise? Satan does not hate religion, he hates Christ.
Naturally the world and especially atheists and cults will always target anything that seems to represent Christ..
Agreed, when Christians stop being the girly men and whiny little bitches supporting un-American precepts; media, political class and enemies will stop working against America; for what they do works for them! First to go, should be journalists, reporters and political hacks.
What do you suggest? That people kill people who mock Christianity?
He said he was scared to do so. He should have left them out of the movie for cripes sake!
When I told my friends I would not be seeing that asinine movie because they wouldn’t destroy muzzie landmarks, their reply was “Really, you’re going to be one of THOSE people?,” and “Who the fudge cares, it’s just a movie!”
My reply was “Yes, I am.”
I wouldn’t go as far as murder, but there has to be some form of “backwhipping” that we can do to make Christianity less of a punching bag.
Short of keeping your dollars in your wallet when it comes to offensive entertainment (and I predict this film financially disappoints at the box office) what do you suggest?
When people stop believing in God, they don’t believe in nothing— they believe in anything ~ G. K. Chesterton
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