Originally posted by MEE:
Hey, I found the movie to be one of the greatest movies that I've ever seen.
So what if some of the scenes were not exactly as the Bible says...it's only a movie.
Perhaps this is one of the most accurate portrayals of the movie yet; one that draws the line between those that agree with it and those that disagree with it.
It is only a movie.
Yes it is. If it is ONLY a movie you can do whatever you want with it--throw in some witchcraft (Harry Potter stuff), bird plucking eyes scenes, emphasis on Mary and son, and all kinds of things. After all it is only a movie. I can agree with that. If that is your perspective, you can do what you want with it.
However, if the director's purpose was to make an accurate portrayal of the death, the suffering of Jesus Christ, and portray to the public the gospel message according to the Bible, then he failed. There were too many inaccuracies.
Take another movie for an example. Ben-Hur was a good movie. It was only a story, not necessarily Biblical. It didn't really happen. It was made up. But it still had a message to it. The message is weak and watered down. But it never claimed to be the gospel truth. It never claimed to be a story about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, although some of it was in there. The plot of the story centered around two figures entirely apart from Christ. I hope you can understand what I am saying here. The movie was a story with some Biblical truth in it.
This is supposed to be a presentation of the death of Christ as it really is--the passion of Christ as historically and accurately true to the facts as one can get. Read the reviews on it. If it is historically true and accurate, then why add that which is not true and accurate?
Furthermore, every gospel account of the death of Christ is climaxed with the resurrection of Christ. The apostles spent more time in their messages on the resurrection then they did on the death of Christ. How much of this movie is spent on the resurrection? If Christ is not raised our faith is in vain. We do not serve a dead Saviour.
One must also ask the question: did the gospel message really get across accurately? Many say that there were decisions that were already made. People have been vastly affected by this movie. No doubt all of that is true. But have those decisions been made by a conviction of the Holy Spirit, or by pure sentiment and the emotional appeal of the movie? Only time will tell.
Both Charile and Lorelei have raised some valid points. I don't think that they should be dismissed lightly simply on the basis that "I liked the movie." That's pretty lame.
DHK
