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/
You said the same thing to me, Blogger. It's getting old.
Do you mean to say the same thing twice here, or do you mean some humans are worthy, but not of our exaltation?
We do love humans, and do adore however, not in the same way.
In what different way do you adore humans vs. God in this context? If you could describe...
thanks..
"They're only losing members because they're doing Satan's handiwork dividing and conquring Christian churches."
They are driving people out of their (the main line churches) churches into Christian churches. Their loss is our gain.
"They are driving people out of their (the main line churches) churches into Christian churches. Their loss is our gain."
Well, frankly, our gain too, bd. That's where a large number of our converts come from. But we've got Ethiopians! Bet you haven't got any of them! :)
Sorry, but I don't believe things because the Latin church (whose claim to catholicity, as an Orthodox Christian I vigorously dispute) teaches them, but because the Fathers of the Church, some of whom read the Scriptures with the advantage not only of being native speakers of koine Greek, but of being part of the same culture as the Holy Apostles and Evangelists, understand the Scriptures in a given way.
I no more follow the Popes of Rome, save those in ancient times who confessed the Orthodox faith, than I do disobedient German monks, who after 1500 or so years decided that the Scriptures meant something they had never been understood to mean, by introducing false dichotomies into their interpretation, and had the arrogance to throw out books of the Old Testament because the Christ-denying rabbis who met at Jamnia in 90 A.D. hadn't kept them in the Jewish canon.
Take heed yourself: if your faith doesn't bring forth good works, then it's not faith at all.
No some are going to Christian churches others to schismatic sects...
"But we've got Ethiopians! Bet you haven't got any of them!"
We did get a Nigerian who had a lot of money his father had deposited in a bank in Nigeria that was embargoed under one of the many administrations. All he needed was $5,000.00 as a good faith advance and he could get millions to share with us for our building project. Unfortunately, being a tax exempt 501 (c)(3) church we could not advance the funds except for services rendered. Funny, he seemed so sincere until we told him we could not advance the money but we would pray for the quick release of the funds to help his family, who we were told was destitute. He hasn't been back to church and we have scaled down the size of our mega church building project to a couple of small class rooms.
Big mistake, BD.
He came to see us after he left, and we give him $10,000. We're breaking ground on a new civic center; the millions will arrive as soon as the deacon gets back from Lagos..
OK, thanks for the correction.
Not the way he came out of the womb.
"O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker." -- Psalm 95:6
No need for reason, thought, charity, or care -- just pure feeling.
Yet not so surprisingly, it's you, MD, who exalts feeling over reason, like in your post 4,751 --
"...Fortunately, when I first heard it sung I really could "feel the love.""
Take a step back and realize the smell of the incense, the wooden icons and statues, the bloody wounds, the crown of thorns, the mystical pretension of the mass, all of which you witness and partake every time you enter your church, are the stuff of tactile, emotion-laden, sensory experiences.
He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire: And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god. They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree? He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" -- Isaiah 44:15-20"Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
AMEN!
"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -- John 16:33
1 John 2...
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that Antichrist cometh, even now there are become many Antichrists: whereby we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us, they would no doubt have remained with us; but that they may be manifest, that they are not all of us. But you have the unction from the Holy One, and know all things.
Douai Notes.... 18 "It is the last hour"... That is, it is the last age of the world. Many Antichrists, that is, many heretics, enemies of Christ and his church, and forerunners of the great Antichrist.
19 "They were not of us"... That is, they were not solid, steadfast, genuine Christians: otherwise they would have remained in the church.
20 "The unction from the Holy One"... That is, grace and wisdom from the Holy Ghost.
20 "Know all things"... The true children of God's church, remaining in unity, under the guidance of their lawful pastors, partake of the grace of the Holy Ghost, promised to the church and her pastors; and have in the church all necessary knowledge and instruction; so as to have no need to seek it elsewhere, since it can be only found in that society of which they are members.
*I find it risible that today, I am routinely accosted by Satan's Mini-Me's who preach to me a new Gospel and try to cleave me from the Church established by Jesus when it is palpably obvious I am cleaved to Jesus in His Church.
Satan's Mini-Me's want me to walk the plank off the Barque of Peter. They try and convince me the satanic shark-infested water the Ark of Salvation sails safely over really is the source of my Salvation. All I have to do to join them is to walk the plank off the Barque of Peter and be Baptised in the waters of sola scriptura, self-rule, self-delusion and self-will. Of course, I recognise that apart from Jesus and His Ark of Salvation, I would drown in the sea of delusion and deception. I would find myself cleaved to the deracinated, dessicated, and destroyed denizens of delusion at the bottom of Satan's Sea; Luther, Zwingli,Melanchton, Huss, Beza, Knox,Bucer, Cranmer,Oecolampadius,Ochin, and on and on and on.
Are they convincing me? Not so much...
Top that, brother :)
Gee, and reading a book, made out of wood, written by men and mystically believed to be the word of God is not?
The incense and the liturgical service come straight from Judaism. I suppose, Judaism, too, is a mystical pretension in your book. You are outdoing yourself.
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