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/
DM:"It was what you said about praying to the dead that fooled me."
In that case, it was actually your ignorance of orthodox Christianity that fooled you. The Church has always taught that there is now life after death. In keeping with that belief is the teaching that triumphant saints can and do handle prayer requests. How those requests get delivered has not been completely revealed to us, but there is reason to believe that the messages are somehow delivered by holy angels.
Great post. Thanks.
No. The apostle John. 1 John 2:19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
We don't erect a statue of the church janitor and bow before it simply because he was faithful in his calling. If the church janitor was faithful in his calling, the glory for that accomplishment belongs to God and God alone.
Statue of Luther in Wittenberg
Statue of Luther in Dresden
Luther's Tomb (Note the flowers at the tomb and in the background the statue of a man praying to another statue.)
Another view
Katherine Luther's Tomb
One wonders, then, who was +Paul speaking to – and why?
Those who won't can't leave the faith? They didn't need because they won't can't lose it!
And since those who never believed but, simply cried Lord, Lord, were never of it to begin with, it would be stupid to tell them to persevere.
In +Paul believed what Protestants believe, he would have never told anyone to persevere in their faith.
A theological edumication is not always a good thing.
Huh?
The guy in the other statue is probably the janitor.
No. It was 78
As long as you don't start quoting Hume or worse, Huxley, we'll be okay :)
Do you see people bowing there? Praying there? I don't see people bowing or praying.
annalex to blue-duncan: Nope. For one thing, he says "every man". Besides, we have Matthew 25 and Apocalypse 22
You are bsolutely spot on; every man. Like you said, reading the Bible without the Protestant spin leads to the Church. If you conveniently leave out crucial words then you are positively heading in the wrong direction. And they are the ones who will be the first to tell you that every word counts!
What are you talking about?! There is a STATUE of a man PRAYING TO A STATUE and on of the statue she is praying to is clearly a woman.
I do not see what you are talking about. Where is there someone praying to a statue?
How did our elite bombers miss that target?
Luther wasn't a Baptist. Your pictures are part of the reason there are so many Protestant denominations. Every time there is error discerned, there is a break away to the truth. Right now the truth resides in the Baptist church but just wait a few minutes, I think I heard that Carter and Clinton (sounds like a shyster Law Firm or used car sales) are starting their own Baptist denomination so we may be changing our name or affiliation. That would make around 200,001 to start off the New Year.
CBF'ers like Carter and Clinton should have broken off a long time ago. The only reason that I think some of these non-Baptist denominations stay in the SBC is because of the annuity fund.
IIRC, The Baptists were not a part of the Reformation, but instead were the original church from which the Roman Catholic Church and Greek Orthodox churches broke away and then fell into error.
Carry on.
Beneath the stained glass windows there is a statue of a man praying to statues. This is the church where Martin Luther is entombed, the 95 Theses were posted on the door to this church, this church more than any other place is where the Reformation BEGAN. And yet this church is full of statues and stained glass depicting the Blessed Virgin and Crucifixes.
So, please explain why these weren't removed if they were so objectionable to Luther. For that matter, those of you who have so many issues with Catholic/Orthodox Marian beliefs should have the same issues with Martin Luther because HE BELIEVED THE SAME THING THAT CATHOLICS DO ABOUT THE BLESSED VIRGIN!
It is what happens when contrascripturalism marries its cousin counterscripturalism: sola scriptura, sola fide, mariophobia and other suchlike malformed superstitions.
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