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/
Now you're editing out the caps like you didn't post them twice already...
Methinks we are in different galactic clusters . . . at least on different planets.
I eagerly await God's ruling on such an assessment.
Cute.
Thx.
I wouldn't agree because that isn't how Sola Scriptura is defined. Take the Reformers. They wrote books. They preached. They taught. And they formulated the phrase.
Sola Scriptura doesn't negate teaching.
Now, if someone walked up to me and I had no way of having further contact with them, I might hand them a Bible and say read this. I might say start with John or Romans. Because faith comes by hearing and hearing through the Word of God. The Holy Spirit illumines our minds and hearts to His Word. The Word itself is sufficient. Teaching is helpful.
Are we talking about different threads? Different posts?
Different planets?
Different languages?
Mystifying.
Thanks.
It's great to have a good reality check.
One could easily begin to wonder if someone had switched THE MATRIX on or slipped me down Alice's rabbit hole.
Mystifying.
So teaching and direction is done, is necessary is a requirement. "Sola Scriptura" is a misnomer, not practiced in it's literal sense.
Would you agree?
= = = =
No. I forcefully disagree.
And I gave TWO DIFFERENT SPHERES OF NOT JUST EXAMPLES BUT HOLY SPIRIT AFFIRMED PROOFS above.
None of which has been responded to in anything close to a congruent civil dialogue sort of way.
Post 6056 has 22 capitalized words. You omit them from your ping to your fellow scripture 'interpretors'.
I've been entirely underwhelmed . . .
exceedingly incredulous . . .
absolutely aghast . . .
totally flummoxed . . .
mouth agape . . .
at the bald faced assertions about me and what I know, what I have done, what I do hereon
which are absolutely totally wrong, in error and seemingly close, if not over the line into deliberate falsehoods.
Amazing.
BTW, I include CAPS when I feel like it.
If my precious sister Alamo-Girl hasn't been able to moderate my use of capitals much . . . I assure you, few to no others hereon can.
You have yet to answer my question why is God under obligation to die for us?
You could be an expert at melodramtic asserting of falsehoods.
Hello????
Those parts had nothing to do with my point in the latter post!
Perhaps I need to get a translator. My wife used to translate for me sometimes. As have others who understood me well.
The miscommunication is absolutely mind bogglingly mystifying.
And I'm not that bad a psychologist.
Oh, I suppose I could think of some plausible reasons for it . . . but that would take work . . . at least the work of thinking some thoughts along those lines.
I'll give that one an 8.5 on slickness of form.
All that but the Church Creed. Everybody, it seems had to make their own.
Use them if you like, th point is capitalized words are considered bad nettiqutte. you can choose to communicate normally or litter your rants with lots of apparent yelling at your whim that hardly makes it acceptable tone for reasonable discourse.
It came from Scripture.
yelling at your whim that hardly makes it acceptable tone for reasonable discourse.
= = = =
OH DEAR!
GUFFAWS TO THE MAX YET AGAIN!
LOL
ROTFLOL
OH, DEAR. Holding my sides.
I didn't expect this to turn into a humor thread.
I empathize that you needed your wife to translate for you, and with your assertion that your communication is mind boggling.
The Word itself is sufficient. Teaching is helpful.
First, I'm assuming you are conflating "Word" with Bible. Second, I don't think any Protestant acts like they really believe this. Is there any that doesn't stress 'right' teaching? 'right' dividing?
Sounds good, but pure literal Sola Scriptura? I don't think you really believe that, not if you think about closely.
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