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/
Thanks Quix!
"When I use a Catholic source, the presentation is often very Orthodox. But this time I used an Orthodox source, so the presentation is simply Orthodox."
I know A. I've read some of the bishop's writings. :)
Kalomiros certainly has his detractors among the Orthodox. Personally, I thoroughly enjoy his writings and find them excellent expositions of Orthodox theology. That said, I think the good professor lumped the Latins in with the Protestants, a failing one sees to this day in Greece. For some reason many Greeks, even educated ones and especially religious ones, see the West as being thoroughly Latin. Its as if Protestantism is just some off shoot of Catholicism. When Greeks who don't know us find out we are Americans, the almost immediate assumption is that we are Catholics. They do it with other Western nationalities as well. Anyway, his polemic against the Latins really seems today to be one against a strawman, though I doubt that was his intention when he wrote the piece. I think it was more the result of the times, as Kosta said, and an inborn Greek prejudice against all Latin matters theological.
An oxymoron are two words used together that contradict one another, yet convey a meaning like "Jumbo Shrimp". A redundant expression is one that repeats itself such as "those cars". The term "free gift" is neither an oxymoron or redundant.
If you think a gift is always free, I'd be happy to send you some of my mail where I'll receive my "free gift" if I spend $25 in their store or if I include $9.95 for shipping and handling to receive my "free gift". That is more in line with the Orthodox/Catholic concept of a free gift. The gift is given but you must work for it and earn it. You are required to pay something for it. In the end it's really not free and it's not a gift.
Protestants believe this gift is "free". It's a "(divine) gratuity", "deliverance", "a (spiritual) endowment" to use the Greek dictionary for "free gift". I especially like the term "endowment" because it implies giving something to us which is precisely what God does. He imputes righteousness to us, causings us to walk in his steps. He endows us with certain abilities and attributes that will cause us to walk in His path and be obedient. This is an endowment that He gives to us believers.
As you can see, these are two completely separate models.
You have subordinated God to his creature, logic. May God grant you illumination, since my words seem useless in accomplishing a change of mind in you.
But you are correct, there is no measure of eternity. That is the distinction between eternity and time.
Do not trouble to reply.
Kalomiros' article seems odd to us today with respect to his lumping the Catholics and Protestants into one basket of "Western Christianity" because the Catholics are not so much changing their theology as they are returning to the mindset of their patristic roots [attenuating their legalistic approach].
Clearly, the author was lambasting the distortion of legalism and paganism that has invaded Western theology ever so slowly over the past 2,000 years and, as he says, made it unrecognizable to the patristic East.
The EOC did not develop the "no original sin" theory. The concept of original sin is unknown to the East. Today, most Catholics will echo the Orthodox doctrine, even though still calling a sin, namely that the 'original sin' is not a real sin committed by us, but a consequence of Adam's sin.
The Bible is clear that no one can atone or suffer for another man's sin(s). In the eyes of God, no one is guilty of Adam's sin except Adam himself.
And we know what that consequence is. "The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him." [Eze 18:20]
The sickness that we inherit as a result of our ancestral sin is like a baby born addicted to drugs, because the mother, through her own choice, became an addict.
The "curse" is our own, not God's, just as His love sooths those who love Him, and burns those who hate Him, yet it never ceases to be love, as God never changes; what changes are our spiritual states.
The burden of guilt in the Orthodox East is not based on Adam's sin, but on our own. We are born guilty of nothing. An addicted infant is not condemned because of his addiction, but because of his mother's choice he is born with a deadly disruption, drawn to the very substance that will kill him.
Until Christ came, we had no cure. Those who are saved are not 'reformed' but rehabilitated. We are not misbehaved so that we can be 'reformed,' but sick so that we may be healed.
We do things for reward in order that we may lay our reward at Jesus' feet.
Being Orthodox is not a theology, but a way of life, where God is present in everything. Do you say the Lord's Prayer first thing you do when you get up? The last thing you do before you go to bed? Do you say "Thy will be done" in complete trust that no matter whatever happens to you, a sinner, will be merciful and just (even if you don't like it)?
Do you hate a murderer or do you feel sorry and pray for him? Do you thank God for every day whether it is good or bad?
The Orthodox will make special bread on certainf easts and will take the water and the flour to the priest to bless them. Thye will take a bath, and say a prayer before they make the bread.
In Serbia, all significant days are mentioned as feasts (i.e. "The Constitution of the Assumption Day"). In Russian, Sunday is called Resurrection. Not even 80 years of communism could change that. The Russian word for thank you (spasibo) comes from (spasi Bog), "God save." Orthodox countries, as Koloktoronis says the saying goes in Greece, are where people "walk Orthodox."
I am not sure if this is true of all rleigions. It is of Judaism, which is why it hasn't changed and why the Jews are still Jews. It is a way of life that inseparable from who you are, how you are and what you are. Communism tried to wipe out Orthodoxy and failed. The Ottomans choked Orthodoxy and failed. As Kolo says, he could go back 1,600 years and attend the same Divine Liturgy we Orthodox attend every week.
When Albanian thugs burned dozens of houses in a fit of rage three years ago in Kosovo, the fleeing families took only their icons with them. They have their priorities, and loving the world is not one of them. :)
But as to your hot-cold spells, that is reported by the most pious of the pious saints we know. We all stray and God always, ever so patiently and gently puts us back on track.
The insecurity comes from our lack of trust. It is not that God becomes distanct; it is rather that we distance ourselves from Him. But, as even Adam did, we blame God.
In that view, the spiritual realm "there" is actually the physical realm "here" - not spatially separated.
That the firmament is a boundary, but not a geometric one rings true in my spirit. But I have no Spiritual leaning - for or against - that boundary being the speed of light.
A shrimp is not a synonym for smallness, but a name for a marine animal that became a synonym for smallness. Thus, "jumbo shrimp" is not an oxymoron.
"Those cars" is not redundant. It is a prepositionally statement.
But I agree that 'free gift' is a redundancy in a strict sense, although the expression in its entirety is rather moronic. Because there is no such thing as 'non-free gift' it is both redundant and silly to even put 'free' in front of the gift. Affirming something that exists only in affirmative is just as stupid as denying something that doesn't exist (i.e. non-chalant).
Apparently the authors of KJV liked it so much they even put it where the Greek text did not even mention 'charisma.'
The scripture does not teach presumption. It teaches against it, see the parable of a publican and a pharisee praying.
Not only does it teach against presumption, but its says "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
The scriptures teach faith.Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:And that faith is based upon Whom ... yourself ... or God ?
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
(Also note that 'works' follow 'faith', and not the other way around.)
Has God begun a great work in you ?
Do you have faith that He will complete what He has begun ?Philippians 1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,Is the above presumptuous to you ?
4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,
5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;
6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Fascinating. Thanks.
Thanks for the ping to your thoughtful post.
Great verses.
Thanks.
Who are the GREEK hotshots who could give an expanded amplified version of
'the Heavens will be rolled back like a scroll'
???
I'm interested in all the possible implications of possible meanings of each word and phrase in that verse.
I also look forward to other's spiritual leanings and musings concerning the revelation that the heavens will be rolled back like a scroll.
I'm glad we agree. That's why God couldn't have established the RCC as "THE" Church. To reach the greatest number of people humanly possible takes the body of all believers, God's Church.
I would phrase it differently. I think you can find saved Christians who have been born again in almost every sect of Christianity. However, any sect that believes you need to do works in order to be saved is wrong.
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