'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children

'The Nativity Story' Movie Problematic for Catholics, "Unsuitable" for Young Children

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."

"I'll confess I don't know many Greeks but those that I have met were very likable chaps."

Well, you've been fooled. As I said before, we really aren't nice people. That's why we were the first Gentiles the Faith was preached to.

"Please don't tell me that just because you're Greek you know the thought process of every Greek."

That isn't what I said, HD.

"The Orthodox and Catholics base their beliefs on the Canons and the Magisterium. They are guided by the Holy Spirit and are free, where reasonable, to evolve their theology discarding old beliefs and establishing new ones after careful deliberations."

We base our dogmas on what the canons say. I can't speak to the Magisterium of the Latin Church. Dogmas can be refined by a council; they cannot be discarded. In establishing dogmas, The Church determines what The Church always and everywhere has believed. In this process, the consensus patrum is particularly important, as are our liturgics, since they are ancient expressions of that very thing.

"What you find offensive is that we would question the perpetual virginity of Mary apart from the traditions of the Church."

HD, you know I don't find Protestant beliefs offensive. I find them interesting, and many times instructive (remember the Semi-Pelagian stuff) though they have virtually no religious meaning for me. I do find unending Protestant attacks on Marian theology offensive and I find most of the methods used to question that theology disingenuous. Your beliefs, however, are just that, your beliefs. They take nothing away from my faith.

"But, frankly, it probably would be a non-issue with us Protestants except for the excessiveness in which Mary is worshiped today. It seems your beef is really with the Catholics."

Well, I guess I needn't say that it is not Catholic doctrine or dogma that the Theotokos be worshipped. But they do have their loons who come perilously close to that. Usually they are the first to admit it. Those people are heretics in my opinion. If you focused your concern on them, I don't think you'd get much argument from the Catholics. But you see, it appears your reaction is another one of those "throw the baby out with the bath water" things.

Who, do you think is the woman who gives birth to Christ?

Israel ... of the twelve tribes.
Revelation 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

...

Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I'm pretty sure I have read in Catholic posts that you believe that Mary did not experience birth pangs and travail in delivering Jesus.

Also, the persecution narrative of the remainder of the chapter is more representative of Israel (the Jews) ... than of Mary.

The point is you are way over your head here arguing the Greek language and the interpretation and beliefs of the Greek fathers.

There are many great Greek scholars that are not Greek. I'm not one of them*. However, their scholarly books are available and many of the references are on the Internet. It's a tad disingenuous to say someone cannot look up the definition and nuances of a word and decipher it's meaning when there are a host of references tools available.

Quite frankly, all this "Your not qualified to express an opinion because you don't know what the fathers said" is a bunch of religious babble and horsepucky in my mind. The "fathers" said many things and in many cases you can read their beliefs on the Internet. Some things we're very good and we're appreciative of them. Some things they said were way off the wall even after many years as a Christian and we wonder where did they get some of their ideas from. And still other things they said was true at that time based upon the environment and surrounding they lived it. While many of the Church fathers felt Mary was a perpetual virgin, I doubt if you would find Ignatius, Augustine or Jerome worshiping Mary.

For the last 1400 years the Church simply develop the doctrines they wanted and then picked and choose the comments to support their doctrine from the fathers and, if lucky, scriptures. On this post you saw an excellent example from xzins who showed Ignatius in the very earliest writings saying Mary gave birth through natural means. But it's ignored because one or two fathers 100 years later had another idea and one or two father 100 years later expanded their corrupted idea. One error leading into another.

Thank you very much but I think that I can handle a Greek dictionary that explains to me all the roots, tenses and usages of various New Testament words. Why I'd go as far as to say that I can handle a Hebrew dictionary. I suspect our Greek friends, not being Hebrews, could do that as well. And I certainly can read a writing and understand it's meaning. This is the 21st century and I like to think of myself as reasonably educated. This isn't the dark ages any longer-at least for some.

* To clarify, I'm neither a "Greek scholar" or a "Greek". It's all Greek to me. (I had to say that. I would say, "The devil made me do it" but that's not true. After all, I am a Calvinist.)

Annalex, you just ignorred all of the Scripture which says that we have been given the Holy Spirit as believers. He is our comforter. He is our teacher. The Bible says that the lost can not understand the ways of God because they are spiritually discerned. What do you think that means? The Holy Spirit lives inside of every believer.

I've already said what I think the keys to the Kingdom mean. They are the power to bind and loose. Sometimes that is legislative (as in church discipline), sometimes it is personal (as in forgiveness). Sometimes it is even spiritual (as in binding of Spirits). What it is NOT is the power for an individual to make proclamations regarding salvation.

Salvation is through God alone. It happens one way. Not through church membership. Not through baptism. Not through Eucharist. Not through church attendance or tithing. None of those things. Salvation is through Christ alone. Through faith alone. Exclusive of works - though it will show works as evidence that it has happened.

For by GRACE you are saved through FAITH - and that not of YOURSELVES - it is a gift of God NOT OF WORKS lest any man should boast.

Catholicism has redefined grace to mean something other than God's unmerited favor. Grace is more of a power that one receives when one does the right things. If you take the Eucharist, you get a special grace. If you are baptised as an infant, you get a special grace. If you say 20 hail Mary's, grace is conferred. This is simply not Scriptural.

Before God, all of our righteousness is as filthy rags. There is not a single solitary thing we can do that meets God's standards. Even our "good" deeds fall short.

As sinners, each and every one of us deserve one thing. HELL. If one doesn't understand that, then one doesn't understand the depth of the holiness of God. He is purest pure. Not one speck of any evil can be tolerated in His presence for He is just. And nothing we could ever do on our own would ever satisfy that justice because it all falls short.

But one thing didn't fall short. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take our punishment and to justify us before Him. Justification means "Just as if I'd never sinned" in the old Sunday School definition of the word. Through Christ and Christ alone we can stand boldly before the Father and ask whatever we will. We can stand boldly because in His eyes, we are just as if we'd never sinned. And that is irrevocable. Jesus paid our price once and for all time. When we believe (which itself is a gift from God), we are saved. If we screw up, we don't have to "do" something special to make sure we are saved again. We are saved already.

Relationally, we have hampered our fellowship with God. But, once we are born again, we can not be "unborn" again. Otherwise, there is no more payment for our sins - and Christ's sacrifice wasn't good enough to get us saved.

Jesus said "my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall NEVER perish, neither shall ANY MAN (including Popes, prophets, priests, kings, or self) pluck them out of My hand." The Greek on never is emphatic. It carries with it the meaning of Never, not at all, by any means, in any way, ever ever ever perish.

He said that all that the Father gives to Him will come to Him and of those that come to Him, He will lose nothing.

It all stems from that God-given faith - and that alone.

Read again, John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever BELIEVES in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved... He that BELIEVES is NOT CONDEMNED. But He that BELIEVES NOT is condemned already because he has NOT believed in the name of the only Begotten Son of God.

No fallible human being has any power over matters of salvation - and that includes the Apostle Peter. He would be appalled at how he has been used to gain power in the name of religion.

Jesus praised Peter for his acknowledgement that Jesus Himself is the Messiah. What the Catholic church has done, however, is shifted focus from the key truth of that passage - the "Jesus is the Messiah and Peter got it" to "Jesus set up a hierarchical structure of a church founded on Peter. The so-called apostolic succession focuses on the beginnings with Peter. The Papacy rests on the simply unproven assertion that Peter was the first Pope and that such an office was established by Christ.

The early church did NOT recognize a central authority or Pope. They gathered together to discuss and nail down certain doctrines and solve controversies, but as to a central authority that they all embraced- it didn't exist.

Rome did not become supreme until centuries later. ANd its claim was so weak that it had to be bolstered by a forged document (The Donation of Constantine).

Annalex, you seem like a genuinely pious (not in a bad sense) person. You love Your church. And You love the God it presents. But, Your church has lied to You and You are at a loss for it. It binds You to itself by its rules and doctrines that place salvation within the jurisdiction of an institution. We Protestants were once fully condemned and anathematized by the Popes. Now-a-days, we are "separated Brothers" who may have to spend a little more time in purgatory, but we're really okay.

I'm sorry, but no man can decide our salvation, lack thereof. Only God Himself can do such a thing.

Annalex, the Holy Spirit is available to everyone who believes. Do NOT blow past the verses I gave you. They are not ME speaking. They are God Himself. He is using His Word to tell you that you do not need to worry about what a man or a church authority tells you, but that your life and salvation are in His hands. All it takes is a simple child-like faith in Him as Lord of Your life (not a vague sort of belief that God exists, but He is truly the Christ, the Son of the Living God and Lord), and you are then declared justified forever. NOT BECAUSE OF YOU. Because you can boast in yourself then. But because of Christ Himself.

With that, the focus is on the right person - the person of Christ Himself. And through a RELATIONSHIP with HIM, one finally begins to understand the meaning of the words WHOM THE SON SETS FREE, [HE] IS FREE INDEED.

Freegards,
Blogger

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