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/
AMEN!
indeed the protestants twist:
Rom 9:10 And not only [this]; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, [even] by our father Isaac;
Yeah, I need to attend to some other priorities, too.
Thanks tons.
LUB
LUB,
Since when pointing out a heresy is offensive language?
= = =
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH,
Is there ANY awareness that
that knife
slices both ways?
it would if heresies weren't such a one sided phenomenon
they are inspired by Satan
= = =
I suppose in the Magesterical's rubber Bible
that the above is an example of
SWEET, PURE INoffensive LANGUAGE?
I think I see . . . sort of.
frankly i'd say the prots are more Magesterical than my church...
That is a root vice, or what we sometime refer to as cardinal sin. A heresy, however is a technical term, and I use it as such.
if heresies weren't such a one sided phenomenon
= = =
LOL.
AND, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS, DOGS AND CATS . . . of sufficient reality testing to understand . . .
THAT STANDS AS
The greatest guffaws-to-the-max
JOKE OF THE DAY.
LOL.
wanders off . . . muttering . . .
Do seminaries still have sermons on blind spiritual pride?
i take offending those who spread false gospels as something to be proud of.
well either way it's the root of their heresy. their church is founded on the idea that the self trumps the church and Holy Scripture.
A heresy, however is a technical term, and I use it as such.
= = =
No doubt. The Magesterical has lots of those technical terms to pontificate and censure over.
Would that be with fries or just malice and aforethought?
And Clintoon's misuse of "parsing" with the intention to mislead (has anybody here ever been asked by his Latin or Greek teacher to "parse a sentence"? Does anybody know what the word means?) does not mean that all parsing is mendacious.
Clearly there is a time for peace and a time for war. That neither justifies nor excuses every war-maker.
Not everyone who is filled with a passionate intensity is called by the Holy Spirit. Not all false prophets know they are false. Jesus prophesied family division, but not all those seek and work for division of families do God's will, or Elisabeth Taylor would be canonization material.
im not sure why your semenires have such sermons... could it be related to how prideful prots are in their self oraclization of scripture?
i take offending those who spread false gospels as something to be proud of.
= = = =
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, I see. I think.
Perspective . . . is such a fascinating thing.
Wow. Not me.
well either way it's the root of their heresy. their church is founded on the idea that the self trumps the church and Holy Scripture.
= = =
Uhhhhhhhhhhhh, is that the other side of the coin of
Protesties saying that RC folks worship Mary when they insist they don't?
If your implication is that you might consider Catohlic doctrines heretical, yes I understand that, -- and of course in fact you did. The use of the term is problematic because it has not been historically used as such (it was always relative to the Catholic or Orthodox teaching), but it would not be offensive to me if you used the word. It means, simply, "at deviance with the established teaching". Insofar as you adhere to anything historically established, you could use the word, I suppose.
Scientists sometime call something heretical because it disagrees with the textbook.
Jesus came to make ALL religions obsolete... and DID..
"You MUST be born again"- Jesus.. WHY?...
TO say," I think that's heretical," is one thing. To spend time looking for new and creative ways to give offense and then sharing the results of one's research, that's quite another.
Some try to help us be better people. Others try to reduce us to our passions -- on a mission from God, of course.
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