Editorials

On Protesting Movies on Religious Grounds
On Accepting the Reality of Others

On Protesting Movies on Religious Grounds

In the past, many religious movies which deal with Christianity have been protested on religious grounds, usually for the portrayal of the character of Christ. I am mainly thinking of movies like The Last Temptation of Christ, but these thoughts hold true for other religious movies as well.

This protest seems very odd to me. I do not think that movies about the life of Jesus or Christianity that are considered heretical or offensive necessarily are so. I have been troubled by various elements in religious or spiritually related movies, but that does not mean taht I should have been, nor does it mean that I have the right to determine what others may see or think, and because I was troubled, I explored my thoughts and learned more about my beliefs and my religion in general--always a good thing. The Creator gave *all* of us the capacity to reason or act upon their own beliefs and feelings. Although the views and words of those who are bothered by aspects of movies should be heard and considered, as should the voice of any person, their words should only be part of a decision made by any person about the movie in general. Do not automatically assume that the intention of such moviemakers is to mock or degrade religious things. The intention of such a difficult movie may not have been to attack faith, but to explore it or to cause the viewer to think about what they think. After all, we should know the true reasons why we protest things, as well as why we love them. At most, it may have been the intention to attack a specific sect or behaviour (like hypocrisy or blind belief, which are both attacked in the Bible, by the way) and does not question faith as a whole.

If nothing else, such movies should serve to open discussion and get people thinking about their beliefs and views. Thought and exploration are not dangerous, only the restriction of such things. A faith that cannot bear questioning or thought does not seem like a very strong faith.

On Accepting the Reality of Others

Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston pie,
A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly...

You've heard the saying, "Don't force a square peg into a round hole." Yet people do this anyway, constantly. They try to make other people into their concept of what that individual ought to be from hair color to college program to sexual preference, doing it all in the name of "love" or "concern." What love forces the spirit of another? What concern does not take into consideration the reality of the opponent? It is, after all, extremely difficult to debate a person whose mind you do not understand. If they hope to get anywhere with their opponent at all, they must accept the reality of who the others are and what their ideas or plans are. Taking "concern" alone for the moment, it would be much more effective for potential do-gooders to truly understand the lives and hearts of those they wish to change. This would be the only way to touch these recalcitrant "freaks." If you don't like my hair color, find out why it's the color it is and *then* try to explain to me logically and with heart why I should change it. If you don't understand me or my life, can't comprehend the reasons why I do things or the governing aesthetic of my life, do not try to dictate terms to me. Your words will be rejected out of hand, just as you rejected my right to make my own decisions and possess my own reality.

Now that we realize how foolish it is to deny the truth behind someone's differences, why then do people still reject the reality of another's personality and replace this reality with one more appealing? I suspect it has a great deal to do with knowing they cannot change the person to whom they object. If you know you can't change something, you have two choices: reject the reality and ignore it, or try to accept it and reconcile yourself to it. If you are the kind of person who cannot accept the things that you have rejected for yourself, you are less likely to reconcile yourself to this abhorrent turn of events and more likely to simply disregard the reality and assume it is temporary.

If you are someone who simply cannot accept the ineffible reasons why another does or thinks things, don't try to force a fly to become a bird. Don't ask a bird not to fly. This is not to say that you can't (or shouldn't) protest the actions of another, particularly if they are destructive or hurtful in some way. For example, there is good reason to protest the actions of major corporations who continue to subject animals to cruel and useless experimentation that is neither truly necessary nor productive, especially when the same tests with the same chemicals were completed years ago. However, you must accept reality if you hope to influence it. Find out *why* the companies persist in their cruelties and address *that*. You must understand them to convince them, but make sure, above all else, that you have the right and reason to try and convince them at all. And if you fail, try to find it in your heart to forgive, especially the things that don't actually hurt anyone, like your son's nose ring. Add love to the world, not pain.

Cottleston, Cottleston, Cottleston pie,
A fly can't bird, but a bird can fly...

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