Let`s not kid ourselves, the `Left behind`series were kitsch... and writen badly, to boot... Sandra Brown`s books are popular, too, but that still does not make them any good....

Hollywood should do the Sodom & Gomorra movie.
It would strir up media attention as much as THE PASSION did.
Just think of the outcry by the liberals when they show God destroying the 2 cities for what many liberals live that way today.

Your right because conservatives never sin.

I do think that the Passion has made it 'easier' for the next bible movie to be a box office hit. I think people will be more receptive to another one, as long as it looks like 'quality' (ie, they spent money on it or it has a big star). Doesnt' mean it'll make $300 million, but even if it makes $50 million that would be a lot more than anythnig else in recent memory.

They do. They just don't brag about it, have parades about it, and force it down your throat.

Huh? It was a great film and the music worked on many levels. Potential fullfilled.

What more did you want? Moses fisting Ramses?

Just out of curiosity are you Christian, and if not what got you to read the books?
Half of what comes out from Hollywood that becomes popular isn't any good either, if you wouldn't want to see it then don't go. Yeah I guess if every once in awhile a movie came out that made people think and impacted people like "The Passion" that'd be something to complain about... I'm suprised how these religion related threads attract so many people that have to poop

Have any of you read "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing The Darkness?"

Spielberg was interested in the rights way back. However, the author, Frank Peretti, wanted to wait for a "Christian" director. Everyone claimed how idiotic this was, since Spielberg is such a big name.

However, as of an article I read in '96, 50 million had been raised. I haven't heard anything from it since. However, with the success of the Passion, this will probably get a lot of support now.

I'd like to see some film interpretations of Frank Peretti's books.

It would invite contraversy out the whazoo, but I would like to see someone take a stab at a movie that portrays (or at least includes) Jesus as a kid growing up. Of course it would be all but extra-biblical since there is little about his childhood that is mentioned in the Bible, but I think it would be interesting.

I'm starting to read Paradise Lost again. I think that would probably make an excellent movie.

They had that in Jesus of Nazareth. It was supposed to be based on the book of John.

A Child Called Jesus

Maybe Anne Emmerich channeled that too.

I will not go see a religious film becuase it is religious, it has to be real and well done. I have been reading the Bible since 1978, but I will just throw my money at cheap (not will done) religious films. Just like I will not throw my money at any other cheap (even though I got talked into taking my family to The Cat in the Hat) movie.

My thinking is most "Bandwagon" religious films that come out over the next few years will bomb. Not many Bible stories have made in big at the boxoffice. The Bible was not written to make money, it was written to be taken to heart. That is why The Passion is doing to well, it does hit the heart of man. I have yet to see it, I must admit it is going to be hard to watch this weekend.

And you still haven't finished it?

Although I can respect Peretti for what he went through in life....he's not all there. When I worked in Christian radio we interviewed him a few times and he was quite a character. Not in a bad way mind you, it's just you could tell he's "out there"

I had a Principal in Lutheran school who hand copied the Bible word for word. It took him many many years due to "off years" where he didn't write and just finding the time.

I'm a slow reader.

Damn skippy! I want movies with lots of profanity, nudity, sin and gluttony. Piety is for the cowards.

Give me some sin.

Seriously, Hollywood has been making movies involving morality and Savior figures for years. They just don't throw the 'Jesus' label on top of them. Now, most of the fanatics don't get that the stories in the Bible are ALL mythic archetypes with parallels that can be found in the mythologies of the Greeks, Norse, Muslim, and countless other world cultures.
Christianity ain't special.

Gee how about a positive religious film that doesn't involve the world ending or anyone having the crap kicked out of them for a change?
Ah, who am I kidding? No one believes that 'I am my brothers keeper', 'love your fellow man' stuff anymore. It's an Old Testament world.

Perhaps a movie about the wars of the Israelites would be a hit? Thousands of Arabic people being slaughtered. Conservatives would eat that stuff up!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

That is because most people don't realize that a lot of christianity was made up hundreds of years after the death of christ. A lot of things like christmas in december were made up to get pagans to convert.

I wanted a new point of view on the OT and decided to pay a visit to www.torah.org. The concepts are nothing different than what Jesus preached.

I have a bit of advice that I've been giving people how have asked me my opinion of the movie before they go to see it and I'll pass it on here, too.

The violence will be overwhelming, but there are quite a few parts of the movie that are intermingled in it that are peaceful and loving and contain great words/teachings from Jesus' earlier ministry. Do not allow yourself to miss them because of the violence.

It seems like it has been very easy for many people to leave the theater with nothing but the dark and negative aspects of the film in their mind. I can't blame them, because it is a very easy thing to get caught up in, but I think it is a great dis-service to Gibson, for the way he composed the film, as well as a dis-service to Jesus, for what he had to say, if you allow yourself to forget those parts.

Good luck . . . I hope you can enjoy it for what it is.

I'm confused, are you saying that that is a bad thing? Are you saying that it is because of religious influence? I'm not quite sure of the point that you are trying to make here . . . Again, I'm a little confused about your point. Are you saying that Christianity/Judaism/Islam evolved from these mythologies? Are you saying that there is one way that things "are" and each religion/mythology is just viewing it with a different mindset/point of reference/tradition?

For that matter, to which parallels are you referring? I'm not aware of too many commonalities between the Judeo-Christian texts and the world mythologies (besides general ones, like "there is a greater power", "there is good and bad", etc.).