chanster

Actually, you are comparing apples with oranges here. A menorah in a temple window is the same as having a nativiity scene on private property, which is of course people do all the time. There is a substantive difference between that and a "town's" activities, which is presumably a publicly sponsored event.

thematahara

I understand it isnt as obvious, as some movies, but my whole point is that even if it does have christian undertones, should it really matter that much? I guess I just dont understand what is so threatening about a story which might have similarities to christian themes.

I have yet to ever hear of anyone going to the movies and walking out with a new religion. If a talking lion converts someone into believing in Jesus, than well.....

thematahara

Now that is funny.

GuessWho

How are people "imposing" their religion on you? You weren't forced to go see the movie. It doesn't matter if your issue is religion or not, an issue is an issue... and all movies express the creators' views on things.

Oh no, Chasing Amy imposed Kevin Smith's opinion of homosexuality upon me!

Oh no, Saving Private Ryan imposed Spielberg's feeling that war sucks upon me!

Oh no, The Muppet Movie imposed Jim Henson's idea of what a talking frog would look like upon me!

How dare they?

Filmmaker

We're 10,000 miles away from "slight references"--we're talking about a work that is predicated on the Christian faith and builds its own fictional tale out of a near reinvention of The Bible; let's be authentic about the concern on the table if we're going to make any headway.

So I should relish being offended? Being proselytized about something the proselytizer considers fact and I consider it fiction? I should pay my own hard earned money for this "treat"?!

Not at all--if NARNIA had lived up to my worst fears, I would have passed on it because it would be an insult to my convictions, but I would never denounce it as evil, just wrong-headed and fictional in an unintended sense; I would never organize mass gatherings where Narnia merchandise was burnt in a bonfire, so as to cleanse the world of any perceived dangerous potential.

Filmmaker

This is insulting, condescending tripe, and unworthy of a response. Just to clarify the most basic tenant of non-theism, we would never lust for the murder of God because we don't believe he exists in the first place.

GuessWho

So, if a movie has God... and you don't believe in God, you can't enjoy it?

That's fucked up.






I don't believe in tauntauns or the wampa, but I love The Empire Strikes Back.

atari2600

my first thought as well.

Filmmaker

I'm not fearful that NARNIA or its ilk will convert me, just waste my time proselytizing about a religion that amounts to a hill of horseshit to me--would you argue that I should be gung ho about attending a KKK meeting? Why shouldn't I? Aren't I secure enough in my beliefs to withstand their dogma? Well of course I am, but why in hell would I pay $6-$8 for such an experience?!

Filmmaker

I can't fucking CONCEINVE of why this is so hard for some of you to process--all I've been inquiring about from the get-go is DOES NARNIA PROSELYTIZE OUTRIGHT OR NOT, so that I could decide if I wanted to spend my $ on it. That's it, that's all--I've never been on a crusade against Christian filmmaking, I just don't want to a) fund it and b) have my time wasted by it. Is this rocket science?

thematahara

I think why everyone is questioning you so much is that you say God doesnt exist, then why all the fuss? If god doesnt exist and is make believe, than why is anything that pertains to him so threatening?

Filmmaker

Okay, final breakdown--my concern is with films that push a Christian agenda on the audience. That's the long and the short of it. If God has mention or even direct play in the film, I can roll with that (check my DVD list--I own BRUCE ALMIGHTY); I simply do not want the film to have, as any specific goal, primary or otherwise, to be an agenda piece designed to proselytize Christianity as fact. When the film crosses the line from entertaining to preaching, that's when I draw the line. Curse me as a heathen if you each must, but please tell me you're all bright enough to understand this simple qualifier.

Save Ferris

The movie never mentions Jesus. The kids are called "sons of adam" and "daughters of eve" to identify them as 'human'. Other than that its a straight out fairy tale adventure with themes of sacrifice and good vs. evil

Im pretty sure the movie never mentions God either.

I saw the movie twice last weekend so Ill think harder here.

Christian agenda breakdown:
'go to church' -- not in movie
'Jesus is Lord' -- not in movie
'be good to others' -- good characters have this quality in movie
'betrayal is bad' -- shown as bad in movie
'read the Bible' -- not in movie
'Jesus died for everyones sins' -- not in movie

Like whats already been said. Lewis didnt try to write a fairy tale that REPRESENTED everything in the Bible. The Chronicles of Narnia is a mythology that has similar themes but it's its own thing entirely. People would go crazy trying to tie in direct comparisons between everything in Narnia to Christianity. In fact theres LOTS of greek and roman mythology (bacchus and silenus for example) in Narnia.

Michael Corvin

I call bullshit. Read this again:

70 posts to point this out. The novel has been out for half a century. The christian allegory has been there the ENTIRE time. This is not news. It isn't something they introduced in the films.

Quite frankly I find it refreshing that they have maintained the integrity of the novel when 99% book-to-movie translations end up butchered leaving nothining but a shell of the original source intact.

Ignorance of the source material is no excuse claim the producers are forcing a propaganda-merchandising religion on you.

Apparently it is. Fund it? Do you actually think Disney is kicking some profit to Christian groups? That's pretty funny.

LorenzoL

Filmmaker

Your reading comprehension skills are in need of substantial improvement--the stories may have been out forever but I'm telling you the pun partially intended) God's truth when I say I had no idea what they were about outside of the trailer footage. My "ignorance of the source material" was NEVER used to argue that the producers were forcing a propaganda-merchandising religion on me; my "ignorance of the source material" was cited as my request for feedback as to whether the film was a propaganda piece--in other words, since simplicity in communication seems to be the necessity, I have been ASKING IF the film was a Christian agenda piece, NOT making the claim that it was. Pay attention.

Not at all, as I previously mentioned, oh ye of little attention to detail. But if I help fund, even with my measly $6-$8, a Christian agenda film, then I convey to the studios a message of "Well done guys! This is exactly the type of entertainment you should be making more of!", which is most certainly not a message I want to be perceived as sending to the "powers that be" in Hollywood.

Save Ferris

And I thought only religious nuts were this sensitive.

heres the info you've been asking about but keep arguing if it makes you feel better.

Filmmaker

Yeah, thanks Ferris--I need that info very badly now 24 hours after I saw the freakin' film! Do you guys cover your eyes, point to one post per page and then read only that single post and base all of your feedback thusly???

Save Ferris

oops sorry bout that. I went to the end of this thread and saw you still asking.

thematahara

Just curious as what films you consider christian agenda pieces, or propoganda.

dadaluholla

This movie has talking beavers, if that helps you any.

Filmmaker

In recent history, the only "offenders" that come to mind are, obviously, THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and that straight-to-video LEFT BEHIND nonsense. Hollywood was loathe to push Cristian dogma until THE PASSION's success, so this is less a trend I've had to deal with up until now and more one that (and the media supports this theory) will become more prevalent in the months ahead.

dadaluholla

I didn't notice any religious overtones in this movie.

Filmmaker

Yeah, they looked rather fake, as did the woves and fox (wonder how they got Aslan to look so perfect, but these animals still had that cartoony look I've come to expect from CGI?), but they were funny and endearing, and that's all that matters in the end.

dadaluholla

The lion did look very nice.