Read “Depictions of God in Film" and the
"Images of God in the Movies" (link: https://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/greeleya.htm) as a reference for these questions. Share your thoughts on the reading and viewing assignment you just completed. Now, think about the statement from Bazin (as quoted in "Depictions of God in Film"): "The Passion’ becomes a new and more ‘realistic’ way to experience the sacrifice of Christ than just reading the Bible or going to church. Because the ‘real’ is experienced in a more immediate way through graphic representation, the painting or the film becomes more real, more accurate.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? What impact do you think these popular depictions have on how people construct their own religiosity? How they construct their own relationships with God? As you contemplate these questions, think of individuals outside of our LDS sphere or even those who you would consider to be less religious, would answer these questions.
"Images of God in the Movies" (link: https://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/greeleya.htm) as a reference for these questions. Share your thoughts on the reading and viewing assignment you just completed. Now, think about the statement from Bazin (as quoted in "Depictions of God in Film"): "The Passion’ becomes a new and more ‘realistic’ way to experience the sacrifice of Christ than just reading the Bible or going to church. Because the ‘real’ is experienced in a more immediate way through graphic representation, the painting or the film becomes more real, more accurate.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? What impact do you think these popular depictions have on how people construct their own religiosity? How they construct their own relationships with God? As you contemplate these questions, think of individuals outside of our LDS sphere or even those who you would consider to be less religious, would answer these questions.
I disagree with the statement by Bazin saying that depicting Christ’s suffering in a “realistic” way makes its more “real” or “accurate” than reading the Bible or going to church. Although I have not seen “The Passion,” I do not believe that any Hollywood depiction of that immensely powerful event in history could ever come close to competing with the personal internal experiences I have had that have helped me to know that it was and is a reality for me. With my LDS hat on, I can say that I know of the deep emotion and grand impact of Christ’s crucifixion and suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane because I have prayed to know of its reality and I have felt pains and sorrows from my own life. By feeling just the smallest fraction of what He felt through my own struggles, I have felt more of an understanding and “real and accurate” depiction of who God is and what He did than any actor could show me.
ReplyDeleteTaking my LDS hat off and putting myself in the shoes of someone who is not particularly religious, I do believe this passionate depiction of Christ’s suffering could be taken primarily in two ways:
1) It could make someone who had never heard of God not truly understand why Jesus did what He did. Even with the political understanding, someone who had not experienced firsthand what the true effects of the Atonement are may not come to know at all why it all happened and even what Christ was doing when He suffered for mankind just by watching a depiction of it. Although they may experience a numinous feeling, they may not know why and think of it as something very untangible and unrealistic. We see so many movies and tv shows that are emotionally provoking, yet very unrealistic and nonsensical. Without a personal conviction of who God is, “The Passion” could seems like just another fictional, yet passionately emotional film.
2) If a non LDS person were to watch “The Passion” it may spark in them a feeling they’ve been searching to find. As difficult as life can be, it is human nature to look a reason for the pain and for someone who can relate to us. Seeing the film could make that belief in Christ begin to come alive, but may just be the catalyst to get that belief going. Praying and studying scripture would still be essential to making Christ’s sacrifice a reality in my opinion.
I agree with Bazin in part, I think that it is different for everyone. I think that for most who are highly religious or part of the LDS faith, already have a deep understanding and appreciation for the atonement. I think that the LDS faith approaches the atonement a bit differently than other religions. We really try to focus on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, the immense amount of pain and suffering He endured all for His deep love of us. However, while this is something that we are taught since we are just small children, I still feel that everyone learns and develops their testimony differently. Being LDS we have a strong foundation in the understanding of the atonement, but not everyone comes to that full understanding the same way. Just like in school, there are those who are visual learners, people who really need to see something in action to fully grasp a concept. For those of us who are visual learners, I feel that movies like “The Passion” provide something more tangible to be understood, than simply reading the Bible or attending church. In short I feel that the depiction of God in movies is very subjective on its audiences. Some will respond better to these depictions than others. For those who are highly religious, who already have a strong foundation and most likely already have a predeveloped view of God, His appearance in movies can serve to do one of two things I think; either encourage and strengthen their view, if said view is in accordance with a movie, or could be at odds with their view, if it is different in a movie. For those who are nonreligious, I think that movies can play a huge role in how they perceive and define their relationship with God. Because they do not have a foundation in God and His works, movies and media by default would play a large role in shaping their view. I also feel that much of today’s society is visual based, and so depictions of God in movies can have a huge impact in people’s personal lives, especially when those depictions are presented in a raw and real way such as those within “The Passion”.
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