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God’s Not Dead 10th anniversary: not aging well
Posted on 3/30/24 at 5:54 pm
Posted on 3/30/24 at 5:54 pm
God’s Not Dead has gone from bad to worse. It was a commercial success but got criticized for its its screenplay, Cronk's directing, performances, mean-spirited tone, characters, and use of straw man arguments and common stereotypes of atheists, instead of any actual debate. All fair criticisms but I just rewatched it with my daughter today and I found it to be much worse than my initial impression 10 years ago.
I am coming at this from a Christian perspective and was bothered this time around by things that flew past me at the theater. I am not sure that the poor caricature of the Muslim father bothered me back then. I couldn’t help but think how offensive it must be for Muslim’s to have themselves portrayed as bigots and abusive towards their children. Also it is an insult to portray a Muslim converting to Christianity. Imagine if a Roman Catholic family had a child convert to Islam in a movie what that would be viewed like.
In the initial viewing I think I suspended disbelief and ignored a major plot hole. Professor discriminating based on religion? Check. Professor banging a student and living together, then having faculty over? Check. Non-starter? Check.
The pastor in the movie is horrible. He doesn’t give 2 fvcks about anyone in the show. He seems bothered to have to entertain a visiting missionary. He leaves a college student going through a major ordeal with a couple of Biblical references and walks off. The Muslim girl is alone in his office 10 ft from he and the missionary. They have a conversation about her in front of her and discuss her while right outside the door to his office looking at her alone in a chair. It came across as apathetic. He calls a car rental guy liar to his face and reminds him that he is lying to a pastor. Then to top it all off they just pray for his personal car to start and bam it’s up and running again. Not very realistic and weakens the overall credibility of the movie.
But the ending flew all over me this go round. The prof gets fatally struck in a ‘hit and run accident.’ The pastor asks him to accept Jesus right before he dies. He then tells him that he is about to know more about God than any of us. This came across as it sucks being you! They are then standing over the dead prof when his blackberry receives the text from his ex-girlfriend “God’s Not Dead.” They look at the text and seem pleased.
The show ends with the prof dying in the street, while everyone is at the concert celebrating the fact that the kid stood up to the bad ole professor. His ex-friend is having the time of her life as is everyone else. Meanwhile the professor meets a tragic end. Oh well.
I found the ending very insulting. It was the moral equivalent of when a kid loses a parent and someone says to them at the funeral, “they’re in a better place now” or someone loses a child and someone explains “God needed them more” or “there’s another angel in heaven now.” All well intentioned but very dumb things to say to people in grief. No one shed a tear for the professor.
I am coming at this from a Christian perspective and was bothered this time around by things that flew past me at the theater. I am not sure that the poor caricature of the Muslim father bothered me back then. I couldn’t help but think how offensive it must be for Muslim’s to have themselves portrayed as bigots and abusive towards their children. Also it is an insult to portray a Muslim converting to Christianity. Imagine if a Roman Catholic family had a child convert to Islam in a movie what that would be viewed like.
In the initial viewing I think I suspended disbelief and ignored a major plot hole. Professor discriminating based on religion? Check. Professor banging a student and living together, then having faculty over? Check. Non-starter? Check.
The pastor in the movie is horrible. He doesn’t give 2 fvcks about anyone in the show. He seems bothered to have to entertain a visiting missionary. He leaves a college student going through a major ordeal with a couple of Biblical references and walks off. The Muslim girl is alone in his office 10 ft from he and the missionary. They have a conversation about her in front of her and discuss her while right outside the door to his office looking at her alone in a chair. It came across as apathetic. He calls a car rental guy liar to his face and reminds him that he is lying to a pastor. Then to top it all off they just pray for his personal car to start and bam it’s up and running again. Not very realistic and weakens the overall credibility of the movie.
But the ending flew all over me this go round. The prof gets fatally struck in a ‘hit and run accident.’ The pastor asks him to accept Jesus right before he dies. He then tells him that he is about to know more about God than any of us. This came across as it sucks being you! They are then standing over the dead prof when his blackberry receives the text from his ex-girlfriend “God’s Not Dead.” They look at the text and seem pleased.
The show ends with the prof dying in the street, while everyone is at the concert celebrating the fact that the kid stood up to the bad ole professor. His ex-friend is having the time of her life as is everyone else. Meanwhile the professor meets a tragic end. Oh well.
I found the ending very insulting. It was the moral equivalent of when a kid loses a parent and someone says to them at the funeral, “they’re in a better place now” or someone loses a child and someone explains “God needed them more” or “there’s another angel in heaven now.” All well intentioned but very dumb things to say to people in grief. No one shed a tear for the professor.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 6:19 pm to rebeloke
This definitely got moved from Poli talk to MTV.
This is the opposite of what should happen, admins.
3 upvotes in 20 minutes on MTV is ridiculously transparent.
This is the opposite of what should happen, admins.
3 upvotes in 20 minutes on MTV is ridiculously transparent.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 6:46 pm to rebeloke
quote:Yeah, they're normally so tolerant. Do you even honor killing, bro?
how offensive it must be for Muslim’s to have themselves portrayed as bigots and abusive towards their children.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 7:06 pm to Epaminondas
I have not seen this particular movie, but I have noticed Christian movies have gotten a ton better in the last decade.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 7:37 pm to rebeloke
quote:
Also it is an insult to portray a Muslim converting to Christianity.
If you think this, then you’re not a Christian. Also, such an event would get the converted person beheaded in some countries by those insulted folks.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 7:51 pm to rebeloke
quote:and
No one shed a tear for the professor
Mary Ann
Posted on 3/30/24 at 8:04 pm to rebeloke
Your Christianophobia is showing
Posted on 3/30/24 at 8:12 pm to rebeloke
Watched this movie with one of my best friends (who happens to be very religious)
They thought it was the best thing ever. I was appalled how they just made everyone non-Christian in the movie out to be awful people incapable of doing anything good without God in their life.
Was an ok movie but the propaganda was on par with a Disney movie
They thought it was the best thing ever. I was appalled how they just made everyone non-Christian in the movie out to be awful people incapable of doing anything good without God in their life.
Was an ok movie but the propaganda was on par with a Disney movie
Posted on 3/30/24 at 8:37 pm to Epaminondas
quote:
how offensive it must be for Muslim’s to have themselves portrayed as bigots and abusive towards their children.
quote:
Yeah, they're normally so tolerant. Do you even honor killing, bro?
Not sure if your user name refers to the Ancient Greek statesman or the book Epaminondas and his Auntie.
If you’re a student of history, you know Christianity has a 700+ year headstart on Islam. We as Christians certainly have our history of atrocities large and small committed in the name of religion or using religion to justify, that continue today.
To the OPs point, in a movie that is allegedly made as a celebration of Christianity, stereotyping members of a different religion with a broad brush because of the negative actions of some - even a loud and significant number - is wrong.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 10:35 pm to biglego
quote:
If you think this, then you’re not a Christian. Also, such an event would get the converted person beheaded in some countries by those insulted folks.
Does being a Christian require you to be intolerant of others beliefs? This movie portrays Muslims in a very negative light. If your goal is to reach the lost, you might want to try not offending them and their culture at the outset.
I was affiliated with Northwood Church while living in Dallas which had a thriving outreach to Muslims. They had Imams frequently in dialogue with the lead pastor at the time, Bob Roberts. He has done mission work in Afghanistan. He grew a beard prior to meeting with local Elders in order to gain access to their villages. So yeah, I would say you may want to revisit your approach.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 10:53 pm to rebeloke
quote:
Does being a Christian require you to be intolerant of others beliefs?
Nope! It's okay, he's an idiot.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 10:58 pm to rebeloke
quote:
Does being a Christian require you to be intolerant of others beliefs?
This is a difficult question.
For some Christians it does, for others it does not. It's up to interpretation.
Posted on 3/30/24 at 11:31 pm to rebeloke
First was decent. Second was middling, but I wasn’t mad at it. Third, and I think fourth were bad.
This post was edited on 3/30/24 at 11:32 pm
Posted on 3/31/24 at 7:57 am to lsusa
quote:
To the OPs point, in a movie that is allegedly made as a celebration of Christianity, stereotyping members of a different religion with a broad brush because of the negative actions of some - even a loud and significant number - is wrong.
Posted on 3/31/24 at 9:03 am to rebeloke
quote:An Oscar nominee.
Imagine if a Roman Catholic family had a child convert to Islam in a movie what that would be viewed like
Posted on 3/31/24 at 10:56 am to rebeloke
quote:
This movie portrays Muslims in a very negative light.
Oh no!!!
Posted on 3/31/24 at 11:16 am to rebeloke
quote:
Does being a Christian require you to be intolerant of others beliefs?
Not a Christian but was raised such and there a ton of people that like to claim they are but clearly don’t follow their own beliefs. These people are the worst and most likely the ones to be dicks to others who don’t follow their religion especially towards Muslims
This post was edited on 3/31/24 at 11:17 am
Posted on 3/31/24 at 11:20 am to bad93ex
All religions have extremists.
Posted on 3/31/24 at 11:22 am to LSUGrad2024
I’m sure you’d throw a shite fit when you see a movie or show stereotyping Christians, don’t be a hypocrite
Posted on 3/31/24 at 12:04 pm to dawgfan24348
quote:
I’m sure you’d throw a shite fit when you see a movie or show stereotyping Christians, don’t be a hypocrite
Yes, because this never happens in TV shows or movies.
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