Question of the Day #53: Religious fiction
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Given their beliefs, do you think Christians have a right to be angry about books and movies like "The Da Vinci Code" and "Last Temptation of Christ"?(Consider, I once had a music theory professor who was very offended by "Amadeus".)
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7 Comments:
It's never about rights or hypocrisy. If the Jujuman tells them to be angry, they'll be angry.
No, they don't have the right. They love "Left Behind", which is just the same thing - fiction involving their favorite figment of the imagination.
But then, we all know how much they care for consistency...
"Given their beliefs," I think Christians will tend to be angry about elements of popular culture that they see as mocking their faith. Just like football fans tend to be angry about insults directed to their favorite team. It's just psychology, not a right.
"How was your professor offended by the movie?"
I don't remember the exact specifics of it, but one day he started ranting about how awful the movie was. He was saying it was totally unrealistic, and especially painted a very unflattering picture of Salieri. "Salieri was a craftsman, and would have recognized and appreciated Mozart as a fellow craftsman. All this jealousy and backbiting simply never would have happened." It was just something that really got him worked up.
"No, they don't have the right. They love "Left Behind", which is just the same thing - fiction involving their favorite figment of the imagination."
Excellent point. Even thought the "Left Behind" books are purportedly falling in line with mainstream theology concerning the book of Revelation, it's still fiction, and ought to at least be considered with far more skepticism by its evangelical audience than it is.
I've always wondered what the reaction would be to something more middle-of-the-road. While the works of fiction I mentioned in the question are a strong departure from conservative theology and the "Left Behind" series tries to not depart at all, what about fiction that speculated about gray areas? I had been considering for years writing a novel in which Judas Iscariot does not commit suicide, but ends up moving forward to fulfill the role in the early Church that Paul eventually fulfills. How would such a book be received by the evangelical community? Positively, due to a lack of serious departure from Christian theological roots? Or negatively, because of the vital departure from Christian history?
Sure, they have the right to be angry. That's about it though. Their righteous indignations doesn't give them any kind of moral authority over censoring the movie though. If they want to be pissy about it, let them.
They are angry because it competes with the fiction they've already created around their scripture. "Intellectual Property," in other words.
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