With “The Nativity Story” not exactly turning into a box office bonanza and the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novel about the early years of Jesus hitting some problems in production, you might think Hollywood would take a break from movies about the life of Christ. But Hollywood in all of its wisdom seems to think the way to tap into the Christian market is to green light projects that will put a revisionist spin on the life of Christ.
Variety reports that the director of the hugely successful self-help DVD “The Secret” will be the wunderkind who will direct “The Aquarian Gospel,” a movie that fills in the “missing years” of Jesus by having Jesus wander through India, live with Buddhist monks and Hindu mystics.The producer, William Keenan, has been quoted as saying that “Indian religions and Buddism…played a big part in Christ’s thinking.” Better yet, the movie will also feature a princess who may or may not be a love interest for Jesus.
A German filmmaker is also looking to India as he adapts “The 13th Disciple,” a story about the evil twin brother of Jesus. The movie will be shot in India and will feature various religious sects there as it tracks the years of Jesus’ life not recorded in the Bible.
Okay, so I don’t really believe these movies are going to be marketed to evangelicals at all. They are simply going to create controversy for controversy’s sake in an effort to sell a few tickets. But I think there is one real question worth asking regarding both projects: How would Muslims and Buddhists react to a wildly imaginative, revisionist movie about Muhammad or Siddh?rtha Gautama and would their protests be judged differently than those of Christians who choose to protest movies that disrespect the tenets of Christianity?
posted November 26, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Story on CNN homepage today about a British primary school teacher in Sudan being jailed because the seven and eight year olds in her class named a teddy bear “Mohammed.” She may face a public lashing or up to six months in jail…and the school she teaches at is closed through January…
So I’m guessing we know how certain elements of modern-day Islam would respond to ANY depiction of Mohammed.
Buddhists wouldn’t protest, would they? I mean, they don’t worship Buddha as a prophet and certainly not as a god. If they did protest, they’d be missing the biggest tenet of finding their own Buddha-nature within.
Now I’m curious if there’d be any Buddhic (a fun word I just made up) protests were there to be a revisionist movie made about ol’ Gautama.
posted November 27, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I think this post is absolutely correct when it says these movies are being made with controversy in mind to sell tickets. The first seems… unlikely, at best, while the second is blatantly ridiculous.
Also, I have to disagree with Todd’s comment that Buddhist’s wouldn’t protest a revisionist movie about Siddhartha Gautama. Only a small sect of Buddhists practice the way it was taught in the Buddha’s day (the Theravada, lit. “the way of the elders”). It’s a narrow path, stressing monastic life. The majority of the world’s Buddhists practice Mahayana (lit. “the big raft”), which actually does worship the Buddha as both a prophet and a god. Mahayana also includes other denominations such as Chinese Ch’an Buddhism and Japanese Zen Buddhism. So, yes, I do think they’d absolutely protest.
Sorry about the rant, but world religions are kind of my passion… ^__^
posted November 27, 2007 at 2:12 pm
Wow. Thanks for the Buddhic breakdown! (I know, I know…it’s not a real word.)
Sounds like there’s something endemic in the human make-up to want worship idols as opposed to finding the “God”/Christ consciousness/Buddha nature within, huh?
We need our heroes and gods to be literal and historical…we need something on which to hang our spiritual hat.
Fascinating.
posted March 20, 2008 at 3:44 pm
Hang in Todd…. EVOO is now a legal word in the dictionary…Buddhic may become one too (and for those not in the know or does not watch Rachel Ray, EVOO is Extra Virgin Olive Oil used for cooking and putting on Salads)
I think it is so sad people have to try and make up stuff about Jesus and His life because they just can not accept Him for who He was and is and always will be. While they are doing their background work they should read in the Bible where it says “do not add to or take away from the Word of God”