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I actually wanted to until I heard it was a Christian oriented movie. I found that a bit isolating IMO.
I don't find it any more "isolating" than movies with other sorts of philosophical/theological themes. Ghandi was full of Hindu themes, as was City of Joy. Didn't bother me. Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Once Upon a Time in America, and Schindler's List were Jewish to the core. Didn't bother me. House of Sand and Fog and After the Wedding were both very philosophical about ethics without a hint of religiosity - didn't bother me.
I like movies that make me think about the deeper meanings in life. The Shack accomplished that. I personally think that most, maybe all, religions hold elements of truth and it doesn't threaten me to acknowledge that.
Spoiler
By the way, just for some perspective, some mainstream Christians didn't like this movie. Some people didn't like that one of God's manifestations was a black woman. Some people didn't like that the Holy Spirit was manifested as a Native American Princess. In fact, Native American religion was prominent in this movie. Didn't bother me a bit.
I don't find it any more "isolating" than movies with other sorts of philosophical/theological themes. Ghandi was full of Hindu themes, as was City of Joy. Didn't bother me. Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Once Upon a Time in America, and Schindler's List were Jewish to the core. Didn't bother me. House of Sand and Fog and After the Wedding were both very philosophical about ethics without a hint of religiosity - didn't bother me.
I don't find it any more "isolating" than movies with other sorts of philosophical/theological themes. Ghandi was full of Hindu themes, as was City of Joy. Didn't bother me. Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl, Once Upon a Time in America, and Schindler's List were Jewish to the core. Didn't bother me. House of Sand and Fog and After the Wedding were both very philosophical about ethics without a hint of religiosity - didn't bother me.
I like movies that make me think about the deeper meanings in life. The Shack accomplished that. I personally think that most, maybe all, religions hold elements of truth and it doesn't threaten me to acknowledge that.
Spoiler
By the way, just for some perspective, some mainstream Christians didn't like this movie. Some people didn't like that one of God's manifestations was a black woman. Some people didn't like that the Holy Spirit was manifested as a Native American Princess. In fact, Native American religion was prominent in this movie. Didn't bother me a bit.
Some of the movies you mentioned IMO were not meant to find a deep religious meaning but for historical contexts. The Shack doesn't appear to be a movie about important events in history. To me (and again I just am going off a few things that I read) it seems to simply be a spiritual movie about a man who went through a crisis and found security through Christian elements.
Fiddler is super Jewish but to me that movie is more about culture than religion (Traditionnnnnnnnnnnnn) and history too.
Some of the movies you mentioned IMO were not meant to find a deep religious meaning but for historical contexts. The Shack doesn't appear to be a movie about important events in history. To me (and again I just am going off a few things that I read) it seems to simply be a spiritual movie about a man who went through a crisis and found security through Christian elements.
Fiddler is super Jewish but to me that movie is more about culture than religion (Traditionnnnnnnnnnnnn) and history too.
All the movies I mentioned were very philosophical, involved deep questions about ethics and values, and had strong religious content - and the characters' actions were based on their religious or philosophical (or both) revelations.
That was my point - I didn't find them "isolating" even though they were rooted in philosophies and/or religious/spiritual values or beliefs that I may not share and certainly don't fully share.
No, The Shack wasn't mean to showcase important events in history, any more than House of Sand and Fog or Life of Pi or After the Wedding or any number of other philosophical works of fiction.
The man in The Shack was already a Christian. This was his frame of reference. In Life of Pi, the character draws from Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam which also fits his life and therefore is not a surprising frame of reference. In the excellent movie (one I haven't brought up yet) Boy of the Terraces, the main character is Islamic, so of course his moral journey as he comes of age in Tunisia is based in Islam. In After the Wedding, there is very little, if any, actual reference to ANY religion, though the ethical questions are the whole crux of the story. I guess I'm just not picking up on any sort of "isolating" vibe in any of these movies. They're set against a backdrop of various religions or even a secular society - so what? At least that's how I feel. Do I like the story itself? Is the movie well written, well directed, and well acted? Those are the elements I look for.
So - I liked The Shack a lot. YMMV. But you'd have to watch it to really know what your take is, I guess.
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 06-02-2017 at 06:12 AM..
Friend who is Catholic who has not lost faith despite her Church's protection of child abusers had read the book and went to see movie--
We normally see most movies together, but my husband and I could not sit though a movie with that overwhelming Christian message...
It appealed to her sensibilities and she enjoyed it---we would have been rolling our eyes at the religious propaganda...
All the movies I mentioned were very philosophical, involved deep questions about ethics and values, and had strong religious content - and the characters' actions were based on their religious or philosophical (or both) revelations.
That was my point - I didn't find them "isolating" even though they were rooted in philosophies and/or religious/spiritual values or beliefs that I may not share and certainly don't fully share.
No, The Shack wasn't mean to showcase important events in history, any more than House of Sand and Fog or Life of Pi or After the Wedding or any number of other philosophical works of fiction.
The man in The Shack was already a Christian. This was his frame of reference. In Life of Pi, the character draws from Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam which also fits his life and therefore is not a surprising frame of reference. In the excellent movie (one I haven't brought up yet) Boy of the Terraces, the main character is Islamic, so of course his moral journey as he comes of age in Tunisia is based in Islam. In After the Wedding, there is very little, if any, actual reference to ANY religion, though the ethical questions are the whole crux of the story. I guess I'm just not picking up on any sort of "isolating" vibe in any of these movies. They're set against a backdrop of various religions or even a secular society - so what? At least that's how I feel. Do I like the story itself? Is the movie well written, well directed, and well acted? Those are the elements I look for.
So - I liked The Shack a lot. YMMV. But you'd have to watch it to really know what your take is, I guess.
The movies you listed that I saw are Schindler's List, Once upon a Time in America, and Fiddler on the Roof. Just because a movie is about Jews, doesn't mean it's a religious movie. SL is historical. It isn't a movie with a religious tone. It made me feel how evil some people really are and how some people will risk their lives and $ to help out others. Once upon a Time in America is another mafia movie, but about Jewish mafia members. After I've seen it, I didn't think hey, I should go to the synagogue right now! For instance The Godfather I don't think makes Catholic viewers think maybe they should go to church right after.
The Shack has overly religious images in it from what I have read online and was geared towards a Christian audience. Seeing a movie like that honestly, makes me uncomfortable as I don't like preachy, religious movies.
The movies you listed that I saw are Schindler's List, Once upon a Time in America, and Fiddler on the Roof. Just because a movie is about Jews, doesn't mean it's a religious movie. SL is historical. It isn't a movie with a religious tone. It made me feel how evil some people really are and how some people will risk their lives and $ to help out others. Once upon a Time in America is another mafia movie, but about Jewish mafia members. After I've seen it, I didn't think hey, I should go to the synagogue right now! For instance The Godfather I don't think makes Catholic viewers think maybe they should go to church right after.
The Shack has overly religious images in it from what I have read online and was geared towards a Christian audience. Seeing a movie like that honestly, makes me uncomfortable as I don't like preachy, religious movies.
For the record, I'm not trying to get you to like the movie.
I mentioned many other movies, besides the historical ones, for some perspective. Like I said, the definitely religious and philosophical themes of the other movies didn't bother me but I don't get bothered too much by religious perspectives or ideas that differ from mine.
The fascinating thing to me about The Shack was that it had such a strong undertone and "understory" regarding Native American spirituality. It was definitely not a WASP movie by a long shot. I found that refreshing.
The Shack has overly religious images in it from what I have read online and was geared towards a Christian audience. Seeing a movie like that honestly, makes me uncomfortable as I don't like preachy, religious movies.
You obviously haven't seen the movie. There was no preaching per se. If you are offended by the general idea of "god," then yeah, the movie isn't for you. Are you offended by the old show "Touched by an Angel?" It's that level.
It's funny that you mentioned that theses movies make you "uncomfortable." As someone with personal faith that reads about and respects all types of faiths and beliefs, I never feel uncomfortable when doing so. Do you have unresolved personal issues or ideas concerning faith? Just something to think about. Again, your use of the word "uncomfortable..."
None of those things are Sci FI tropes. They could indicate many different genres. Plus, the general description of the movie didn't indicate Sci fi.
Actually, when I mentioned "sci-fi-fantasy movie" in my post #9, I was referring to both sci-fi and fantasy... and I really shouldn't have mentioned sci-fi.
Quote:
Magic
In fantasy, magic often has an overwhelming presence, although its precise nature is delineated in the book in which it appears. It can appear in a fantasy world (as in Lord of the Rings or Shannara), or in a fantasy land that is part of reality but insulated from the mundane lands (as in Xanth), or as a hidden element in real life (as in The Dresden Files).[13]
A common trope is that the ability to work magic is innate and rare. As a consequence the person who uses it, usually called a magician, wizard, sorcerer, warlock, mage, or magus, is a common figure in fantasy.[14] Another feature is the magic item, which can endow characters with magical abilities that are not innate, or enhance the abilities of the innately powerful. Among the most common are magic swords and magic rings.
Therefore, going back to what I was saying before, I could see how it would be easy for someone who didn't know that this was a Christian movie to think that it was a 'fantasy' movie, based on what was revealed in the previews. Also, I'm wondering if that is how CatsinSnow perceived this movie having in mind what Ralph asked her in his post #20.(That is, if she's into 'fantasy'-type movies.)
You obviously haven't seen the movie. There was no preaching per se. If you are offended by the general idea of "god," then yeah, the movie isn't for you. Are you offended by the old show "Touched by an Angel?" It's that level.
It's funny that you mentioned that theses movies make you "uncomfortable." As someone with personal faith that reads about and respects all types of faiths and beliefs, I never feel uncomfortable when doing so. Do you have unresolved personal issues or ideas concerning faith? Just something to think about. Again, your use of the word "uncomfortable..."
I could never watch Touch by an Angel. That's the kind of preaching I'm talking about.
You seem to like the using the word "uncomfortable" more so than me. I don't want to watch a movie about prayer or losing faith and then loving Jesus.
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