Corpus Christi

I got this message in an email from a member of my family yesterday:

“Going beyond disrespect
Abraham asked the Lord to spare 50 righteous people. God responded to Abraham's plea "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all .....Genesis 18:16-33

The movie " Corpus Christi " is due to be released this June to August. A disgusting film set to appear in America later this year depicts Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals! As a play, this has already been in theatres for a while. It's called " Corpus Christi " which means "The Body of Christ". It's revolting mockery of our Lord. But we can make a difference.

That's why I am sending this e-mail to you. If you do send this around, we just might be able to prevent this film from showing in America . Let's stand for what we believe in and stop the mockery of Jesus Christ our Savior. Where do we stand as Christians? At the risk of a bit of inconvenience, I'm forwarding this to all I think would appreciate it, too. Please help us prevent such offenses against our Lord. There is no petition to sign, no time limit, or minimum number of people to send this to.. It will take you less than 2 minutes!

If you are not interested and do not have the 2 minutes it will take to do this, please don't complain when God does not have time for you because He is far busier than we are. Hey it's worth a shot! Apparently, some regions in Europe have already banned the film. All we need is a lot of prayer and a lot of e-mails.

JUST GET THE WORD OUT

....will God be able to find at least 50 righteous people who are willing to express their concern and voice their opinion against this act of blasphemy”

For now, I'm going to ignore the chain-message nature of this email (bleh, people really have to do that?) and just instead comment on a few things. First of all the email calls the play and soon-to-be movie “Corpus Christi” “[A] revolting mockery of our Lord.” Which is kinda hilarious.

See here's the thing: Maybe it is, after a fashion, mocking God. Homosexuality pretty much the opposite of Christianity (much in the way murder is. Yes, I just did that, no, I don't hate homosexuals. I don't hate murderers, either, btw, but that's not the point here... moving on). I find the idea of a homosexual Jesus more hilarious than anything else. Jesus was a Jew. Jews hated homosexuality, and even those who support homosexuality now agree that the verses in the Bible that condemn homosexuality are derived from Jewish hatred of homosexuality. Furthermore, if a person so strongly desires to “mock” God as to create a play that is so far away from reality that it really can't be considered anything but some sort of (perverted) fantasy, then so be it. I would argue that, after a fashion, the idea that Jesus married a woman and had a family to be ten times more realistic than the idea that Jesus was the head of a gang of Jewish homosexuals and was betrayed because he spurned Judas' love (yes, that's the plot, no, I didn't say it was a good plot). I find it hard to see this sort of story as an assault on Christianity because I find it hard to take it seriously.

Of course, I'm a believer and I'm pretty firm in my beliefs. I've read the Bible enough that I know some good verses to pull out when I need them. I have a good, strong, theology based on the Bible. Specifically the OT Law, the Teachings of Christ, and the Teachings of Paul (obviously there are other bits, but those are the most important). I'm sure there are lots of unbelievers who don't know how “homophobic” ancient Judaism (I can't comment on modern Judaism, I don't know any modern Jews) actually was. So I suppose this film could do some damage.

However, the tone of this email is still inappropriate. When I see a movie like this, my response is “oh, some unredeemed sinners made a movie that is a pack of lies,” I'm not shocked or angered by the horrible unredeemed state of the world, its been this bad since Adam and Eve ate the fruit. It didn't get any better or worse, it's been the same. Sinners sin, and, in this case, I can't see that sin doing much damage to the world. Furthermore, we should be pretty active explaining the Biblical response to homosexuality anyways, so I mean... what's the big deal here?

What this email is asking people to do is to fight Satan at his own game, I feel like. That's a mistake, obviously. Satan is the King of Lies, we don't need to fight lies with lies, we don't need to suppress the enemy, because there's not to hide. He's an evil, no-good, bad-guy, and he's out to get us. If someone asked me what I thought of this movie, I'd tell them. Its a stupid movie, not because it has a bad acting or anything, but because the plot is laughable. Jesus was a respected Jewish Rabbi. Jews, as a rule, are against homosexuality. In the time of Jesus, no Rabbi would have gotten as much popularity as Jesus did while living a life so obviously contrary to the rules of Judaism. Even Paul, a Christian that came later, after Christ, condemned Homosexuality. Why would he do that when Jesus himself was a homosexual? Preach the Truth. Don't suppress lies. Lies are lies. They are false. Eventually, lies are revealed as lies and liars then condemned for well, lying. No one should be condemned for preaching the truth. “For you will no the truth and the truth will set you free,” Jesus said.

Another thing, condemnation. Paul wrote that there is no condemnation in Christ. Why are we condemning this movie? What does this movie do that is so special it must be condemned and banned and never spoken of except in disgust? It has done nothing other than support the idea that we live in a fallen world and sinners will sin. That's nothing special or unique. That's just the nature of the world.

So anyways, don't go see the movie. Or go see the movie. What you do is up to you and, as far as I can tell, this movie isn't somehow weakening our world or making it a worse place (in the way a murderer or thief does), I don't care and I think anyone who cares enough to actively attempt to ban this movie is silly. Protest the movie. Say, “I don't think this movie is a good idea; Jesus wasn't a homosexual, and we shouldn't be spreading lies.” Challenge the idea. Why do homosexuals want a homosexual Jesus when clearly there is no logical way for him to be homosexual. Use this movie as an opportunity to open a dialogue about homosexuality and the Bible. But banning it just gives homosexuals and their allies yet a another (well deserved) reason for labeling the Church “homophobic.”
Also: Song of the day: