GOD IS NOT DEAD- Christians and dumb gollyhollywood- Billions globally said with Mel Gibson's incredible THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST- U WILL NEVER BRING US DOWN..... United Nations tries daily, evil tries daily ... and yet we are still here.... our civilized nations organized and formed by Christians and the Bible who lead the industralized world - pretend we do not exist... yet we still rise and we are still here... Peace of Christ everyone... peace of Christ.
'God's Not Dead': What low-budget hit says about Christians and Hollywood
'God's Not Dead' plays to Christians who feel their faith is caricatured or mocked by Hollywood. It finished fifth at the box office this weekend amid sharply mixed reviews.
By Harry Bruinius, Staff writer / March 24, 2014
NEW YORK
It may be “The Year of the Bible” in Hollywood, but American moviegoers are still startling the industry with their robust enthusiasm for faith-filled films targeting the tastes of the faithful.
This weekend, the little-known and small-budget “God’s Not Dead,” a narrative about a Christian college student who must defend his faith in front of an aggressive philosophy professor who makes each of his students sign a pledge affirming that God does not exist, took in more than $8.5 million Friday through Sunday – a surprising fifth-place in this weekend’s box office numbers.
Even more startling, say observers, is the fact that the movie, aimed toward Evangelical Christians, was shown in only 780 theaters – far fewer than those ahead of it, each of which were showing on more than 3,000 screens. Featuring cameos by “Duck Dynasty” stars Willie and Korie Robertson, “God’s Not Dead” beat nearly every other movie this weekend on an earnings-per-screen basis.
“While this huge opening may be a surprise to the industry, it is not so much to us,” said Mark Borde, co-president of Freestyle Releasing, the film’s distributor, said over the weekend. “The in-house tracking, the legitimate one million Facebook fans, the very high trending on Twitter and Fandango, among many other platforms, and the huge positive reaction from the hundreds of screenings over the many past months, gave us hope for a significant opening.”
While not a blockbuster of biblical proportions, the small film’s significant success this weekend comes at a time when Hollywood has been trying to capitalize yet again on the faith-based market, which also made a hit out of “Son of God” earlier this month. The film was condensed from the History Channel’s smash TV hit, “The Bible,” and has taken in nearly $56 million since its release Feb. 28.
It also comes a week before next week’s much-anticipated release of “Noah,” starring Russell Crowe, as well as the forthcoming “Exodus,” directed by action movie legend Ridley Scott. Both big-budget biblical epics have blockbuster expectations along the lines of “The Passion of the Christ,” Mel Gibson’s controversial and graphic depiction of the crucifixion of Jesus, released 10 years ago.
But “God’s Not Dead” is a very different kind of film, many observers say. It has a deep resonance in the Evangelical subculture, which often feels mocked and demeaned by the nation’s media and entertainment elites. And even “Noah” has already generated controversy among the faithful, who object to the liberties taken with the movie’s extra-biblical story lines.
“There's a negativity towards Christians in Hollywood,” said Kevin Sorbo, the actor who plays the atheistic philosophy professor and who also played Hercules in the hit TV fantasy drama in the 1990s. “And a negativity towards people who believe in God.”
“The silent majority is starting to get annoyed with what’s going on,” the Christian actor continued. “I think more people need to start speaking about it instead of just sitting there and taking it.... It’s happening; you’re getting attacked; you need to stand up for yourself and your beliefs.”
Indeed, the film leaps headlong into the culture wars, striking back against famous atheists, referencing the views of Stephen Hawking, Noam Chomsky, and others.
The film follows the ordeal of Josh Wheaton (played by Disney alum Shane Harper), a pre-law student who refuses to sign a “God is Dead” statement at the outset of his philosophy class. His philosophy professor (Sorbo) then tells him he must either drop the class or defend his belief in God in front of the rest of the students, if he is to pass.
But the movie also has a number of subplots that reference real-life issues that chafe many Evangelicals. A journalist, described as a radical vegan, conducts ambush interviews with “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson and his wife, who play themselves, referencing culture-war issues that have plagued the show since the family patriarch, Phil Robertson, compared homosexuality to bestiality in a magazine interview.
It also follows the story of a young Muslim woman, who converts to Christianity and secretly listens to podcasts of the evangelist Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham. Her enraged father violently kicks her out of the house. There is also a subplot about a local pastor struggling with his faith, the vegan journalist who later discovers she has cancer, and the philosophy professor’s mistress, who becomes a Christian.
“I’m so glad a film like ‘God’s Not Dead' is bringing to the public the very real culture clash going on in American public life, especially in education,” e-mails Mitch Land, professor and dean at the School of Communication & the Arts at Regent University, an Evangelical school in Virginia Beach, Va. “We have a right and obligation to express our faith without fear of discrimination or reprisal.”
But responses to the film are as stark as red and blue.
Scott Foundas, chief film critic at Variety, called it a “ham-fisted Christian campus melodrama,” saying its depiction of the college professor was “rather like the Jews in the wartime Nazi propaganda films.”
And so far, some 2,000 ratings on the site imbd.com reveal a divide as wide as it could possibly be. On Monday morning, about half of the arm-chair critics on the site rate the film a "Citizen Kane"-level 10 out of 10 stars (46.3 percent). A full third, however, give it a rock-bottom, "Ishtar"-level 1 star out of 10 (32.8 percent). There's no shades of gray for those who see this film.
Still, others see it in a far less conflict-laden context.
“The success of 'God’s Not Dead' shows at least three things,” says Paul Levinson, media critic and professor of communications and media studies at Fordham University in New York: “Big budgets are not necessary to make popular movies, there is a significant part of the population that cherishes faith-based movies, and students like narratives about arrogant professors who get their due.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/0324/God-s-Not-Dead-What-low-budget-hit-says-about-Christians-and-Hollywood
AND..
God's Not Dead- Full Movie Trailer
‘God’s Not Dead’ Producer Answers Critics Who Say Film Is Too Over the Top
Mar. 25, 2014 6:00pm Billy Hallowell
“God’s Not Dead,” a film about an atheist professor who challenges a Christian student to an epic debate over God’s existence, surprised the box office last weekend, coming in fourth place and pulling in $9.2 million.
But in the midst of the film’s success, some critics are calling its central plot patently unrealistic — a claim the film’s producer refuted this week in an interview with TheBlaze.
Image source: “God’s Not Dead”/Facebook
In “God’s Not Dead,” the atheist Professor Radisson, played by Kevin Sorbo, threatens to fail Christian student Josh Wheaton after he refuses to disavow the existence of God.
“Friendly Atheist” blogger Hemant Mehta called the film ”one of those movies ripped right from the pages of Snopes.” And Libby Anne of the “Love, Joy, Feminism” blog said its premise is “so unrealistic as to be ludicrous.”
But Pure Flix Entertainment CEO Russell Wolfe told TheBlaze that the inspiration for the film was derived from some very real First Amendment court cases.
After hearing Alliance Defending Freedom president Alan Sears, a conservative lawyer, share a story about a college student embroiled in a campus battle after defending her faith, Wolfe began thinking more intently about the issue of religious freedom.
“I found out that there were a lot of other cases,” he said.
Eventually, Wolfe was inspired to create a movie about religious freedom, which led to “God’s Not Dead.”
And to prove that First Amendment infractions sometimes unfold at college campuses, Wolfe inserted a list of more than 40 real-life court battles at the end of the film — cases in which “university students, campus ministries and clubs [were] attacked for their biblical faith.”
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Consider Jonathan Lopez’s battle. He claimed he was derided by a professor at Los Angeles Community College after he delivered a speech defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Lopez won his legal battle in district court, then lost after the case was appealed.
Then there’s the story of Beth Sheeran, who was reportedly told along with others in her pro-life club at Spokane Falls Community College in Washington that the state is pro-choice and that a pro-life display would not be allowed because it didn’t include pro-abortion viewpoints.
The school ended up settling a lawsuit and agreed to revise its speech codes.
While the cases cited at the end of “God’s Not Dead” were not identical to the scenario presented in the film, Wolfe said the movie was based loosely on real-life battles over religious freedom and free speech.
“That’s something we ended up hearing — that atheists were saying no professor would ever do that,” he said of Radisson’s extreme behavior in the film. “So, that’s why I decided to list the cases at the end of the film.”
Wolfe said that “God’s Not Dead” is intended to strengthen Christians’ faith and to encourage them. He’s already hearing stories about moviegoers cheering, clapping and dancing during key scenes in the film and about theaters selling out.
Watch the “God’s Not Dead” trailer:
While Wolfe acknowledged that the film is essentially preaching to the choir because it helps “people know more of why they believe what they believe,” he also said that there is potential for “God’s Not Dead” to reach nonbelievers, too.
“What the movie does is it silences [and] quiets people down in a dark room — and it takes them to a place that they won’t even let their best friend take them,” Wolfe said. “They’re asked that question, ‘Is there or isn’t there a God?’ and then they need to answer that themselves.”
Fans of “God’s Not Dead” will likely have the chance to enjoy other similar films in the future, as Pure Flix is planning another feature that will likely be part of a new branded “God’s Not Dead” movie series.
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Featured image via “God’s Not Dead”/Facebook
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/25/gods-not-dead-producer-answers-critics-who-say-film-is-too-over-the-top/#
In closing many of us oldies have spent our lives loving our Christian Faith.... even when paedophile hunting - and we still are.... but we never lost the Faith of our Lord and our Saviour Jesus Christ..... honour who you are.... 4give when u can.... help all the homeless, helpless, children, forsaken, forgotten and throwaways.... in HIS name.... right..
BLOGGED:
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Oct 2013-POPE FRANCIS-cover of Rolling Stone-Time-The Advocate winning the hearts of billions Jan 2014- Our Catholic-Christian Faith in Canada/Pope Francis and Canada's love of our CANADA GAY MILITARY CHAPLAIN GENERAL and our military/love of our Jewish and Muslim brothers and sisters and our Canadian history/Dr.Lockeridge 1976/Latin/Rosary - we are Canadian -God is Angry- WATER MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD- Pope Francis
http://nova0000scotia.blogspot.ca/2013/10/canada-military-news-oct-2013-our.html------------------
Pope Francis lauded by gay-rights magazine on 77th birthday
Pontiff has birthday breakfast with four homeless people
Thomson Reuters Posted: Dec 17, 2013 7:45 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 17, 2013 9:58 AM ET
The Advocate magazine said it gave Francis the honour because, although he is still against homosexual marriage, his pontificate so far had shown "a stark change in [anti-gay] rhetoric from his two predecessors".
It hailed as a landmark his famous response last July to a reporter who asked about gay people in the Church: "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?"
The Advocate noted that the Catholic gay organization Equally Blessed called the phrase "some of the most encouraging words a pontiff has ever spoken about gay and lesbian people."
The Vatican has stressed the Pope's words did not change Church teachings that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are.
Still, the gay community and many heterosexuals in the Church have welcomed what they see as a shift in emphasis and a call for the Church to be more compassionate and less condemning.
The Advocate said no one should "underestimate any pope's capacity for persuading hearts and minds in opening to LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual) people".
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Pope Francis travels to home of namesake saint
October 4, 2013 - 6:26pm NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pope Francis smiles during his meeting with cloistered nuns at the St. Chiara Basilica, in Assisi, Italy, on Friday. Pope Francis broke bread with the poor and embraced the disabled on a pilgrimage to his namesake’s hometown. (AP)
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ASSISI, Italy — Pope Francis broke bread with the poor and embraced the disabled on a pilgrimage to his namesake’s hometown Friday, urging the faithful to follow the example of the 13th-century St. Francis, who renounced a wealthy, dissolute lifestyle to embrace a life of poverty and service to the poor.
According to tradition, God told St. Francis to “repair my house,” and the first pope to take the saint’s name has made clear that he sees that as his own mission as well.
For Francis, that means reaching out to the most marginalized among the church’s 1.2 billion followers, reforming the broken Vatican bureaucracy, and allowing the faithful to shake things up in their dioceses — even at the annoyance of their bishops — if that’s what it takes to better spread God’s word.
After all, the pope said, St. Francis was a radical himself in his complete devotion to his faith — a model that can serve Catholics today.
Here are the main goals Pope Francis has set out for his church, highlighted during his visit to the hilltop town of Assisi, whose native son has inspired his papacy:
A CHURCH ‘THAT IS POOR AND FOR THE POOR’
Francis had lunch with a group of poor at a soup kitchen after demanding that the faithful “strip” themselves of their worldly attachment to wealth, which he said is killing the church and its souls. He delivered that exhortation during the most evocative stop of the day, in the simple room where St. Francis stripped off his clothes, renounced his wealth and vowed to live a life of poverty. Since becoming pope in March, Francis has made it clear that one of his principal objectives is a church that is humble, looks out for the poorest and brings them hope. The “slum pope,” as he is known because of his work in Argentina’s shantytowns, recently denounced the “idolatry” of money and encouraged those without the “dignity” of work.
A CHURCH THAT WELCOMES AND DOESN’T JUDGE
Francis’ first stop in Assisi was to an institute that cares for gravely disabled children, who in the words of the director are often seen as “stones cast aside,” invisible and neglected by the world. Francis caressed and kissed each child, saying their “scars need to be recognized and listened to.” It was part of the simple message of love that he has brought to others often considered outcasts, such as drug addicts and convicts. His “who am I to judge?” comment about gays over the summer was another reflection of this message of merciful welcome.
It represented a radical shift in tone for the Vatican. Catholic teaching holds that all people should be treated with dignity and respect, so Francis was making no change in doctrine. But church teaching also holds that gay acts are “intrinsically disordered” — a point Francis has neglected to emphasize in favour of a message of inclusion.
A FEMININE CHURCH
Francis has called for a greater role for women in the governance of the church, while ruling out female ordination. He says the church itself is female, that Jesus Christ was married to the church and that Mary is more important than all the apostles. On Friday, Francis paid special attention to the women of the church, visiting the cloistered Sisters of St. Clare, an order founded by one of St. Francis’ followers. In the Basilica of St. Clare, Pope Francis told the nuns that they must be mothers to the church and be joyful. “It makes me sad when I find sisters who aren’t joyful,” he lamented. “They might smile, but with just a smile they could be flight attendants!” He showed that same sense of humour later when he told a story about a mother who lamented that her 30-year-old son still hadn’t gotten married — a reference to a generation of Italian men who seem unwilling to move out: “Signora,” Francis recalled telling her. “Stop ironing his shirts!”
A CHURCH THAT IS ‘MESSY’ AND GOES OUTSIDE THE SACRISTY
St. Francis was considered a radical disobedient for having renounced everything and given himself entirely to his faith, but that’s just the type of radical witness Pope Francis wants for today’s Catholics.
Francis told Argentine pilgrims during World Youth Day in July to make a “mess” in their dioceses and shake things up. He hopes the church will stop being so inward-looking, and instead go out to the peripheries to spread the faith, just like St. Francis. The pope’s first trip outside Rome was to Lampedusa, a southern Italian island closer to Africa than the Italian mainland. His eulogy for all migrants lost at sea denounced a “globalization of indifference,” a prescient message given Thursday’s shipwreck off Lampedusa that killed scores of migrants.
As black mourning ribbons hung from Assisi’s banners, Francis proclaimed Friday “a day of tears.”
A CHURCH THAT WORKS FOR PEACE AND CARES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Assisi is known for its message of peace, drawing people of all faiths — and no faith — for annual peace pilgrimages to the basilica dominating the hill and its magnificent frescos by Giotto and Cimabue. The town takes its cue from St. Francis, who preached a message of peace and care for nature. But Pope Francis lamented Friday that the saint’s message is often misunderstood, “sweetened” into something he didn’t represent. A Vatican spokesman put it this way: “Too often his message is lost and we reduce his role to that of a gentle, whimsical hippie who fed birds, smelled flowers and tamed wild wolves.”
Pope Francis said the saint’s message was to truly “love one another as I have loved you,” calling for an end to all the wars in the Middle East, especially Syria.
About the Author»
NICOLE WINFIELD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Even God is getting angry....“Water is more precious than gold.”..Pope Francis
POPE FRANCIS- The pope visited Solanas and posed for a picture holding an anti-fracking T-shirt, along with one that bore the slogan, “Water is more precious than gold.”
Pope Francis speaks out against fracking and environmental devastation
Friday, November 29th, 2013 By Ilaria Bertini
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2013/11/29/pope-francis-speaks-out-against-fracking-and-environmental-devastation/
POPE FRANCIS- The pope visited Solanas and posed for a picture holding an anti-fracking T-shirt, along with one that bore the slogan, “Water is more precious than gold.”
Pope Francis speaks out against fracking and environmental devastation
Friday, November 29th, 2013 By Ilaria Bertini
http://blueandgreentomorrow.com/2013/11/29/pope-francis-speaks-out-against-fracking-and-environmental-devastation/
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AM ROMAN CATHOLIC.... in the summers a group of us travel around 2 the different Christian churces.... and praise our Lord and Saviour- sharing our love of Christ with all our friends, community, our Canada... and have done this since the 80s..... we love our gay brothers and sisters... and like Pope Francis says...
If u have love in your hearts 4 each other on this planet and care for our poor, homeless, aged, helpless, our children and nurture each other.... who are we 2 judge - God loves us each and all...
and that... was his response....and also 2 respect other pure religions... true religions... Peace of Christ everyone... on this beautiful day... as we pray as friends and have since 2001 4 our Nato sons and daughters... and why many of us are actually on these sites...
THIS INCREDIBLE MAN OF GOD.... DR. S.M. LOCKERIDGE.... STOLE OUR HEARTS AND REFRESHES OUR SOULS...FROM 1976
THAT'S MY KING-... Catholic Christian Symbol -IRNI (LATIN: IESVS·NAZARENVS·REX·IVDAEORVM TRANSLATES- Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews)
....YOU CAN'T OUTLIVE HIM.....AND YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT HIM...... Oh Praise the Lord... Our Lord and Saviour...Jesus Christ
Dr. S.M. Lockeridge -That's My King: Do you know him? - 1976 sermon in Detroit
The Purpose (Get Up Weary Soldier)
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My father's family came 2 canada via Ireland and France - they left Ireland in 1100s and journeyed 2 France and came 2 Canada as fishers in 1632- Lawn, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland... which later- much... became part of Canada.
Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church, see CATHOLICISM.
TRADITIONAL LATIN MASS- FEAST OF SACRED HEART
Traditional Latin Mass filmed on the Feast of the Sacred Heart in the small chapel of the International Seminary of Saint Cure d'Ars, Flavigny, France, in 1999. The seminary is the Society of Saint Pius X's second European seminary. Typically seminarians spend their first year of spiritually there before leaving for Ecône, Switzerland, to complete their training.
The film presents the ceremonies of the Missa Solemnis or Solemn High Mass with Gregorian chant and polyphonic motets, notably Casciolini's setting of Panis Angelicus. Some local customs take place during the Mass. For example, birettas are not worn and the Domini Non Sum Dignus is recited aloud by all present. More astute listeners might also notice the French pronunciation, which is perhaps not the ideal.
This film has been available on the Internet for quite some time encoded in a very low quality format. I have encoded the video here from an original source at the highest quality possible given the size restrictions at Youtube. Unfortunately this has resulted in a slightly blurred picture and mono sound rather than stereo. Apart from the addition of captions, the film remains unchanged.
COMMENT: The treasure of the True Roman? Catholic Church.. not the Vatican 2 sect that we see now
APOSTLE'S CREED- FOUNDED ON EVERY CHRISTIAN FAITH
The Apostles Creed
A prayer of Faith in the teaching of Jesus and His Church.
I believe in God,
the Father Almighty,
Creator of Heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day, He rose again.
He ascended to Heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Schubert - Ave Maria (Opera)
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