Finding Jesus in "secular" literature.
I have watched a couple movies lately (inspired by books) that have gotten me thinking, sometimes the true love of Jesus is more apparent in the "secular" world than it is in Christian culture.
Whatever you might think about the new Les Miserables movie, you must admit that the priest was magnificent. If you have never seen the original theatrical production in person or on DVD than you don't know that Colm Wilkinson was the original Jean Valjean. I had seen the DVD because I got the 25th anniversary edition for Norm. So when we went to see the movie and he came on screen, I got chills. His voice is out of this world. Anyway, back to the point...the priest in that story demonstrates the true love, acceptance and forgiveness of Christ. Jean Valjean had come from serving a sentence for stealing bread to help his sisters child from starving. He would forever be branded a criminal and looked at with disdain and disgust. The priest welcomes him in, gives him a place to rest and food to eat. Valjean steals from his church, thinking it is the only way he can survive and he is immediately captured and brought back to face his victim. The reaction of the priest is shocking. He basically lies to the officers and says he gave him the valuables, but not just that, he goes on to give him the candlestick holders as well which were probably worth a lot. The genuine display of charity that he showed to Valjean gave him hope and changed him forever.
The other day I was watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Kieren and I swear, I have never cried so much watching a Disney movie. The message is so beautiful. The villain, Frollo seeks "justice" and claims to be pious but he's downright evil. Again, it is a priest who steps in to save Quasimodo from the same fate of his mother (death). Frollo would have killed him because he was "deformed" and a "monster". All of Quasimodo's life Frollo claims to raise him and care for him, yet hides him away in the bell tower until a later date when he will be "of use" to him. Esmerelda comes into the picture, a gypsy who is "sinful" and "must burn" for her "evil ways" (according to Frollo). Yet he eventually becomes consumed with his lust for her and before attempting to burn her at the stake (yeah...this was a Disney movie...yikes) he tells her to choose him or death. Of course Quasimodo saves her and she in turn saves him, from the lies he was taught by Frollo. She shows him that he is not a monster because he is kind and beautiful on the inside.
So many "Christians" are judgmental and condemning of anyone who doesn't live the way they think they should. One such group that comes to mind is Westboro Baptist Church. I'm sure you've all heard of them and I don't need to explain who they are, because if I go there, I might say some things I'll regret. One of their recent stunts was to ask people to picket Taylor Swift concerts,
"Add Taylor Swift to the Westboro Baptist Church's ever-growing list of people they've taken issue with.
The Topeka, Kansas-based hate group has announced plans to picket Swift's Aug. 3 concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Swift is known for what sometimes seems like a revolving door of highly publicized romances, and the WBC apparently doesn't look too kindly on all her "fornicating."
"@TaylorSwift13 works her 'girl next door' country-singer shtick, while hopping from one young man to the next and strutting across the world stage like a proud whore," the group wrote in a press release, and went on to criticize the singer's own father, claiming:
"He has no compunction about her immodest vulgar appearance or serial fornication. With a hating hypocrite for a dad – who will jealously guard her income, while not giving a thought for her never-dying soul – no wonder she grew up to be the poster child for the young whores of doomed-america [sic]."
-The Huffington Post
Umm...WHAT!?! Since when do "Christians" call people "whores"?! WOW. They also have the audacity to call her father a hypocrite, to which I can only respond with uproarious laughter. Let's think back my friends to the types of people that Jesus hung out with...prostitutes come to mind. Who was that Mary he hung out with? The one who washed his feet with her hair? The one he blessed, showed forgiveness to, love, grace, mercy? Oh yeah...the PROSTITUE Mary...otherwise, derogatorily known as, a "whore".
I don't need to tell you that these "Christians" are the absolute WORST representation of Christ Himself.
Back to my main point. If we're really looking, sometimes we don't even have to be looking, it just hits us in the head like a brick; we can see who Christ really is in what we might think is an unlikely person. Sadly the ones who claim to represent Christ are often the ones dragging His name through the mud.
Whatever you might think about the new Les Miserables movie, you must admit that the priest was magnificent. If you have never seen the original theatrical production in person or on DVD than you don't know that Colm Wilkinson was the original Jean Valjean. I had seen the DVD because I got the 25th anniversary edition for Norm. So when we went to see the movie and he came on screen, I got chills. His voice is out of this world. Anyway, back to the point...the priest in that story demonstrates the true love, acceptance and forgiveness of Christ. Jean Valjean had come from serving a sentence for stealing bread to help his sisters child from starving. He would forever be branded a criminal and looked at with disdain and disgust. The priest welcomes him in, gives him a place to rest and food to eat. Valjean steals from his church, thinking it is the only way he can survive and he is immediately captured and brought back to face his victim. The reaction of the priest is shocking. He basically lies to the officers and says he gave him the valuables, but not just that, he goes on to give him the candlestick holders as well which were probably worth a lot. The genuine display of charity that he showed to Valjean gave him hope and changed him forever.
The other day I was watching The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Kieren and I swear, I have never cried so much watching a Disney movie. The message is so beautiful. The villain, Frollo seeks "justice" and claims to be pious but he's downright evil. Again, it is a priest who steps in to save Quasimodo from the same fate of his mother (death). Frollo would have killed him because he was "deformed" and a "monster". All of Quasimodo's life Frollo claims to raise him and care for him, yet hides him away in the bell tower until a later date when he will be "of use" to him. Esmerelda comes into the picture, a gypsy who is "sinful" and "must burn" for her "evil ways" (according to Frollo). Yet he eventually becomes consumed with his lust for her and before attempting to burn her at the stake (yeah...this was a Disney movie...yikes) he tells her to choose him or death. Of course Quasimodo saves her and she in turn saves him, from the lies he was taught by Frollo. She shows him that he is not a monster because he is kind and beautiful on the inside.
So many "Christians" are judgmental and condemning of anyone who doesn't live the way they think they should. One such group that comes to mind is Westboro Baptist Church. I'm sure you've all heard of them and I don't need to explain who they are, because if I go there, I might say some things I'll regret. One of their recent stunts was to ask people to picket Taylor Swift concerts,
The Topeka, Kansas-based hate group has announced plans to picket Swift's Aug. 3 concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Swift is known for what sometimes seems like a revolving door of highly publicized romances, and the WBC apparently doesn't look too kindly on all her "fornicating."
"@TaylorSwift13 works her 'girl next door' country-singer shtick, while hopping from one young man to the next and strutting across the world stage like a proud whore," the group wrote in a press release, and went on to criticize the singer's own father, claiming:
"He has no compunction about her immodest vulgar appearance or serial fornication. With a hating hypocrite for a dad – who will jealously guard her income, while not giving a thought for her never-dying soul – no wonder she grew up to be the poster child for the young whores of doomed-america [sic]."
-The Huffington Post
Umm...WHAT!?! Since when do "Christians" call people "whores"?! WOW. They also have the audacity to call her father a hypocrite, to which I can only respond with uproarious laughter. Let's think back my friends to the types of people that Jesus hung out with...prostitutes come to mind. Who was that Mary he hung out with? The one who washed his feet with her hair? The one he blessed, showed forgiveness to, love, grace, mercy? Oh yeah...the PROSTITUE Mary...otherwise, derogatorily known as, a "whore".
I don't need to tell you that these "Christians" are the absolute WORST representation of Christ Himself.
Back to my main point. If we're really looking, sometimes we don't even have to be looking, it just hits us in the head like a brick; we can see who Christ really is in what we might think is an unlikely person. Sadly the ones who claim to represent Christ are often the ones dragging His name through the mud.
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