Violence and Religion - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

DrumNFeather · 04-25-2006, 06:41 PM

I've been thinking about this topic lately and wanted to throw some thoughts out there and see what everyone thinks. The main question I want to discuss is: How important is it to understand the practical application of violence in terms of religious history?

A few examples:

The Passion of the Christ - Many people objected to this movie for a number of reasons, but more often than not, the heart of the issue still rested squarely upon the violence and agony that Christ Endured from the Garden to the Cross.

Was this neccesary? Do we need a visual depiction of the suffering Christ went through for us? Or is it enough to just read about it and whimsically note that he suffered for the sins of all mankind?

Or, is a movie like the Lamb of God a proper balance between those two?

The New Joseph Smith Movie - I have not seen this movie as of yet, but from what I understand (and please correct me if I'm wrong) It shows some mild violence surrounding the capture and death of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Again, my question is, how important is it for us to see Hyrum get shot in the head and to see Joseph shot and falling out the window?

Do movies that portray violence as a means of conveying what has been given up for the betterment of all mankind give us a better understanding? Or are the images too disturbing to want to view?

Can one have a proper understanding of what it means to suffer and sacrifice without knowing what that looks like?

04-25-2006, 06:41 PM	#1
DrumNFeather Active LDS Ute Fan Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Nantucket : ) Posts: 2,566	Violence and Religion I've been thinking about this topic lately and wanted to throw some thoughts out there and see what everyone thinks. The main question I want to discuss is: How important is it to understand the practical application of violence in terms of religious history? A few examples: The Passion of the Christ - Many people objected to this movie for a number of reasons, but more often than not, the heart of the issue still rested squarely upon the violence and agony that Christ Endured from the Garden to the Cross. Was this neccesary? Do we need a visual depiction of the suffering Christ went through for us? Or is it enough to just read about it and whimsically note that he suffered for the sins of all mankind? Or, is a movie like the Lamb of God a proper balance between those two? The New Joseph Smith Movie - I have not seen this movie as of yet, but from what I understand (and please correct me if I'm wrong) It shows some mild violence surrounding the capture and death of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. Again, my question is, how important is it for us to see Hyrum get shot in the head and to see Joseph shot and falling out the window? Do movies that portray violence as a means of conveying what has been given up for the betterment of all mankind give us a better understanding? Or are the images too disturbing to want to view? Can one have a proper understanding of what it means to suffer and sacrifice without knowing what that looks like? __________________ "It's not like we played the school of the blind out there." - Brian Johnson.