Noah- movie review, repost from my other blog

Originally posted on my A Southern Belle With Northern Roots blog.


Noah- the least biblical film ever made.
That is what Aronofsky himself said about his film Noah, a self proclaimed atheist who wanted to do a new take on the old story. I ask this, Why bother?
If you hate God, don't believe in his word and feel the need to make a movie about it, why not call it Sam.
Aronofsky chose to Call it Noah, chose to keep the sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, he chose to have the ark, the animals, a creator, angels, and the story of the literal 6 day creation, albeit shot in a manner that would appease any evolutionist. He wanted to do the story of Noah, and in my opinion, try to tear down God by creating his own "creator".


After deciding not to see it in theaters and hearing all the complaints of rock people, environmental agendas and biblical inaccuracy, as well as the flip side on the case for poetic license, creativity, and "at least they will go home and read their bible" I went ahead and rented it. If I were not a Christian, would I have gone home and looked up the story of Noah? I really doubt it. Would I have had any hope in a "creator" that could or would save me? probably not. Would I have enjoyed the movie? NO, it just isn't a good movie.



From the Christian perspective

Rocks
Right of the bat....those rocks. Watchers keeping an eye on Cain in a land that is no longer Gods. (note, I am using God, and the movie does not, only creator is used)  Land that is no longer Gods....our first taste of what sets up a Diestic view at best.
Walking and talking rock people, think of a poor rip off of the Lord of the Rings Ents.  I could go for poetic license here, but no, Aronofsky once again chose to go the extra mile and make them fallen angels. Fallen angels from the early rebellion cast down and abandoned by their father, yet, at least one receives mercy and forgiveness and goes on to heaven, never mind the true biblical fate of those fallen angels, those demons we often choose to ignore the existence of.


Noah and Family
We know Noah to be an imperfect man, but we see a new Noah here; A calloused, mission driven, mad man, often ruthless and illogical that becomes the sole decision maker in who lives and dies.  Surrounded by doe eyed, nearly mute children, who defer to him as though he himself were god, and a wife that is capable of only smiles and tears, they stand by as he rules with an iron fist.
Of course Noah's drunken naked state after the flood is accurately portrayed, no doubt because it is unfavorable.

Man
Hooray! At least this one is right! The wickedness of man, self driven, self seeking and grandiose, total depravity at its best. Think Road Warrior
That pesky doctrine of man kind, that wicked heart beyond cure portrayed so well, yet the one doctrine that quickly upsets man. To say we are wicked? To say we are capable of such atrocities that we need a savior, that we need grace and cannot save ourselves.....how dare you.
I mean the movie, as well as man kind, goes as far as it can to say man has both evil and good within him, as though we can be good enough to save ourselves. Who needs a god to change a heart that is capable of good, right?


The Ark

Taking the time to establish Noah and the ark full of animals, it could have at least been accurate as to who was  on the ark as well as who was not. If the movie maker wants to discredit the actual story by allowing only one wife of the sons on board, why bother having her give birth to twin girls, keeping the procreation element alive, why not find a girl out on a boat? or one hiding in the ark with the crazed lunatic on board.


Summary

My conclusion is this, the value of this movie lies in a message not sent by Aronofsky directly but indirectly.
You see, he, a self proclaimed athiest best illustrates man's desire to create a creator, we want a higher power when the deluge comes that can save us, but we don't want him to tell us what to do or how to live. We want to pick the parts of scripture we like, and do away with the others. Mankind wants to fashion this god of saving grace, abundant mercy that we can cry out to when things are unfair, scary, and unsafe. Yet, we wish to be Diests making sure that god is far away when we don't need him, or Materialists living in a world that created and sustains itself, void of any power with control over our lives.

I used to be so troubled by the passage Genesis 6:5
"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thought of his heart was only evil continually"
NIV puts it this way-"
 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

only evil all of the time.
What does that mean?
Man kind is capable of evil, all of the time, every one of us. Do not be fooled, it is the common grace of God that keeps us from completely destroying ourselves. The good we do is the grace of God, not the goodness of man, for the heart is decietful and beyond cure. Jer 17:9 and man is given over to depravity Romans 1.
WE NEED A SAVIOR
We need a savior that we ourselves do NOT create but one that created us, sustains us, and is capable of saving us.....from ourselves.

Come Let Us Create Our Own god.

The dissatisfied gathered to tell of their woes.
Our enemy worships a God we do not like.
Our enemy tries to convert us!
This God of the enemy is far too judgmental.
He is not fair, cried some.
He is not real, thought most.

Let us make a god of our own.
He will be powerful!

Shall we give him the answers?
NO- he will not tell us what to do.
He will stand for what is right.
NO- he will not tell us then what is wrong.
Shall he stand for justice?
NO- he will not judge us.
Will he crush our enemies?
NO- our god will only love.
Will he die for us?
They laughed, what kind of god would do that?

He will give us what we want,
He will accept us for who we are.

A time of great trouble came,
a time of great war.
 The dissatisfied called upon their god.
What shall we do?
But, their god had no answers.
Fight for us! Defend us
But, their god could not.
Why do you not destroy our enemies?
This is not fair!

They began to turn upon each other,
to war within themselves.
Blame and quarrel, then fists and weapons,
they tore each other apart.
Their god stood by and gave them what they wanted.

Much time had passed.
The end of the war came,
most did not survive.

They stood before the God of the others, the God they had mocked.
A God who stood for justice, a God who judged.
A God with the answers,  a God they could trust.
He is real they thought.

Your sin stands between you and I, said this God.
You must pay the penalty, you must set things right.
We cannot they cried, it is not fair!
Is it fair that your enemy should pay for his sins?
Oh Yes! that is fair.
Your enemy has a God that died for them,
My son, their God has paid for their sin.
.

Why did they not tell us?
They did. You would not hear.
Why did we not listen?
You created a god that gave you what you wanted,
a god that would not tell you what was right and wrong.
You created a god that was powerless.

Abandoned they stood....



Where is your god?
They looked around....
their god was not there.






Also published on my other blog A Southern Belle With Northern Roots

Sonday- Why is God in your Politics?(Imported from Southern Belle With Northern Roots

 Why do you always bring religion into politics?
The question put forth by both those opposed to God as well as the nominal Christian, "God belongs in church and no where else!"
Easy to say if you don't know God for who he says he is, if the bible is a mere storybook. Sing a hymn on Sunday and by Sunday evening make damn sure he stayed in church and isn't around telling us what to do in our homes, our schools, our businesses  and in our politics.
If God does not exist to you then you may mock the very thought of the big guy in the sky and those who believe in him. You may instead worship the earth, global warming, society or the big book of "How to do Whatever I Please."
Those who leave their fate to chance have no desire for any imposed absolute moral standard to govern them.

A believer in Christ lives a life governed by and subject to a holy creator.
A believer knows apart from Christ he can do nothing. John 15
He believes the word of Christ dwells within him Col 3:16, and Christ himself lives in him. Eph 3:17.
A believer in Christ knows God establishes all government, Romans 13.
Therefore, they do not live their lives or vote apart from God.
 When a person becomes a parent, their whole life changes, they think in ways they never did before, always knowing their words and decisions effect their children. They begin to anticipate how things will be in the future, it would be safe to say they could not live, discuss or vote in a manner in which they cease to be a parent.
Just as a persons ethnicity, culture and backgrounds factor into their voting, they vote towards ideas and candidates that "fit" into who they are or who they wish to become.
So it is for a Christian, a true believer in Christ and in the bible, he cannot remove God to go vote or to debate an issue. Even if they would not speak his name, his very presence withing them is a part of their thoughts, words and actions. Still acting as fallible human beings guided by the Holy Spirit, this Christian is never separate from God, just as a non believing voter brings in to the voting booth their opinions, beliefs and entire history which has formed them into the person they are.

Law is overwhelmingly, some would say completely based upon biblical principles. Stealing, murder, and the treatment of others are all set before us as laws of the land and laws of God. As a people we demand justice, we depend on it.
A problem arises when we define just , and by who's standards. What is fair and who says so?
The answer is either an absolute authority or the court of public opinion, subject to  whim, emotion and agenda.
Lest it be argued God is not just because of the evil in the world, or the rampant sin, slavery and other challenging issues, keep in mind, the bible's core truth is man is sinful. Sin, slavery, abuse all stem from mankind and we demand justice for it. Correct? So do you curse God because he allows it? Do you blame him? If so, you have just admitted he exists.
Scripture is full of examples of those who followed after God and the mistakes they made as well as those who reject him and curse him.
The final outcome is justice, ultimate justice based on an absolute truth, God is God, man is not. Man wrongs others and God demands justice, man wrongs God and God demands justice. Everyone will be held accountable for every word, for every action, that is just.
Fair? NO
Fair would be everyone would pay equally for their iniquities, but someone, Christ, paid for those who shall be called his. Completely unfair.
Those who reject him will pay for their own sins, that is after all....fair.

So if God is who he says he is, he is not separate from our lives, our conversations, our debates or our voting. You may wish to try and exclude him if you like, but he exists outside of Sunday morning and the next time you need him, when life stinks, when death is at your door and fear overwhelms you...he will be there too.




This was originally posted on my A Southern Belle With Northern Roots blog and has been copied and transferred by me, the author.

Who made God? Part one of many.

Who made God?
Perhaps a ridiculous question to some, but one that can be asked in the innocence of a child or as an adult coming to grips with how and why we exist.
The better question would be Who is God?
Easier to answer? NO
Who made God? No one or No thing.
Who is God? That is where the answer lies.
In no way can I do this topic justice. This will merely be a human effort to state some basic Christian beliefs and state some common misconceptions.
God has always existed and always will. He is self sustaining and sustains all that is created.
  God is triune
    God the Father
       God the Son
          God the Holy Spirit

Wayne Grudem uses these 3 statements
  1. God is 3 persons.
  2. Each person is fully God.
  3. There is one God.

All 3 statements are true and are not in any way separate from each other. One statement is not more or less true than the others and no statement supersedes the others.
The word trinity is theological, it does not exist in scripture but comes from the systematic study of the word of God and the person of God. Based on scriptural truths it has become church doctrine.

False beliefs about these statements;
 Tritheism- (polytheism) God is 3 separate gods.

Ancient Greek and Roman cultures believed in a god for everything, today, the Hindu religion is still that belief system. Often referenced even here in America with statements of praying to the gods. or my god and your god, a rejection of one true absolute Deity.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 (New International Version)

 ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ^{[a] 5} Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.

Exodus 20 (New International Version)

Exodus 20

The Ten Commandments

 ¹ And God spoke all these words:  ² "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
 ³ "You shall have no other gods before ^[a] me.

No other gods....This is not God acknowledging other gods but that man creates gods, powerless gods.
gods that rot....Isaiah 40:18-20
gods that cannot save Isaiah 45:20-21
worthless idols Isaiah 44:9-20

Modalism- God is one part of the trinity at a time or appears in one form of the trinity at a time.
 Today the United Pentecostal Church (not to be confused with general Pentecostal faiths) is Modalistic. They are often referred to as the Jesus only slogan and stress baptism in the NAME of Jesus, not the Father Son and Holy Spirit. They also claim speaking in tongues is necessary proof of salvation during this baptism, another false teaching.
To say God is in one Mode or another is to deny who God is.
Jesus' baptism
In John 10, Matthew 3, Luke 3

Mark 1:9-11 (New International Version)

The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus

 ⁹At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

God is 3 persons, each person is fully God, there is one God.
The church has long accepted the trinity and any church that denies this teaching is considered a false church.