I’m not a Christian, so I ask this question purely for philosophical consideration.
If a character in a movie or television show prays to God, is that considered blasphemous? After all, you could call it a lie…the character is not real, and neither is the prayer.
How do various Christian sects feel about prayer in television and movies? (The examples that spring to mind are Seventh Heaven and Mother Abagail in the miniseries The Stand, both devoutly Christian.)
Well, IANAC, but when I come across movies/TV with Jewish prayers, my response depends on how respectfully it was done. (Yes, other religions besides Christianity are occasionally portrayed!) Has the prayer been correctly edited so that the names of God aren’t actually being said, since they should only be used during real prayer? Is it otherwise pretty realistic in usage/context/pronunciation? Is the character being depicted respectfully?
If all of these things are met, then I pretty much see it as educational, showing the world a little bit of our religious life.
Well, IAAC, but I don’t see why it would be blasphemous.
Why might we think it was?
Regards,
Shodan
That’s what I’m asking, Shodan. Is it considered using God’s name in vain if a fictional character on tv or in a movie prays?
was it blasphemous for jesus to tell people"how" to pray and to recite the lords prayer as an example even though he was not actually praying at the time?
Rhapsody I see your point. Teaching how to pray is not actually praying but it’s not blasphemous.
I’m just trying to get an insight here, I don’t want to start a flame war. If Christians don’t think praying by fictional characters is taking the Lord’s name in vain (which is one of the Commandments, IIRC) then I will let is rest here.
I’d hope you know by now that Christians, as a group are not a monlithic mind on issues like this. Perhaps there are a few folks that would have a problem with it but that will be rare if at all.
“”""“Rhapsody I see your point. Teaching how to pray is not actually praying but it’s not blasphemous.”""""
How could it not be praying? In the Bible, your life is your prayer. Nobody gets free-will; they either go to eternal damnation or eternal heaven, both are states of existence - the lack of the most obvious third option (“I don’t wanna play that game, send me back to oblivion please.”) shows that we are created to worship God; and that our going to heaven or hell is not about whether one does pray, but rather about the specific quality and quantity of that prayer (that life).
It stands to reason; that if one has faith in an all-knowing and omni-benevolent creator; that praying is the definition of blasphemy. In one single act, all faith is tossed aside to satisfy an inner glorification of the self, Glory, incidentally, which all belongs to God. There is nothing more hypocritical than the act of praying to the Biblical God. This renders the lesson of Jesus a deception hoping to spawn eternal misdirection into what actually constitutes faith worthy of the passage into heaven.
There are about 30 contradictions that appeared in that one sentence in regards to prayer (difference between teaching and showing etc…), but this one is strong enough in and of itself, that there shouldn’t be any argument IMO.
-Justhink
prayer is not supposed to be for selfish or “vain” reasons. You pray for others and you pray for the world but you are not supposed to ask God for personal favors. That is the essence of what is meant by “taking Gods name in vain”. That doesnt mean never use God’s name in a sentence. I means do not call upon God for a Vain/selfish reason such as damning your neighbor for some slight or asking for a million dollars so you can quit working.
You can however pray for mercy for impoverished kids or pray for guidance so that you can do right by your neighbors not to guide you to pick the right stock.
Straw Man: is self-glorification supposed to be the real purpose or motive of prayer? (see below)
ivylass: Personally I don’t see a problem with portrayal of prayer in a fictional work, but public displays of pious acts with the specific motive of self-glorification are specifically warned against in the Bible.
Prayer on screen isn’t blasphemous. It’s just art.
“”""“prayer is not supposed to be for selfish or “vain” reasons. You pray for others and you pray for the world but you are not supposed to ask God for personal favors.”"""""
Didn’t Christ offer a speech about the necessity for making the time NOW? Why yes, he did! He went on to describe in detail how you should NOT look back upon those who are going to hell, but to move on to heaven at all cost. Concern for those who are left behind is a matter for the incarnation of the Bhuddist ‘messiah’; who opts against enlightenment to be assured that all suffering is first conquered. The Biblical aspect of this is:
Don’t judge God or think about God in any way that by its very act seeks to negate a postulate of the supremecy of Gods’ right.
Let’s take a look at this again:
Omni-benevolence
Omni-potence
Omni-science
God is always right (He doesn’t need or want your suggestions at all)
God has all power (He doesn’t need YOU or your pithy ‘channelings’ of him to do what he wants)
God is omni-scient (There is nothing he doesn’t already know, including every prayer you can and/or will ever make for the entire duration of your existence)
The very act of prayer is saying with a voice so loud and clear, as to be beyond repraoch:
“I don’t believe God is omni-scient, omni-benevolent (I don’t TRUST him, unless I put my word in), or omnipotent (He needs my attention and conversation to NOTICE this stuff going on around me).”
As much as it may frustrate a Biblical person; PRAYER is absolute hypocrisy in Biblical theology. The very ACT of praying (on top of a life that is already prayer) places into doubt and as a result negates all faith necessary to make God a meaningful entity to any human being.
It may make YOU feel good about your life and your path; but it doesn’t do s#!t for all the people suffering in this life. Instead of praying for somebody, why don’t you DO something for a change… don’t TRY to find a cure for cancer, utilize absolute faith and DO it. Christ says; “The time is now.”. All of the evidence for non-prayer is much STRONGER logically than the evidence for it.
It amazes me that people can’t even be reminded that Revelations asserts that the Bible can be changed, and that it can exist in a non-reverted state for the rest of time. That’s where YOU try to discern what is more or less true; lest you be cast to eternal damnation, like the ones who edited the word of God in the first place (I can think of a few who don’t lose anything and gain everything by editing the Bible. Can you?)
-Justhink
Justhink, did you mean to post that message here? Just so you know, this is a thread about prayer in art, movies and TV specifically.
“”"“Justhink, did you mean to post that message here? Just so you know, this is a thread about prayer in art, movies and TV specifically.”""""
Well… I did want to revise it a bit to address more perpectives; but I pressed the button. shrug This is great debates though!
Am I not allowed to suggest that the OP is a Red Herring?
-Justhink
So while there are no atheists in foxholes, there are plenty of blasphemers.
Blasphemous? No, not at all.
Hokey, cheesey, ridiculously overdramatized and embarrassingly sentimentalized, yes.
I believe in God, and take prayer seriously. Seriously enough that I laugh at most dramatic renditions of prayer on TV and in movies.