Christians, Christians, Christians, Will You Ever Learn?

[penzman]

'Da Vinci' film ban sought

Censorship committee asked to review controversial movie on Christ before it opens in Thailand on Thursday.

Four major local Christian groups yesterday submitted a request to the Royal Thai Police asking that the controversial Hollywood movie "The Da Vinci Code" be banned from Thailand.

Maj-General Phanomsak Thangthong, chief of the registration division, said the request had been sent to a censorship subcommittee for immediate consideration. The movie, produced by Sony Pictures from Dan Brown's novel of the same title, is scheduled for screening in Thailand on Thursday.

The movie "distorts the Bible and violates the dignity of the Jesus", Professor Wirach Koidul, an official with the Coordination Committee of the Protestant Church of Thailand, said in a statement released by the four groups. "Our joint conclusion agrees that the novel and the movie deliberately insult Jesus Christ.

"The movie depicts Jesus as only a man, and not entitled to the prophecy, as believed by Christians worldwide," Wirach said.

Moreover, in the movie he is "married to Mary Magdalene and fathers a son with her, which is completely false", he added.

The statement was made with the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Seventh Day Adventists' Foundation of Thailand, and the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand.

They represent about 1 million Christians in Thailand, they said.

"Inaccurate information contained in the movie should not be released to the public," they said.

Wirach said the movie could make viewers confuse fact and fiction. "The movie refers correctly to the dates, places, time, and individuals, according to the Bible, while [fictional] information is simply cited without reference information," he said.

The groups will hold a press conference at 2pm today at the coordinating committee's office at Hua Chang Bridge in Pathumwan district. Christian celebrities will be on hand to make a statement about the issue.

Dr Manoch Jaengmuk, chairman of the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand, later submitted a request to the Culture Ministry demanding the movie be banned.

"The content in the movie lacks reference information. Viewers without adequate knowledge of Christianity may be misled into believing that the movie is based completely on the truth," he said.

Manoch said Christians in many Asian countries, including South Korea and the Philippines, were campaigning against the movie and that it had been banned in India. Singapore has banned people under 16 years of age from viewing the movie.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand did not join the other groups in submitting the request yesterday. However, an official with the Catholic group said she supported the request for the ban.

The movie dishonoured Jesus and could confuse Thai Christians and affect their faith in Christianity, she said on condition of anonymity.

A leading Malaysian Christian organisation expressed concern yesterday that the film would distort religious teachings, but said Christians should make up their own minds whether or not to watch it.

The movie is slated to open in Malaysia on Thursday as well.

Bishop Lim Cheng Ean, president of the Council of Churches of Malaysia, said Christians were concerned that the movie "would repeat the historical inaccuracies" of the novel, but stressed that this should not shake the faith of believers.

Lim said protests or boycotts were unnecessary. "If Christians know their own faith, they will be strong enough. We can leave it to their discretion as to whether they would rather watch the movie or not. That is their free choice," he said.

Advocates of a box-office boycott in other countries include Archbishop Angelo Amato, the No 2 official in the Vatican's doctrine office, India's Catholic Secular Forum, and El Salvador's Roman Catholic Church.

Church leaders are concerned the film will echo Brown's novel by having scholarly characters dismiss the Bible and church teachings about Jesus as fraudulent. The plot also revolves around Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene, and a conspiracy to cover up their union.

The BBC reported last week leading figures in the Catholic Church have called for legal action against the book and a boycott of the film.

Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was among the favourites to become the new pope last year, said: "Christians must not just sit back and say it is enough for us to forgive and to forget.

"This is one of the fundamental human rights - that we should be respected, our religious beliefs respected, and our founder Jesus Christ respected," he said.

The novel, which has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, explores the theme that Jesus has living descendants. It alleges that the Catholic group Opus Dei covered up the truth about Christ's bloodline.

The film, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.

The Nation

Edited May 15, 2006 by penzman

[thaibebop]

Watch them go nuts if The Passion got banned. So, quick to ban others thing, but always feel that there crap must be heard. Some in America called for the Banning of the movie here. SO much for land of the free.

[penzman]

This will be fun to watch. Tom Hanks receiving death threats, American preachers once caught with prostitutes or involved in money scams will dare jump on the wagon, I can't even imagine the other ridiculous situations that will emerge...

Get a grip! Times are changing and you're not. Slippery rope huh?

[thaibebop]

It's amazing what these people will dare. They will say they fell from the faith, a moment of weakness, they couldn't fight the temptation, after all they ARE ONLY HUMAN, yet now we must listen to them and ban this and ban that and fight Satan in the name of Jesus.

Oh, what a wonderful world. I thinik I need to hear that song again.

[britmaveric]

More chatter about ban = more tickets sold. Can't buy publicity like this....

[thaibebop]

More chatter about ban = more tickets sold. Can't buy publicity like this....

Yeah, it's been proven time and time again, yet no one seems to pick up on it.

[jdinasia]

Penz .... hmmm not all Christians are this reactionary

[Totster]

It's just a bloody movie (and a book)..... entertainment thats all... christ !!

totster

[suegha]

Well I'm a Bible believing Christian who thinks we (Christians) should not be in the least bit bothered about something like this. It's fiction, I know it's fiction, it will only strengthen me in my faith.

Myth and fable being believed by many in the latter days is predicted in the bible, so this movie, and other things like it, is fulfilling bible prophesy! So why should any Christian be bothered?

Trying to ban something, whether it be a pop song or a movie, ensures its commercial sucess.

[retirednavyman]

Adults (Christian or not) are grown people and can make choices for themselves.

If you live in a free society which I think Thailand is then you should have the choice as to whether you go see the movie or not. Otherwise, by selectively banning a movie such as this then you don't really live in a free society.

No one should be preached to by someone else who claims to know what's best for them and that is an individual choice

There's my two cents!!!!

retirednavyman

[Maejo Man]

'Da Vinci' film ban sought

The movie could confuse Thai Christians and affect their faith in Christianity, she said on condition of anonymity.

Loss of followers? Probably closer to the truth.

[Lucifer]

If this film was about Islam, hundreds, if not, thousands of people would be killed by now.

[Totster]

'Da Vinci' film ban sought

The movie could confuse Thai Christians and affect their faith in Christianity, she said on condition of anonymity.

Loss of followers? Probably closer to the truth.

One would think that if Christians doubt their faith so much that a fictional movie can cause them to loose the faith, should they be believing in the first place..?

totster

[Kerryd]

Loss of followers? Probably closer to the truth.

Exactly. Loss of followers = loss of power and money.

Funny how these people believe in stories written in a book, and now want to ban a movie based on............a story in a book !

Maybe the established hierarchy is afraid they might have competition soon ?

I don't expect to see mass riots by Christians in the streets though, with crowds attacking MacDonalds restaurants and other "Western" businesses, unlike some other religions.

[Mighty Mouse]

They wanted to ban "Passion of the Christ" following its release.

Why do people hate entertainment so much?

[sriracha john]

The statement was made with the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Seventh Day Adventists' Foundation of Thailand, and the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand.

They represent about 1 million Christians in Thailand, they said.

Uhmm...Divided by two, perhaps?

"there are an estimated 486,800 Christians in the country"

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51531.htm

"Inaccurate information contained in the movie should not be released to the public," they said.

Yeah...How about that phrase, "inaccurate information?"

Tricky thing, isn't it?

Manoch said Christians in many Asian countries, including South Korea and the Philippines, were campaigning against the movie and that it had been banned in India.

Hmmm....India hasn't banned the movie (not yet, anyway)

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1531672.cms

Singapore has banned people under 16 years of age from viewing the movie.

The movie, as released, is Rated PG-13

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0382625/

Under Singapore's rating system, they don't have a "PG-13" rating per say... so PG-16 is a logical, NOT a reactionary or overly restrictive, rating.

Films in Singapore are rated according to the following ratings

General

Parental Guidance

No Children below 16 years old

Mature 18 for persons 18 years and above

Restricted to persons 21 years and above

http://www.mda.gov.sg/wms.www/resources.aspx?sid=159

I'd never accuse these good Christians of lying or exaggerating, but...............

[sriracha john]

In a related thread, the protests were successful in stopping the release of a movie today:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...ndpost&p=747439

[cobra]

.. Myth and fable being believed by many in the latter days is predicted in the bible, ...

along with Armageddon, hasn't happened yet.

At what point do we filter the myth and fable from the predicted myth and fable,

[stumonster]

I have made the mistake of reading 3 of dan brown's books - mediocre would be the nicest adjective I would use. It occured to me later that most of the people telling me that they were good books were women . Maybe I am not close enough ' in touch ' with my feminine side to appreciate these love stories. Also when reading the book , as the plot started to take shape I immediately thought of the book ' the holy blood and the holy grail ' ,which I think must have influenced the author a lot.

[jdinasia]

I enjoyed DaVinci Code ... found Angels and Demons pretty boring!

I REALLY enjoy watching people that just don't "get it" squirm and try to ban the movie!

[naka]

Yea ... They need something to deflect folks attention from their recent "Transgressions"

which has cost their church hundreds of millions.

Naka.

[PeaceBlondie]

I, too, consider myself to be a Bible-believing disciple/servant of Jesus, and I don't fear silly fictional untrue unreal movies that aren't anything like the Bible. But I can understand that in Thailand, with a tiny minority of far less than 500,000 faithful disciples of Christ, the church authorities here are insecure. I used to be a minister of education and youth; the amount of effective teaching you can do with youth and adults is so small that they are overwhelmed by the mass media, the secular life, and the influences of the major religion.

It would be far better publicity if the leaders would say, "Our faith is too strong to be swayed by a fictional movie. Our people know the truth, and this movie is not a threat to true faith."

[Plus]

I don't know about Thai Christians but for ordinary Thais it will be their first insight into Christianity. No one knows what the Bible or resurrection is about, they'll learn it from the movie.

No wonder Christians are up in arms, they'll never have a chance to reach the same audience and present their part of the story.

>>>

"Passion of the Christ" as entertainment?!? Now that's an idea!

[melonf]

The censorship issue is usually debated with the focus of the harm being done to the religion concerned.

Few religious people seem concerned about the harm that the censorship itself does to the religion.

One only has to look at the example of Islam. A few years ago, Islam was always tagged as peaceful and tolerant but misunderstood. Now after the cartoon censorship imposed via intimidation and violence, this peaceful & tolerant tag has totally vapourised.

The censorship of the cartoons has done nothing but harm to their religion.

As a person who believes that religion is unbelievable nonsense, every act of censorship that religious people force on me only persuades me further that religions are the root cause of many if not most of the problems of the world today

[jdinasia]

I don't know about Thai Christians but for ordinary Thais it will be their first insight into Christianity. No one knows what the Bible or resurrection is about, they'll learn it from the movie.

No wonder Christians are up in arms, they'll never have a chance to reach the same audience and present their part of the story.

>>>

"Passion of the Christ" as entertainment?!? Now that's an idea!

Nah Plus ... do you know any Thais that have read the book in Thai or English? NONE of my friends "get it" for them it isn't even about religion! though many do want to see the movie because of the places it shows!

I tried explaining to my partner <raised in a Christian school ... and he has no concept of why the movie would be objectionable ... and didn't get the whole "bloodline of christ" thing at all

[Johpa]

One would think that if Christians doubt their faith so much that a fictional movie can cause them to loose the faith, should they be believing in the first place..?

Humans are capable of believing in many things: God, gods, Dhamma, Jesus, Muhammed, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, the list is endless.

Which is why so many prayers end in Amen.

[Thaising]

Censored or banning the movie will not make any sense; moviegoers would be more inquisitive in search of vcd concerning the movie.

[Jai Dee]

Christians in Thailand seek a ban on Da Vinci Code film

Christian communities in Thailand are seeking a ban on the film 'The Da Vinci Code'.

They alleged that the movie distorted religious facts and the Bible and that could shake the faith of Christians.

Their representatives will ask the Culture and Justice ministries to ban the screening of the film and will also hand out documents detailing mistakes made by the film.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 May 2006

[Jai Dee]

'Da Vinci' film may be banned

Four major local Christian organizations yesterday submitted a document to the Thai police seeking Hollywood movie "The Da Vinci Code" be banned from Thailand. The movie is scheduled for screening in Thailand this Thursday.

In a statement released by the four groups, it said that the movie "distorts the Bible and violates the dignity of the Jesus, and we agree that the novel and the movie deliberately insult Jesus Christ. The movie depicts Jesus as only a man, and not entitled to the prophecy, as believed by Christians worldwide. Moreover, in the movie he is "married to Mary Magdalene and fathers a son with her, which is completely false."

The statement was made with the Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, the Seventh Day Adventists' Foundation of Thailand, and the United Christian Church of Baptism of Thailand.

The groups will hold a press conference at 2pm today at the Hua Chang Bridge in Pathumwan district. Christian celebrities will there to join the protest as well.

The film, starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, will be shown at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. The movie, produced by Sony Pictures from Dan Brown's novel of the same title, is scheduled for screening in Thailand on Thursday.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 16 May 2006

[penzman]

Adults (Christian or not) are grown people and can make choices for themselves.

If you live in a free society which I think Thailand is then you should have the choice as to whether you go see the movie or not. Otherwise, by selectively banning a movie such as this then you don't really live in a free society.

No one should be preached to by someone else who claims to know what's best for them and that is an individual choice

There's my two cents!!!!

retirednavyman

Shouldn't this include most of the preachings of the almighty George Bush ???

I would submit that most of his preachings should be banned in Thailand and the remainder of the world, that did not elect him but have to put up with him.

Which one day will be known as the "Dead Beat Scrolls"