There are many movies that portrays Christianity and its teachings. Some did it right and some did it wrong. Let me show you some examples.
(I am not going to present any plot outline or synopsis of these two movies. Anyone can easily check it out easily on the net or maybet they have already watched them.)
Some critics say that "Carrie" is not a film against Christianity because you can clearly see that Carrie's mother obsession in religion is an illness and what she believes in are all wrong. Well, that is true if you are a true believer and your faith is already steady and strong. You will just shake your head while watching this, knowing that the poor woman is absolutely crazy. However, among the viewers of "Carrie," there must be many people who are "non-believers," those who have not yet known Christ. And what kind of image they will have about Christianity and its faith? Think about it. The image that will go to their mind would be like ....devout Christians are those who don't know what pregnancy or woman period is. They are people who don't allow their daughter to wear evening dress and go to prom. They are people who lock their daughter inside a small room, forcing her to pray. Christian people are absolutely crazy and very dangerous indeed! Who is Jesus? Oh, that scary figure on the cross with blood running down, someone who does nothing to help the poor girl who have been abused all her life. The effects of this movie can be devastating on unbelievers. With this kind of image in their mind, they might refuse to ask for God's help even in their time of need.
My mother is a non-Christian, and while watching Carrie recites a scary poem to her class, she asked me..."is that from the Bible?" I mean, for those who don't know what Christ teaches us, it can easily for them to get it all wrong and have terrible image of what Christian faith really is. There are some scenes that Carrie's Mother said crazy things that sound like God's word from the Bible but they are not! Imagine unbelievers watching this without anyone telling them the truth.
Fortunately, I was there with my mom while she was watching this and I explained to her that these are all wrong teachings. Besides, my mother had had an antidose just a few days before she watched "Carrie." She had just watched "Fireproof," a film that presents Christ teaching and Christian living as it suppose to be. And she had a good impression about the effects of Christian teachings on the characters in the story.
Fireproof is a simple and straightforward movie. It depicts an ordinary man who made mistakes, fell down, but then faith made him change his way. God asked him to turn his life around, to leave the wrong way and become a totally new person who is truly capable of love. It shows us about repentance and redemption. It shows us about forgiveness. It shows us about unselfish love and how it can make miracles. It shows us that this is how God wants his people to live their lives. A simple and beautiful film indeed. There is no expensive special effects or super stars, but this film delivers the correct image of Christianity.
I was so relieved that Mom watched this before she watched "Carrie"! She was very impressed about the way that the man had changed and become a caring husband to his wife and he was able to save his marriage. I mean, the story talks about very ordinary situations in life that many people can identify with. She understood by herself while watching that this is what Christianity teaches.
First impression can do a lot of things. Bad first impression can harm deeply and profoundly, I must say. Before I became a Catholic, I've watched films that present Vatican and Catholicism with a lot of evil and crazy things. And I kept those images in my mind. Now...I can see that the truth is not what I have seen or heard. Catholic as a religion might look difficult to understand from the outside, but it tells you the truth and it can change your life in a better way.
Can you believe...sometimes those terrible media and its negative message about Catholicims from long ago can still harm my faith even now, once in a while. It can weaken the faith in difficult times. Media is a powerful tool indeed. That is why the Devil uses it so often these days.
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