Monday, 12 January 2009
-
Borat, Bruno, and a Half-Nude Black Model Named Jesus
by mr palm
To follow up on his controversial and commercial smash hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, British comedian/actor Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a film that's already getting American Christians riled up. In the film, Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through American For the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt, Cohen stars as his character Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion reporter.
Cohen is virtually guaranteed to receive backlash from the Christian community for a black model who wears loincloth and crown of thorns and goes by the name "Jesus." Religious-minded viewers who have seen an early draft of the film have been predictably disturbed by the inclusion of "Jesus." (Cleveland Leader article)
How do you feel about the "Jesus" joke in Bruno: harmless or heresy?
-
recommend
- recs 0
-
share
-
email
- sent 0
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to revelife's Revelife Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in revelife's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: mr_palm
- Name: mr_palm
- About Me: I want to encourage, entertain, and challenge others in new and meaningful ways. I'm a big fan of music, college football, geeky stuff, and food.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 15 Views: 0 27751 Comments: 0 1177 View all posts by mr_palm
Comments (72)
I hope they do get a backlash. If we are silent, it will never end.
Certainly not harmless, but as I usually say, I don't expect non-Christians to act Christian. It doesn't surprise me.
I wonder what would happen if he was making fun of Mohammed? (yes, that is a rhetorical question)
Yeah, I'd have to say that's pretty disturbing, and I like to think myself as being more open-minded than the average human.
just so long as a Christian can make a film that can do the same with other faiths such as Furman: estatic ventures through deserts for purpose of making Buddhist/Wiccan peoples undeniably pissed in the presence of flaming American wearing Buddhist robe wearing witch symbol... and still get the same laughs and sales as this new Borat film...
doubt it... but if we dont' get it both ways... then i say we then raise some noise... i'll go watch both..
I bet the majority of folks who walk in those theater doors would claim Christianity and a belief in God........I think we (the Church) have a bigger problem on our hands than a crass, perverted film.
We have thousands of "Christians" thinking its ok to put that garbage in their heads and expect to still be in right relationship with Christ.
Offensive. But not much worse than any of the other Christian-offending media that have been around. (The play Corpus Christi, the undertones of the book The Da Vinci Code, that one where the crucifix was suspended in urine, that one where the Virgin Mary had pornography and feces all over her.)
Fortunately for all involved, nowadays there are only few claiming the name "Christian" who will kill or riot over religious offense. And the rest of us will, I hope, speak out against those few.
Freedom of speech means the freedom to offend. So I won't get my knickers in a bunch over this movie: if it offends me, it offends me and I get on with my life. After all, the freedom that protects Cohen when he offends me is the same freedom that protects me when my outspoken beliefs offend others.
It isn't our jobs to complain about such things. Pray for these people. That is what we need to do.
The movie is probably really funny anyway.
who cares? Jesus is the Son of God, for crying out loud... he can defend himself. i would hope that as an enlightened human being, he'd find it as funny as i probably will. frankly, the only religious people that have ever harassed me personally were Christian... if you don't want to be mocked, you should conduct your religion in a manner which commands respect.
The Jesus thing?
Well for one him being black is interesting.
If you look at the historical background of Jesus Christ you'd realize that he wasn't exactly the whitest of the white. African American? Probably not, but definitely not like the Caucasian depiction we see so often today.
The loin cloth? Well, I suppose they're trying to say that the reason behind P8 was because of the barbaric nature of Christians who supported it; imposing their own beliefs without thought of others or repercussions. Right along with the thorn crown. Wraps in perfectly.
Christians get riled over anything these days. Hell, P8 was passed, and they're getting angry over a movie (again)? Homosexuals have far more of a right to be angry trust me.
@leadworshipper82 - Bashing other religions is already what caused people to have such a horrible outlook on Christianity; continuing it isn't going to help matters.
@Pickwick12@xanga - What do you mean "act Christian?" As if people who have morals must automatically belong to a religious faith? Believe it or not there are moral people outside of Christianity and there are immoral people within Christianity.
What?! Revelife trying to cause strife and complaining in the Christian community with its posts?! This is SHOCKING!!
Oh...no wait...it's business as usual.
*eye roll*
@misswonderj@xanga - She didn't necessarily mean morality--what she's saying is that there's no point in holding nonChristians to Christian standards. If there's a standard of behavior that's specifically Christian (like, to use the relevant example, not-mocking-Jesus), we have no reason to expect nonChristians to abide by that standard if they have no compulsion to.
@ChrisRusso@xanga - So not mocking someone's holy figure is only a Christian standard and not just a universal "don't be a jackass" standard? Mocking other people's religions is about having a lack of morality, whether you're Christian or not. If you can come up with any standard of Christians that doesn't apply to people in the real world, have at it.
@misswonderj@xanga - i just wanna see it go both ways... if sales for that movie go up because it's being completely and total disrespectful to our beliefs... why can't it go both ways with the same equally emphatic response???
i just wanna see it go both ways...
@leadworshipper82 - It already has. Its called Proposition 8. And that's far worse than any movie. Grow up.
@misswonderj@xanga - You seem determined to take offense where no offense was meant. (Which, ironically, is what this whole movie issue is about, isn't it?)
Leaving aside your false dichotomy of "Christian" and "real world," off the top of my head I can list:
--Ethical responsibility of proselytism. Few other faiths have the "Go ye into all the world and make disciples of all nations" mandate that Christianity has. Judaism doesn't, Buddhism doesn't, Hinduism doesn't.
--Mandate of baptism. Perhaps there are equivalent initiation ceremonies in other faiths but the point remains: why should we expect nonChristians to be baptized as Christians? Whereas a professing Christian who has yet to be baptized without a particular reason is, as I understand it, ignoring a mandated ordinance.
--Mandate of community/authority. Christianity puts forth a specific system of authority structures within the assembly of Christians: elders, overseers, deacons. Unlike some other faiths, and unlike the "real world," Christians aren't allowed to just go it alone spiritually. We are commanded to be in fellowship with our fellow-believers and in submission to the spiritual authorities placed over us. But would you expect a nonChristian to have to listen to his or her local pastor? Of course not.
That's the sort of thing we're talking about. But now we're tangenting something crazy.
The POINT is, as Christians we have no real reason to be outraged at people mocking Christians.
I don't enjoy my religion being mocked. I also don't enjoy it when those in my religion take these things too seriously.
I won't see it, but I won't nay-say those who do.
@ChrisRusso@xanga - Well first, I don't take offense, seeing as I am one who merely points out illogical thinking. PS: That's not irony, that's being coincidental.
"--Ethical responsibility of proselytism.
Few other faiths have the "Go ye into all the world and make disciples
of all nations" mandate that Christianity has. Judaism doesn't,
Buddhism doesn't, Hinduism doesn't."
Really now? I beg to differ. While the other two seem quite obvious, I'll focus on my own religion: Buddhism. It is our responsibility to provide ethical and spiritual enlightenment.
"--Mandate of baptism. Perhaps there are
equivalent initiation ceremonies in other faiths but the point remains:
why should we expect nonChristians to be baptized as Christians?
Whereas a professing Christian who has yet to be baptized without a
particular reason is, as I understand it, ignoring a mandated ordinance."
Yes, there are other equivalent practices in other religions, which therefore says that you don't have to be Christian to be "baptized" or initiated into a religious organization. Even if someone was not baptized that does not make him any less moral than someone who was. You have yet to answer my question.
"--Mandate of community/authority.
Christianity puts forth a specific system of authority structures
within the assembly of Christians: elders, overseers, deacons. Unlike
some other faiths, and unlike the "real world," Christians aren't
allowed to just go it alone spiritually. We are commanded to be in
fellowship with our fellow-believers and in submission to the spiritual
authorities placed over us. But would you expect a nonChristian to
have to listen to his or her local pastor? Of course not."
Plenty of societies (for instance this one) has a system of authority without religious influence. Buddhism works the same way, another atheist society that people tend to forget about. Buddhists are also commanded to be in fellowship with other people on spiritual journeys to enlightenment, and they also submit to spiritual authorities (such as monks) that are placed over them. And actually I expect a non Christian to take advice on matters from whomever they seem fit to get advice from. I've taken advice from Christian authorities without being a Christian myself.
In the "real world" people do not belong to sects and ignore all other beings. Most people don't act as elitist and are intelligent enough to know better than that.
In other words, you are no different and you are not anymore ethical than anyone else, on ANY standard.
@misswonderj@xanga - This isn't about trying to be "more ethical" than anyone else--that's the opposite of what Christianity is all about anyway. And it has nothing to do with this post. What are you talking about?
You're stretching to try to make this point about how Christianity is allegedly no different than any other religion. Which is not what we're talking about at all. We're talking about how if a nonChristian does something a Christian shouldn't do, the Christian has no reason to yell at them. If an atheist is having sex before marriage, it makes no sense for me to say "Hey--the Bible says not to do that!" No more than it makes sense for a Hindu to come up to me and say "Hey--stop eating that cheesburger!" if I don't believe in reincarnation.
This has nothing to do with one group being more ethical than another, this has to do with reasonable expectation of behavior. And it is not logical--or reasonable--to expect a certain kind of behavior without its underpinning paradigms. That's why (to try to make this relevant to the post again) Christians have no cause to be outraged by offensive actions towards Christianity.
@ChrisRusso@xanga - Hence why this specific comment was specifically directed at what the person I originally tagged said and not at the post. And it is very unreasonable for you to assume that for instance an atheist wouldn't wait until marriage to have sex. It works both ways hun.
If you can't answer my question, then just stop butting into people's conversations?
@misswonderj@xanga - grow up? Proposition 8? which states what? Not having a TV doesn't help so enlighten us what Prop 8 stands for considering that some of live in caves... what is Proposition 8???
grow up??? so what you're saying is you're fine with this movie that is most definitely devaluing a central figure of a group's beliefs for the sake of monetary sales... but if someone made a movie that devalued Mohammed or Buddha or any OTHER faith-centered figure... that's unethical??? i don't see your logic
enlighten us...
@misswonderj@xanga - I quite agree with you. What I meant is that I wouldn't expect non-Christians to respect Jesus the way Christians do. They would have no reason to do so.
@leadworshipper82 - What I'm saying oh slow one is that acting intolerant doesn't cure intolerance. You're just out to see what happens if you throw a loose screw in a machine. As a Christian I thought you were above revenge?
And yes grow up. Enlighten yourself or rather, stop being stupid. =x
@misswonderj@xanga - I didn't say an atheist wouldn't wait until marriage to have sex. What I'm implying is that an atheist wouldn't wait until marriage to have sex because the Bible says so. Will you at least give me that? If he or she waits for marriage to have sex he or she will be waiting for a different reason.
You want to keep your conversations private, perhaps you might want to stay off public forums in the future. (There's always the message feature.) I know some of the context behind the statement that Pickwick made, and in her absence sought to explain, via the open conversation afforded by Revelife.
Having answered your question on three seperate occasions now, and having made as little progress as I have in rubbing a hole in my worry-stone, and suspecting that no orthodox answer I can provide will satisfy you, I will bid you good evening.