The Discovery Channel has just aired another controversial documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus. Before Christians start overreacting to the documentary or the actions of the executive producer, Oscar award-winning filmmaker James Cameron, kindly read this from Rod Bennett's blog, Tremendous Trifles. While you're there, find time to click on the online version of Hilaire Belloc's classic essay, The Approach to the Skeptic. Good reading.
Picture of Indiana Jones comes courtesy of Indiana Jones.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
How to Deal
4 comments:
I actually caught the documentary last night when it aired over here...and ended up changing channels about forty-five minutes into it.
Okay, fine, I was "studying", but more to the point:
It had the potential to be an interesting documentary, but I thought what I did get to see was poorly done. It struck me as a documentary filmmaker's stab at science rather than a scientist's documentary. Plenty of dramatic effect but little real content.
Also, I was "uncomfortable" with the fact that the film drew from non-Catholic scholarship on the Bible. This is not to criticize that body of scholarship per se, which is interesting in its own right. It was just a little too left field for me.
But enough about that. Time to hit the books again.=p
I understand your frustration. That a supposed serious documentary would have "plenty of dramatic effect but little real content" hits too close to Philippine politics for me. :-) The comment about non-Catholic scholarship is rather interesting. I've found encountered examples of exemplary non-Catholic scholarship, particularly comments on John Paul II's insights on the person, but a lot of non-Catholic scholarship seems intent on reinventing the wheel. A lot of non-Catholic scholars seem reluctant to mine the rich scholastic history of the Catholic Church simply because it is the Catholic Church. As such, their exegesis into matters of faith seems too labored. But that's just my opinion, of course. Please feel free to correct me, people! :-)
I have not seen it yet, but want to see what all the hopola is about. I must say, it seems like an interesting discovery, but can't really say more until I actually see the documentary.
Good point, Tweet. I'm trying to get a less than legal copy (wink wink) of the documentary as we speak. :-P
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