Religious films/documentaries

G-Money · 13-01-2013 12:14pm #1

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for religious films and/or documentaries? I watched the Ten commandments recently and while it was good, it was quite long and old. I've also recently watched the Passion of the Christ and I guess I'd be interested in something similar, as in more recent and well made.

I'd also be interested in documentaries.

So any recommendations?

Thanks!

neemish · 13-01-2013 12:45pm

G-Money wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for religious films and/or documentaries? I watched the Ten commandments recently and while it was good, it was quite long and old. I've also recently watched the Passion of the Christ and I guess I'd be interested in something similar, as in more recent and well made.

I'd also be interested in documentaries.

So any recommendations?

Thanks!

The Way
The Song of Bernadette
The Nativity
Brother son, sister moon
Jesus of Nazareth
The Greatest Story ever told

Decent docs are hard to come by as they usually are commercially produced and have a definite sensational angle. If you can get your hands on Richard Barron's 'Catholicism' it is well worth a watch

Also have a think about movies that have a Christian message but are not necessarily 'religious' in their marketing eg
The lion the witch and the wardrobe (redemption, sacrifice, love)
Dead Man Walking (agape, redemption)
The Blind Side

The Lion King(what is my calling? Fatherly love, care of creation and those around us)

totus tuus · 13-01-2013 1:35pm

The story of Fatima

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvwcgsNA89g

georgieporgy · 13-01-2013 4:43pm

http://www.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK//video/imdb/vi2978388505/

"There Be Dragons" is pretty good:

Description: Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.

Onesimus · 13-01-2013 6:16pm

http://www.amazon.com/Ostrov-Island-version-English-subtitles/dp/B000LTTOOS

I highly reccommend you watch this film. It is my favourite film. I am Eastern Catholic in communion with Rome ( and this film is Orthodox ) but we share the same traditions pretty much.

It is one of my favourite movies alongside the Mission with Robert de niro and Jeremy Irons in it.

Onesimus · 13-01-2013 6:18pm

I forgot to add that if you do not want to buy it, you can watch it free on youtube. ( the Island that is).

Doc Farrell · 13-01-2013 9:46pm

A great movie, not mystical though, is Gregory Peck's 'the scarlet and the black', the true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flagherty saving lives in Rome under the noses of the Nazis. The story is worth googling. A genuine hero. Extraordinary kerryman!

Gumbi · 14-01-2013 2:49am

Doc Farrell wrote: »

A great movie, not mystical though, is Gregory Peck's 'the scarlet and the black', the true story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flagherty saving lives in Rome under the noses of the Nazis. The story is worth googling. A genuine hero. Extraordinary kerryman!

It's good. He's from Caherciveen I'm pretty sure; my family has a place there! Lovely place.

smash · 14-01-2013 10:18am

Would Christians ever watch a documentary such as Bill Maher's Religulous which sets out to debunk the bible?

philologos · 14-01-2013 10:23am

smash wrote: »

Would Christians ever watch a documentary such as Bill Maher's Religulous which sets out to debunk the bible?

I've watched it in full. His arguments were extremely poor.

smash · 14-01-2013 10:25am

philologos wrote: »

I've watched it in full. His arguments were extremely poor.

Then why could he not get decent answers off anyone?

Benny_Cake · 14-01-2013 10:32am

smash wrote: »

Then why could he not get decent answers off anyone?

I think it was because most of the people he spoke to were either extremists or weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, to say the least. I thought the Vatican astronomer was quite good and was able to explain the shortcomings in creationism better than Maher was. Francis Collins was pretty good too.

Bill Maher is a comedian and his primary weapon is ridicule. Which is fine, but it doesn't necessarily make for an informative documentary, although he can be quite funny.

Gumbi · 14-01-2013 12:46pm

Benny_Cake wrote: »

I think it was because most of the people he spoke to were either extremists or weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, to say the least. I thought the Vatican astronomer was quite good and was able to explain the shortcomings in creationism better than Maher was. Francis Collins was pretty good too.

Bill Maher is a comedian and his primary weapon is ridicule. Which is fine, but it doesn't necessarily make for an informative documentary, although he can be quite funny.

I think that Vatican astronomer did a fantastic interview with Richard Dawkins. (I'm assuming this is the same person)

nozzferrahhtoo · 14-01-2013 1:49pm

If you can get your hands on a copy of the BBC 3 documentary from 2009 called Deborah-13 I would recommend it.

The documentary basically follows the life of a home schooled 13 year old girl growing up in the UK with creationist parents who not only home school them from a Biblical perspective but sit them down in front of hours of material pumped out by people like convicted criminal and fraud Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind and Kirk "Banana man" Cameron

To say it brought tears to my eyes is an understatement. The child herself is a wonderful person and her faith unquestionable but there are so many heart breaking scenes such as the one where she breaks down crying at her own self loathing and explaining between sobs how she sees herself as a worthless and pathetic sinner not worthy of the love Jesus gives her and so forth. Yet I challange anyone watching it not to fall madly in love with her (in a platonic non sexual way before you all get up in arms

)

Whatever your perspective on religion I imagine this documentary will have something in it for you that will not leave you unaffected.

Edit: I have not checked it but one of my groupies (:p) just assured me it can be viewed for free here.

SebBerkovich · 14-01-2013 4:20pm

Religulous is just dreadful, no one wants to see a smarmy comedian self indulgently go about proving to the world how right he's always been.

The BBC (and to a slightly lesser extent Channel 4) have always done well to produce a variety of interesting documentaries on religion, i'd take a look at what they've got on the IPlayer or 4OD Religion is a broad subject so you're going to get a lot of stuff.

e_e · 14-01-2013 4:30pm

For the Bible Tells Me So
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0912583/

...and I agree that Religulous was garbage. Just a guy acting smug and bashing the same tired arguments over my head.

Benny_Cake · 14-01-2013 5:50pm

nozzferrahhtoo wrote: »

If you can get your hands on a copy of the BBC 3 documentary from 2009 called Deborah-13 I would recommend it.

The documentary basically follows the life of a home schooled 13 year old girl growing up in the UK with creationist parents who not only home school them from a Biblical perspective but sit them down in front of hours of material pumped out by people like convicted criminal and fraud Kent "Dr. Dino" Hovind and Kirk "Banana man" Cameron

To say it brougyes is an understatement. The child herself is a wonderful person and her faith unquestionable but there are so many heart breaking scenes such as the one where she breaks down crying at her own self loathing and explaining between sobs how she sees herself as a worthless and pathetic sinner not worthy of the love Jesus gives her and so forth. Yet I challange anyone watching it not to fall madly in love with her (in a platonic non sexual way before you all get up in arms )

Whatever your perspective on religion I imagine this documentary will have something in it for you that will not leave you unaffected.

Edit: I have not checked it but one of my groupies (:p) just assured me it can be viewed for free here.

Thanks for that, I heard about this a while back but had forgotten about it.I'll check it out...speaking of Kirk Cameron, Netflix currently has both Religulous and Left Behind 2:Tribulation Force as recommended movies for me.I don't even want to begin to think about what that says about me!

Some good documentaries mentioned here, and I'd second "For the Bible Tells Me So", no matter what your views, the love of the parents for their children and the personal courage of some of the kids will leave you moved.I'd also recommend Saint of 9/11, the Power of Forgiveness, Waiting for Armageddon, and an excellent PBS documentary about Jehovahs Witnesses called "Knocking", which is a strange mix of disturbing and inspiring.

Insp. Harry Callahan · 22-01-2013 12:00am

Watched a couple of good christian films there not so long ago
called "To save a life" and "Facing the giants" both worth watching I thought

El_Duderino 09 · 23-01-2013 12:51pm

Benny_Cake wrote: »

I think it was because most of the people he spoke to were either extremists or weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, to say the least. I thought the Vatican astronomer was quite good and was able to explain the shortcomings in creationism better than Maher was. Francis Collins was pretty good too.

Bill Maher is a comedian and his primary weapon is ridicule. Which is fine, but it doesn't necessarily make for an informative documentary, although he can be quite funny.

I agree some of the people he spoke to held extreme or ill formed views. On the other hand I've never seen a church say: we have X members but we don't count or accept donations from the people who don't know what they are talking about or extremists.

Ken Hamm put forward the case for creationism quite well. Francis Collins was good.