![]() To his horror, Rodrigues discovers that Ferreira has renounced his faith. But the second, Father Rodrigues (based on the historical Giuseppe Chiara), is taken to Nagasaki where he reunites with his old mentor, Father Ferreire. Eventually though, they and their secret congregants are discovered by Japanese authorities and urged to do the unthinkable - apostatize (or renounce their faith) by trampling on a fumie, a crudely carved image of Christ. Once in Japan, the two priests find a remnant of faithful Christians and begin ministering to them in secret. Their goal is to find their mentor, Father Cristovao Ferreira (based on the historical figure by the same name) who's gone missing, and reportedly has renounced his faith. The movie, based on the historical novel by Shusaku Endo, tells the story of two 17 th-Century Portugese priests, who willingly enter Japan during a time of intense persecution of the church. Though the film certainly has important redeeming qualities, and is largely being praised by the Christian community, it also is deeply disturbing - and potentially hazardous to one's spiritual health. Instead of exaltation, it climaxes with a priest committing apostasy - trampling on an image of Christ, allegedly because Jesus told him to do so. 23 and fully releases on Friday, turns all of this on its head. The new Martin Scorsese film Silence, which had a limited debut on Dec. And they prompt me to pray that God would make me faithful. Their faithful witness caused the Church to flourish in the most inhospitable environments, and prompted second-Century theologian Tertullian to remark: "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."Īs I watch these films, I can't help but wonder if I would have the courage to follow in their footsteps. These stories remind me of the martyrs of the church, who chose to be burned at the stake or fed to wild animals rather than recant their faith. Julie Roys is host of a national talk show on the Moody Radio Network called "Up For Debate.” Similarly, To End All Wars, which depicts the true story of a Christian P.O.W., crucified by his Japanese captors during World War II, deeply moves me too. To this day, seeing Scottish Knight William Wallace (portrayed by Mel Gibson) endure torture and death for the freedom of his countrymen inspires me. This is why Braveheart remains one of my favorite movies, despite the fact that I hate violence and rarely watch R-rated films. My favorite movies always include what my theater professor in college called "exaltation" - a character who remains true to his principles and therefore is exalted, even if he loses or dies.
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