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Facing the Giants

King of the Americas

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K
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Nov 15, 2001
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I picked up a movie from the public library, half ways by accident. It was a 'new' movie that had just been cataloged, so I knew it was something I hadn't already seen...

I was right, I HADN'T seen it. I wish that I could still say so.

The movie was produced by a Babtist church, that was the first hint that this was a different kind of movie. Of course THAT hint was in very fine print on the back of the movie, along with the fact that it was rated "PG", due to "strong thematic content".

The subject was a high school football coach that has had back to back medicore seasons for 5 straight years, he drives a piece of crap car, and he can't get his wife pregnant because he is shooting blanks. THEN, he turns his life over to Christ...

All of a sudden, his team starts winning, someone gives him a car, and you guessed it, his wife gets pregnant. But don't get the wrong idea, his wife wasn't sleeping around, this is a Christian film. All this stuff happened because the coach turned his and his team's attention toward God. Which is fine, but...

They didn't base this story on a true story. It was totally made up. The team even goes to the Championship game, where they face a much larger team. (intended to draw on the David vs Goliath story) No where (except Indiana high school basketball) do big schools face small schools in championship games for state titles.

And I have a problem with this.

I mean I am sure it 'could' happen. I have heard of lots of people turning their lives around after getting God, in their lives, but it seems really disingenuous to completely make up a story about it happeneing.

Say I make a movie about this kid who is a real loser, he is poor, unpopular, and has no sports skills to talk about. Then he starts snorting coccain. Suddenly he is the life of the party, he is making money hands over fist, and he finds out that he has a knack for music and starts a band that takes the top of the charts by storm. I mean, it COULD happen, right?

I actually wanted to present this post over in the entertainment section, but I thought there might be more give and take here.

Any thoughts?
 
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Wait, how closely did they adhere to the David vs. Goliath thing? Last time I read the Bible, Goliath offered to duel Israel's champion and swore that the loser of the duel would surrender. Then David killed him and the Israelites massacred all the Philistines even though they were going to surrender.

Did the winning football team slaughter the spectators who rooted for the wrong team?
 
I didn't make it to the end of the movie. I was hugging the toilet by the time they made it to the championship game, to face The Giants.
 
Go into any bookstore and look in the Religion section. I used to work in a Barnes & Noble, who have a section called "Religious Fiction". Boy, if ever two words belonged together... Anyway, it's pretty much like what you described. Make up a hackneyed story with the predictable ending, and make barely literate saps happy (while making yourself richer) by flattering their ideology.
 
This is classic 700 club style. "i was poor, but once i started giving money to the 700 club every week i started to get rich'. its completely rediculous, for obvious reasons. The money they got cant be connected to giving money away unless its to a good investor. These are supposedly 'true' stories, oh and ones about being healed after hearing pat robertson talk about their condition and pray for them. I actually had a bladder infection once when he was on tv, saying 'you have an infection of the bladder, pray with me now and you will be healed'. I thought '**** you pat' and it got better anyway. lol. if I had prayed along i easily could have said it was because of that, but obviously it wasnt.
 
I completly agree...I was watching this movie and thinking oh no here we go again. I wanted so badly for them to lose that championship game or something to go wrong. Although I would much rather watch this movie with my family than say Saw, it gives a false impression that when you give your life to Christ life will be just ducky...so when someone does this and finds out that being a Christian can be hard at times and things don't always work out we get another backslider.
 
JF, I'm a little surprised at your comment. How is this movie theme any different than your story of your great wife and family even though you did not finish school?
 
Ok let me say again...there will be tough times if you are a Christian. In the other post I was wondering how others respond to good events as gifts from God or luck or what ever...In no way was I trying to say my life was perfectly wonderful.
 
Cello Man said:
Go into any bookstore and look in the Religion section.
Click to expand...

I'm a bibliophile from way back and shop at several excellent second-hand books. My favourite one has a sign permanently in evidence: BIBLES AND RELIGION HALF PRICE.

Says it all.
 
Ha, one of my professors wrote a review of this movie that was so scathing his wife made him pull it down.
 
jesus_freak said:
I completly agree...I was watching this movie and thinking oh no here we go again. I wanted so badly for them to lose that championship game or something to go wrong. Although I would much rather watch this movie with my family than say Saw, it gives a false impression that when you give your life to Christ life will be just ducky...so when someone does this and finds out that being a Christian can be hard at times and things don't always work out we get another backslider.
Click to expand...


Yeah. And that only (and not really) explains people who accepted religion later in life. After having lived some of life, I mean, and having had a chance to "sin." It doesn't address people who were reared in religion, and knew nothing else but that, and STILL found it empty and full of broken assurances. Who found that life wasn't tough "at times" but each and every single stinking, worthless day.

You can keep implying that atheists must all be folks who came to religion later than childhood, and moved away because they liked their old lives better....that will never adress what could possibly have happened to discourage those who were brainwashed from infancy.
 
So.

Did the "good guys" cheat by getting assistence from God? Or did they earn it honestly?

:duck:
 
Beerina, of course God helped them win. He has a vested interest in sports, after all. War, famine, disease, genocide...not so much. But a good game of high school basketball? That is pivotal enough to get the Lord of Creation involved. :D
 
Giants: "We would have won the game if it wasn't for Jesus".

;)
 
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