on Accuracy or the lack there of:
Many people of Jewish or Christian faith take issue with the movies because they are not 100% faithful to the Biblical telling, I do not have this problem. In Noah's case if the writers stayed true to the Bible the movie would have been a lot shorter with a lot less dialogue. In Exodus's case it may well have been longer.
In regards to Noah, I do not mind that the Nephilim in Noah were rock monsters who became angels through their sacrifice, theologically speaking no one really knows what the Nephilim were, so rock monsters are as good an explanation as any. I don't mind Noah's crisis of faith, in fact I applaud it, if the deluge was actually earth covering and humanity destroying I hope that Noah had a crisis of faith, I have a crisis of faith every time I even think of Noah's Ark and the cute little cartoon Noah and animals that adorn too many children's bedrooms. I don't mind Noah getting drunk, it's Biblical whether you like it or not. I don't mind that the children aren't as married as they should be. I don't mind because in my opinion none of that really matters nor does it change the story.
In regards to Exodus, I do not mind that Moses is tighter with Ramses and Seti. I do not mind that Moses gets banished as opposed to running away. I do not mind that there is a little boy who is either God or a messenger of God or that Moses is stuck in mud when he encounter this boy/messenger/God. I do not mind that Moses seems a little more in the dark about God's plan. I do not mind about the marital issues that Moses's revelation causes. I do not mind the crisis of faith that Moses has during the plagues. I frankly applaud Moses telling the boy/messenger/God that the death of the firstborns is wrong.
on the Problem:
All of that is not to say that I didn't have problems with the movies, because I did. some small, some big but none as big as what I am left with at this moment, much like the last moment. When did Moses, and Noah before him, become a warrior? Seriously, when did that happen? Why did that happen? Noah built an ark and then planted a vineyard and got drunk and cast out his son because he saw him naked and did nothing about it. Moses was not a prince of Egypt nor a general, he didn't want to set his people free because he had a speech impediment. He didn't threaten Ramses. He didn't teach the Hebrews war. He didn't stand down Ramses in the middle of the Red Sea as the waters crashed over them.
THIS. IS. NOT. THE. WAY. IT. WAS.
on Biblical Beauty:
The beauty of the Biblical story is that God does not choose the hero, God does not choose the strongman, God does not choose the born leader, God chooses the one with the disability, God chooses the shepherd boy, God chooses the youngest, God chooses the least, God chooses the harlot, God chooses the normal one, the one who can't accomplish it on their own, because they are too small, they are too weak, but God chooses them anyway. Moses does not need to threaten Ramses with a sword to his throat because he has a staff [not a sword] that he can turn into a snake, or that he can use to touch the water and make it as blood [without supercrocs], or touch the waters of the Red Sea and have them part miraculously. He triumphs over Ramses not because he has been schooled in the ways of war or because he is really good with a sword [assassins? seriously assassins?] but because God does every single thing that needs to be done, God chooses Moses, give him Aaron to speak for him, and leads him every step of the way.
If we need the Biblical heroes to be warriors then perhaps we've simply missed the whole point of the Bible in the first place.
Peace and Love,
Pastor K
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