Stigmata

I watched Stigmata tonight.

A very powerful and heavy film - I'm not surprised that it was criticised by the Catholic Church. It's very easy for heavy religious-type films to be terrible, but this was good.

It really made me think (makes a change from Rambo 3 on Saturday afternoon!).

It was criticized for very good reason: it supports the Gospel of Thomas - which I think is bunk. I don't know all the details, but as you can see the movie basically portrayed several high-ranking Catholic officials as being willing to murder someone. Not nice.

I thought Stigmata was a really good movie. I don't have all the knowledge of the Christian world, but if movies and Tv portray it, it has to be true, right? Hah

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Stigmata is a very solid film. The imagery and atmosphere is just errie, but at the same time beautiful. Specifically the images of flowers, doves, and the roseary are compelling in a dark horror/thriller movie. The story is well thought out and definetly not predictable. I went into the movie thinking that it would be a cheap modern rip off of the Exorcist. This of course was not the case. In fact, Stigmata is more cinematically beautiful and in many ways a much more intelligently written film than any of the Exorcist movies. The characters are very well written. Both Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Bryne excell in their roles of tormented victim and tormented priest. Personally I love the message it sends, which is that religion is a personal and individual experience and that we don't need churches or preists to tell us how to worship.

Grade For Stigmata: B+
The film style, cinematography, and directing set a chilling atmosphere. A well written script on a unique idea. Solid performances by the main actors, not sure if you can really define it as a horror film or not, but whatever it is, its good.

I'd like to find out more about this Gospel of Thomas (see how good a film it is - it's actually got me thinking and interested in religion again!).

I even had a look around the Net yesterday for some info on Stigmata (as a phenomenon, not a film) - I found an anomale (sp?). The priest says that the first person to get Stigmata (I forget his name) only got the first two wounds - I read that he got all five. What's the real story?

Not sure about that, Ollie, but Stigmata is an interesting concept. I do, for the record, believe in it.

Mr Fong: I also agree that worship is a personal experience in nature, but I'm fairly sure the Bible makes it clear to us that we are to worship together when possible and form such congregations.

Now, I don't think God will be terribly offended by me if I sleep in and miss church, and read the Bible by myself that day, but if I repeatedly do so, it may become a problem.

As for the Gospel of Thomas: I'll have to ask my father about it, he's the expert on things like this. He explained it all to me after we saw the film, but I've forgotten some of it.

http://www.cin.org/franstig.html

Here it says that St. Francis Assissi received all 5 wounds - Gabriel Byrne in the film said that he only received 2.

It's all really interesting - I love this kind of stuff .

Yes but Gabriel Byrne also played the Devil in End of Days, so I wouldn't trust him...

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lol!

hey commish dude, For one, I never talked about the bible did I? NOPE, that was an assumption made by your mind.
And lets not get into a bible battle here, cause if you belive in everything the bible says then frankly you are an idiot. The bible was written by a bunch of MEN that existed a long time ago, and the bibles words are therefore filtered through them. And dont give me any BS about how they wrote the word of God, it was still filtered through them. Fundamentalists are basically thick skulled and ignorant, if you follow the bible it must be taken metaphorically. And if anyone is offended by the movie Stigmata, then all you do is sum up what is wrong with the world today, poeple taking things too personal and not taking responsibility for their own actions.
Im out...Amen Brotha

Actually what I think is wrong with the world is a lack of tolerance, which your last post displayed very clearly. I mentioned the Bible because you said you were SURPRISED that the Catholic Church didn't like the movie - so therefore it was a totally appropriate statement.

Oh, and by the way, I guess I'm an idiot: I believe the Bible. Some of it is a metaphor, some of it is not. Believe what you want, this is what I believe, and I'm certainly not a stupid person.

If you believe the world is at fault for lack of tolerance than you must be pretty simple minded. The only people that are closed minded and have no tolerance are religous fundamentalists that take the bible literally word for word. And America ona whole is obviouslly pretty tolerant since we have GW Bush as our president. That is as tolerant as you can get!

Oh yeah and hey smarty, I NEVER said i was surprised about the catholic church, in fact I NEVER even mentioned them at all. Only Ollie mentioned them at first, and he said he WASN'T surprised that they criticised the movie. To which you said, they were justified in doing so, but HELLO its just a movie, if you want to kill the Pope and burn him in your film, thats your story and your perogative.

Bottomline: Stigmata is a great movie with a solid message and Fundamentalist are holding America down.

Someones gotta lot of hostility in their life. Just feel the love Mr. Fong, feel the love.

I didn't want to be rude like you, but you've given me no choice, "Fong."

Oh yeah, I'm totally retarded. That's why I can compile Java programs, create PHP content mangagement systems with a MySQL backend, and help produce a radio show. Me is dumb.

The problem with the world is people like you who think that their way is THE way, and that anyone who disagrees must be stupid. Now THAT is close-minded.



You're entitled to your beliefs, but you're just loaded with propoganda here - you're not backing anything up. I don't take the Bible 100% literally - but I don't go to the other EXTREME and say it's all a metaphor either.

Bush is more of a man than Clinton, who lacks morals and has now admitted committing perjury. It's about time we had a President our military can be proud of.



Yeah, and this is just a message board, but you sure seem pretty worked up.

Sorry bud, but you're not the one who declares the ultimate bottom line for me. Here's my bottom line: Stigmata was a decent movie with an incorrect message (the Gnostics were the promoters of the Gospel of Thomas and are basically full of it).

Christians are the problem, eh? Tell me: how are the crime rates about religious people...lower or higher than that of non-religious people? I think you know the answer.

You think I'm worked up about this? This is the most fun I've had on this forum. once again you make assumptions and generalizations that stem from your feebled mind.

Im proud of your computer accomlishments, you are cool.
And as far as propaganda goes, Propaganda is good, how do you think Bush is president, with fact and intelligence?!
I hope we still have a working ecosystem after Bush is done with America.

BOTTOMLINE: Commish, I feel sorry for you, may god have mercy on your soul. I'll pray for you while you burn crosses on black poeples' yards. Since you are obviouslly a racist, Crime stems from poverty, not race or religion. Religous poeple don't commit crimes? That's propaganda son.

Ok Im gone, STIGMATA RULES!!!
Propaganda for the day: Reading is FUNdamental
It's Ok to PASS
I learned it from watching YOU!
GW Bush and Commish watch 7th heaven and so should you!

~laters... MR. FONG

One more thing, last time I checked, the genocides going on in Isreal and Rawanda and Tibet are all relgouslly motivated. Oh and Sastanism is a religion the last tiem i checked, they never do bad things, like mutilate people and sacrafice them now do they!?
HeHe funny, another point that just shows how I'm right AGAIN. knee slapper huh?

More propaganda: Christians have never killed anyone! Take up a religion and you will never committ adultry, never kill anyone, and basically never sin. Be like GW Bush, so you can say: I will serve america with Dignitude! and the question must be asked.. IS our children learning?

Alright, you're obviously just insecure and feel you need to insult others to make up for it. Yeah, I've got a feebled mind, sure.

Bush got a 1,200 on his SAT - far above the average. You know what that means? The guy is not flat out dumb, he is in-articulate. Big freakin' deal. Clinton was smart, but really screwed up.

As for propaganda: what I mean was that it's all raw opinion...no facts, nothing other than your OPINION. Nothing to back it up at all.

Boy, you don't listen: go read my post. You just read what you want to read. I didn't religious people didn't commit crimes. Go ahead and show me a quote where I said that. You won't have a dang thing.

I said that the rates are lower - I guess I'm stupid, even though you're the one jumping to conclusions and making mistakes.

Oh, and if you can give me a quote telling me why I'm racist I'd appreciate it, although I know you don't have jack-crap. You're just some nut slinging mud to cover your empty arguments.

Alright, I'm waiting for those two quotes - without them you've proven yourself to falsify things without anything behind them. I have a feeling I'll be waiting a long time for those quotes. Funny how you just accused me of making generalizations, too, when I'm now a racist and all fundamentalists are apparently bad for the rest of the world!

More deaths have resulted from secular hands than religous ones. FAR MORE. You havn't proved a dang thing.

As for Satanism: if you want to get that detailed, EVERYBODY has a religion, so your argument is basically moot.

At least he has some decency. I don't care if he can't speak worth crap. Better than someone who was great on the mike like Clinton but couldn't contain himself.

What is wrong with you Mr. Fong? Why do you feel the need to attack everyone? How do you know you are so right? Hell, I disagree with Chris when it comes to religon, and I completely disagree with almost everything you have said. The only thing I agree with you on is Bush, I don't like him, but he won't ruin the U.S. in to the ground, aparrently you don't have any idea how the government works. Right now Congress is pretty much split, anything Bush tries to do, has to be approved by Congress, and anything signifigant enough to change U.S. policy forever, will not be passed.

As for calling Chris a racist, where the hell did that come from? Just because he believes in the bible hes in the KKK or something?? What is wrong with you? Just because hes religous he watches 7th Heaven?? I'm one of the least religous people ever, and I watch that show occasionally. I don't watch it religously, no pun intended, but it's a good show.

Propaganda?? Where did you get that? How is that propaganda? You believing the opposite of Chris because of what you see, hear, and read, is the direct result of "propaganda" so be quiet.

It seems obvious to me that you lack a proper education. Now having said that you will most likely list all the schools and courses and grades you have gotten. I don't care. You obviously weren't brought up with manners. You need to show people respect. I don't see eye to eye with many people on many things, I have never once told someone that there opinion is wrong.

Hate to attack you, but you stepped out of line.

Ummmm...I thought this was a movie forum.

I've always found it the height of irony that the least tolerated group in this country is Christians, who are most often called intolerant.

I've also found that people who speak as Mr. Fong has been doing usually don't really *know* any true Christians that well in real life. Yes, there are fringe people in any social or religious group, but basic evangelical Christianity is not filled with racist, bigoted, stupid idiots. But nowadays it's just not cool to say that you actually believe in a right and wrong, in absolutes of any kind.

Oh, except that you absolutely cannot believe in absolutes. THAT won't be tolerated.

Can we get back to the topic at hand somehow? TWT, don't let the mudslinging continue in this thread.

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