Paradise Now
Went to a pre-screening of the new movie Paradise Now last Wednesday. Everyone seemed to be speechless afterward, kind of like they were after The Passion of the Christ. (Before anyone takes issue with that, let me say that there is no comparision whatsoever with those two movies. I'm just comparing the feeling that you have when it's over.) I couldn't speak for a few moments afterward. The word I gave to the survey takers was "riveting".
I think every person should see this movie. It's very haunting, but I knew that before going--I mean it's a story about suicide bombers, how could it not haunt you? The movie is in Arabic, with English subtitles. There were many tense moments in the movie, as you can imagine. I will say (and I hope I don't spoil it for anyone)--you don't see anyone blow up. But you have gone through such an emotional roller coaster, that you may as well have seen a blast.
I got very angry at the suicide bombing recruiters. They really fed those young men a crock about being heroes and fed into the brainwashing they had been receiving all their lives. And they intimidated the young men into doing their dirty work for them. I would like to say to any recruiter--if your paradise is such a great place, why aren't you blowing yourself up?
However, I am a bit surprised at my response to some of the things I learned. While I may hate what the leaders are doing to their people, I feel the Palestinians aren't the monsters I thought they were.
I've always wondered how someone can get to the point of being a suicide bomber. Well, what if that were the only way you could be known as a "hero"? What if that were the only way you could "be somebody"? Apparently the Palestinians grow up in horrible circumstances and they are taught from a very young age that "fighting the resistance" is the only thing they can do. They feel they must give their bodies because there is nothing else to fight with.
I can understand this to a point. The way I grew up is much different from the way I think about life now. Growing up in central KY, one feels that you have to follow some certain path in life--a path that is filled with poverty and leads to destruction--and I was certainly on that path. If one breaks out of the mold and tries to be different or strive for a better life, you are practically shot down at every turn. This was my experience, except for a few good teachers who pushed me to excellence and believed that I could break out of the habits and destructive pattern of the past. And then Christ intervened in my life and gave me the strength to truly break free.
Jesus is in the business of changing lives. I actually know a Palestinian man who grew up being taught to hate Jews. Now that he is a Christian, he loves them. Jesus changed his heart. (I have his testimony if you want to read it.)
As the Bible says, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem--a place that has not truly been peaceful since Abraham and his sin with Hagar, which gave us Ishmael. We need to pray for the Israelis and the Palestinians. We need to pray that this horrible terrorist indoctrination will stop. And that the violence will stop. We need to pray for Christ to intervene. We need to be available in every way possible to take the true message of peace to these people. Why not pray for some teachers/leaders who will be brave enough to lead the way to peace?
If not, then--Maranatha, Lord Jesus.
Link about this movie to a story on WorldNetDaily:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47199
Link to movie site:
http://wip.warnerbros.com/paradisenow/
(I like the song Orange Sky on the website, folksy-cool)
I think every person should see this movie. It's very haunting, but I knew that before going--I mean it's a story about suicide bombers, how could it not haunt you? The movie is in Arabic, with English subtitles. There were many tense moments in the movie, as you can imagine. I will say (and I hope I don't spoil it for anyone)--you don't see anyone blow up. But you have gone through such an emotional roller coaster, that you may as well have seen a blast.
I got very angry at the suicide bombing recruiters. They really fed those young men a crock about being heroes and fed into the brainwashing they had been receiving all their lives. And they intimidated the young men into doing their dirty work for them. I would like to say to any recruiter--if your paradise is such a great place, why aren't you blowing yourself up?
However, I am a bit surprised at my response to some of the things I learned. While I may hate what the leaders are doing to their people, I feel the Palestinians aren't the monsters I thought they were.
I've always wondered how someone can get to the point of being a suicide bomber. Well, what if that were the only way you could be known as a "hero"? What if that were the only way you could "be somebody"? Apparently the Palestinians grow up in horrible circumstances and they are taught from a very young age that "fighting the resistance" is the only thing they can do. They feel they must give their bodies because there is nothing else to fight with.
I can understand this to a point. The way I grew up is much different from the way I think about life now. Growing up in central KY, one feels that you have to follow some certain path in life--a path that is filled with poverty and leads to destruction--and I was certainly on that path. If one breaks out of the mold and tries to be different or strive for a better life, you are practically shot down at every turn. This was my experience, except for a few good teachers who pushed me to excellence and believed that I could break out of the habits and destructive pattern of the past. And then Christ intervened in my life and gave me the strength to truly break free.
Jesus is in the business of changing lives. I actually know a Palestinian man who grew up being taught to hate Jews. Now that he is a Christian, he loves them. Jesus changed his heart. (I have his testimony if you want to read it.)
As the Bible says, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem--a place that has not truly been peaceful since Abraham and his sin with Hagar, which gave us Ishmael. We need to pray for the Israelis and the Palestinians. We need to pray that this horrible terrorist indoctrination will stop. And that the violence will stop. We need to pray for Christ to intervene. We need to be available in every way possible to take the true message of peace to these people. Why not pray for some teachers/leaders who will be brave enough to lead the way to peace?
If not, then--Maranatha, Lord Jesus.
Link about this movie to a story on WorldNetDaily:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47199
Link to movie site:
http://wip.warnerbros.com/paradisenow/
(I like the song Orange Sky on the website, folksy-cool)
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