Since I do not make it a practice to go to the movies, I have not seen and do not expect to see "The Nativity." Therefore, what I am about to say is certainly second-hand. But anyway, here are some thoughts:
- The reviews tell us that Mary initially rebels at the choice her parents made for her marriage--Joseph. It is not only doubtful that this would happen in a time when all marriages were arranged, it also goes against the biblical portrayal of Mary's character.
- It also appears that the wise men are portrayed as clowns. That is, they are used to provide comic relief for the film. One reviewer saw them as a poor imitation of the Three Stooges. This is an example of the world looking on the wisdom of God as foolishness.
- Interestingly enough, the 16-year-old girl who played Mary just became pregnant in real life. She reported that she was thrilled with the pregnancy. However, unlike Mary of old, this girl admits that the father is her live-in boyfriend. The promoters of the film are leaving her out of some of the publicity at this point in time. I'm surprised they have that much discernment.
- "The Nativity" is the first full feature film in history to have its premier showing at the Vatican. Even "The Passion" missed out on this honor. This is telling.
I am sure that "The Nativity" is filled with the errors that most people miss by following tradition and not the Bible. I am not surprised that the reviewers I read did not know enough of the Bible to catch these errors. [Why am I so sure they missed them? I a pretty sure because, if the movie had gotten it right, this would have been so surprising that the reviewers would have mentioned it. I will admit it if someone proves me wrong on this.] What am I talking about? Let me give a couple of these items:
- I would expect that the angels in the movie have wings. The Bible never mentions an angel with wings.
- The movie probably follows the tradition of three wise men. The Bible mentions three gifts but never tells how many wise men there were. Also, they are never said to be kings. I wonder what the movie did with this.
- One of the biggest blunders most nativity stories make is to have the wise men show up while Jesus is still in the manger. In truth, they show up a year or so after Jesus was born and the family was then living in a house (Matthew 2:11).
This movie is touted as being true to the Bible story. I really doubt it--and I don't have to go see it to know. The world is soooo predictable.
