![]() ![]() Their teachings and principles will eventually leave a person unsaved, without a relationship with Jesus Christ, and spending eternity in hell. To one degree or another, all cults deny the deity of Jesus Christ. ![]() First, the most dastardly, insidious mark of a cult is that it ignores or distorts the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The following characteristics will help us define and recognize the nature of a cult. Today, we will work with religious cults, defined by as “great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.” For example, “the singer's cult of fans” or “the film has a cult following.” The term “cult,” as expressed in the English language, can be used in both secular and religious settings. If we’re not extremely careful, they can draw us away from the truth. Paul is speaking to the early church-and to us-about cults. (Unless it was shaved off.) He does have hairy armpits, however, unlike Jeffrey Hunter in "King of Kings." In this film Jesus has no interplay with the two thieves and there's no scene of him being speared in the side."I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them" ( Acts 20:29-30). In fact, handsome Mark Deakins, who plays Jesus, might even be called a "hunk," though he has no hair on his chest. As to whether Jesus should look frail and aesthetic or healthy and robust, "The Lamb of God" goes with the latter view. His feet are not being shown nailed but this omission is not uncommon in Jesus movies. The Jesus in "The Lamb of God," however maintains a serene silence. Jeremy Sisto, the star of the 1999 "Jesus," actually howls in agony and writhes in a most undignified manner as he's crucified. It now seems okay to show Jesus reacting to his pain, even letting out a few cries. That's 37 agonizing blows from a hammer driving nails through his flesh but this Jesus lies there calmly, not squirming, not even saying "ouch." This approach has changed. In Joseph Breen's made-in-Spain Jesus movie from the late 1950s, for example, it takes 10 blows of the hammer to nail Jesus' left hand, 14 more for his right hand, 6 for his left foot and 7 for his right one. Earlier Jesus movies generally showed him accepting the pain of crucifixion without struggle or even murmur of complaint. Unlike crucifixions in other Jesus movies, this one thankfully dispenses with those ropes which are merely there to help hold the actor's arms in place. Perhaps to please both points of view, "The Lamb of God" shows nails being hammered both through the palms AND then through the wrists. Earlier Jesus movies showed him being nailed through the wrists, but revised thinking on this point has prompted recent movies to show Jesus being nailed through the wrists. Like virtually all films about Jesus, it has a crucifixion scene and it's interesting to note how this scene compares to similar scenes in the past. This good-looking and well-mounted film fortunately avoids the slightly sub-standard look and feel of many such movies sponsored by religious groups. ![]()
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