Pax Christi, everybody!
Is it a sin to enjoy Monty Python’s The Life of Brian, or any film somewhat critical of The Faith?
I don’t see it critical of Jesus in the slightest, far from it.
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I think John Cleese himself said he couldn’t find anything about Jesus to make fun of anyway!
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I personally have not viewed it, but I sort of think my father did at some point.
History lecture series with background to a lecture that is critical of Christianity or ancient Judaism (closest I’ve come) tend to just get me annoyed, rather than anything else.
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If there was some sort of ‘heresy’ scale, I suspect that film would be over-the-top triggering for most conservative Christian families who have current active interest in keeping their brood at least somewhat sheltered from worldly entertainment. Probably most (myself included) who have watched Monty Python (including Life of Brian) did so while closer to college age ourselves, or else after we no longer had young children about. It isn’t so much a question of mockery (pretty much everything traditional gets mocked in Monty Python) as it is of the audience just getting used to it - and even liking edgy British humor and accepting that stuff is going to get poked fun of.
That particular movie has scenes depicting scene’s from Brian’s (parallel to Jesus’) experiences up to and including crucifixion scenes. Anybody who will get offended by such serious subjects being treated with anything less than total solemnity will end up thoroughly offended. (And I suspect John Cleese would have thought he wasn’t doing his job if they failed to be offended.) One could argue that it isn’t Christianity that is being directly mocked so much as all the stuff we’ve done with it. But even so, I don’t recommend this sort of stuff to anyone unless I know they already like Monty Python.
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All my English vicars, left, right and centre did. My US cult didn’t.
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Listening to what critics of Christianity have to say is a good habit. Laughing at ourselves is an even better habit. And that also goes for asking questions and entertaining doubts. All GOOD habits not bad habits.
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Naturally the same is true for the un-Goded. In the past I think it would have more often been the pious who find it hard to laugh at himself. But today, while there are still religious prigs, I suspect it is the atheist who more often takes himself too seriously.
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Have you got an example?
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Not really. This suspicion is based kn my encounters with both groups online.
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Ah, yes, you’ve suffered at their [unenlightened] hands I know.
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Virtual hands since where else does one date chat about religion?
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