At the center of a controversial documentary scheduled to be seen on the Discovery Channel is Academy Award winner James Cameron. The director of “Titanic” has now created another sinking ship of a story, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus”.
Cameron’s story will contend that a first century tomb discovered in 1980 in a Jerusalem suburb did contain the remains of Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene, his mother Mary and his son, Judah. Also released at this time is a book about the tomb that has already climbed up the bestseller list to number five.
Scholars and religious leaders, liberal and conservative, have lined up to debunk the film’s claims. That of course leads to the question, “If every credible scholar and archeologist has debunked the finding and conclusions, why are so many people buying the book and ready to tune in to see the documentary?”
I asked the same question when 50 million copies of “The DaVinci Code” were sold and then turned into a blockbuster movie.
The reality is that there is a market for stories that contradict the truth about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dan Brown is tremendously wealthy because of “The DaVinci Code”. Cameron will make a lot of money.
But aside from the money I see another factor behind Jesus distortions. Obviously if Jesus was buried in a tomb where one can find his DNA and he married and had children, then the Gospel account of Jesus being divine, a substitutional and atoning sacrifice for our sins who conquered death and rose from the grave, is a myth. If the Gospel is a myth then it has no moral power over our lives.
If Judeo-Christian teachings (10 Commandments, Golden Rule, Heaven & Hell, etc.) are in fact based upon ancient myths then there would be no good reasons for most of the moral values, restraints and guidelines that are still a part of our culture and way of life. There would be no sanctity of life, no absolutes about right and wrong, and no promise of an afterlife of blessing and rewards. Does this remind you of a worldview and agenda of a powerful segment of our society that just happens to be well represented in Hollywood?
Cameron’s story will contend that a first century tomb discovered in 1980 in a Jerusalem suburb did contain the remains of Jesus, his wife Mary Magdalene, his mother Mary and his son, Judah. Also released at this time is a book about the tomb that has already climbed up the bestseller list to number five.
Scholars and religious leaders, liberal and conservative, have lined up to debunk the film’s claims. That of course leads to the question, “If every credible scholar and archeologist has debunked the finding and conclusions, why are so many people buying the book and ready to tune in to see the documentary?”
I asked the same question when 50 million copies of “The DaVinci Code” were sold and then turned into a blockbuster movie.
The reality is that there is a market for stories that contradict the truth about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Dan Brown is tremendously wealthy because of “The DaVinci Code”. Cameron will make a lot of money.
But aside from the money I see another factor behind Jesus distortions. Obviously if Jesus was buried in a tomb where one can find his DNA and he married and had children, then the Gospel account of Jesus being divine, a substitutional and atoning sacrifice for our sins who conquered death and rose from the grave, is a myth. If the Gospel is a myth then it has no moral power over our lives.
If Judeo-Christian teachings (10 Commandments, Golden Rule, Heaven & Hell, etc.) are in fact based upon ancient myths then there would be no good reasons for most of the moral values, restraints and guidelines that are still a part of our culture and way of life. There would be no sanctity of life, no absolutes about right and wrong, and no promise of an afterlife of blessing and rewards. Does this remind you of a worldview and agenda of a powerful segment of our society that just happens to be well represented in Hollywood?
Yes, Jesus distortions sell. But Jesus distortions also advance a way of thinking and a way of life that is insidious.
April 13 UPDATE:
Several prominent scholars who were interviewed for the documentary are now revising their conclusions, including the statistician who claimed that the odds were 600:1 in favor of the tomb being the family burial cave of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Jerusalem Post has the complete story.
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