Silence of the Flock?: 40 Days Before Hurricane Katrina

I just posted about my evacuation from Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina,

Well, I recently discussed with a couple of friends that not long before that, I got mad about an atheistic movie playing in my home town.  In fact, I wrote a letter and with the approval of my pastor, delivered it to about 50 local churches.  I went to as many Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, non-denominational, etc churches that I could find.  I asked them to post it or to read it to their parishioners, congregation, etc.

I'm guessing that some of you are thinking I was being my normal out-of-control self, or maybe just rolling your eyes, but it is what it is.

Ironically (or NOT), 40 days later, I was finishing up preparations to evacuate.  I find the whole thing very interesting, if nothing else, now.  Even though the movie is no longer of significance, I think the question raised in the letter is still (and maybe more so) relevant.  See what you think.

Here's the transcript of the letter:

Silence of the Flock?

“Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the disobedient.” (Ephesians 5: 6) 

Last Friday morning, I was having breakfast with a friend, when he shoved an article from the Lagniappe section of the Times Picayune in my face saying, “Can you believe this!!?” The article was a piece on “The God Who Wasn’t There”, listed first as a “documentary” and then a “movie” which “merits a PG-13 rating”.

The movie portrays Jesus as a “myth, another hero tale modeled on a classic paradigm”, and the theater  Chalmette Movies 9, proudly claims “partnership” with the New Orleans Secular Humanist Association.

I have to say that I was very upset that this movie was playing at the theater in our own community. How did we let this happen? Are we that silent in our community that this movie is not only being shown (for nine days), but is proudly touted on the theater's “movie line” as the top billing? In case you haven’t noticed, a large majority of this theater's patrons are our children (and grandchildren).

This was still weighing on my mind when I got home, so I decided to visit the theater to voice my disappointment. I spoke with a lady who identified herself as “one of” the managers of the theater. I (calmly and politely) expressed to her that I was not pleased that the theater chose to play this movie in our hometown, telling her that while they had a right to play what they wanted to, that neither I nor my children would frequent the theatre in the future as my only recourse in protesting their decision.

She proceeded to tell me, “We’re showing the movie because another group asked us to play it. We’ll play anything here. Last week, we played a Mormon movie. We’ll play Christian movies too.” I told her that I appreciated her honesty, but the fact that they would play “anything” really didn't make me feel better about the situation, and that I would urge others who thought as I do to also stop frequenting the theater.

So here we are…I am asking you to consider taking 5 minutes of your time to go to this theater (there is not a phone number to call that will allow you to speak with anyone or to leave a message.) and in a Christian-like manner, politely inform them that you too are not pleased with their decision to play the movie.

“For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” (Ephesians 6: 12)