AGIR <" Can ANYone recall a movie which portrayed Christians as decent, upstanding people ?"

I can, and these are just a few of the ones I found. Go to any good Christian book store AGIR, and you will find many more.

I am surprised you didn't know:

Joseph, 1995
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 1999
Moses (1996, TNT Bible Series)
The Prince of Egypt
The Ten Commandments: The Musical
The Ten Commandments, 2006 TV series
The Ten Commandments, 2007
Jeremiah (1998, TNT Bible Series)
Daniel and the Lions (Liken Bible Series), 2006
David and Goliath (Liken Bible Series), 2005
Solomon & Sheba (1995) (TV) (USA)
The Kingdom of Solomon, 2009
Samson and Delilah, 1996 (TNT Bible Series)
The Passion of the Christ (2004) (USA)
The Son of Man (2005) (South Africa)
The First Christmas (Liken Bible Series (2006) (USA)
The Gospel of Mark (2006)
The Nativity Story (2006) (USA)
Color of the Cross (USA) (2006)

Anyone can find movies about good and bad people of any religious persuasion, just as you can in real life.

Dear Suz

thanx for that. Though some of them were not 'Christian' more Old Testament stuff..and others were specifically produced by Christians.

I'm referring more to the output from Hollywood.

I'm happy to be informed if you have any more.. I must confess that our image and self esteem feels like it's been rather battered since the 60s.

Though..I was overwhelmed by the very generous and warm reception and interaction from some very intelligent people at the MindBodySpirit festival. (including a Muslim :).. all it takes is an attitude of moving toward truth and when limits are reached with understanding difficult issues... we just have to admit it.
People seem to respect this.

I spoke with a woman who had 2 children 'out of wedlock' as she put it..and over which she felt that 'The Church' did not see her in a very positive light. She transferred this to her perception of God..

I read the following passage to her..

1 Cor 13:1-7
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+13&version=NIV

I think you will see why.

cheers and thanx for your helpful contribution.

Dear Aime

your comments about

//They heard you like sheep and fleece you of your money. Just take a look at all the preachers of churches like the Salt Shakers, Seven Day Adventists, Assembly of God etc. How is it that those preachers all drive fancy cars, have an expensive hair-do and suits//

are very negative and full of HATE... you are a TROLL.. back OFF .. you are EVIL ...

*gotcha* :) kidding.

You are absolutely correct.. and I'm glad you raised those points.

You touched on what, in evangelical circles is called "The Prosperity Gospel"...characterized by "Trussst GOD.. Givvvvve to GOD..and he will BLESS YOU abundantly with prosperity.. finance miracles.. romance miracles.. job miracles... etc etc."

One of the most blatant of this is found in "Rev" Peter Popoff.

http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3164858&page=1

AAah that MIRACLE SPRING WATER :)

What did Jesus teach about being his dispiple?

"Blessed are the meek"
"If any man would follow me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily"

How did the early Church act in regard to material things ?

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (Acts 2)

It's always a good idea to consult the 'owners manual' for cars and also for faith.

It will help us to recognize scams and falsehood.

Dear Al,

What a wonderful idea for a thread, and
I am so pleased that I inspired you to
start something positive.

There are of course many positive contributions
of Australian Christians to our society.

Saint Vincent de Paul is the largest Catholic charity.
There are many others. Dr Paul Collins
tells us in his book, "Believers..."
"...in the heart of Melbourne's St Kilda, parts of which
are a 'red light' district, Sacred Heart Mission, provides
300 to 400 people with a three-course lunch every day.
It all began in 1982 in the presbytery kitchen next to
the Italian Rennaisance-style church when Father Ernie
Smith, then parish priest, started feeding lonely people
from local boarding houses. He told 'The Age,' (19/05/03)
that many people 'had landed in rooming houses without any
support. It was a world of loneliness...People used to
say St Kilda was a bad place, but I'd say, 'No, it's not
a bad place, it's a sad place.'
The meals not only offer nutrition, but also
try to build community and create social connections
among homeless people..."

Then there's Father Chris Riley who began his work for
youth in Sydney. He founded and developed 'Youth Off the
Streets' (YOTS). A member of the Salesians of Don Bosco,
an Italian-founded religious order devoted to the care of
youth.

Australia
already has one saint, Blessed Mary Mackillop. Many think
the second should be a Wiradjuri woman from Cowra in
central-western New South Wales, Colleen Shirley Smith,
known to everyone as 'Mum Shirl.' Over the years Mum Shirl
influenced Father Ted Kennedy at Saint Vincent's parish
in Sydney's Redfern, when he turned the resources of the
church over to caring for dispossessed urban Aborigines.

"The Encyclopedia of Aboriginal Australia," says that her
work at Saint Vincent's "evolved into an informal welfare
agency for a mixed clientele of ex-prisoners, children
in need, single parents, alcoholics, and young probationers.
With no money of her own, she often ran her services on her
own sickness benefits... By the 1990s Mum Shirl had assisted
some 6000 people."

Al I read that piece a couple of times. I can see no demonisation, the story was indeed written with a sensational headline but this is the nature of the media and would have been the same as comments from an Imam. Remember the Hilaly comments about uncovered meat.

If the report is honest in factual content, I cannot see a case for demonisation, if the facts have been misreported with the intent of inflicting harm on the reputation of the Catholic Church without basis then that is a different matter. The Catholic Church and any Church has to take responsibility for their own behaviour, just as a militant Imam has to take responsibility for inciting violence.

There is no issue with religion. As an atheist I am not for or against any religious belief as long as that belief does no harm to others. In most faiths, there is more good than bad - it is simply that the bad is usually grist to the mill for a journalist's pen.

"very negative and full of HATE... you are a TROLL.. back OFF .. you are EVIL ...

*gotcha* :) kidding."

Ha,ha,ha! Loved it!

You know, I was dragged up in the Catholic church system. A small child without rights and couldn't understand the bullying I experienced by some of the nuns. It wasn't a case of 'my way or the highway' but rather "my way or you don't get out of here alive!" Were these really disciples of God? By the time I left school, I was changed forever, but brainwashed so that I still feared an afterlife of misery and suffering. I guess I didn't get out of there alive!

In my thirties, I began to study various religions and found them all to be wanting. Religion began to make less and less sense. Held up against logic, religion pales into insignificance. I kept asking myself and anyone who would listen.... "How is it that every brand of religion says they're the only true church? All but one of them must be wrong, but which one?" Buddhism came the closest for me, but unfortunately I can't believe in the notion of reincarnation, so Buddhism becomes meaningless for me although I do try and follow their philosophy on money and the treatment of sentient beings. Make only what you need to live on and hurt nothing alive. When I eat a piece of chicken or open a can of tuna, I even fall down on that one. Mind you, I refuse to eat dead lambs!

So getting back to Mr. Meyer, he was a great producer of money, but using Buddhist rationalisation, why the need to make so much money? Isn't enough to live on enough?

I'm sure we could debate this religious thing for hours Mr. AGiR, but in the end, it would amount to nothing. I came to realise years ago that you can't make a dedicated religious person see sense, especially one who knows their craft, so I now simply ask these people to agree to disagree and leave it at that.