Praying in movies

[LadyOfMystery]

So every time I watch a movie and someone prays, either at the dinner table, or about someone who is sick or whatever the case my be I always have to hold in a groan just because I find it insulting especially when they make light of it and pray something either dirty or just stupid. Now I have seen a few movies where they either kept it short and it wasn't a big deal or whoever made the movie is religious and it was actually a very nice prayer.
What do y'all think when you see praying in movies/tv? Do y'all find it insulting or you don't mind it or what? Why or why not?

 

[toastface_grillah]

I don't take it seriously. It's a little bit like if we Americans tried to put together a traditional Uzbek dish (random foreign culture) without knowing all the ingredients or the cooking time. Evangelical Christianity is such a foreign culture to most of Hollywood that we can't possibly expect them to portray it without either watering it down to something feel goody and sentimental, or as off-kilter as a pack of homicidal crazies.

 

[penNpaper]

Fire Proof is a good movie sure there are some that will say "Thanks for the food" and crap - it happens - I wish there were more religious movies was as good as Fire Proof and some others ones.

I just wish Left Behind movies were done better. I did like the actor that did the Antichrist though - it was convincing

God Bless,
Drew

 

[HighwayMan]

I thought there wasn't a wrong way to pray?

 

[Apollo Celestio]

Never even thought of it..

 

[broken_one]

I don't really care. I have prayed for non-"right" things myself at times, so yeah that happens from time to time.

 

[DCN2]

I don't even give it a second thought. A movie is suppose to get you away from reality for a cpl of hours.

 

[SullivanZ]

I don't care.

 

[Edwards1984]

So every time I watch a movie and someone prays, either at the dinner table, or about someone who is sick or whatever the case my be I always have to hold in a groan just because I find it insulting especially when they make light of it and pray something either dirty or just stupid. Now I have seen a few movies where they either kept it short and it wasn't a big deal or whoever made the movie is religious and it was actually a very nice prayer.
What do y'all think when you see praying in movies/tv? Do y'all find it insulting or you don't mind it or what? Why or why not?

I can't say I have, but I may have not watched the right movies. The only bad prayers I've seen in movies are in cheesy Christian movies where the only prayer is the cliche "born again" moment. It doesn't come across as powerful, it just makes me think, "Yeah, I saw this coming five minutes in..." Actually one film that comes to mind that made me groan with the praying was Gods and Generals. Throughout the entire movie, Stonewall Jackson will randomly break out in prayer for like five minutes. The most disturbing thing was it was either said in the context of or before/after talking about killing Northerners. It was so prevalent in that movie that for a month afterward my dad and I would jokingly take off our hats, look up at the sky, and go: "O Lord...bless my food before I go out and kill the Yankees and stab their wives and slaughter their children..."

I've seen some good prayer scenes in movies, though. For some reason the one that immediately comes to mind is the the 1930's James Cagney film The Fighting 69th, where they have a scene where the Roman Catholic chaplain (Pat O'Brien) prays for the unit. I also thought Jim Caviezel's rendition of Christ's Gethsemane prayer in Passion of the Christ was probably the best put to film.

 

[Keri]

I think the dinner prayer in Talledega Nights was hilarious.

 

[LadyOfMystery]

Yeah I know what you mean about the cheesy prayers. I guess I just meant like in comedies for the most part, where they almost mock God during the prayers, like for example in a movie I watched recently (the movie slips my mind at the moment of course) a woman prayed for her and her husband to quit having pre-marital sex, that they were sorry and they wanted to repent, but then right after the prayer was over it was very well put that they had full intent to do it again. Or like I've seen in movies where they'll curse during the prayer, and use the f word and whatnot and Im just sitting there like...You're praying to God.. I'm really touchy about all that, reverence and stuff it really bothers me. lol

 

[Tink]

It doesn't bother me because movies are make believe. If I seriously heard someone praying and using the f word - I might think twice. However, I would NEVER say anything because a) God speaks to us the way we are. Since prayer is conversation with God, it's not my place to say anything about the way they converse with him. B) I don't pray out loud - so I'm thinking they may know something I don't.

 

[broken_one]

If I seriously heard someone praying and using the f word - I might think twice.

I believe it was either the Psalmist or the writer of Isiah (there were more than one) that pretty heartily swore at God in their lamentation.

I suppose prayer could be seen as a "keeping it real" time with God (in a non-hip-hop way), but I'm not a big prayer so yeah.

 

[Tink]

I believe it was either the Psalmist or the writer of Isiah (there were more than one) that pretty heartily swore at God in their lamentation.

I suppose prayer could be seen as a "keeping it real" time with God (in a non-hip-hop way), but I'm not a big prayer so yeah.

That wouldn't really surprise me, but do you have a source so I can look at the research?

I hope you do!!!

Keepin' it really can be done without swearing. Like I said, though - God talks to us the way we are....so...

 

[Blank123]

I think the dinner prayer in Talledega Nights was hilarious.

me too!

yeah but i don't really think too much about prayer in movies to be honest. Sometimes its funny. sometimes its cheesy and corny. sometimes its just perfect for the scene.

 

[broken_one]

That wouldn't really surprise me, but do you have a source so I can look at the research?

Could someone in the more "Biblically attuned" area give some backup here? I know Jesus swore at a fig tree, but I could seriously wonder if in Lamentations, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Isiah there is no place that someone got mad at God and was upset with him. Go people, go.

I probably still won't pray. Nothing ever changes in my life.

 

[Fenny the Fox]

Sorry, but this reminds me of the Bart Simpson prayer...

 

[Tink]

Could someone in the more "Biblically attuned" area give some backup here? I know Jesus swore at a fig tree, but I could seriously wonder if in Lamentations, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Isiah there is no place that someone got mad at God and was upset with him. Go people, go.

I probably still won't pray. Nothing ever changes in my life.

How can that change if you can't be bothered to try? That's like wishing you can get a new car but never talking to a car salesman or finance company. Illogical.

 

[broken_one]

How can that change if you can't be bothered to try? That's like wishing you can get a new car but never talking to a car salesman or finance company. Illogical.

Well if we're thinking logically, we know that logically since prayers aren't always answered, they are somewhat like a wish (the fallacy post hoc ergo propter hoc resonates well with the concept).

Since it's just essentially this wishing, then why do it? It's nice to be "spiritual", but if your basis is on hoping that things will happen how you want them to, then I'm somewhat concerned about where our focus has been at in recent times.

 

[white dove]

I don't really care. I have prayed for non-"right" things myself at times, so yeah that happens from time to time.

I don't even give it a second thought. A movie is suppose to get you away from reality for a cpl of hours.

I don't care.

It doesn't bother me because movies are make believe. If I seriously heard someone praying and using the f word - I might think twice. However, I would NEVER say anything because a) God speaks to us the way we are. Since prayer is conversation with God, it's not my place to say anything about the way they converse with him....

me too!

yeah but i don't really think too much about prayer in movies to be honest. Sometimes its funny. sometimes its cheesy and corny. sometimes its just perfect for the scene.

Honestly, all of those. ^


If it offends you, try not to watch secular films. My reason being, if this sort of thing offends you to the point of being disheartened or typing up a thread on it, it disturbs you quite a bit (or you just really like to make threads ). There are some people who cannot tolerate secular views of the world; seeing it, hearing about it, reading it. Maybe that's you. Maybe some of that is you... or 1/3 of it. I would rather see a Christian encouraged than discouraged. And if this kind of thing hurts your spirit, please just refrain from it and pray for those people who might not really understand how they come across.