Fandom Thought of the Day #10--Boondock Saints: Yeah, right, part 1
First off--whoo, double digits!
Second, I am Protestant now and was never a really devout Catholic, so take this post with a grain of salt.
Third, I just watched Boondock Saints. I've been meaning to watch it for a while, since before I reaffirmed my faith, and I'll admit I was basically watching for the pretty and the Irish and the action, because Christian vigilantes... kind of miss the point. I'll go into that another time. Today, I'm going into their failure to actually portray the boys' faith before they turned vigilante.
The first thing we see is the boys at Mass. We know it's Mass and not service because of the way the priest is dressed. I've never seen a Protestant priest of any denomination dressed like that. We know it's Mass and not prayer because there are people there. Now, what's important about Mass is that you pay attention when you're there. You don't just pray on your own, because Catholicism holds that you need a priest to interpret the Bible for you, so you can't get the full effect just by praying. So naturally, the boys are just... kneeling and praying. Without paying any attention to the priest. Then they get up, in the middle of Mass, and go up past the priest, completely ignoring him, to kiss the feet of the statue of Jesus, before leaving in the middle of Mass. There are so many things wrong with that. First off, the priest should be the focus during Mass, not people disrupting it. Second, the priest is worthy of your respect, because he is the one who has studied the Bible and knows what he's talking about. Walking past him without even looking at him is arrogant and rude. Third, that statue of Jesus is a representation. Jesus isn't actually in the statue or anything. Idolatry is not okay in Christianity (or any Abrahamic tradition, for that matter). Fourth, they left in the middle of Mass! You aren't done, boys! Mass is still going on! And they are apparently so in tune with God that they are chosen for this (totally sacrilegious) task?
That, by the way, is my topic for tomorrow.
Second, I am Protestant now and was never a really devout Catholic, so take this post with a grain of salt.
Third, I just watched Boondock Saints. I've been meaning to watch it for a while, since before I reaffirmed my faith, and I'll admit I was basically watching for the pretty and the Irish and the action, because Christian vigilantes... kind of miss the point. I'll go into that another time. Today, I'm going into their failure to actually portray the boys' faith before they turned vigilante.
The first thing we see is the boys at Mass. We know it's Mass and not service because of the way the priest is dressed. I've never seen a Protestant priest of any denomination dressed like that. We know it's Mass and not prayer because there are people there. Now, what's important about Mass is that you pay attention when you're there. You don't just pray on your own, because Catholicism holds that you need a priest to interpret the Bible for you, so you can't get the full effect just by praying. So naturally, the boys are just... kneeling and praying. Without paying any attention to the priest. Then they get up, in the middle of Mass, and go up past the priest, completely ignoring him, to kiss the feet of the statue of Jesus, before leaving in the middle of Mass. There are so many things wrong with that. First off, the priest should be the focus during Mass, not people disrupting it. Second, the priest is worthy of your respect, because he is the one who has studied the Bible and knows what he's talking about. Walking past him without even looking at him is arrogant and rude. Third, that statue of Jesus is a representation. Jesus isn't actually in the statue or anything. Idolatry is not okay in Christianity (or any Abrahamic tradition, for that matter). Fourth, they left in the middle of Mass! You aren't done, boys! Mass is still going on! And they are apparently so in tune with God that they are chosen for this (totally sacrilegious) task?
That, by the way, is my topic for tomorrow.