On Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, Netflix came out with the film “The First Temptation of Christ.” This film resulted in immense backlash, with millions of Christians outraged that the beliefs that give their life meaning were mocked for the sake of entertainment.
In the 1950s, the exhibition of the foreign film “The Miracle,” was initially restricted in the state of New York. Joseph Burstyn, Inc. v. Wilson was a landmark case that declared film censorship unconstitutional. The First Amendment and how far it extends is what I see as the foundation of our democracy, but shouldn’t there be a line? Should freedom of expression be a moral defense for smearing the sacred beliefs of nearly one-third of the world? Should freedom of religion be a defense for those without it to exhibit irreverence for Someone in Whose name many have given their lives, while the rest of us pray for the courage to be able to do the same?
Why are we equating homophobia to Christianity? Why have we created rhetoric that claims liberalism is the opposite of piety? Why has Christianity become a punchline? As a devout member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, I can confidently say that the many ways I have seen the name of Christ being used to justify acts of hatred go against the very fabric of my faith. The real adversary is not Christ, but people who have given up their humanity to fulfill an agenda, and that agenda is seldom the conversion of others, but rather power. Money, land and control of those at a disadvantage are justified in the name of God, contradicting everything He has ever said.
I cannot come up with a legal or constitutional defense for the immorality of the blasphemous film, and I don’t want to. I don’t believe this is an issue of legality, but humanity, and ignorance brought on by the arrogant. My hope is that even those who do not believe in the God whose nature was coarsely misrepresented would share in the rage of me and my fellow Christians. The goal of this new wave of liberalism is to remedy the hatred of past generations. So let me share some convictions I have been given. The role given to Christians is to act in love and tolerance of everyone, understanding that even those of us dedicating our lives to the faith have failed. For that very reason, we are not to judge. For that very reason, we are to remain meek when commenting on the sins of others, because true righteousness is understanding no one is truly righteous.
Not only has the Constitution given everyone the right to choose their beliefs, but the Bible states that each individual is given the same choice. So please, by all means, do you. Just please, leave my God out of it. I apologize for any Christian who has acted with pride, the trait I attribute to most things wrong with the world.
Christ had nothing to do with the bad reputation the Faith was given: man did.
Betty Araya is a junior journalism and global studies major with a minor in creative writing. She is the assistant features editor and strives to publish work that inspires humanitarianism.
