Martin Scorsese's adaptation of Shusaku Endo's Novel "Silence" is not only a masterwork of filmmaking but also an uncomfortable and profound meditation on Christianity. In this video essay I explore the spirituality of "Silence" and its deconstruction of faith.
Instagram: instagram.com/josh_keefe/...
Figured I’d try my hand at something more serious than usual. In hindsight I definitely should have added an extra line highlighting how atrocious the acts of persecution were. I didn't because I figured it went without saying but I can see how that can lead to some misunderstandings. Bit of an "oops" on my part. Anyway, expect a more light hearted video for a fun adventurous movie next month! Until then, I’d love to read some of your thoughts on “Silence”.
Kung Fu Panda? ☺️
How to Train Your Dragon?
Mr. Keefe, I would like to comment about your analysis, sir. I don't know if you'll see this, but if you do then I hope you think it a something worthwhile to think about. The problem the main character faces is post-modernism from Japan's cultural elites, who know Christianity and deconstruct it. With their knowledge of Christianity, you said that they use the faith of Christianity as a bludgeon and torture device to break down the morale of the leaders of Christianity, the priests. If they see that their faith is causing suffering to those Christians living in Japan, then they will feel guilty and submit themselves to Japan to end the suffering. So, the Japanese leaders are flipping Christianity upside-down in order to destroy it in Japan by attacking the sheep while the shepherds are helpless unless they reject Jesus themselves. Thus, they destroy the structure of the Christianity that has been formed by the Church for 2000 years, and that is the purpose of post-modernism. I do not think that the priests should have apostatized, but that seemed to be the only way for the main character to rethink the separatist idea and connect with his sheep in Japan. Christianity will die, maybe by post-modernism, but surely from the antichrist-when he comes. Then, as Jesus did, the Church will resurrect, because post-modernism that flips stuff will eventually flip itself back to the order of things the way they are supposed to be. I know I digressed at the end, but it is a nice thought so we do not lose hope when priests apostatize by post-modernism.
Indiana Jones?
@@wandererofclouds we somehow have the same thought. But I couldn't agree on the idea that Christianity will die and will resurrect. Nothing can ever destroy the church that Christ founded, not even hell. Yet I believe in the resurrection of the former body, on the Day that Christ will come again.
It’s funny, I’ve heard a lot of Christians complain that this movie is anti-Christian, and a lot of atheists complain that it’s Christian propaganda. It points out the errors in and challenges believer and non-believer alike, and apparently pissed off everyone. That’s the type of movie we need more of. I’m a devout Christian, but I absolutely loved this movie
Seems like those type of religious people are too sensitive about it
It almost seems like people with strong opinions blind themselves to critical thought on said opinions.
That's what art is supposed to do. It doesn't offer easy answers, but it provokes difficult and unanswerable questions.
@@davididiart5934 exactly.
@R K There is a Christian screenwriter who has worked on a number of films in the Christian film industry...I wish I could find his blog again. He works in it, but literally hates the Christian film industry. Because he says the powers that be believe they are "spreading the gospel" through film, but are merely preaching to the choir and just creating christian entertainment. Non-believers don't watch these movies with the exception of simply making fun of how bad they are. Christian film is afraid to get "real" and spread biblical messages through depictions of real life and real scenarios which would also include making sympathetic "non-believer" characters. He believes Christian films should be just as raw and fueled by art just as much as hollywood films. As he put it his goal with Christian filmmaking is to spread the word to non-believers and you can't do that if the people providing funding are worried about losing their christian audience.
The fact that Scorsese went from the wolf of wall street to this and then to the Irishman is mindblowing to me, he's almost 80 years old
That’s why he’s one of greatest directors of all time.
Truly a master
The spirit that inspired him is older...kzhead.info/sun/h8uuiNKSfp95mY0/bejne.html
@Om Patel Hugo is literally the only film that I've seen of his (I've seen about 95% of his filmography) that I didn't like and he's my favourite director.
Well he has been doing it all his life. He's such a rare talent now.
It brings to mind something C.S. Lewis wrote on: that pride is perhaps the most dangerous of sins, in that it can effect even those who are seemingly righteous in their own eyes, but perhaps that they are so seemingly righteous in their own eyes is perhaps their downfall.
What you are describing is hubris not pride. pride is a positive thing that pushes us forward while hubris keeps us stagnant
@@pastapro2189 From Mere Christianity, Book 3 chapter 8: "The Great Sin: I now come to that part of Christian morals where they differ most sharply from all other morals. There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves....... The vice I am talking of is Pride or Self-Conceit: and the virtue opposite to it, in Christian morals, is called Humility...... According to Christian teachers, the essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind." You may be defining "pride" differently than C.S. Lewis and therefore arrive at a different conclusion, but I think the concern with pride is that it is rooted in self-glorification: Philippians 2:3: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." and James 4:6: "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”" Anyways, if you see this, have a good day!
@@tyronesmith7307 this movie is just fiction....we know martyrs in Japan didn't act for pride...it's sincere love for Christ...
@@pinoysarisari7374 hello, thanks for the reply. I was only commenting on the statement "pride is a positive thing that pushes us forward" which seemed to be a belief held by PastaPro Gaming outside the context of this movie. I probably should have not commented as I haven't seen the movie and am probably missing a lot of necessary context for this conversation!
@@pastapro2189 The better distinction would probably be between pride and vain-glory. The latter being a corrupeted subset of the former.
Andrew Gardfield is such an underrrated actor
He is really good for sure
True. Class act.
I disagree. I think he acted terribly in Silence. Atrocious accent.
Is he underrated? He seems to be critically accepted as a good actor. He's had many big budget films. I mean, you are saying he is underrated but he is the lead in a Martin Scorsese film.
@@onbored9627 i feel like a lot of people dont seem to understand what underrated is...
"Go ahead, pray. But pray with your eyes open." What a great line.
Anthony Hujjes very confused as to why this is a reply to the original comment
@Anthony Hujjes nice bro. stay edgy
I dont get it :/
can someone explain. why he say pray with eyes open?
@@isabella2977 By that he means "You can continue to pray, but at least be willing to pray and actually see the suffering that is happening before you, don't look away. Acknowledge that this suffering is happening due to your pride, and that if you apostatize their suffering can end.
The fact this wasn't even nominated for an Oscar is a tragedy
Not all good films have be nominated for an Oscar.
Len k It was actually nominated for Best Cinematography, (which lost to La La Land), but it should’ve been nominated for more awards like Best Picture.
It is about Christianity so I'm not surprised Hollywood passed it up.
@@niki_99 well, Hacksaw Ridge was nominated for quite a bit so... But as grand and moving as this movie was, it was far too long than it needed to be, and the lack of soundtrack and the overuse of narration kinda killed it for me. It's a tough watch
Hollywood is ran by leftists who hate anything that honors God.
I am a devout Christian and I love this movie so much. It has taught me to always take a step back in every situation I am in and ask if I am being blinded by pride.
Then you have become better for it.
Pride is a problem in the church and modern world I believe.
@@liaml.e.5964 Yeah, but: This movie still shows that Religion always has been a Problem and still is. Even if you ignore or simply dont know how laughably-bad the Covid-Respone of Religion was these last years, we still have a World plagued by Religion. There is no helathy version of Rleigion.
This movie is a trap. It teaches that it´s ok to deny your faith and Jesus. Matthew 10, 32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven."
@@W8liftinG444 It did not teach that.
I'd like to point out that Andrew Garfield stepping on an image of Jesus is a parallel to when Jesus washed Peter's feet. One of Christ's many commendable traits was his ability to humiliate himself to prove a point, that pride is the ultimate destroyer of man and that sacrificing it is one of the most painful acts a man can do for his own betterment. That one act of sacralization was, ironically enough, the thing that saved him. Not because it's encouragable to mock God or the son that way, but because humility is the only way to truely defeat Pride.
One of Christ's many commendable trait was his ability go to humiliate himself to prove a point. That Pride is the ultimate destroyer of man and that sacrificing it is the most painful acts a man can do for his own betterment. 🤯Thank you Lord Jesus!
Hello Sir.. Can i ask you, what are your thoughts of how the "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom"
What if he attained martyrdom as opposed to Padre Ferreira? In a way wasn't he betraying those who died for the faith? What about the ministry for which he was called for? (pardon my curiousity)
@@jijuelias2922 As mentioned in the video, the Japanese believers were given a twisted misinterpretation of the good word through the language barriers and failure on the part of the church to alleviate that issue, so their deaths were in vain regardless of whether he attained Martyrdom or not. In a sense, he was betraying them by standing his ground.
loll
"To live in imitation of Christ doesn't mean die for your pride but to sacrifice it." Well put.
I would add though, one must stand for what they believe or else there is no foundation for the idea. Consider the Japanese nobility, they held absolutely firm in their belief of purging Japan.
noob noob “defending japan” by slaughtering and torturing it’s people. Just like how communist Russia “defended” its people by starving them and executing political dissidents. They couldn’t of cared less about japan and its people, what they cared about was their power over it and Christianity threatened to say that their is a higher power than them.
@Yeshua is Lord. exactly. How many times do we need to say that Christianity is open for all people from all cultures and nationality? Read Matthew 28:18-20. It's clear that the teachings of Jesus must be shared to all the peoples of the world, since they are all children of God. Christianity is not specific to any particular culture or nationality. When several believers wanted to make Christianity to follow their more traditional Jewish roots by commanding circumcision, the early church commanded that the Gentile converts shouldn't be held accountable for keeping Jewish traditions. However, it is clear that certain practices that are contrary to the Word of God must be abandoned to follow Jesus, including cultural ones. During that same conversation on whether or not Gentile converts should be circumcised, the church agreed that the Gentiles should be taught to "abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood." (Acts 15:20) Some of these were traditional practices that the Gentiles kept or considered normal, yet are quite contrary to several principles of Christian living such as purity and the belief in one God.
@Yeshua is Lord. true christianity is a monopoly on controlling people, you see the roman empire just turned into the roman catholic church getting rich of generations of gullible people to easy to be tempted with doctrine. Just look at vatican city :D very christian. Not flawed at all.
@@converge3111 Christianity was used to conquer nations and as a justification to colonize. I see no wrong in an established country not wanting other nations to come into their lands using religion as a foothold.
Finally someone who doesn’t interpret the film as a criticism against Christian faith.
It is in a way but it can be ignored because jesuits are occult freaks.
@The King in what way? My main contention is that ppl take these struggles familiar to Christians as some defining objection to the faith. I think that's too shallow an understanding, or an easy way to think without engaging with the actual theological thoughts.
The King Isn’t Scorsese religious? This doesn’t seem to disparage religion at all.
@@meltingpoint97 Him being religious doesn't stop him producing a film where the "protagonist" is a self aggrandizing twat from the paganized bastard hate-child of Christianity's underbelly and gets into conversations with an apostate lunatic who is more Humanist than he ought to be and far too yellow-belly to take heart in a brother's martyrdom, as they should. Rather only two things are shown. The nosy and self absorbed, culturally blind outsider bringing in his allegedly cultural religion soon to be by force- Becuse Lethal Force and Catholicism are best friends- Which only further displays this kind of idea prevailing in a certain section of society that religion is nearly purely a cultural thing- It is not- And Christians just blindly go to places uninvited preaching things to people who don't want to hear or can't even understand because the "preacher" is talking for his own benefit and not the benefit of his audience. The second thing being shown is this stupid idea that deep down the values of alleged love and whatever else garbage people want to blow out their ass of a mouth that the religion is best served by being alive. *Being alive is not your concern* I swear, it's all part of this misunderstanding people have that this is all just one giant ponzie scheme to keep society in check and that behind it all people are loving. *Bullshit. A thousand times damn it to hell and gore it with a blunt spear.* Your life when you join Christianity is forefit even more so than when you were outside it. While outside, God would allot a timeframe for you to recieve His holy graces and His gospel so full of passion and yet hope. When you join, your goal is to serve God however it is needed. If it means dying, shut up and die. You'll be fine after the pain stops. It's part of why people join, after all. And should i even ramble on about those devil worshipping pricks in that accursed secret society? There is no end to the pleasure I would take in toppling they who topple nations for their supposed vicar of the Lord Jesus Christ. To smash them with a hammer where they consigned souls to terrible fates with the stroke of a pen, a recompense. Alas, I' spare you the rest of that ramble. In fact, part of this isn't even meant for you. Some of it is meant for that one over there. This is no coincidence, this is an unabated commentary to sway the masses. But thank God I am enough of an apologist to revert some if the damage this movie might cause. The protagonist being alive is an abombination before God. But people are ignorant and write him off as just another guy. He's a bloody Jesuit. By no means are Jesuits just ordinary people. If you see one, there's something afoot, I assure you.
It's not. It's a criticism against arrogance mistaken for faith. They believe Christians are being persecuted in Japan, but the Japanese are defending themselves from colonizers (In a brutal, unjustifiable manner)
Also I wouldn't say he gave up his faith, I'd say he gave up his pride in the end. Comparing oneself to Jesus isn't very christian.
I understand your point but Christians are taught to be Christ-like. To think of one’s self as equal or better than Jesus is not a Christian act but trying to emulate him is.
Jesus is the goal, yet no one can achieve it. I feel like this movie is a good story, but biblically incorrect
@@jorh4849 It's about Jesuits... That alone should tell you it's being subversive as hell.
@@jorh4849 wrong
@@Th3BigBoy edgy
As someone who has loved and then left the Church, the scene where Garfield's character apostatizes and the last scene with Kichijiro both make me cry every time. This movie is not anti-Christian in the slightest. If anything, it's one of the most moving depictions I've seen of what true "Christ-like" love is. It's the difference between Love of Belief and true, real Love. I think this is a movie every Christian should watch.
The apostate likes a movie where a paganised psuedo-christian apostatisizes. Go figure. Just don't be surprised when a lot of us read a summary of the movie and say "no".
As a Hindu who has suffered under the greedy eyes of the churches of the world but knows the true love of a christian person, I appreciate your words. This movie was amazing, especially the character of Inoue sama was so skillfully handled
@@TheKing-qz9wd I hope you can learn to let go of your hate, brother.
@@TheNinjaRo Grow a spine. ...how the piss am I a brother to a mystic?
@@TheKing-qz9wd no thanks! I am a happy invertibrate mystic☺️🤙🏻🤙🏻
Highlighted lesson: "...He realizes that it was in the moment he let go of his pride and lowered himself down to the level of those who he thought were beneath him that he became the most like Christ"
By denying the truth of salvation through Christ alone. Wow.
@@hudsonshires6141 as god gave man free will shouldnt christ let man save himself? instead live himself as a man where he was dispised and treated lowly, didnt christ took more pride on sacrifice?
Wow
@@eliboi3051 Matthew 16:25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
@Joel So god is an asshole.
I am not a Christian man, but if even can recognize the value of this film's message, I think that's saying something.
SaintRuderic what would you say is the film’s message? Just curious as neither am I
@@ihrv23 My interpretation is it fascinating to see what people do, of good and evil, because of the voices in there head that some call god!
Who cares
Nicolai Johannesen atheist?
@Soy Allergies I appreciate your faith, but also I think this film says a lot about the resilience of the faithful, though some do fall into despair when faced with extreme suffering. Also...they can change what you do and say but cannot change what is in your heart.
There was another important lesson that I learned from this movie review: Western missionaries have often been some the WORST representatives of Christ in foreign lands because they bring their Western ways and attempt to make converts to their Western ways, not becoming like their target people. The real ambassadors of Christ become culturally like their target people and learn their language and ways, and continue in that way loving them to Christ!
Not really converting FULLY into their ways, but rather, showing that they can believe what they want and wish to believe, while taking what they say into thought.
Hyrum_Hyrum I agree. Sharing the Gospel with a person who is a foreigner to you, different ethnicity, language, or customs, always requires a bit of give and take. Kind of like getting married to someone special ;). Ideally they will remain special to you but oh how much personal sacrifice!
Is interesting that in reality the jesuit were always studying these foreign cultures and trying to blend in to spreed the gospel. Their trademark was, after all, the "accomodatio". It was actually the other Orders that were less respectful.
Kind like the Arabs did in India and south east Asia, or is that different?
*Please dont argue down here, PLEASE*
This is genuinely moving. My own faith rises and sinks with the tide of human misery and moral decay. Sometimes I think God is real. Sometimes I think he is not. But in either case, the human capacity for love, however ephemeral, exists. I often pray for faith, paradoxically when I think no one is listening. When it does come, it takes the form of intense gratitude for my wife and daughter. Something tangible that really would be worth dying for, not an abstraction which, after all, may not even exist. A paradox, I know. But isn't that the very nature of faith? To know something unknowable? To believe in the complete absence of evidence. I hope this is not pretentious.
In the very beginning of time God created all & it was good, His plan was to have Him & His creation live in utopia. the satan deceived God’s creation so that wouldn’t happen, we choose evil. Evil has its consequences, death & hell separation from God for eternity is the consequence for disobeying an everlasting God. God doesn’t want that for any of His creation so He sent His Son Jesus(God in the flesh) & Jesus lived the perfect life. Died the death as a criminal, & resurrected, all so that we could have eternal life if we have faith in His beautiful sacrifice. This is God’s plan!!!
it's not pretentious to me. I very seldomly pray too. It helps when I'm desperate. But almost at all times I am an atheist.
It's not pretentious at all. I will say that "no evidence at all" is pretty misguided. There's quite a bit of evidence, whether it be historical, nature itself, or personal experience. But I would say that most people who identify as Christian when referring to faith has nothing to do with whether or not God exists. We have a relationship with God, his Holy Spirit dwells within in us. There is no question of the reality. Faith comes down to trusting in God's Word. Trusting that love, compassion, and spirit are stronger than hate, pride, and flesh. And perhaps the biggest act of faith is truly trusting our salvation in Jesus. I KNOW Jesus died for me but my actions don't always reflect it. Whether it's through my rebellion or my religion as both are our human way failing to operate in the true freedom that comes with the reality of the cross.
This is the Gospel, Gospel is derived from greek meaning good news. The good news is that Jesus has taken the place for our sins. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, we all sinned it’s simple. One sin and God can rightfully put us to hell, like a judge sees a murderer and the murderer is guilty the judge who is just will put him into person or even give him a death sentence for the crime he has committed. But God instead of pouring his wrath on us for the sins we have committed, he pours it on his son, his son is the righteous one, the one who has never sinned and who is the author of life. His Son holds all things in place. The Son with the agreement of the Father is sent down on earth and incarnated as a human sent down to die on a cross on a hill named calvary. Through his death and resurrection we have the forgiveness of sins, That is why when Jesus, on the cross, said “It is finished”. but how do we PARTAKE in the cleansing of sins? We must have the obedience of faith, meaning believing AND repenting from our sins. Repenting meaning change your mind, change your will, and change your heart about sin and turn to Jesus. So do we keep on sinning? No! we don’t, we repent from it. Willingly sinning is like putting Jesus on the cross again! Come as you are and let God change you!
@@JackSmith-ns1uq I'm not sure if I want to agree with what you said or not. The part with you saying that YOU KNOW Jesus died for you doesn't go well down my throat. You cannot know something until it is proven to be true. Because if it's not true, you base your reality on lies. If it's true, everything ok and all atheists have to acknowledge that you were right. But as of today we cannot know if it's true or not. So you might just leave it be faith rather than knowledge until we know more. But thanks for the insight!
Don't let the Oscars dictate what a good film is to you. The Oscars are corrupt anyways.
Christianity is corrupt.
King Trawal but hey, that’s just a theory...
We made ourselves a golden statue, and we danced around it.
@@kingtrawal Spot the commie
Possibly Samuel, yes...the movie, too. My comment was about the Oscar statuette.
My husband spent four years in seminary studying to be a priest (he discerned out before we met) and had to read the book this is based on for class. He loved this movie, said it was really close to the book. I really thought this movie was well done too. Fun fact, the book was written by a Catholic Japanese man who lived through the nuclear destruction of Nagasaki. So when he talks about suffering and silence...he might just know a thing or two about it. Also, if you like this book/movie, check out "The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene.
JP2GiannaT Yes, that was the best one of ‘the Catholic quartet.’
@Uncle Freddy give me a concrete example.
Uncle Freddy says the man with a stereotypical Jewish face
@Uncle Freddy yeah sure it does 🙄
@Uncle Freddy protestant lies of follower Matin Luther
This film is a masterpiece. As a Catholic, I found myself clutching the cross around my neck several times. This has touched me spiritually and has taught me what is truly means to have faith. God Bless you, Scorsese.
It reminds me of a quote I heard. "When you've done things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all"
I was in church one day and the priest mentions this movie and said “I do not recommend it.” I wish I could show him this video
That was my first impression, i said the same thing to my friends, "dont see it", but you have to go deeper . I would say, watch the movie, meditate on it and go back and watch it again. And yes, come to this video.
He lives in a bubble
To die or suffer for your faith is a big accomplishment for most people of faith. In this case the main character apostatize his faith and I think that is why most people of faith would not recommend this movie.
Funny...it was a Dominican priest that recommended this movie to me!
@VideoGamePlayer "Trump is gonna win the elections, by lanslide... Those people who tried to fuck him over and impeach him? They will fucking pay the price." - Dan Peña in the Impaulsive Podcast
The most hardcore fact about this film is how it has been silenced by the media.
How exactly has this been silenced by the media and where are you?
Leticia Martín de La Escalera that’s what I mean Leticia.This film was released three years ago and since then no reviews in tv news or cultural tv shows,not even in radio stations or newspapers.It has been shyly covered in my opinion.I have friends all over Europe and North Africa and they feel the same,and in my opinion that’s weird when we talk about a film like this,don’t you think?
mbogucki1 well me and circle of opinion think it has been shyly covered by the media here in Europe (if you live here you can tell me your opinion)I have friends all over Europe and North Africa that never had heard about this film four and three years before its release dependending on the country.If you do a light research you’ll find that basicly specialized magazines write about Silence.I don’t care what the message of the film is,but I find it is a beautiful filming and cinematographic experience.
@@Kuhrvenal the film wasn't covered by the media simply because it's boring. I mean yeah, it has a strong message about cristianity and blablabla but the way the film is delivered to the viewer is just boring
amidst all of that there's the fact that this movie was a huge flop, the studio couldn't even get 50% of what they invested on it
When I originally saw Silence in theaters, I was very perplexed by the message of the movie. It's not a faith based movie with a happy ending. But as time has passed, I think I'm starting to pick up on the motifs in the movie. The Japanese seemed very fixated on receiving physical religious symbols, to which Rodriguez monologues that they don't understand they're just symbols. All the while, he is building himself up in his own mind as the image of Christ. The moment with the puddle being the culmination of that. How profound is it, when the turning point for everyone is when Rodriguez steps on, you guess it, a religious image! He relinquishes his pride and breaks the hold that images have on us. Ultimately, this movie is not a moral handbook for Christians or a guide on how to deal with real life persecution. You're not supposed to emulate what you see here. It's a movie that causes you to take a hard look at where your faith really lies. For Rodriguez, his faith was in his piety and willful strength; which in the process made him less like Christ. I hope more Christians who watch this movie realize just how complex this movie is and having the right expectations of the movie's purpose. It's to deconstruct and examine what is faith and what am I really putting my faith in.
9:25 was the most genuine "really?" i've ever seen in a movie
Contrast this with St Nicholas of Japan he studied Japanese Language and Culture and respected it he even studied Shintoism and Buddhism and even though he disagreed with the beliefs he still treated the practitioners of those faiths with respect in fact his first convert was a Samurai who was about to kill him when he said why would you want to kill me when you don't know me they talked and the Samurai amazed by this Bishops explanations and knowledge was baptized and later Became the first Japanese Orthodox Priest. When St Nicholas died the Emperor himself sent a wreath to the funeral a great Honor.
to be fair the Japanese were more open to foreigners when St. Nicholas was around
@@justinokraski3796 true, though I believe he is pointing out St. Nicholas's own respect for the Japanese.
Just like Paul says (paraphrase) I have become all things to all people.
i dont think he disagreed with the beliefs at all.
Orthodox methods of evangelism differed from Western methods. They didn't accept the Athanasian creed so they didn't think everyone who was not like them was going to Hell forever
"Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make."
EVERY POLITICIAN EVER.
shrek
Farquaad.
Sonic the hedgehog
Lore
I revisit it this video every so often. I genuinely think that it’s the best piece of movie analysis I’ve ever seen on KZhead. Superbly written, narrated and edited. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this video had a large impact on how I viewed my own faith as a Christian
What I learned from this is that Andrew Garfield's characters are meant to suffer
Corporal Desmond Doss is one.
Spider man in amazing spider man 2
Haha every single one does. I think he sees himself as a marter
Ahahaa true lol but he does them all so well
This is amongst the top 10 movies I have ever watched in my life. As a Muslim, this touched me so deeply. Lots of love and respect to my Christian brothers!!
We are not brothers, Mahoma did the same things and much worst to the Christians.
@@andreslebon3869 don't let what happened 2000 years ago or so affect your judgement of people you don't really know personally about. as if at this age we don't have other things to worry about. (bracing for defensive retort)
@@andreslebon3869 gotta let go of that hatred/pride man it will only being you down
@@user-qn4xu4tq7n I don't hate anyone.
I’d prefer to say cousins, but thanks! It’s also this channel’s comments that taught me Muslims, Jews and agnostics watched VeggieTales (& this KZheadr’s himself agnostic but raised in faith). This video taught me to appreciate this movie way better than I initially did.
Rodrigues has a serious protagonist complex
Rodrigues*
*messiah
I realise that God being with you always and not silent is the feeling of despair and the desire to help the suffering. Silent in man's words but not in his own.
Thank you for this analysis - I didn’t watch this film (tried to but the violence was way too strong for me) but I’ve been a Christian my whole life. People either loved or hated this film and I knew I wanted to learn more about it, so I appreciate your breakdown of the themes and analysis that wasn’t specifically faith based and judged the work of art based on its themes. Based on what you shared, I can definitely better appreciate the message of this film & I think it’s a tough lessons many Christians need to learn when it comes to practicing their faith and judging the “others” for not living a life of sacrifice and watching others suffer.
I don't really see this. In fact, my church is filled with people who are more than happy to travel across the world to build a swing set in [insert random poor country] so they can post their trip on Facebook, than to deal with their own family members who are lost to drugs and turned away from God. For the first time in Western Christian history, we have foreign Christian converts doing missionary work in Western countries because the faith has deteriorated to such a degree. Furthermore, most churches today seem to be very open to the "other" and have even watered down their own messages as to not be divisive.
I wouldn't say judge but call sin out when you see it but also to not be a hypocrite.
@@mr.sandman8644 Only protestants, you should realize the Church was the first and has existed since the creation of the bible.
The first time i saw this film i was in awe that no one else was talking about it. It was incredible.
Megaman I I had to watch it 3 times almost in a row.
People hate God and Christianity, it's not a shock that people didn't see it.
I just found it today thank god for quarantine imma watch this now
@@Meg_Lovegood cant hate what doesnt exist
@@sefflikejeff1917 thank you for proving my point
It's interesting seeing how differently people in the comments section interpret the movie.
"General kenobi...."
Quite interesting, indeed.
A person's perspective on faith is as individual as the person. Weak, strong, young, old, faith comes in many forms.
Just shows how complex the film really is
Faith is personal yet some deny others faith. Despite clinging on to the same gospel.
This movie will stick with me for a long time. The crucifixion scene moved me to tears. To see that Mokichi’s faith in god endured for four days, and even though death was near, he still sang a hym. Even in death his faith was strong.
This movie hit me hard. My father’s family comes from Kagoshima and the Goto Islands. I know my Japanese side had to deal with persecution due to their faith. It was a good movie overall.
kylo ren and spiderman in japan looking for liam neeson? ima watch that
They were looking for Ra’s Al Ghul ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
@@michaelcarrasquillo4781 qui gon jin
@@iroseart3369 Aslan!
greatest crossovers of history!
@@Vlugazoide it's a little creepy you said that cuz I watched prince caspian yesterday
Qui-Gon Jinn is Kylo Ren's master? Plot twist.
featuring Spider-Man
Tbh that actually would have been a great plot twist to include in The Rise of Skywalker. Forget bringing Palpatine back; what if Qui-Gon, the Master who allowed Jedi to become one with the Force, was actually a Sith all along?
@@adambeer1171 featuring the guy from the social network We do not speak of that disgusting film
@@theweirdofengland what are you 9 years old
@@tj-kv6vr It's better than the garbage we got fam
This deserved Best Picture in 2016, and nobody else should have even been a serious contender. This is top-3 Scorese easy!
As someone who's currently writing an essay about this movie, I'd like to just take a moment to appreciate your brilliant essay writing skills. The way everything just flows so naturally is beautiful. This shit takes a lot of talent and hard work.
We need more Christian films like Silence and less like Gods not Dead
I honestly would love to see someone make a movie based on Gods not dead’s concept of a student and professor debating the scientific evidence of whether there is a god or not. Would make an amazing movie if done well but sadly gods not dead took a great concept and made another bland “us vs them” mentality film where the professor is an evil atheist and the student a pure right Christian. A big flaw of a lot of faith based films is that they celebrate a black and white mentality instead of trying to understand or explore why we have faith and how it affects us. Or how it can help us. A lot of Christian films just want to pat Christians on the back and never truly challenge them to grow as Christians. As a believer myself I find most of them rather insulting as I want to be challenged and I want to have my mind opened and challenged to what faith truly is. We definitely need more films like Silence.
DarkJediKnight ‘Atheist arguments against God are as irrefutable as they are irrelevant’ -Seraphim Rose
GimmeeSomeMo Gods Not Dead, was a great idea however, poorly executed.
@@SuperCodyvideos This movie and it's accompanying narrative by Josh Keefe does not intend at all to challenge your faith but rather to deconstruct it. And I think that by the time your faith is deconstructed and you agree at that moment you've lost it.(no pun intended)
@@justchilling704 Absolutely. The idea of logic/intellect vs faith is a discussion as old as time. To see a well executed film about the premise of a young Christian going into a university and having to find their own identity outside of their family's/peers faith especially when you learn things that not only that go against your teachings but against your deity's existence all together would've been really interesting concepts to explore, but instead, we get a sloppy Christian propaganda film
This is a film I am glad was made. It showed not only a piece of Christian history, but also a lesson that all Christians should learn & be reminded of. It's not about being the savior figure to "save the sinners." Place others before yourself. Be humble & slow to anger. Do not see those who don't share your beliefs as beneath you. Do what Jesus did without the desire to be worshiped. Something many "Christians" in the 21 Century could benefit from learn. Including myself.
beautiful words, and I'm not a religious person
@@martindione386 One does not require to be a Christian to acknowledge the true qualities of Christianity. Just the right mind set & willingness to understand the teaching of Christ. Something I have noticed to be absent in many 21th century self proclaimed "Christians." I am victim to this as well many times before as I certain I will be again in the future. Hopefully less often. To quote one of my favorite writers "One does not need to be a Christian to be a good, moral, human being. When a non-Christian states that murder is bad. Does that suddenly mean that it isn't? One should never be so quick to judge or see themselves superior because they are followers of Christ." - C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity -
Agreed.
Jesus said to his students, "tell everyone, spread news about him" not forcing them to join him. Look what they did to those native american in old west where they force indian to join christian
I've only watched a few trailers of this, because someone mentioned the film to me. But I don't really have a desire to watch it. Christianity must be obtained from the Bible, and not from Hollywood. "The world by wisdom knew not God," and it still doesn't. Just seeing the parts shown here, I can tell that the film is a complete mixture of good and bad, with no real foundation except human feelings. Romans 8:7 - "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." You will never understand the light by studying the darkness. The "faith of Christ" means building upon the word of God. It means seeing that word as the foundation of the laws of the universe. The battle between Christ and Satan is to determine who will return to a whole-hearted obedience to that word, in spite of every temptation to the contrary. Christ remained faithful on the cross, in spite of the most severe temptation and discouragement, and would not give in to the temptation to save himself, or to take the work into his own hands. Had Christ "cursed God" on the cross, in order to save His followers from persecution, the whole universe would have been lost. The Catholic church, by the way, is not built on the word of God, but is a mixture of parts of the Word, and parts of paganism and human philosophy. We are being fed a story here, which we cannot verify. Was it God's plan to send those men to Japan? Did they understand that good must be established only by righteousness, and not by evil methods? In the end, the lesson in the film seems to be Satan's philosophy: "you must overcome evil by using evil methods." That's entirely the philosophy of the kingdoms of this world, and is why we are close to destroying ourselves. It's also the philosophy that is taught in almost every movie, from westerns to super hero, to detective films...yes, even so-called "love stories" teach the same Satanic philosophy.
So I just finished Silence, a little bit in part because I wanted an excuse to watch your video about it, and the rest out of curiosity as a Catholic, to see an exploration of Christianity and faith and missionaries. I wasn't disappointed, it was a fascinating movie and well worth a watch. I'm eager to watch your video immediately and hear even more talk of the themes therein.
I think I've watched this 10 times now. This is literally my favorite video on KZhead.
Between this and Hacksaw Ridge, I learned that if Andrew Garfield is in Japan and he's really into Jesus at the time, you better run because something messed up's about to go down. But seriously, as a non-believer, I really enjoy your faith based video essays. They're very thoughtful and perceptive.
Not like he minds though. It gives him that sweet award cred.
Bro you stole this from movie bob at least credit him haha
Oh wow, glad my recommended feed let me here
*tips fedora*
@Stellvia Hoenheim Christ would be proud
A Japanese inquisition I didn't expect that
No one did
No one expects the Japanese inquisition
Their chief weapon is anime?
Anime and Sony
well at least they were doing it for a logical reason rather than killing someone just because of Christianity like the Spanish ones.
The movie shows the difference between imitating christ and being christ.
No. It shows the stupidity of following the fictional character called Christ.
Your analysis is beautiful. Interesting I had similar reflections on the story but they way you describe it and put it together with shots from the film/commentary is masterfully done. Thanks for this. I will check out more of your detailed work.
it's weird that people thought "Silence" was an endorsement of apostasy when Endo was a devout Christian to the day he died.
Being a devout Christian, and being a follower of Jesus are 2 different things. One is a religion, which the main character seemed to encapsulate at the start of the movie, (examples being preaching without regard of others, refusal to understand other cultures and people, and upholding a martyrdom's pride in "Faith"), while being a follower of Jesus means sacrificing yourself and your pride for your fellow man, which the main character does at the end of the movie... The conflict is that this movie is claiming that your can apostatize and still be saved unlike what many verses in the gospels say about the blasphemy against the holy spirit. The overarching question is "If you apostatize for the sake of your fellow man, while remaining genuine in your faith of Jesus, ARE YOU SAVED?
@@paaperman Talk to Endo, man. He was Catholic.
questioning faith is against the faith by default, sometimes thats all people see
No they are not two different things, if you are a devout Christian then you are by definition a follower of christ, idk what bible you're reading
@@GinHindew110 Questioning faith, even questioning your own faith, is not a confirmation of no faith. If this were true, then questioning my own mental existence would disprove my existence, rather "I think therefore I am" whereas in faith, it is the matter of a combination of genuine love, regard, respect, for the creator, and int he case of christianity, belief in the truth of the Gospel. By your claim, simply asking "how do i know jesus actually rose from the dead" would be a denial of faith, where it isn't, it is a search for truth and the plausibility of the actual story of Jesus, and the only way to get to that answer is by removing from the argument a sense of unwavering loyalty in order to search for somthing secondary to the faith in jesus as a whole. They aren't different things, rather 2 aspects of the same whole.
What you speak of is not the deconstruction of Faith, but the destruction of self-righteousness.
I think this is the essence of the story. What was deconstructed was his commitment to his own "faith" in Christ, rather than in the living Christ as the object of his faith.
This is what I was thinking too. I was kinda cringing when he was saying it was a deconstruction of faith, but I knew what he was getting at. I think it would have been better worded differently because you can't serve God without faith, it's a fundamental pillar.
@deadend, spoken like someone who has no clue what he is talking about.
@Ted Shafer, that's what I would have said, had I found the words. Well spoken.
@deadend While I will not deny that faith can breed self-righteousness, so can many other things. Exercising, holding certain political positions or being a hard worker can also do that. Furthermore, do not claim to be a rational person while dismissing a great deal of evidence. Can you honestly tell me you have examined the evidence surrounding the Bible and the life of Christ and come to the conclusion of not believing in the central message of the Gospel?
Thanks for making this video. I am not a religious person, but have enjoyed this movie & spent many hours attempting to interpret it & understand it. Thank you for giving me something to think about.
Well done, I agree that that face of Jesus was an aspect of Rodrigues’ ego.
Food for thought, Peter is considered one of Christ's greatest disciples, while Judas one of the Bible's greatest villains. Yet both betrayed Christ.
Sorry to ask, but how?
Allison Coon ok thank you
Its what they did afterwards that matters, Judas killed himself while lived to spread the message
Nathan Higgins yes you are right, but Peter ended up being crucified for Jesus while Judas killed himself because he killed Jesus. Everyone is a sinner, but we have to get up from falling and try again.
Peter denied Christ as was prophesied Judas betrayed
no, this guy didn't die, he rebelled against Japanese in World War II, in a place called Hacksaw ridge.
he still died after this
And then became spider man
@@albertbecerra and then co-founded Facebook and got betrayed by Zuckerberg. haha
And was the biological being that Cartman's trapper keeper attached to, causing it to destroy most of humanity.
@@mobbs8229 this killed me. 🤣
I don't believe this movie is Pro or Anti Religion, I believe it points out the flaws in both sides of the argument and puts forward a message of sacrificing one's pride for the good of others.
I don't think there was ever an argument for atheism necessarily. There is no flaws in not believing here. It would've ended so much faster if no one believed. But it's not about not believing it's about what you'll do for your belief and what belief really is in its many forms. It's not pro atheist or Christian it's about letting go of the ego
Silence, the most powerful and the most deepest root of the sound. Maybe it can’t be heard all over the swamp, but it can be planted deep into the ground so that its root can never be cut even in the swamp
unfortunately, I never heard of this movie being made. Even with the actors in it.
Unfortunately it had some problems getting a release date, but thankfully it's becoming more and more recognized now
The best movies are always subject to different explorations of the ideas it presents in the movie. And I think this is one of the best movies when it comes to such. Thanks for showcasing such an interesting notion and hope to see more.
This was a beautiful break down of the film and its underlying themes. Thank you for making this!
As a Christian discerning ordained ministry, this is my favorite movie. I know others who dislike it, seeing it as disrespectful to the missionaries and coverts who were martyred for their faith or as the main character being deceived by the devil into apostatizing. I’m not quite sure I agree with everything in your interpretation, but I’ll have to sit with it awhile
The film remains respectful to the martyrs and kakure kiristian. It tells both sides of a story: of the martyrs and kakure kiristian, and of the apostate priests. The filmmaker makes no presumption about who is in heaven and who is not in heaven. The film is based off the preserved text of Jesuit missionary letters.
If Paul, a man who persecuted, tortured, and murdered in the name of God, can be transformed into a highly regarded christian leader, looked favorably upon by God to lead the early Christian movement, How then could simply apostatizing be considered such an unforgivable sin, assuming the person's heart has remained unwavering in faith?
@@morriscat3 I was just thinking the same thing. He is always falling, but continues to get up, whereas Ferrara and Rodrigues fall once and pretty much give up entirely.
It's certainly food for thought. Missions work has been a trojan horse for some horrors committed in the past, some intentional and others not. The idea of "what Jesus are you leading these people to" has always stuck out in my mind, heard from someone that has sacrificed their whole life to serving the First Nations people in Canada.
@@jadenthomas1169 The film is based on Shūsaku Endō's novel of the same name (it is awesome). However Endo based it on Missionary Letters.
“And foreign actors whom I unfortunately don’t know” IMDb: am I a joke to you?
Yea that line was kinda a cop out to credit them lol..
@@zan6585 more about not accidentlly fucking up some names
@@zan6585 I'd count it more rude to pretend to even recognize them when he didn't, so I think merely grouping them together was enough. He didn't name every editor or cinematographer, he just praised the "editing" and "cinematography", is that another cop out? :)
It's pretty fucking lazy when compared to the other things he's willing to capture authentically
Racist to not even honor them with their names.
This presentation is far better than the trailer of SILENCE. Thank you for posting it.
This essay was brilliant. Seriously, I felt I needed to pause and reflect each minute. Bravo
It's not Faith or God that is deconstructed here, it's Rodrigo's idea of God.
Man's idea of God is functionally identical to God itself.
* Rodrigues
Its can still be applied to faith as a whole , for example how religious people will find Gods voice even in 'silence', which to a non religious person sounds literally crazy, but when seeing it in the movie even an athiest (like me) can kind of understand the idea of 'hearing god in silence'
@@kaihinds926 now imagine what kind of 'silence' life itself provides in comparism to this movie. I, as a Christian, dive in the seemingly pointless to just find Gods voice shouting in agony for his own children hurting themselves. His suffering fills the void of meaninglessness with unbearable... 'silence'. God bless you
What is his idea of god different from your god?
I was a missionary. And it's funny that the most successful missionaries, were not the ones that said the eloquent prayers. It was the ones that were most sincere. That symbol that he stepped on would be considered an idol by pure Biblical interpretation. And often times we carry idols around with us, be it greed, pride or arrogance. So really, all he stepped on was an idol. An idol he made in his own image.
@A A A B B B I hope not. I've stepped on my Bible lots of times when I left it by my bed! Lol. The Bible can be just as much an idol as anything. That's certainly what happened when Christ came and they held the Law of Moses in such a high regard. The issue was that they were so bent on this concept that the law and the ability to abide by it was so supreame, they forgot why it was there to begin with. If we forget that laws, doctrines and ordinances are a means to an end, you fall into self righteousness. This isn't to say they aren't important, but there is an end game at play. Remember, a fanatic is a person who redoubles their effort while losing sight of their goal. The priest in Silence redoubled his efforts not to betray the faith, that he lost sight of why he came to Japan and what would be a better service to these people.
@A A A B B B Let's look at one of Christ's parables for the answer. "Two men went up into the temple to pray; one was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed to himself like this: 'God, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, unrighteous, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!' I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted." It's tempting to try and make the pharisee out as a hypocrit, but there's no evidence of that. He really was better at keeping the rules. But when you read what he says, he's basically saying that God owes him! So back to your question. If I'm burning incense and such, is that bad? Is that a form of idolitry? It can be, if it means you view it as you doing a favor to God, now he owes you one in turn. If it's done in rememberance of him, then it is appropriate. So, with that said, should he burn incense to the emperor? Well, you tell me. What's at stake?
@A A A B B B What do you think is more important to God?
@A A A B B B Do you understand anything about pagan Gods? Furthermore, to suggest that motive plays no role, is to ignore Christ's warning about doing things to "be seen of men." And the parable I previously mentioned. And what you said at the end about feelings, shows you understood NOTHING about what I was saying. Because feelings can be idols too. That's what they are in this day and age. And he didn't step on an idol because he hated God or his feelings. He did it to save innocent people's lives. Did you forget that part?
@A A A B B B I'm not upset. I think you're projecting there. Do you think Christ wanted these people to die?
I agree to an extent to what you say about the film. In the real Japan, the context behind the persecution in Silence is one of historic turmoil brought by warring clans. The Sengoku Jidai a period which lasted almost 150 years was one of total civil war and rival factions killed one another for control of the Shogunate of Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate saw the dangerous instability brought by catholicism and sought to ban it.
I am Japanese, and this movie was very wonderful. Thank you Scorsese. You are a really great director.
Jesus says, "Step on me, I can endure the weight to save the souls of the suffering. " And in the silence, you hear God's voice. Wow.
God isn't real.
@@richardshiflett5181 okay shitlet
@@richardshiflett5181 "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good." Psalm 14:1
@@richardshiflett5181 *tips fedora*
@@YeshuaisLord524 This comment right here. I absolutely hate it. You have a line in your holy book that tells you that everyone who doesn't believe is a moron and an evil-doer. And you somehow think you are special, and you quote it as evidence of your god? You don't think the Mormons think non-believers are misguided fools? You don't think the Hindus, the Scientologists, and the Buddhists think that Christians like you are misguided and lost? When you quote something that every religion believes about others, and think it makes you and your religion 'wise' ... I'm speechless.
"If the world hates you , remember it hated me first." -Jesus
TheAgentAssassin The Gospel of John is beautiful
- Hitler
@@HappinessOrDeath how does Sex Drugs Violence help babies?
@@mgtowlifeseasyifyoutry1274 it creates them much of the time. Why do u ask
Funny since monotheism is relatively new
I was welling up at the conclusion of the movie based on your description, and I’ve never seen it before. This is definitely the next on my list.
most valuable movie i ever watched. watched it again, read the book, watched it again and again and still learning.
“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. “- proverbs 11:2. Rodrigues was battling with spiritual pride. And only when he humbled himself did he truly understand what it meant to live and die like Jesus.
So you know what it means to live like Christ?
@@nuca5104 No but he can have an opinion.
I agree. It is about the message: "love of neighbour" (aka humanism, human rights, etc in our modern world today) . Only then you are a "true Christian". the rest is just ritual. If you follow the ritual, but don't practice "love of neighbour", I am sorry, you are not really getting the messsage.
@@charlesbourgoigne2130 Whose message is this that one would ever equate it to being a true Christian?
Not at the cost of apostasy.
there's a "joke" that goes something like this: there's a flood in a village and rescue teams come to save everybody... but one believer of God refuses rescue and says " I don´t need rescue. I believe in God. God will save me!" The water keeps rising and he climes to the roof of his house... when a boat comes near him and ppl on the boat scream to him to jump on it, he says " I don´t need rescue. I believe in God. God will save me!" waters rise above the roof and he is dragged into the the water, an helicopter shows up and extends him a rope urging him to grab it and he says " I don´t need rescue. I believe in God. God will save me!" ... He drowns! ... When he gets to Heaven he goes to see God and promptly asks him ... - God, i was always your most devoted believer, how could you let me die???? At what God answers: - I sent you a rescue team, a boat, even an helicopter... you refused them all! very simplified version of the same moral Don't say you believe in God and them expect Him to prove ESPECIALLY to you he exists just because you say you believe in him... If you really do... You don't need him to prove he exists... right? And your not "special" just cause you do... (rambling ... i will just stfu now)
Hmm a more fundamentalist end would be "I did save you that's why you're here instead of Hell"
@@MrElionor Amen to that.
Apt statement, DR. People out here looking for a genie. Don't do Gideon's sin, asking for a sign as though God must prove Himself.
@@TheKing-qz9wd i am sorry do you approve of my description or just think it was accurate?
@@TheKing-qz9wd Well God does have to prove himself but not being real kind of makes that difficult
I have never heard of this movie before, and now having watched your interpretation and opinion, I will watch it with your words in mind. Thank you.
What a fantastic video. Well done mate u should be very proud of this. Laid it out in an extremely clear and interesting way. Love it
One of the profound moments of the film was when Christianity was compared to Buddhism. Something was said along the lines of "Our priests see our oneness with God. They see past the illusion. You hold onto your illusion and call it Faith." As someone who used to study Buddhism and do some of these Eastern Practices for many years I could percieve the beauty and wisdom found in their Philosophies. And something I could practice everyday, and be at all times at ease. Although in search for truth, when I repented and invited Christ into my life, I was touched so profoundly by the Lord, that I could not reject his existence. It was The most beautiful moment of my life. Truly From that moment on, God has not touched me in such a profound way again. He is silent. I have to Live in faith, although sometimes I do indeed doubt. Faith is not easy by any means. The Christian Faith does in fact carry very much weight. At times I do indeed question if it's a self righteous delusion, but at the same time there is a deep knowing despite this, that tells me Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I will forever remain Faithful.
Your journey doesn't stop at repentance. God created you for a specific purpose, there is no one else on earth like you with your experiences, that's valuable. God speaks in a many ways, some being through his word the Bible, prayer, and people. "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you." God expects us to have doubts, we aren't perfect. In Malachi 3 it talks about giving the tithe, and God says test me on this. Would he say this if he expected us to have no doubts? What doubts do you have?
@@matiasosorioolivera2106 Material comfort does not exist, this is the illusion of the modern world. the idea that we can find comfort from the material world we know is false and is reflected by the soaring rates of depression, the ease of obtaining an anti-depressant prescription, the idea of "the frontier" reflected in the west's now finished "manifest destiny", our obsession with physical pleasure, and the soon to come singularity. The modern world lives longer, healthier, richer lives, yet no one is actually happier. This is the very point of most of the world's major religions, particularly Christianity and Buddhism: you cannot fill the void within yourself with external material things. This is what most atheists and theists fail to grasp. The atheist casts aside the philosophy and evolution of the idea of God because they have had the privilege of seeing the micro and macroscopic world around them and cannot conceive of how this reality and the idea of God is compatible and thus they discard the wisdom which developed over millennia in religious communities, while the majority of theists are duped into concerning their current life with the hope of an after life. Neither one is much smarter than the other. The world you claim that is "based on truth and reason" is the same world that has nuclear weapons aimed at each other, allows for entire species to go extinct, and the world where every technological advancement brings both the possibility of growth and the assurance of destruction. Try to connect the dots, bud.
May God bless you on your journey! It is a relationship. I pray you experience Him again and again and draw ever nearer to Him.
@@geneschmidt8308 What do you believe?
@@geneschmidt8308 What specific theistic wisdom are you referring to, exactly? It seems like you're fence sitting so you can feel superior to either side.
catch me cryin in the club rn
I too felt tears come up. I never expected that from this video essay.
so beautiful
Even as an atheistic Satanist, this shit hits deep. It's a very beautiful essay of such an amazing film
I watched this movie and am grateful for your commentary. Your commentary helped me clarify my thoughts on this movie. Maybe it was because I didn't read the book and that always adds some background. Maybe it was because the torture was so hard to watch that my emotions clouded my judgement on this movie. Thank you for the commentary.
i've shared this link so many times. doubling back to like it. terrific essay.
My interpretation of the movie: I am a Christian who "should" be offended by a denial of faith, but I've also been a missionary and have seen the disconnects among missionaries, the true gospel, and what new believers think is the gospel (often very different from the true gospel). This movie is genius in that it allows "religion" to develop on screen the way it actually develops in real life: People think they are following the gospel (even unto death) when in reality they are following (and even dying for) a religious leader or organization supplanting the true gospel's example and authority--a "look to us" message that puts people's attention on a leader or a church, rather than on their Creator. There is a true gospel worth dying for, and the gospel does promise persecution. But instead of discovering that gospel ourselves, we end up mistakenly *blaming the gospel itself* whenever we see man-made religion and religious leadership as it induces pain and suffering that didn't have to happen. In this way, religion is the enemy of an undiscovered gospel, and man-made religion causes people to reject the words of Jesus before ever discovering that he, too, denounced brutal religions. (Some actual words of Jesus are, as you know, found in Matthew 5-7 and contain the *mystery* of making us feel humble while somehow, at the same time, offering that sense of empowerment we've always craved in our spirits. His words are the true gospel.)
Yes, THANKS for follower Martin Luther evil, but there was another priest that died in beach He was true priest and follower Christ
This happens in first world churches too.
Your comment helped me understand this a lot more. Everyone was following the words and guidance of someone higher up who spoke the words of the bible to them and therein people followed the preacher and not the faith. So when they were being tortured they blamed the faith and not the religious leader. It was only until the father “apostatised” and denounced his faith that he realised he was looking for glory and praise unlike Jesus Christ rather than looking to do what was for the betterment of his fellow Christians. I think my train of thought here is right / makes sense. My language may be a bit skewed as I’m not a religious person myself but I’m hoping my point hasn’t gone amiss.
@@lewisjtnb Wow. Your words ring so true and you expressed your thoughts in a clear way. Sooo many people reject faith in God (or in Jesus) when religious leaders corrupt Christ's teachings. People think religious leaders actually represent the teachings of Jesus. If there is one thing that should happen, it's for people to stop listening to Western preachers and read what Jesus (who came from the East--in a very different culture) actually said.
EpicEpidemic I find that a lot of religious leaders are able to interpret words from religious books in many ways so they can show people that it means something completely different than it actually says.
Sadly I can see a lot of myself In Rodriguez. Pride and faith twisted together makes for a terrible mindset. Such a complex examination it’s honestly a shame it hasn’t been studied more.
@Yeshua is Lord. it was his mindset that painted an incorrect picture of God for his spiritual life. Just like how the Jews of Jesus' day rejected Christ because He's not the kind of Messiah they're looking for. This led them to misinterpret and even ignored several portions of the prophecies surrounding Jesus. In the end, Rodriguez's rejection to accept that his idea of God failed to pass the numerous tests and trials that were given to him. As a result, just like an egg under pressure, he cracked.
Rodrigues* not Rodriguez they were Portuguese missionaries not spanish
@@martimking1craft brabo
This film is a masterpiece. It never got promoted anywere,but one of the most powerful performances i have ever seen
I love this channel so much! thank you josh :)
I was anticipating more discussion on Kichijiro. As a Catholic, I felt that he was the true example of what a Christian is. Mortal being who betrays yet seeks salvation & reconciliation with his shortcomings. Great discussion video!
Exactly, he was always sinful but never totally turned his back on God whereas Ferrara and Rodrigues do.
I see a lot of parallels to God / Christ in Kichijiro... He was ever present in Father Rodriguez’s life from the time he arrived in Japan seemingly up until his death. He kept pointing him toward the right path, even forcing him down it at times but Rodriguez did not recognize him because Kichijiro was weak, because he was a drunk because despite being taught to look for God even in the places we’d least expect Father Rodriguez’s pride concealed it. His entire journey he had been trying to find Christ inside himself, he neglects to look around him. It isn’t until their confession scene near the end that Rodriguez understands that God has been with him the whole way.
As believers, we come to understand that a non-believer’s discussions on films such as Silence will have a very different perspective, perhaps unable to grasp our discussions on Kichijiro. I too found Kichijiro as the true example of a Christian, who I am no different from. And yes, also, great video, Keefe!!
What about his family who refused to apostasize and died for it? What about the laity who were faithful to the end? How is Kichichiros constant backsliding valid especially at points when it mattered? Yes we are weak and fallen and constantly struggle with sin but when Isis or Boko Haram or leftists in the west demand a public renunciation do you comply only to later repent or do you declare your faith and accept the consequences? There are times in life when one must pick a side. Its easy to say from the safety of my home but personally I choose the latter.
@@traykunable Yeah like you said, easy to say from your couch
This movie is one of my all-time favorite movies and deeply affected me. I came out of the theater shaking. One of the best faith-based movies.However, I always felt - and still feel - that he didn't sacrifice his faith. I found the conflict more about saying he didn't love Christ when he so deeply did. Pride certainly played a vital role, but I don't think he was concerned about risking salvation.
It's peculiar that people equate the church to the catholic. Simply as for me, the moment God is not at the top and center of your faith, another god ensues. Stepping on that object might apostate a priest but its a graven image to begin with, depending your faith. Idols come in many forms, and without God's overall guidance and rule, we would mistaken our pride for righteousness. Paul in the Bible went out to gentiles and preached, he sat at their dinner tables, at fires and shared stories. He obviously faced objection but nothing could be tied to him but his faith. Those that listened to him did not follow him but The Christ that saved them. The enemy would try it on him, turn away from Christ or we kill them, he had his own conviction and so did those that listened to him. Who do you follow? Jesus. Who taught you? Paul. If we kill him will you stop believing? I follow Christ. Paul, if we kill them, will you turn from God? No. If you kill them, they and I accept persecution and will die in Christ. If they cherish their lives more than Christ then they denounce God, their brother and the church. To be honest, its way more complicated but every attempt to depict these sensitive questions remains complicated and rightly so. I hope people spend enough time considering their faith and positions in reality.
I didn't like this movie. It broke my heart. The priest betrayed his faith. His act of love condemned him because he did not stand for truth. "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free..." If salvation is not something to be lost, which I believe one can lose, then anyone can "come to Christ" and then live however they wanted. There is no verse in the Bible that supports that lifestyle. So when the priest stamps on the cross, he denied his faith. This act that pleased man did not please God. If I can stand before the fire and deny Christ to save my life but really love Christ, then that's not faith, that's lip service. Terrible movie.
@@rodneyaustin3999 Your opinion is reasonable and you do bring up a good point: that we can't deny God and still have salvation. However, you must remember the story of Peter. He denied Jesus three times (even when Judas betrayed Jesus only once), and he was made founder of God's church after Jesus' resurrection. The parallel between that story and the movie "Silence" is the theme of redemption. Both Peter and the main character remained saved because they continued to serve and love Christ. Not through any power of our own or the declarations of any world power or religious authority can we receive salvation, but through the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The main character's redemption isn't that he denied Christ, lived however he wanted, and still got saved. The redemption comes from putting his trust in the Lord that His love for the main character would last even after he apostatized. We see in the movie that the main character doesn't immediately become an atheist or a buddhist - he doesn't give up on worshiping God. Instead, he continues to believe and worship God, even converting others, while his life is preserved. There is a sense in this movie that God intended this man should live so he could grow closer to God, not die in a futile martyrdom.
@@kileyblack2462 I disagree that Peter was the founder of God's church. He was the first preacher, but the founder is Christ. This may come across as arrogant (sorry). It could be semantics. I understand that Peter denied Christ, but then he preached. He gave his life for the gospel. I didn't like the movie because the priest denied Christ to save his life. To me it seems too easy to to deny Christ in the open and worship Him in secret.
@@rodneyaustin3999 I don't know if it's easy, but I understand your point. However, the bible does clearly state that Jesus appointed Peter as the head of the new church. Historically speaking, all the churches that originated in the first century held Peter as the leader of the church at large. However, it's true that Jesus is the head, as he is literally God.
One of Scorcese's indubitable masterpieces. A very historically accurate film that goes against a lot of the over-simplified and one-sided narratives of today.
That is the best tutorial on how to end one's self-pride and endless ego, thanks!
I was going to say that this was more spiritual than intellectual, but it's very hard to separate these two things for me most of the time nowadays. I thoroughly appreciate this video.
With this film it's almost impossible to and believe me, I tried. Glad you enjoyed it :)
@@Josh_Keefe So, I was watching it again, because I like to take the most out of these things as I can, and I think what strikes me the most about your reading is how this approach to the story forces us to redefine what "denying Christ" means and Mt 10:33. I remember that upon first watching Silence, I thought: "but, he denied Christ, does it matter that he still believe in secret? Will he still be saved?". After this video I kept thinking that my mind was so closed up to a literal reading of the verse, that I didn't even ponder a lot on what does the verse imply -- it forces me to admit that I did a very lazy reading of the passage. So, you made me see that maybe Scorcese is getting us to a place of: "hey, maybe he didn't deny Christ, he lived Jesus's life, living Christ's life just didn't look like how we'd think that it would look like". Well, at least, that's what I got from it. Thank you for putting this content out there.
Meanwhile in Orthodoxy: St. Nicholas of Japan: *Coverts Japanese through Japanese culture and language*
A A A B B B yes because it’s a contest
@@HeidiSue60 your biterness is showing, he was merely pointing out how it was possible to convert them to christianity in a more respectful, less prideful manner, with understanding. it's fine tho, antagonising those that are right is how people seem to cope with being wrong these days
religion has always been about identity and politics ethics and their philosophical viewpoint. i even hate the word convert. what does it mean that you betray other faiths. you give up on other faiths now you must only identiffy with a christian culture and live that way.? to create a barrier a wall . you isolate with only people from your faith.? if you apostate now are you betraying your faith?
@Reicist Rei catholics: oh yeah ur schismatic cope orthodox cope pope francis: i accept homosexual marriage also catholics: ....
@@octohex2908 To follow Christ means to give up worship of created things and begin worshipping the creator - to forsake false gods that always fail us to trust the true god who truly loves and always keeps his word. It's not about identity and politics and ethics and philosophical viewpoints, but about recognizing truth and honoring acts of love and deliverance! It's when we finally give up trying to chisel hearts of stone into better shapes, and allow our hearts of stone to be replaced with hearts of flesh!
This is precisely what I was thinking more or less. Thanks for putting it into words in this essay. -A non-believer
This was really good. Thank you for making it.
Thank you, Mr. Keefe, for this video essay. The conclusion is spot on, and it is a lesson the Western body of Messiah has forgotten. The parable of the prodigal son has the father (a representation of God in the story) RUNNING TO the returning prodigal son. What is being forgotten by the Western body is there is NO "us" vs. "them". Yes, we must be repulsed by the sin, BUT we must love & accept the sinner. Just because you disagree with someone does NOT mean that you hate them. In today's cancel culture, this simple truth seems to be forgotten.
Thank you for this review. The lesson Rodrigues learned is something I need to learn as well on my walk with Jesus. Sometimes our faith can be perverted into pride without us realizing it
Most of christian faith as it is communally practiced is rampant Idolatry. To live a christ like life is to actually meditate on his gospel and truly comprehend it through the life you live.
This video got me to start reading the book and planning to watch the movie. Thank you.
This is a very insightful commentary. Thanks for explaining.
Wow, the humility in tackling this film and its subject matter-thank you for this video!
This film looks incredible, and I’ve never heard of it? A travesty.
Its on Netflix ;)
and you were spoiled:
YOOOOOOO I FOLLOW YOU ON TUMBLR
I had a tough time find a theater near where I live where they showed it, sadly it was shown in limited release.
That is…..absolutely fascinating 🤨 awesome work
josh, you never fail to not disappoint me