MovieChat Forums > Persecuted (2014) Discussion > Unrealistic premise

Unrealistic premise

posted 10 years ago by keirst
60 replies | jump to latest

Howdy folks, this movie seems to have a wildly unrealistic premise. Given that the US has a majority of the population identifies as some sort of Christian, that the 1st Amendment guarantees our governments can’t curtail of compel any religious speech, and given that its unlikely that the voters of the US would vote in radical Senators Representatives and a President who would want to persecute a majority of the population, this has to count as the most speculative of fiction. A Communist or Nazi or Theocratic takeover of the US would be more likely. I can see that some right-wing Evangelical Christians may feel frightened or threatened by the social liberalization of US society in recent years, where being gay has become almost acceptable, gay rights, including marriage rights have been recognized by some states, and divorce has become easier legally (though the divorce rate has dropped since the 1970s). But none of this curtailing of intolerance actually causes persecution of Christians. Christians are not being thrown in jail, beat up, lynched or thrown to the lions. There is just so little danger of Christians being actually harmed or persecuted in the US that “Persecuted" (2014) is likely to be as laughable viewing as "Plan 9 from Outer Space."

[–] Boaz777 10 years ago

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

-- by Martin Niemöller, prominent German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor

[–] footnotegirl 10 years ago

Funny, haven't seen anyone being sent to the concentration camps....

[–] ariel73 10 years ago

And yet you wouldn't say the same for Transformers or The Avengers, do you? IT'S A MOVIE! If you hate right-wingers or Christians so much, you're entitled to it, but at least be serious.

[–] mikemck 10 years ago

"...that the 1st Amendment guarantees our governments can’t curtail of compel any religious speech, and given that its unlikely that the voters of the US would vote in radical Senators Representatives and a President who would want to persecute a majority of the population..."

I take it you haven't read the papers lately.

[–] deananjerri 10 years ago

"this movie seems to have a wildly unrealistic premise". This cracked me up. And Avengers was wildly REALISTIC? HAHAHA!! Man, it's a movie. It's telling a story. That's what movies do. Is there a bigger message? Probably. Is it using hyperbole to get that message across? Probably. But it's still a movie.

[–] theperfectmarysuekiller 10 years ago

Nobody seriously believes that The Avengers' premise was realistic. This is whiny, spiteful, ignorant, bigoted, lazily done inflammatory garbage with absolutely no regard for the basic requirements of a thriller.

[–] jesse859 10 years ago

There is just so little danger of Christians being actually harmed or persecuted in the US that “Persecuted" (2014) is likely to be as laughable viewing as "Plan 9 from Outer Space."

Actually, anti-Christian persecution has already come to the US, although it is not yet as severe here as it is in some other countries (like China, North Korea, Iran, etc.). The mainstream media commonly ignores anti-Christian persecution, even when Christians are murdered for their faith - but much of it is pretty obvious from the many links posted at the bottom of the following article: http://jdlarsenmn.tripod.com/persecutors.htm

This is my signature: http://jdlarsenmn.tripod.com/megiddo.htm

[–] sfdyoung-1 10 years ago

"Actually, anti-Christian persecution has already come to the US..."

Examples, please.

Note: not being allowed to force others to live by your form of Christianity doesn't count as persecution.

[–] footnotegirl 10 years ago

I looked over a few of those links... pretty much all of the supposed 'persecution' in America was simply people being publicly disagreed with.
It is not persecution to have other private citizens criticize and disagree with you.
Also, you might want to check this http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-02-20/news/fl-boynton-preachers- murder-trial-closes-20140220_1_jeriah-woody-tite-sufra-stephen-ocean link about the supposed 'persecution' murder of two street preachers. Apparently, the killer knew the preachers personally, and it was a personal grudge, nothing to do with religion. And the killer was arrested and punished so....
Again, we require proof of actual persecution otherwise, you are lying.

[–] Tamith 10 years ago

Given that the US has a majority of the population identifies as some sort of Christian

Not for long, apparently, if you speak to Atheists and Muslims.
Each group has members claiming their numbers are growing pretty quickly, lol.

I've not seen the movie (but plan to), so I'm not sure about the details of the "persecution" mentioned/shown in it, but just for the record, either way, persecution doesn't only exist in the form of being thrown in jail, beat up, lynched or thrown to the lions.

[–] sfdyoung-1 10 years ago

Okay, then - what are these other forms of persecution?

[–] Tamith 10 years ago

Hostility, being teased, being purged from one's job due to keeping/supporting certain Bible-based beliefs, even being harassed online by people deciding to insult or degrade others who are minding their own business, etc. Persecution has a definition that extends past just the things you mentioned.

[–] footnotegirl 10 years ago

Please, inform us of these other forms of persecution that Christians are suffering under in our majority Christian country.
Remember, things that are not persecution:
Being disagreed with or criticized by other private citizens.
Corporations refusing to express your religious beliefs.
Secular governments not giving special favor to your religion.
Laws not being made based on your religiously based views.
Being allowed to break existing civil rights laws based on your religious feelings.

[–] Tamith 10 years ago

I'm aware those aren't considered persecution. Didn't say they were either way. There are some that are indeed, violent toward Christians, most often nowadays when it comes to the topic of homosexuality. Please also see my post above. Since you responded to me on another thread as well, I'll answer you there, too.

[–] revsteven67 9 years ago

That is not the premise of the movie. The only conspiracy is directed toward one man who would not endorse a piece of legislation; the details of which are left somewhat unclear though it did seem that it would basically have the effect of making it illegal for people of one religion to exhort their beliefs over the other. So essentially the premise was that there was a congressional conspiracy to frame a man who would not play-ball as they wanted him to. If that's an absurd premise then so is just about every movie based on a Tom Clancy book.

[–] kevinb70 9 years ago

The Walking Dead is a wildly unrealistic premise... go condemn that show too...