MovieChat Forums > Ben-Hur (1959) Discussion > religious question

religious question

posted 8 years ago by homesick251960
56 replies | jump to latest

Before I say anything, I have to say that I consider Ben Hur one of the finest movies ever made. It's one of my favorites. It's a wonderful movie if one is watching it simply for entertainment, but the premise raises a religious question that may be difficult to answer.

How could God allow Judah and his family, who were innocent, to suffer for years without intervening sooner?

It is similar to the one question about Christianity that no one has ever been able to answer to my satisfaction; if God is supposedly all-knowing, all-merciful and supposedly loves us, why is there so much cruelty and suffering in the world and why is it allowed to continue?

"Don't let a suitcase full of cheese be your big fork and spoon." ~~~Marie Barone.

[–] Rainey-Dawn 7 years ago

Like you, I watch films of this nature from a pure entertainment standpoint. I used to be religious, Christian, but that has changed since I was young and I never watched films of this nature for or as "gospel". I've always realized that all films (of this nature) have their flaws and inaccuracies.

I can say that I'm no longer of the Christian faith (I still have a respect for the faith thought). And yet I still love films like this one. They are highly entertaining, beautifully filmed, well acted and interesting stories.

As for your question, I don't know if you will ever find a satisfactory answer no matter how many people you ask. It is a tough question with many answers. Good luck on your journey.

"I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me." ~ The Invisible Man

[–] joeD234 (28) 4 years ago

Because, for good or bad, God gave man free will. He did not create us to be robots, but to learn, to choose, to come to Him willingly.