- RELATED READINGS : FILM -

EXIT: The Right to Die

by Fernand Melgar
First Run/Icarus Films, Brooklyn, NY, USA, 2005
VHS, 75 mins, colour
Sale, video-dvd: $440 USD   (verified price as correct, by Choice, I think it targets Theatres rather than individual's purchases)
Rental, video: $125 USD
www.frif.com

Reviewed by Rob Harle (Australia)

Leonardo reviews web site is:  http://www.leonardo.info/ldr.html

harle@dodo.com.au

"My Life My Choice", the slogan on a tee-shirt worn by an Exit helper in this powerful and poignant film, sums up the basic message of the film succinctly.
As the cliché goes, the two things we cannot avoid are "taxes and death". EXIT: The Right To Die confronts the viewer, head-on, with their own mortality. Even if you have been involved with the death of loved ones, had close brushes with death yourself and you are calmly resigned to the inevitability of bodily demise, this film will touch that inner, primal aspect that brings about an uneasiness. Take an extra deep breath, swallow just a bit harder.

The film is produced in a sensitive and caring way. It is in colour, runs for seventy five minutes and the camera work is excellent and well suited to the subject matter. Unfortunately for English viewers the language of the film is French with English subtitles. I say unfortunately, because as with most subtitled movies, they are hard to read white text over white or pale background much of the time becomes tedious. Why haven't film producers realised this yet? My other minor criticism of this film is the lack of background music, it would have benefited greatly from the addition of a sensitive, instrumental style sound track.

EXIT focuses specifically on the structure, modus operandi and activities of the Exit Organization based in French speaking Switzerland. This organization is fully legal and supported by the relevant governmental authorities, who are clearly well advanced in humanitarian respects than are most other Western bureaucracies. The film moves smoothly through three areas of Exit's week-to-week activities: (1) Membership, rules, meetings that give the viewer an idea of just what Exit can and cannot do, together with the pressures facing such an organization. (2) Interviews with terminally ill men and women. These discussions are frank and at times quite moving. (3) Perhaps, most significantly the work of the "helpers" including brief glimpses of their own personal lives.

Exit has over ten thousand members, aged between 21 and 103 years of age. This membership grows steadily and is fast outstripping the resources and energy of Exit and its volunteer helpers. The demand for this service of counselling, comforting and administering the final "magic potion" to terminally ill persons by both Swiss residents and overseas enquirers attests to the fact that a great many human beings (sane, psychologically stable, decent, life loving people) believe it is their right to self-deliverance in respect of how and when they will stop living. Before you think of darting off to Switzerland to "bump yourself off" legally, you must be a permanent resident of this country and an existing member of Exit. As one government official said, "We do not wish to encourage Euthanasia Tourism! And as one helper said to a person facing imminent death, "Fortunately we live in Switzerland".

As with Mademoiselle and the Doctor (see my review Leonardo Reviews, June 2006) this film has a doctor and main female character. Dr Sobol's role is similar to Dr Philip Nitschke's and Micheline, a terminally ill woman, is Lisette Nigot's counterpart. After watching both these films I must confess to finding it incomprehensible that a politician or leader of a religious organization can treat terminally ill people with such contempt. I say contempt, because to deny a person their wishes because of the other's own beliefs is to treat them as ignorant children. To act as a "holier than thou" go-between, to my mind, is the greatest sin imaginable because it influences a person in a way that prevents that person fulfilling their own destiny in the eyes of God. Hypocritically these anti-euthanasia fanatics accuse the terminally ill person of "playing" God when it is actually they who are assuming this role. This film does not dwell too long on this aspect of the voluntary euthanasia dilemma.

To my knowledge voluntary euthanasia is legal in The Netherlands, the U.S state of Oregon but in 2005 the time Fernand Melgar and Jean-Marc Henchoz made this film, Switzerland was the only country where suicide assistance was legal. That is, non-medical helpers or carers actually administer the "magic potion" when the time comes, it goes without saying that Exit and its helpers are governed by precise regulations.

The film portrays the emotional drain the intense volunteer work has on the Exit helpers, juxtaposed with the trust and mutual respect which develops, over time, between them and their terminally ill companions. The final ten minutes will leave an indelible impression on even the most hard-headed amongst us. Little wonder this film won many Best Documentary awards. Together with Mademoiselle and the Doctor it will become a landmark reference in the humanitarian fight for individual human rights, self-determination and self-deliverance.

May 27, 2006:

The Da Vinci Code:

Below is a fervent Christian's response to the now famous Da Vinci Code and his "Devil's Advocate" to his article.   I had forgotten how seriously people must argue their case when rebutting what is essentially a "Hollywood" type story.  I provide space on my website to republish his work (the author is known to me from many years ago.  This is one case where I have not sought permission to republish because I haven't the patience of the person who sent me the article " A Christian's Reply".   While the Response by the contributor is both concise and shares similar views to my own, I like to demonstrate balance and allow people their differences.

I've seen the film - I've read similar books.....It is just a "thriller" story... It is just a matter of faith - you would need to be a Christian, or a thinking lapsed one, or a student of religions, I believe to fully understand its significance.   No where did the "Christian Reply" - to the obvious point the film was making.   What importance is FEMALE given to the advocacy of God's word - only in terms of baby reproduction? -  Where were the women (50% of the population)?  where are they today in the hierarchy of that magnificent Church that found the thought of Jesus having sex totally repulsive, yet encourages birth by the thousands (with and without condom aids, VD, and AIDS).   If Jesus was a man, why then wasn't he doing manly things?  Is fatherhood so very despised?   Does the average Catholic woman really believe her only purpose is to be of service to MEN?  In the day of equality and non discrimination of sexes, why don't the women understand the theme of this "Hollywood Story" filmed in a country which is populated by some many successful women.? 

It is a story - but nevertheless, it has a point to make...that is - don't believe everything you're told!!

Because it is not an issue of faith for me personally the response doesn't matter.   I don't have the necessary faith in any of it from the beginning two thousand years ago or in 2006.  It is a story for me and my life is just as it is today and now.  No past and no future.  Just today!

Lunching with a number of Catholics last week, I was amazed at how closed their minds were to testing their faith by "seeing the film and opening up themselves to new possibilities".   The fact the Catholic Church is working so hard to detract from the film is itself an indication of its own loss of self esteem that knows it cannot stand up to modern scrutiny by educated people as a whole.  

Many Catholics, whilst educated, have not yet learnt to think for themselves in terms of their "faith".   That takes courage, not bought by a university degree!  If one still holds "faith" in the face of logical analysis, then that is the "true faith!" unlike a friend of mine who chooses "to believe as a matter of insurance just in case there is an afterlife" in spite of the practicalities of the worlds known as heaven and hell actually existing....with billions and billions of souls milling around.

Who in all honesty,  would want that endless "living" experience?,  Even living in eternal grace could become pretty boring with the best intentions of the "true believer".  One needs to evolve in order to live, to face the challenge that is offered by earthly living and let any other concepts take care of itself. - later if you believe it! Live in the Now!

It is why I want choice in my method of dying, should it not be reasonably quick and painless.  Known bluntly as voluntary euthanasia.  The watering down of its meaning to dying with dignity, patient directed dying, choice and dignity is dying is probably how the Bible managed to confuse so many with its stories.    With time ,the original intent is lost in the mist of words.   But my end of life decisions are controlled by the law which has it's roots in this Bible - But should they be?

My faith, my choice - Your faith, your choice......It is what we believe that makes us the individuals that we are.  

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A Christian’s Reply to Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code Deception


Introduction

The international best seller, “The Da Vinci Code”, is authored by Dan Brown and published in 2003 by Doubleday Publishing (in the US) and by Bantam Press (in the UK). The author is an alumnus of the prestigious Philip Exeter Academy in America[1][1]. He was also for a time an English teacher there. Dan Brown is not only very well educated but is also an accomplished writer. His book (at the time of writing) has sold more than six million copies worldwide and Hollywood is now planning a movie out of it.

While The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, there are disturbing claims on the book by the author in his official web site (www.danbrown.com) that warrants a Christian’s reply. Dan Brown claims that: “The Da Vinci Code is a novel and therefore a work of fiction.” However, he qualifies that, “While the book's characters and their actions are obviously not real, the artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals depicted in this novel all exist (for example, Leonardo Da Vinci's paintings, the Gnostic Gospels, Hieros Gamos, etc.).” And he goes further in saying that “My hope in writing this novel was that the story would serve as a catalyst and a springboard for people to discuss the important topics of faith, religion, and history.” The above quotes are found in the web page: http://www.danbrown.com/novels/davinci_code/faqs.html/

Now, faith, religion and history to the bible-believing Christian are not subjects of fiction. Neither are these matters of human speculation to the discerning soul. When Christian faith, Christian practices, and the history of the church are being distorted by a work of human speculation and fiction, it is incumbent upon the Christian to stand firm upon God’s Word and reveal the Truth. God’s Word says in 2 Tim 3:16-17 that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” And God’s Word says in 2 Tim 4:2, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.”

Dan Brown Peddles a Lie from a Speculative Work—The Da Vinci Code

First, the Da Vinci Code book makes a direct attack on the deity of Christ. It also questions the integrity of the Bible. It attacks the fundamental premises for the historic and biblical Christianity and is causing quite a stir in the evangelical Christian church.

Second, the Da Vinci book casts doubts on the reliability and the authenticity of the Bible, on the nature of Christ, on the origin and the development of Christian belief and the activities of the Church in its early formative years. It is saying that the Christian story of faith is a false one and that the suppressed stories of the Holy Grail actually hold the key to the truth about the true Jesus and Christianity.

In essence, Dan Brown has seductively weaved a highly imaginative story in his book in a vain attempt to prove that the Jesus believed by Christians today is not the same Jesus who lived in the first century AD. According to “The Da Vinci Code”, the true historical Jesus was only an ordinary man and not God at all.

Here is Dan Brown’s Deception:

Brown questions the inspiration, preservation, and canonicity of the Holy Bible. The bible he says, “is a product of man, …Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book. … Thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, … Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.”

As far as Dan Brown is concerned, the historical and factual gospels have been destroyed in the 4th century AD. Therefore, what remains today are simply the spurious and fictitious Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John that promote a mythical, godlike Jesus. Thus, he says that all this while, Christians have been reading the wrong Gospels and believing in a false Jesus!

Remember God’s Perfection
 

Does Dan Brown’s unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God’s Holy Word says, “God forbid; yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” (Rom 3:4) KJV[2][2].

How do we know that the Bible today is truly the Word of God that is perfect and without mistakes?

We know this in our hearts simply because God says so! The declaration, “Thus saith the LORD,” or “Hear the Word of the LORD,” or “The LORD spake…saying,” appears more than 3,000 times in the Bible. Be not deceived, the Bible is altogether God’s Word and not the words of mere mortal man! “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (theopneustos in the Greek, which is literally, “God-breathed”) and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim 3:16-17).

The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years by more than 40 different writers, and despite all its diversity, its miraculous unity is obvious. It goes without saying that though the Bible has many Holy Spirit-inspired writers, it has but one divine Author—the Almighty God Himself. That every one of the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ’s first coming has been fulfilled precisely proves the Bible’s authenticity (for example, Isaiah 7:14, compared with Matthew 1:22-23).

How do we know that the Scriptures that we have today are the true ones, and not those that have been lost for over a thousand years? We know this because God promised to preserve His words perfectly and perpetually. Psalm 12:6-7 says, “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.” Jesus Himself promised, “For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matt 5:18). “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matt 24:35, Mark 13:31, Luke 21:33). “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35).

The true and perfect Bible can be easily identified. It is the one that has an unbroken lineage, fully and continuously preserved by God down through the ages. And it has always been in the possession of His people. Thus, the perfect and true Scriptures are not in the lately found Alexandrian manuscripts underlying the modern imperfect bible versions (which incidentally present a less than divine Jesus preferred by Dan Brown), nor are they in the newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi codices (that is the Gnostic manuscripts from Egypt) as mentioned by Dan Brown, but in the long-existing, time-tested and Christ-honoring Hebrew and Greek Scriptures underlying the good old Authorised Version—the Textus Receptus.

The Christian’s Conviction

How can we be absolutely sure that the Scriptures we hold in our hands today are truly the infallible and inerrant Word of God? Faith is the answer! “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6). The logic of faith is the key to certainty—If God says it, then that settles it, and I believe it! The result of our faith is this—we do not see in order to believe; rather, we believe in order to see.

The Apostle Peter told the Church to trust in “a more sure word of prophecy”—the Holy Scriptures—as written by eyewitnesses: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man (and certainly not by the will of Constantine): but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet 1:20-21).

If we are truly born again and the Spirit of God dwells within us, we cannot but know and believe the Truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit is “the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17). “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth … He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:13-14). “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27).

Historical and scientific evidences that prove the Scriptures may be helpful, but ultimately, the only basis of our faith and practice must be the Scriptures and the Scriptures alone. The Perfect Bible (and we have it today and know where it is) is our supreme final authority. Sola Scriptura!

In The Da Vinci Code, it is Satan’s voice that one hears. True Christians will not follow its directives. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life” (John 10:27-28).

We (as born-again Christians) have experienced the good news and the resurrection power of Christ in our lives, and we cannot deny that our Lord and Savior is indeed 100% God and 100% Man, and that His Word is 100% inspired and 100% preserved.

It goes without saying that “The Da Vinci Code” is completely a work of fiction and not what the author would have us believe (see Dan Brown’s assertions cited earlier on page 1). The Bible, on the other hand, is purely fact. We have a Perfect Canon and a Perfect Text. May we never add to it, nor subtract from it (Rev 22:18-19), but love it and obey it (1 John 2:3-6)! “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3).

The Deception of The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code is a Satanic masterpiece. It is utterly deceptive, and particularly so in Chapter 55. In this particular chapter, you will find the two talking snakes, Sir Leigh Teabing (a former Royal British Historian) and Dr Robert Langdon (a Harvard Symbologist), seducing Ms Sophie Neveu (a French Police Cryptologist) with their sophistry. Alas, the helpless lass is mesmerised, and the serpentine duo go for the jugular with their venom of lies.
 

Deception Number 1: The Da Vinci’s Fresco Tells the Truth, Not the Bible

The Da Vinci Code assumes that Leonardo was telling the truth concerning who Jesus was and what happened in His life. Sir Leigh Teabing pontificates, “In fact, Da Vinci painted the true Grail.” At the end of the chapter, Teabing again presses the point that Da Vinci’s fresco is truthful and not the Bible, “You will be shocked to learn what anomalies Da Vinci included here that most scholars either do not see or simply choose to ignore. This fresco [of the Last Supper], in fact, is the entire key to the Holy Grail mystery.”

The Christian’s Refutation

It must be said that Da Vinci, born in 1452 and died in 1519, was not an eyewitness to the Last Supper. How can his painting then be regarded as an authoritative depiction of that event? We should rather trust in eyewitness accounts. Matthew and John who were there recorded what happened during the Last Supper in their respective Gospels. The truth is not in the painting of Da Vinci, but in the testimonies of Matthew and John, and of Peter and Paul as found in Mark and Luke, who wrote under divine inspiration (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

One proof that Da Vinci’s fresco is historically unreliable is that he painted Jesus and His disciples dining at a long and high table with some sitting down and others standing up. However, the people in those days did not have their meals in such a way. In those days, they had their meals in a reclining posture. This fact is accurately reported in the Four Gospels where we find Jesus and His disciples reclining on mattresses around a low table during the Last Supper (refer to John 13:23, 25).

Deception Number 2: If You Believe in the Bible, You Must be Stupid

In order to cause Sophie to doubt, Teabing made her read a couple of Da Vinci’s sayings that demean believers of the supernatural and miraculous. Quotation of Da Vinci Number 1 reads, “Many have made a trade of delusions and false miracles, deceiving the stupid multitude.” In other words, Sophie is made to think that anyone who believes that the Bible is a supernatural God-given Book, and that the miracles recorded therein are true, must be simple-minded and stupid.

The Christian’s Refutation

People ought to realize that Da Vinci is but a creature, and not the Creator. Da Vinci is dead, but Jesus is alive (1 Cor. 15:1-20). As such, it is not what Da Vinci says in his paintings that we should worry about, but what Jesus the risen Lord says in His Word.

Who are the fools in God’s eyes? They are those who deny His existence and His miracles. Twice in the Psalms, God says, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God” (Ps. 14:1, 53:1). The judgment of such fools as recorded in Romans 1:18-22 also applies to the types of Teabing, Langdon, and the author Brown himself, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools.” The truly blind are they who deny the miracle of creation, even the Creator God—the Lord Jesus Christ—Himself (John 1:3, Col. 1:16).

Deception Number 3: If You Believe in the Bible, You Must be Blind

Quotation of Da Vinci Number 2 states, “Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!” I suspect that Teabing could be quoting Da Vinci out of context here. But whatever the case may be, Teabing is trying to tell Sophie, “Don’t be blind! Don’t be misled! Stop believing in the Bible! Stop following Christ!”

The Christian’s Refutation

Da Vinci says “Blinding ignorance does mislead us,” and so it does. Jesus speaks against “blinding ignorance” and calls on all to seek and know the truth. “Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isa. 55:6-9).

From where do we seek the Lord? “Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail” (Isa. 34:16). Why the book of the Lord? Because “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 19:7-8).

How should we seek the Lord? We should seek Him by faith, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). We do not see in order to believe, we believe in order to see. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). We should seek Him with great reverence, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7). “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).

Deception Number 4: The Bible is a Product of Man, Not of God

Teabing tells Sophie, “The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book. … More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them.” Teabing lies to Sophie, “The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great. … Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ’s human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were outlawed, gathered up, and burned.”

The Christian’s Refutation

It is not true that the Four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—were 4th century inventions of Constantine and the Nicean Council. The Four Gospels were written in AD 40-50 shortly after Christ rose from the dead and ascended to heaven. The Early Church Fathers—Papias (in AD 110) and Irenaeus (in AD 180)—mentioned them by name and affirmed their Apostolic origins. It is thus not the over 80 gospels that Teabing mentioned that were the early and authentic Gospels but the Four that we have in the Canonical Scriptures today, totally inspired and entirely preserved to this day.

It must be pointed out that the over 80 gospels that Teabing regards as authentic do not paint Jesus as a mere mortal at all, but super-divine in a fairy-tale way that can only come from the corrupt imagination of unregenerate men. As a matter of fact, these false gospels deify Mary more than they do Jesus which eventually led to Mary-worship that we see in the Roman Catholic Church today. It is no wonder that God’s people have always rejected those 80 gospels as spurious. A born-again, Spirit-indwelt Christian (John 14:16-17, 1 John 2:27) when reading about the boyhood of Jesus in these false gospels can easily tell that they are a myth and not the truth (see, for example, “The Lost Books of the Bible”, especially 1 Infancy 14-15, about Jesus being bitten by a mad and demonised Judas, and Jesus being a proud and boastful show-off).

Teabing’s claims that (1) Constantine was “a lifelong pagan who was baptized on his deathbed,” and that (2) he financed a new Bible in AD 327 to consolidate his power as emperor, are lies. The truth is: (1) Constantine lived from AD 285-337, and became a Christian in AD 312—i.e. 25 years before his death! (2) The New Testament Canon as we know it today existed since the first century. By God’s special providence, it was the Council of Carthage of AD 397 and not the Council of Nicea AD 327 that settled the NT Canon; this happened 60 years after Constantine’s death!

Teabing says that the Scriptures “evolved,” and that there is no such thing as a definitive version of the book. This is sheer nonsense. The biblical doctrine of the Verbal Plenary Inspiration (VPI) and Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) of the Scriptures tells us that we have an absolutely perfect and definitive Bible today as found in the infallible and inerrant Hebrew and Greek Scriptures underlying the Authorized King James Version. Dr E F Hills of Harvard says that the logic of faith is the key to such a certainty, “You must begin with Christ and the Gospel and proceed according to the logic of faith. This will lead you to the Traditional text, the Textus Receptus and the King James Version.” See Edward F Hills, The King James Version Defended (Des Moines IA: The Christian Research Press, 1984), p220.

Deception Number 5: Jesus was Only a Man, and Not God at All

Teabing says, “Jesus Christ was a historical figure … a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal. … Jesus’ establishment as ‘the Son of God’ was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicea. … A relatively close vote at that. … Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power.”

The Christian’s Refutation

The Council of Nicea was convened to hear the case of Arius, a priest from Alexandria, who taught that Jesus was only half God and not fully God. Arius said that Jesus (1) was a creature and thus not the Creator, (2) had a beginning and thus not eternal, (3) was different from and not the same as God Himself. Providentially, God had raised up a defender of the faith in Athanasius. In the Council of Nicea, Athanasius argued from the Scriptures that the Lord Jesus Christ was fully God and fully Man (John 1:1, 14, Col. 2:9, 1 Tim. 3:16), eternally begotten of the Father, not created (John 1:3, 3:16, 18, 10:30, 1 John 4:9). Arius was thus declared a heretic. The Council’s vote was hardly close—316 for Athanasius and only 2 for Arius. Arius was defrocked and excommunicated. The 2 bishops who supported Arius were exiled.[3][3]
 

Furthermore, Teabing’s claim that the deity of Christ was a New Testament invention is not true at all! It was not the New Testament that first spoke of the deity of Christ but the Old Testament. “We have also a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Pet. 1:19). The Old Testament prophetic Scripture had already made mention of a coming Messiah who would be none other than God Himself. Isaiah 7:14 was one such prophecy, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Jesus Himself fulfilled this prophecy in 5 BC, as announced by the angel Gabriel. Jesus was Immanuel, “God with us” (Matt. 1:22-23). It is a significant point to note that Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin-born Son of God was given some 750 years before Jesus came. It goes without saying that the lie that Jesus was never God but made God by the Council of Nicea in AD 325 was not Constantine’s invention, but Teabing’s.

Today, Arius’ teaching is found in a cult called the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and in the imperfect modern English versions of the Bible that are based on the Alexandrian text. It would be no surprise if Arius and his followers had altered the inspired text to create their own text to undermine the deity of Christ. It is indeed troubling to note that in our popular NIV (which is based on the Alexandrian text), 1st Timothy 3:16 should read imperfectly as “He appeared in a body,” which undermines His deity and humanity. The true reading is, “God was manifest in the flesh” (as accurately and faithfully translated from the original by the KJV) which tells us that Christ is Theanthropos (in the Greek)—meaning 100% God and 100% Man. Deception abounds today not only in the cults that claim to be “Christian,” but also in the modern English versions that claim to be “Holy Bible.”

A Biblical Warning

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:1-2). In the face of such dangers, what must the Christian do? The Apostle Paul exhorts, “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim. 4:16).

The Lord Jesus Christ is protecting His Church from falling into Satan’s trap of deception by raising-up Christians with the boldness and courage to preach the Word of God as it truly is and to expose Dan Brown’s best-selling book (The Da Vinci Code) as a Lie.
 

Let us pray that the Lord Jesus would enable us to earnestly contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered unto the saints—see Jude 3.

[1][1] The Phillips Exeter Academy is also known as Exeter or PEA. It is a co-educational independent boarding school that is located on 471 acres (1.9 km²) in Exeter, New Hampshire, which is about one hour north of Boston. Exeter is considered by the academic fraternity in America to be one of the finest secondary school in the United States. Dan Brown graduated from Exeter in 1982. He was also an English teacher at Exeter. Source: http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/Phillips_Exeter_Academy/

[2][2] All Scripture references in this note are sourced from the King James Version, unless stated otherwise.

[3][3] Hill, Jonathan, “The History of Christian Thought”, Lion Publishing PLC (Oxford), 2003, pp 58-63.

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And my contributor's response:

Christians are surely taking all this Da Vinci stuff seriously, aren't they ? Isn’t it a pity that people still squabble today about what was written 2000 years ago by people reporting on events they did not even witness for themselves. It convinces me that the Almighty must truly have a sense of humour to have tolerated such foolishness for so long. Consider the path of those writings down the centuries and along a meandering path of languages and cultures. The ‘facts’ of the bible were written by people who were not present at the time of Jesus but anything up to 200 years later. Those ‘facts’ are based on 200+ years of hearsay and then translated from Aramaic to Hebrew script, from Hebrew to Ancient Greek script, from these two languages and scripts to Latin and then on to medieval English and from that language through all the variations of the modern languages we use today. Did you ever play the game of “Chinese whispers” as a child? The children sit in a circle and the first child whispers a sentence to the next who then whispers what he/she has heard and so on till the message is eventually whispered to the first child. That one sentence is never the same as it started out.

If you had been present at a religious presentation even three months ago, could you remember accurately what you had been told and then translate it back through all those languages and cultures and be so certain you were 100% accurate that you could initiate wars and kill people (don’t even consider the profiteering, destruction of societies or even the small daily sufferings and general unkindness) using that as your basis? How accurate would you report be if you hadn’t actually been there, but were relying on your friend to tell you what went on? On top of all this, you are discussing abstracts like God, good and evil, love, hate, duty etc and assuming that those ancient people meant exactly the same as you by those terms. Given the problems involved in achieving consensus between myself and someone from the same cultural and language group, even someone I ‘understand’ (eg Mary), when discussing those abstracts, the bible is not for me with its jealous, punitive God who plays favourites and thereby drives wedges between people. The God of the bible sounds much more like a maladjusted man than a god who created the universe and all the miracles which keep it functioning.

Fortunately, my personal God is not sitting there waiting to punish me for any mistakes, but is as kind and understanding of my frailties as I am of those of my children and grandchildren. I have nothing to fear. Neither do you! Go see the silly movie if it will entertain you, but it is just a STORY and all the hoo-haa is about selling tickets.

Cheers
author not identified
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Mademoiselle and the Doctor

by Janine Hosking
First Run/Icarus Films, Brooklyn, NY, 2003.
Video, color, 90 mins.
Distributor’s Website: http://www.frif.com.
http://leonardoreviews.mit.edu

Reviewed by Rob Harle

Australia

harle@dodo.com.au

This is a powerful, beautiful, and memorable film. Mademoiselle and the Doctor is not only the story of Lisette Nigot’s voluntary euthanasia but also the story of many others, named and unnamed, who believe in an individual’s right to self-determination in respect of choosing how and when to die.

Janine Hosking has created a provocative and confronting film, which is done somewhat paradoxically in a gentle and sensitive way. The film is in colour, runs for 90 minutes, and features some wonderful background photography and excellent camerawork. Whilst the theme song is good, I think a little more appropriate background instrumental music would have added an extra touch.

The Mademoiselle of the film is Lisette Nigot, a 79- year old academic in apparently excellent mental and physical health, living in Perth, Western Australia. Lisette decided she did not wish to live past 80 and would, therefore, commit voluntary euthanasia prior to her eightieth birthday. Enter the Doctor of the film, Dr. Philip Nitschke, founder and leader of Exit International, an organization that provides information and support for those seeking advice regarding voluntary euthanasia.

Lisette’s story is woven into the film and features many frank discussions with Nitschke both prior to and after Lisette’s death.

Lisette was somewhat of a rebel: She never married, lived alone, had no chilDr.en, and pursued a fairly high profile career. She could not handle the way the body deteriorates and the mind, in many cases, stays young. She did not wish to suffer what she saw as the indignities of old age and made the decision to end her own life in a gentle and peaceful way while she was still able to do this.

As Nitschke points out towards the end of the film that it was not only the issues of voluntary euthanasia that Lisette’s case raised but the fact that she was a healthy woman with possibly several good years left. Many people, regardless of their attitude to voluntary euthanasia of terminally ill persons, found this action very confronting, given that most of us try to stay alive as long as possible. In Cicardi’s words, "Life will do anything for a living".

Public opinion regarding voluntary euthanasia seems to be polarised into two factions: The majority who agree that voluntary euthanasia for terminally ill persons should be a legal and dignified option and those who are vehemently opposed to it. This film, whilst very much pro-voluntary euthanasia, also shows footage of the incoherent, hysterical protests of the minority––which in most cases is underpinned by fanatical, fundamentalist religious beliefs. "Dr.. Death" and "Nitschke is a new Hitler" are some of the absurd labels applied by these people to Dr.. Nitschke.

One of the most poignant scenes in the film is the story of Max, a very old man, with terminal stomach cancer. He pleads with nurses, doctors, and Dr.. Nitschke to help him pass away peacefully and with dignity. Due to the laws in Australia, these caring, sensitive medical workers can do no such thing. As the film points out, Max’s extreme suffering is directly caused by those who oppose voluntary euthanasia and those who make legislation or overturn existing legislation.

Since this film was made, the situation has changed in Australia. In January 2006 legislation came into force that makes a person guilty of an offence if the person; "uses a carriage service [fax, email, telephone, web site] to publish or otherwise distribute material" and "the material directly or indirectly counsels or incites committing or attempting to commit suicide".1

This new criminal law has forced Exit International to move its web site and operations to New Zealand, where freedom of speech is still allowed! If this film, as it stands, was made now those involved would face heavy penalties and gaol sentences.

The film discusses methods, Drugs, and examples of how a person may peacefully and gently commit suicide. In Australia we have the absurd situation where it is legal to kill yourself but illegal to assist in any way other people to kill themselves!
 

Opponents of voluntary euthanasia (for terminally ill persons with medical safeguards to prevent abuse) usually cite religious reasons why it should be unlawful, or, shy away from reasonable debate by saying voluntary euthanasia is such an emotional issue that we cannot discuss it calmly. Both of these reasons are invalid and have nothing to do with the matter at all. The only issue at stake is allowing another human being the right to self-determination both in life and death.

The definition of a hero is "a person of distinguished courage or performance." This brilliant film gives a glimpse of three such heroes: Dr. Philip Nitschke, Lisette Nigot, and Janine Hosking. The film will become a classic and a landmark in the humanitarian fight for individual human rights and self-determination.

1. Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Material Offences) Act 2005. No.92, 2005). Australian Federal Government.

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Friday April 28th, 2006

I can recommend the following from my limited library

The Promise: A Documentary filmed in NZ tells the story of a Mother & Daughter caught between love and the law.  Lesley Martin's story, a nurse who admitted trying to relieve her mother's suffering from the agony of advanced cancer.   The DVD shows us the "behind the scenes" of the daily news bulletins of the day.     Please go to www.spacific.co.nz for further information.  It gives fresh insights following the publication of Lesley's Book, To Die like a Dog, that led her to be jailed for her supreme devotion to her Mother's wellbeing.   No child wants to participate in the death of a parent but when the law allows only for suffering as an alternative to voluntary euthanasia.  In the face of promises we've, many of us, made to protect our loved ones when asked to assist, Lesley just kept her promise....... She made her mother's comfort so much more important than her own.

Leanne Pooley, the New Zealand film maker wrote this of the DVD story elsewhere on my website under Your Say, entry dated December 22, 2006, and I ask readers to support any film maker who makes the journey with us.

I'm hoping that those of you who are interested in Voluntary Euthanasia will want to see my documentary "The Promise". This film is the story of Lesley Martin who helped her mother to die and was then charged with attempted murder. "The Promise" follows Lesley's incredible journey as she faces trial, family conflict and her own demons. The film won a "special mention" at the The New Zealand International Documentary Festival in 2005. You can read more about it and order a DVD ($50us) on my website www.spacific.co.nz

Please support her work
 

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Curtailing our right to know about the right to die with dignity 
May 16, 2005

Denying people access to information is at odds with democratic rights, writes Fiona Stewart. If the new Spanish film The Sea Inside teaches us anything, it is that no amount of law and legislation can prevent a person who wants to die from devising the ways and means to take their own life. Whether it be laws such as the Northern Territory's Rights of the Terminally Act, which promoted choice, or the Suicide Related Materials Offences Amendment to the Crimes Act now before the Senate, which takes choice away, laws can be avoided. The Sea Inside provides remarkable insight into why and how. The life and death of lead character and real-life person Ramon Sampedro has long been a cause celebre in Spain. Paralysed from the neck down from a diving accident at 26, Sampedro spent his next 28 years as, in his words, a head attached to a corpse. Deeply resentful of being forced to live a life that he defined as having little quality, Sampedro repeatedly petitioned the Spanish and European courts. Repeatedly, Sampedro was denied permission to ask for assistance to die, a request he believed he had the right to make. The law disagreed. 

Most people believe in death with dignity. In this, Sampedro was not exceptional. At the end of the day it is of little importance that he was not terminally ill. Rather, what mattered to him was that his life had so little dignity, that death was a preferable option. And on this latter point, Sampedro still cannot be singled out. For he was neither the first - nor shall he be the last - person to take matters into his own hands when the law fails. It seems important to point out that even if other states had followed the Northern Territory's lead and had legislated for voluntary euthanasia, a person in Sampedro's situation would never have qualified to use it. 
To benefit from the act, you had to be terminally ill. Sampedro's self-determined poor quality of life would not have entered the equation. This raises the question of what's law got to do with it, if such constraints apply? Well very little - as long as you know what to do. While everyone knows that rope is available and hanging works - one need only look at the national suicide statistics that show hanging as the most common means of suicide for all ages - the real question is, who wants to die by hanging when their time comes? Not I, nor anyone I know. Rather, what most people who have given any thought to how they might wish to die - the elderly, the sick and those with diminished life quality - say is that control, peace and dignity are what count. 
To achieve these, though, we must know our options. And it is this right to the most basic information our Big Brother Federal Government led by Justice Minister Chris Ellison is now seeking to take away. Under the new Crimes Act amendments, it will be illegal to use the telephone, fax, email or internet to find out information about your end-of-life options. 
This type of government determination of what we can and can't read is nothing short of extraordinary in a free country. So how would Ramon Sampedro have faired if he had been an Australian today? First, he would have needed to get information about his options without using the phone, fax, email and the net. Difficult, but not impossible. Best-selling books such as Derek Humphry's Final Exit, available at your local bookshop, contain all that the Sampedros of this world need to know. Second, because he was a quadriplegic and unable to do things for himself - Ramon Sampedro needed his friends. He needed enough people willing to risk legal persecution to help him. 

In The Sea Inside we see Sampedro on his death bed, drinking his potassium cyanide by a straw from a glass beside his bed, while his anonymous, able-bodied and loyal friends toast him with champagne. What we don't see is the thousands of strangers who bought keys to his apartment, as a strategy to deflect the gaze and blame away from those who did help him. So while the Australian Government moves heaven and earth to deny honest Australians honest information, luckily, the real power lies with the people. And, as the Get Up Stand Up generation showed everyone in the '60s, people power cannot be stopped, not even by a politician. Dabble on, minister. 

Fiona Stewart is co-author (with Philip Nitschke) of 
Killing Me Softly: Voluntary Euthanasia and the Road to the Peaceful Pill.

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Films that have promoted open discussion on issues relating to death and dying

1. Shaayad (1979)
2. "The World at War" (1974) (mini)
3. Totoong buhay ni Pacita M., Ang (1991)
4. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
5. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
6. Simon (2004)
7. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
8. Aimée (1991) (TV)
9. Shelter Dogs (2003)
10. Mar adentro (2004/I)
11. Invasions barbares, Les (2003)
12. "Sorrell and Son" (1984) (mini)
13. Dog (2002)
14. Old Shep (1936)
15. Johnny Got His Gun (1971)
16. Hoe ik mijn moeder vermoordde (1996) (TV)
17. Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
18. Rois et reine (2004)
19. Erbsen auf halb 6 (2004)
20. Before Night Falls (2000)
21. Igby Goes Down (2002)
22. Überfall, Der (2000)
23. The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964)
24. Soylent Green (1973)
25. Tapas (2005)
26. One True Thing (1998)
27. Dr. Cook's Garden (1971) (TV)
28. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
29. Bringing Out the Dead (1999)
30. The Last Supper (1994)
31. House of D (2004)
32. The Reckoning (2003)
33. Dream with the Fishes (1997)
34. The Safety of Objects (2001)
35. Ich klage an (1941)
36. The Event (2003)
37. Last Night (2004/III)
38. Critical Care (1997)
39. See Dick Die (1999)
40. The Sunchaser (1996)
41. Right to Die (1987) (TV)
42. The Meeting (1999)
43. Alexander (2004)
44. Amazon (1990)
45. Last Wish (1992) (TV)
46. Final Exit: The Video (1997) (TV) -
47. "Kalei2kopio" (2001) -
48. The Time Being (1998) (TV) -
49. Etica y medicina (2001) (TV) -
50. Spiegelgrund (2000) -
51. Death on Request (1994) (TV) -
52. Murder or Mercy (1974) (TV) -
53. The Sacred Flame (1929) -
54. The Giver (2007) -
55. Peaceful Exit (1995) -

56. Look Both Ways (Australian) 2005 Film

57. The Promise (New Zealand) 2005 TV & DVD

58. Pamela Bone (Australian) 2006 (Address to DWDV 2006 AGM)

59. Walking on Water (Australian) 2004?

60. Death - Who Will Look After Me? (2005) (British) 5 Part Compass Series TV

61. Where Angels Fear to Tread (Australian P Nitschke) 1996

62. Opera Therapy (2005) SBS TV

63. The Sea Inside (2005)

64. Letting Him Down (18 mins) Netherlands (2006 Death with Dignity Film Festival)

65. Live and Let Go: An American Death (56 mins) American (2006 Death with Dignity Film Festival)

66. Ethics in America: Does Doctor Know Best? (57 mins) American (2006 Death with Dignity Film Festival)

67. I Never Wanted to be Famous (75 mins) Netherlands (2006 Death with Dignity Film Festival)

68. Omke Jan (44 mins) Netherlands (2006 Death with Dignity Film Festival)

69. Do Not Resuscitate (2006) SBS TV & DVD (Australian Davor Dirlic) Story about Steve Guest, Judy Bayliss & Mary Walsh

70. Mademoiselle and the Doctor (90 mins) Australian Philip Nitschke (2004)

71. Exit: The Right to Die (75 mins) American (2005)  See  Rob Harle's Review (and yes the purchase price is $440!)