I just came back from an overseas trip. In between sessions on my laptop, I caught the movie, “Silence.” It’s all about a couple of Jesuit Priests on the hunt for their mentor (played by Liam Neeson, by the way), who has been accused of denying his faith in Japan. The story is set in the time of Kakure Kirishitan (“Hidden Christians”), following the suppression of the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638) of Japanese Roman Catholics against the Tokugawa shogunate. If you aren’t Catholic, maybe you won’t enjoy the heavy doctrinal influence. And there are some violent scenes (like — VERY violent. like… a believer’s head is chopped off and we see it graphically) so it’s not a great movie for young kids. But the questions it raises are both disturbing and thought-provoking. Would I deny my faith in Jesus if under persecution? Would I deny faith if it saved the lives of other, younger believers? Learn more at…
I’d say — I was incredibly sobered. It didn’t help that I was flying back from the country listed as the number 1 most restrictive government in the world, I guess. But either way, it’s troubling.
I also watched it on the flight back from Asia and I agree it was a sobering movie.