I came thoroughly prepared to trash Persecuted and I was not disappointed. This film which is being hawked as the fundamentalist world view or at least American view is like watching this country through Alice's Looking Glass.
In the not too distant future an ambitious Senator played by Bruce Davison has it in mind to create something called an all faiths bill where folks from a different faiths will be required to recognize each other's diversity and not say anything bad about each other.
Standing in the way of things is leading evangelical James Remar who insists on the biblical promise that Jesus is THE only way to God's forgiveness. When Davison tries to get him on board Remar who comes off in this like a poor man's Harrison Ford gives a resounding 'no'. After that he's framed for murder and he's running like Richard Kimble, but he fights back as best he can.
As if we haven't had enough religious figures in scandal. Jimmy Swaggart, Jim Bakker, Bishop Eddie Long to name a few. I sincerely doubt anyone would have to frame someone. But he's set up beautifully with a young teenage girl who later winds up dead and there's video to prove it. Not to mention all the priests who've been caught playing slap and tickle with altar boys.
If there's anything wrong with this old world today it's too many people insisting their religion is the only way. I'm sure there are similar passages in all religious scripture saying their's is the only true faith.
Interesting also that Persecuted came out at a time when five Catholic men ruled that a fundamentalist employer called Hobby Lobby has a religious exemption female employees can't get contraception. We've also seen the state of Mississippi pass a law codifying that businesses with owners who have sincere religious beliefs about gays doesn't have to deal with them. An anti-gay rights legal firewall before any gay rights laws are passed.
Of course Christians are indeed Persecuted in many places on the globe, most notably in Sudan. But the slaughter of non-Moslems in that country is somehow the equivalent of some employer wanting to not deal with openly gay people or heaven forfend the idea of LGBTQ people having some kind of rights including marriage.
But there will be an audience out there for Persecuted who think this is the wave of the future.
Well boys and girls you're just going to have to get used to the idea that everyone who thinks as you do are not the only ones who have some rights on this old world.
Persecuted is one arrogant movie in its concept and execution.
