Persecuted

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[[File:Persecuted-2014-poster.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Poster for the film. Oh look, the giant cross is about to bomb the Capitol building, a foreshadowing of [[2021 U.S. coup attempt|2021]]!]]
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{{cquote|I will not be silent.|||The film's tagline.}}
'''''Persecuted''''' is a 2014 [[American]] [[Christian]] [[propaganda]]/[[Christsploitation]] and political “thriller” film about [[religious freedom|religious liberty]] in [[America]] being destroyed by the sinister forces of [[freedom]], [[equality]], and [[religious pluralism]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Persecuted (2014)|url=http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/persecuted-religious-right-fantasy-thriller-about-death-freedom-america|website=Right Wing Watch|accessdate=26 January 2016}}</ref> The film is written and directed by Daniel Lusko and stars James Remar (Dexter Morgan's adopted father<ref>{{cite web|title=James Remar|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001664/|website=IMDb|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref>), Bruce Davison (portraying another evil senator<ref>{{cite web|title=Bruce Davison|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001117/|website=IMDb|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref>), Dean Stockwell, Raoul Trujillo, Fred Thompson, [[Brad Stine]], David House, Tabatha Shaun and a cameo appearance by [[Fox News]]' own [[Gretchen Carlson]]. It was released theatrically on July 18, 2014 and was overwhelmingly panned by critics.  It carries a rare 0% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 2.5/10 based on 13 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|title=Persecuted (2014)|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/persecuted/|website=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref>

==Plot==
{{cquote|The film's premise is simple: Secular progressives have taken over the government & Evangelical Christians are being hunted down & abused for their beliefs. But if you want to experience real abuse sit down & watch this badly written , poorly acted, intellectually insulting piece of crap.|||Gordon B<ref>http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/persecuted/reviews/?type=user</ref>}}
The film follows [[Billy Graham]] like figure [[John Calvin|John]] [[Martin Luther|Luther]] (Remar), a highly regarded [[televangelist]] and founder of Truth, a well-funded and highly influential [[evangelical]] ministry that appears to be the lone upholder of [[Christian]] values in a dangerously [[tolerant]] world. Because of this, he is the last obstacle in the way of destroying [[Christianity]] in the [[United States]].  When he refuses to promote Senator Donald Harrison's (Davison) Faith and Fairness Act, a religious-reform bill that will guarantee [[Religious pluralism|equal treatment and recognition for all systems of belief]], Harrison as well as Luther's own supporters abduct and frame him for the [[rape]] and [[murder]] of a teenage girl in order to destroy his credibility.  Wanted by the [[FBI]], Luther has to walk through the valley of the shadow of death<ref>{{cite web|title=Psalm 23:4|url=http://biblehub.com/psalms/23-4.htm|website=Bible Hub|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref>  in order to clear his name and expose the government’s insidious multi-faith agenda of watering down the [[Gospels]] with a little help from his friends including his father, Fr. Charles Luther (Thompson).  By the end of the film, Luther has cleared his name and Harrison has been killed as well as several of his associates. However, the man on top of the [[conspiracy]] is none other the [[President of the United States]]. Finally, the ending is left ambiguous with him about to speak at a press conference and leaves it unclear whether or not he will speak up against the conspirators or go along with them under the fear of another attack on his life.

==Problems with the film==
The film is basically one long "[[Persecution complex#In Christianity|Christians are persecuted in America]]" sermon,<ref>{{cite web|title=Persecuted (Film)|url=http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Persecuted|website=TV Tropes|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref> a [[belief]] which continues to live in the minds of the [[religious right]].  It is the kind of [[paranoia]] that would be expected from the minds of [[conspiracy theorists]] such as [[Glenn Beck]], [[Alex Jones]], [[Rush Limbaugh]], and [[Pat Robertson]]. As Hannah and Jake of ''[[The Bible Reloaded]]'' pointed out in their review of the film, the vaguely defined Faith and Fairness Act is highly unconstitutional and would neither get passed into law nor ever stand up in court.<ref>{{cite web|title=Atheists Watch "Persecuted"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q96-4a_ym1c|website=Youtube|accessdate=11 January 2016}}</ref> On top of that, the film carries a major [[logical fallacy]], in that the film tries to treat [[Christianity]] as an oppressed minority, where at the same time Donald Harrison wants John Luther to endorse the bill because by doing so his show will be able to reach more people than NBC Nightly News, thereby showing that Christianity has a lot of power and is hardly a persecuted minority. Also, the film has a typical [[straw man]] view of anyone who isn't a "[[Fun:True Christian|real Christian]]".  Basically anyone who doesn't aggressively insist evangelical Christianity to be the only valid faith is portrayed as greedy and corrupt. To egg this on even further, there is a scene where the ministry board meets after Luther goes on the run and on the center of the desk (and the frame) is a big golden calf statue. Subtle.

==See also==
*[[Paranoia]]
*[[Persecution complex]]
==External links==
*[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1761005/ ''Persecuted'' on IMDb]
*[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Film/Persecuted ''Persecuted''] on [[TV Tropes]]
==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Films]]
[[Category:Propaganda]]

Categories: Christianity, Films, Propaganda