Everyone should agree to one idea:
all children should be protected.
Find out why we believe the movie Sound of Freedom does exactly that (2 min vid + text).
And don’t miss the Afterword!
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Pictures: Josh Collingwood, Angel.com
FULL TEXT
“God’s children are not for sale” is the tag line for the movie Sound of Freedom. Robin and I went to the theatre to see the movie this past week. And here is my simple movie review: everyone within the sound of my voice or reading my words should see this movie. There are some beliefs that should unite everyone, everywhere, and this movie gives us an example: all children should be protected. The movie is based on the true story of Tim Ballard; you can find a link to his life and work at the end of this Truth in Two. Mr. Ballard is a former special agent for the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Ballard now dedicates himself to finding children who have been sexually enslaved through the organization, Operation Underground Railroad.
Movies move us and the story in Sound of Freedom is compelling. Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of The Christ, plays special agent Ballard. His work in Homeland Security is to track down and stop pedophiles who are trafficking children in the sex trade. One case captures Ballard’s attention: a single dad has had both his children, a boy and girl, captured and sold into slavery. In one emotional scene, the dad and Ballard meet. The father notices a family picture on Ballard’s desk, showing his wife and six children. The father then asks Ballard, “What would you do if you knew one of your children was not sleeping in their bed tonight?” The question is the catalyst in the story, propelling Caviezel’s character to find and return both children. As a man, a father, and a grandfather that question brings tears to my eyes.
To anyone who has children, the tag line “God’s children are not for sale” should be a wakeup call to us all. For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, president of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking truth wherever it’s found.
AFTERWORD
Why go-off on a movie protecting children? Some in the majority media have done so (here and here are two examples of many). But if popular voting says anything, Rotten Tomatoes has a 100% “Fresh” rating (over 10,000 votes) the public seems to see the movie for what it is: protecting children.
I want to suggest problems with the assertions made by majority media writers about Sound of Freedom.
(1) Be wary of any argument repeating the claims of others of others without further examination.
(2) Question articles that use ad hominem (against – or blame – the person) arguments.
(3) Raise an eyebrow when some linkage is made that deflects from the issue at hand (spurious comments about “QAnon,” “alt-right,” or “conspiracy theories,” for example, represent a low point in argumentation, distanced from the claim of the movie: children should be protected).
(4) Raise another eyebrow when people throw around terms such as “QAnon,” “alt-right,” or “conspiracy theories” without further corroboration, definition, or substantive evidence to support a position (smearing others by labeling them part of what they consider to be “bad” is poor logic and lazy thinking.)
(5) Notice when the word “controversial” is affixed to titles or in-text statements suggesting some ambivalent caution should be used (the phrase “casting aspersions” comes to mind).
(6) Shake your head and move on when the article suggests the movie should be questioned because a supporter of the film is considered “controversial” or has been accused of some crime or impropriety yet to be proven or adjudicated in a court of law.
(7) Always check to see what majority media *has not said* about a movie like Sound of Freedom. Take National Public Radio (NPR), for instance. Nary a word about the movie can be found on npr.org What does that tell us? Let Simon & Garfunkel explain:
People writing songs [or movies] that voices never shared
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence“Fools”, said I, “You do not know
Silence like a cancer grows . . .
You can find examples of the first six assertions in the two articles linked above.
Proving intention is nearly impossible, so speculation without evidence is unfair (IMHO). I will not assume ill purposes of anyone who disagrees with me or a position I take. However, I will push back – as I have here – against arguments which maliciously disparage a movie, its actors, its creators, producers, or distributors, without evidence, when the movie is about protecting children.
P.S. The director of movie is none other than Alejendro Monteverde who also directed the film Bella (2009) which I reviewed here and highly recommend.