Shalom family… Let’s talk about something light for a change, I know that war & calamity abounds, yet still, life goes on like normal, where & when it can. For those of us who like going to the movies, if we have opportunities to go to the movies—we go. I told some of my family & friends (in-person, but not online as I should have), about one movie in particular and how dysfunctional it is for our people before the movie was released. I later heard about many of our people who went to see the movie, who took their families and children to see it, and they learned for themselves how dysfunctional it is, just like the original movie was/is. Conversely, there are still far too many of our people, who were blind to the game that was played on them, and they think that it was a good/functional movie to watch. We also have another movie in theaters now, that I was immediately against from the moment that I saw the trailer, which I judged to be blasphemous. Let’s quickly talk about these two flicks fam, especially how they pertain to us.
Just in case you didn’t guess what the first movie in question is, it’s The Color Purple. This is a musical adaptation film, that our people didn’t need. I was born in the year 1980, and I grew up in the era where The Color Purple was played multiple times a year, every year, so I can quote dozens of lines from the original movie to this day without missing a beat or batting an eye… The Color Purple was part of the cultural experience. So, when I came across this video, I found it to be uncanny how much I related to the sentiments of this brotha, especially when he retold his history with the movie in the first four minutes. His channel is new to me, and I don’t know what his other viewpoints are on other topics, but his viewpoints in this video (and his others on this topic) are on point:
Now, you might be thinking, that brotha went too far with it, it’s just a movie; and you might be thinking, Yahrahn, you are going too far with him. I hear you, but I would encourage you to also check out these additional videos below, and then reconsider and reconcile your thoughts after hearing & processing what was said for a few minutes, not only for you but for our culture as a whole. Feel free to test what was said by rewatching the old and or the new The Color Purple movies for yourself, and consider if you think these reviews are off or not. Remember to hear the whole matter first with the video above and the other videos below, then decide, don’t just watch for a couple of minutes and close off your mind. We are a people that hear the whole matter first.
”Blame not before thou hast examined the truth: understand first, and then rebuke. Answer not before thou hast heard the cause: neither interrupt men in the midst of their talk.“
Ecclesiasticus 11:7-8 KJVAAE
https://bible.com/bible/546/sir.11.7-8.KJVAAE
Or in a more modern translation:
”Before you start criticizing, get your facts straight and think the matter through. Don’t interrupt while someone is speaking; hear what he has to say before you answer.“
Sirach 11:7-8 GNTD
https://bible.com/bible/69/sir.11.7-8.GNTD
Ok… Now for the other movie, as I said, it was a movie whose trailer all by itself had me condemning the movie before I saw it. After hearing from others who watched it, and recommended that I watch it for myself, I decided to go and see it for myself, to test their reviews… I must admit, I’m glad that I did. I was pleasantly surprised and I was wrong to judge it without seeing it/examining it for myself. It’s not a Biblically accurate movie, it’s not a “Hebrew Israelite” movie, but boy oh boy, did I enjoy the imagery and cinematography. Yes, the filmmakers aren’t spreading The Gospel truth, they aren’t teaching repentance to YAH & obedience to The Commandments, but the imagery alone has value. The imagery that our people, especially our children will walk away with, is better than the images from my childhood which came from old movies, cartoons, Sunday school lessons, etc… Those old & ingrained false images still sometimes first come to my mind even now as an adult, but imagery like what was presented in this movie help to correct the narrative through imagery. Now, if you haven’t guessed this movie yet, it is, of course, The Book of Clarence.
As my wife and I sat in the empty theater, watching The Book of Clarence open & unfold, I saw past the filmmakers’ mindsets, as I visualized OUR STORY thanks to the imagery presented like never before on the big screen. I saw our story, the story of Hebrew Israelites back then & now, in high definition with brilliant color. Hear me, just because the film, has The Messiah in it, does not make it a film about The Messiah, but it is a parable that has merit. Some people call it a faith-based movie, I can see that, but it is still a satirical film. Some reviews attempt to claim it as a Christian film, it is not, and I am glad it’s not. Again, it is a satirical film, but it still has some parable takeaways in addition to the imagery.
I will not spoil it for those of you who haven’t seen it, but I was moved to tears, from both anger & joy during different scenes. I imagined (because of the imagery presented), what it was like, what it is like, and what it will be like for our people, and I was glad to be proven wrong for my initial, rash, and ignorant judgment. The filmmakers: do not keep or teach Torah; show scenes and ideals that come from false gospels like the gospel of Thomas; believe in 5 percenters and Islamic beliefs; etc…That is all true. And still, I recommend watching this movie on the big screen, why? Hear me out on this logic… This movie is made by dysfunctional men & women, just like every other big-budget movie out there. So what’s new about that when it comes to Hollywood? Those of us who go to see movies, we go and see all types of Disney, Sony, Universal flicks, etc… Blockbuster movies that don’t support Torah and don’t represent us in a positive/functional light. Yes, there is heavy drug usage in the flick, but again, what’s new? Many of our people are held captive today by one pharmacist or another. There is going to be something you won’t agree with in the movie, that’s life, and that reflects the reality in our own lives and the lives of our people.
Again, if you’re a moviegoer, you might enjoy The Book of Clarence more than you think. Especially if you, like me, grew up watching Europeans portray not only every Israelite from our Scriptural records, but they also played the Egyptians and even Pharaoh himself, so again, the imagery correction and seeing it on the big screen was well worth the time. Perhaps one day I’ll do my own deeper breakdown on the good & bad of the film, but for now, I would like my movie-going family to check it out while it’s still in a theater near you. Watch this movie like you do other movies & shows; eat the meat & spit out the bones/chew the fruit & spit out the seeds, and pray for discernment, filtering everything you see & hear through Torah.
Family, let US be ready to correct the false narratives of these movies and others like them, consider this, once these two movies end up on Netflix and other streaming platforms, once our people watch movies like these at home, the pervasive false narratives will need correction. We, those of us who know the Torah, The Gospel, and our true culture, we are the people who must help our people understand the real from the fake. Some people will believe like The Color Purple presents, that all of our brothas are dysfunctional and that lesbianism is functional. Some of our people will think that they can find The Book of Clarence in The Bible. I can see some of our family & friends thinking that we have a Book of Clarence on our bookshelves alongside the other books that they haven’t read because they heard us talk about books like The Cepher, and Apocryphal & Pseudepigraphal texts. So family, now is the time for us to pray, as we continue to study because we might be the only ones in our families & friend groups who can see the light of truth and our people will need our help to guide them through the fog of the growing false narratives & false doctrines.
Until next time, shalom ✌🏾
~Yahrahn
Like, comment, share, and subscribe
Caution, there are some spoilers in the videos below, but check these now, especially if you find out that the film is not showing near you. And you might not agree with everything said, the same goes with/for me, but hear the whole matter first…
