As far as Martin Scorsese is concerned, there is little hope for humanity without Christianity.
Speaking at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California recently after a private screening of his new film "Silence," the Academy Award-winning director said the movie about persecuted Jesuit missionaries in 17th-century Japan was the culmination of his more than 20 years' struggle to "reinvent" Christianity in cinema to "make it accessible to the young generation," according to God Reports.
Reflecting on his struggles in making the film, Scorsese said it all boiled down to finding the meaning of existence and the meaning of life. "For me, it's Christianity," he said.
Without the love and compassion inherent in Christianity, humanity will not survive, Scorsese said. "This is the real saving grace of our world, of our species, really."
But then the question arises: "How does one express and live a true Christian life? How does one live out Christianity in daily life? How does one do it?"
Scorsese said the answer is in making faith flow into every aspect of life. "We don't make religion something that's foreign, separate from life, that's the key," he said.
Liam Neeson, who plays the part of the apostate Fr. Ferreira in "Silence," has also reflected on how the film impacted on his faith.
Although Neeson's character renounces his faith after being tortured by the Japanese and after witnessing other Christians being tortured, the Irish actor said he believed "Ferreira's idea of God was ultimately one of love," and that personally "this is what I choose to believe myself."
"God is love, love is God. I have had personal experiences of God's love, beautiful and calming, all the things the Psalms talk about. If he was a stern master, well, I don't know," Neeson said.
For his part, Andrew Garfield said he experienced a profound encounter with Jesus while playing the role of a Portuguese Jesuit priest who faced violence and persecution when he and another priest (Adam Driver) travelled to Japan to seek their mentor, Fr. Ferreira.
"What was really easy was falling in love with this person, was falling in love with Jesus Christ. That was the most surprising thing," he said.
