‘Silence’ Movie Director Scorsese Talks Christianity and Meaning of Life

‘Silence’ Movie Director Scorsese talks Christianity and meaning of life. Academy Award winning director Martin Scorsese spoke at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California, recently after a private screening of his new film Silence, the formidable saga of Jesuit missionaries in 17th-century Japan based on the novel by Shusaku Endo.

At the screening, Scorsese reflected on his years-long struggle to make the film and its impact on his Christian faith.

“Where do I go to find the meaning of existence and the meaning of life? For me, it’s Christianity,” Scorsese told Brehm Center Director Mako Fujimura (who served as a consultant to the film) and Kutter Callaway, an assistant. professor of theology and culture at Fuller.

A scene from ‘Silence’ starring Liam Neeson, courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Without the love and compassion inherent in Christianity, there is little hope for humanity, he said. “This is the real saving grace of our world, of our species, really,” he declared.

Scorsese has been thinking about the book and the film project since 1989. “Reading over the last 20 years I’ve found authors apologizing for a Christian attitude, another one saying, ‘This seems disturbingly Christian.’”

“Is that getting into the politics of it, or does it mean that compassion and love for each other is wrong? What is going to happen if we don’t have that? The species is over,” he said.

Many years ago, as a student at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx , Scorsese’s admiration for a young priest caused him to seriously consider entering the priesthood, but that gave way to a passion for cinema.

“If you haven’t given your life to the calling, if one is not clergy, how does one express and live a true Christian life? How does one live out Christianity in daily life? How does one do it?” he asked.

Scorsese says faith should flow into every aspect of life. “We don’t make religion something that’s foreign, separate from life, that’s the key,” he noted.

Scorsese is right. Christianity does hold the meaning of life! God created us for a reason: to glorify Him. Even though we were separated from God by out unspeakable sins, Jesus died for us, taking away that barrier between us! Jesus gives us hope. Religion is not some far off thing that we keep in our back pockets. What Jesus did for us affects every choice we make, every step we take – everything!

Praise God for a renowned movie director that acknowledges that!