180 (2011 American film)
 | This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (November 2011) |
| 180 | |
|---|---|
| File:180 DVD.png | |
| Directed by | Ray Comfort |
| Written by | Ray Comfort |
| Produced by | Ray Comfort Mark Spence |
| Cinematography | Chad Williams Emeal Zwayne Ray Comfort Dale Jackson Stuart Scott Brad Snow |
| Edited by | Mark Spence Eddie Roman |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 33 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
180 (also known as 180: Changing the Heart of a Nation or 180 Movie) is a 33-minute 2011 documentary film produced by Ray Comfort, founder of Living Waters Publications.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] It is notable for comparing abortions to the Holocaust. The film is distributed by Living Waters on DVD and has been posted publicly on the film's official website and YouTube.
Synopsis
The film begins by showing images of the Holocaust, and stating that Hitler sanctioned the killing of 11 million people. This is followed by Comfort interviewing people about Adolf Hitler; their responses indicate a lack of historical knowledge. Comfort proposes a hypothetical situation to his interviewees, asking if they would kill Hitler if they had the opportunity at that time in history. He asks more hypotheticals dealing with what his interviewees might do in other circumstances related to the Holocaust.
He then switches his topic to make similar comparisons to abortion within the United States and the right to life, personalizing his arguments to make comparisons between the Holocaust and abortion in order to place the interviewees on the spot.
The documentary concludes with Comfort stating that over 50 million abortions have occurred to date; he calls this the "American Holocaust".
Background
The documentary was originally intended to be a free DVD supplement to Comfort's book Hitler, God, and the Bible, but it became an entire pro-life movie.[6] Comfort relates his film to the YouTube video Charlie bit my finger, which had accumulated millions of views, and offers his hope that 180 will achieve the same viewership and, by so doing, bring a shift in the way people view abortion.[7]
Reception
Within days, 180 had over half a million views on YouTube,[8] while weeks later, it hit the 1.2 million mark.[9]
On October 12, 2011, The Huffington Post wrote an article critical of 180. The article quoted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who said in a 1991 interview with On The Issues Magazine, "It is blasphemy to reduce a tragedy of such monumental proportions to this human tragedy, and abortion is a human tragedy."[10] In a press release Ray Comfort responded, "Nearly 60 million Americans have been slaughtered by abortion, and that’s ten times the amount of Jews who died under the Nazis. So as far as numbers are concerned, there is no comparison."[11] According to The Huffington Post, "the film, which shows a series of graphic images, is gaining attention not only because of its controversial comparison, but because it highlights 14 people who do not know who Adolf Hitler was".[10]
The Christian Examiner called the film "dramatic" and stated that it was "gaining national attention". It reported on Ray Comfort's use of "morally charged" questions and his attempts to change the minds of "mostly college-aged" interviewees, and how eight of those interviewed who espoused a pro-life view had changed their minds as a result of the interview.[6]
The Anti-Defamation League "slammed" the film for equating the World War II murder of Jews during the Holocaust to abortion in the United States. It criticized the film's use of images of bodies in concentration camps and Jews being shot and in mass graves intercut with segments of people offering opinions about the Holocaust and abortion. It also challenged Comfort's method of critically questioning those interviewees who spoke negatively about Hitler and yet were more liberal in the views about abortion and women's right to choose. Abraham H. Foxman, the national director of the ADL and himself a Holocaust survivor, criticized the film, stating "This film is a perverse attempt to make a case against abortion in America through the cynical abuse of the memory of those killed in the Holocaust," adding "It is, quite frankly, one of the most offensive and outrageous abuses of the memory of the Holocaust we have seen in years." He decried the film's assertion that there is somehow "a moral equivalency between the Holocaust and abortion" and its bringing Jews and Jewish history into a discussion that then urges viewers to "repent and accept Jesus as their savior."[3]
The Florida Independent reported that Ray Comfort is "turning his attention to high schools" in order to "fill in gaps in education about the Holocaust". It reports the film as "largely anti-abortion propaganda" which has "become extremely popular in anti-abortion circles".[7]
According to its official website, 180 has been endorsed by John MacArthur, John Piper, Mark Hall, Francis Chan, Kirk Cameron, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Randy Alcorn, Kay Arthur, Joni Eareckson Tada, Paul Washer, Steve Camp and Bill Gothard.[12]
Release
The documentary was produced by Ray Comfort with the help of his ministry, Living Waters. It was released on Sunday, September 18th, 2011. As of November 4, 2011, the film had received over 1 milllion views on its official website.[7]
References
- ^ Strand, Paul (October 26, 2011). "Movie '180' Turning Hearts against Abortion". Christian Broadcasting Network. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Murashko, Alex (November 9, 2011). "College Paper Says Students Harassed by Anti-Abortion 'Propaganda'". Christian Post. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ a b Neistat, Aimee (November 12, 2011). "ADL slams movie that compares Holocaust to abortion". Haaretz. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Murashko, Alex (November 11, 2011). "Jewish Advocacy Group Slams Anti-Abortion Film for Holocaust Reference". Christian Post. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Hart, Eva (November 10, 2011). "Genocide vs Abortion: "180″ shines new light on good morals". Arbiter. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c "Pro-life documentary '180' gaining national attention". Christian Examiner. October 25, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Lopez, Ashley (November 4, 2011). "Group wants to push movie comparing abortion to the Holocaust into high schools". The Florida Independent. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
- ^ Murashko, Alex (October 7, 2011). "'180' movie reaches half a million views after 9 days". The Christian Post. Christian Today. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ Moring, Mark (October 26, 2011). "Un-Comfort-able Video Raises Hackles Online". Christianity Today. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
- ^ a b "'180' Documentary Compares Abortion To Holocaust, Goes Viral Among Pro-Life Groups". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Press Release - October 13, 2011". Living Waters. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
- ^ "Endorsements". Project Heart Changer. Retrieved October 17, 2011.