Seeing Mary as Human

People are always looking for a new angle to approach a story when teaching or preaching, and few stories are as frequently discussed as the Nativity story. Throughout my life I've heard many discussions about "what Mary must have felt" or "how Joseph might have reacted" and so on.

According to the director of the new movie, The Nativity Story, my experience is unique. Either it is unique among Mormons, or Mormons are more unique among Christians in general as approaching these stories with an eye for the human emotion driving the scene. The video clip below is an excerpt from an interview with Katie Couric where the director makes the point.


I know discussions of human motivations in scriptural stories are common among internet-savvy Mormons. I wonder if they are common among Mormons in general. My sense is that it is very common, but my experience is limited.

Of course, I haven't seen the movie, so perhaps there really is some unique speculation there that I won't have heard before. I don't plan on going out of my way to see the movie, but I suspect I will eventually see it. If I'm surprised, I'll be sure to post an update.