Aside from Apocalypse now, this was the second most disturbing night of term for me. I was deeply distraught after watching these and took quite a while to pull myself out of a funk. Getting to sleep took quite a bit of patience.
I definitely appreciated the message and take of these films. They made bold and valid points regarding faith and life. I suppose I just wasn't ready to hear them. In retrospect, a warm and fuzzy view certainly would not have made any sense. It also would not have fallen in line with the rest of Christianity.
The most striking detail, as we discussed in class, dealt with the mysterious man. I think it is possible that he is God though I do not think this is so. He doesn't seem to express emotion. Granted this would fit in with the omniscient view of God, but I think God would feel more in response. I think it is possibly an angel, an observer sent on behalf of God or possibly a facet of God, like the holy spirit.
In exploring the God angle, I think it is interesting how he tries to become involved. he makes eye contact with the boy as the children pass, perhaps in hopes of deterring his planned murder. This leads into an interesting point. Many Christians view God as both omniscient and as omnipotent. I always disagreed and I'll tell you why. The Christian in pain, battling through some plight always asks the same question, "Why does God let bad things happen?" I think my view accounts for it. I believe that God is indeed all knowing but that he cannot be omnipotent. He gave that up when we were given free will. How could he be omnipotent otherwise? I think this explains the evil of the world. It is based on our choices. God is simply like this character. He knows what will happen, observes it, and tries to influence where he can to achieve a better outcome.
I have to say that I saw the death of the boy coming but nothing prepared me for the possibility that it would actually happen. This really disturbed me, tugging deeply at my heart strings. I did not feel like his father deserved such a fate and nor did the boy. Their family was already broken and here they had to suffer more. I suppose that is how reality looks though when people don't focus so much on happily ever afters. Fate does not discriminate.
I also found the second episode very interesting. Likewise, it too disturbed me (it was very graphic) but I understood the point. There seemed to be a liner cycle and therefore a lesson to be learned. In trying to prevent death we punish through the same process, essentially an eye for an eye. Perhaps it is time that we did away with this tired practice as we are almost alone in it now. Perhaps in reality rather than in debate, it is just as horrible as it seemed in the episode.
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