What if God were fallible? What if there were an ambiguous loophole in
Christian doctrine that proved God to be less than the perfect being the
Bible tells us He is?
That is the question raised in “Dogma,” a new film that is receiving
high-levels of positive publicity — from Larry King to Newsweek to Rolling
Stone. While, the Bible — in Psalm 19:7 — tells us, “The law of the Lord
is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making
wise the simple,” the message of Dogma is that God is a silly creature who
suffers from human flaws (and an addiction to skeeball, no less).
While the film’s director/producer Kevin Smith and many Hollywood critics
are hailing the film as faith-affirming, the truth is that this is a
blasphemous movie that scorns true people of faith and tragically limits the
sovereignty and supremacy of Almighty God.
In the film, the alleged last scion of Joseph and Mary is a
faith-doubting woman who works in a Planned Parenthood abortion clinic. She
is contacted by the alleged “voice of God” and is instructed to go on a
pilgrimage to prevent two expelled angels from re-entering heaven through a
“loophole” in biblical doctrine — because by doing so, they would prove God
to be fallible.
On her journey, the woman meets a cast of characters that includes a
heavenly “muse” (who is also a stripper), a foul-mouthed “13th apostle,” a
demon made of human excrement, two sex-obsessed “prophets,” a female God,
and a blasphemous cardinal who creates what he calls, “The Buddy Christ,”
because he believes the image of Jesus on the cross is too spooky.
Meanwhile, the two angels habitually toy with people of faith. In an
introductory scene, one of the angels persuades a nun to flee the church in
favor of the pleasures of a man — or woman.
Amazingly, Kevin Smith says this chaotic mess is a faith-affirming
message. However, what the movie accomplishes is the further wounding of the
gospel and the ongoing denigration of fervent faith. The ultimate message of
this film appears to be that there is nothing truly worthy of impassioned
faith. This is ambiguity depicted as conviction.
Therefore, I honestly don’t understand how Smith can say the movie
verifies personal faith. At movie’s end, the central character continues to
doubt her own faith. Furthermore, the “muse” character clouds the question
of faith by stating that it doesn’t matter what one believes — just as long
as one has faith.
As my National Liberty Journal editor J.M. Smith wrote in the December
issue, “That’s not faith, of course. It’s folly.”
I believe Kevin Smith truly wants to believe in the God of the Bible.
I’ve seen him on television interviews discussing how he frequently attends
church. But it appears that he has become world-weary and cynical in this
age of moral ambiguity. Sadly, many people today allow the dilemmas of the
world to affect their faith in the flawless God.
The answer to this crisis of faith is found in 2 Corinthians 5:7, which
tells us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Faith, as I have learned
over and over during my life, is reliant on our utter spiritual dependence
on the omnipotent Christ. We must live with the innocent confidence of
children in order for our faith to fully blossom.
In that innocent faith, we therefore discover true freedom and
fulfillment!
Time magazine recently called Smith’s movie “a tortured testament from a
true believer.” However, Time never stated what it is that Smith actually
believes!
I think the point is that, in modern-day Hollywood, it doesn’t really
matter.
And that is truly a tragedy.
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