Hey guys. It’s been too long. Ever so often, something catches my attention to the point that I can’t hold it in. Last night I went to see the new movie called The Invention of Lying. It was quite humorous, as well as PG-13. I’m giving you the rating because I want anyone who can to see it and I want to give that warning. It definitely has its vulgarities and some language, but I’m not telling you to see it because I think you will laugh out loud. Brace yourself. I want you to see this movies because it is a blatant attack on religion. While it will sell itself as a romantic comedy, writer and director Ricky Gervais (The Office) obviously had an objective as well. To brief you without hopefully giving away too much information, it is a world where there is no gene in the human brain for lying. The main character somehow learns how to lie and therefore tries to make the world go his way. However, when he has to comfort his dying mother, he makes up a wild fantasy for an afterlife so that she won’t worry about death. But soon the rumor spread about this afterlife. So our protagonist makes up ten rules that were given to him by the “man in the sky”(sound familiar?). In these rules it was stated that the man in the sky was in fact responsible for all the bad things and good things that happened to us. Also, the man in the sky only permitted us to commit two bad actions toward someone else. Three bad things and you’re going to the bad place, not the good place. I think he wanted to show how easy it is to make up the God we believe in. Now it is our first reaction to fight back now that we’ve been pushed into the corner. We (myself included) want to stand up and say: That is NOT what Jesus came to die for! But let’s talk through this. He wanted to show how simple-minded our belief is, that our God is not so complicated. Let us consider who our god is. Sure, instinctively we will say God the Father, the creator of the universe; Yahweh. But do we possibly worship a list of morals, a list of all the dos and don’ts. The promise of an afterlife allows us the chance to look down on those who are not pursuing it as visibly as some of us are. A bit later in the movie there is a man preaching on a sidewalk saying: If the man in the sky allows you two wrong actions, then do two wrong things and you will still go to the good place with the man in the sky. Someone please convince me that they don’t get these ideas from us! Hearing that and knowing Christians are responsible for that point of view existing makes me want to fall on my knees screaming to God begging please don’t send me to hell! If it doesn’t do the same for any other Christian, that person really ought to examine him/herself. I do think the writer was generalizing on all religions, but he is British and also lives in America. So I’m guessing his thoughts on religion came from Christians. His perspective did not seem very scholarly, which means he gets these ideas from us, not the bible! We have got to know that Jesus never intended for his followers to never be part of a religion, but a worldwide community of people who love each other and love God. That part of the Christian belief was found nowhere in the movie. Do you know why? Because we don’t show it! Hopefully by the number of exclamation marks so far, you will know how disappointed I am in the church (and yes, I am a part of it as well). I really don’t like bashing the church most of the time, but this movie was a wake up call and a well deserved slap in the face from a lot of people who I have hurt in the name of Jesus. That’s why I want you to see this movie. We need to wake up. We need to know what the world thinks of us. If you are reading this and you are not a religious person, please know one thing: I AM SORRY FOR HOW MUCH HURT THE CHURCH HAS BROUGHT TO THE WORLD. We were never meant to regulate our lives based on a quota of wrong actions, but the love of our loving savior. Let’s get it together church.
Do you think churches might reasonably show it, just so that congregation could discuss it afterwards?
By: Colin Purrington on October 27, 2009
at 5:21 pm
I couldn’t see a lot of churches showing this movie. I know a lot of church goers are being offended by it. I do think some will use this movie as a tool for discussion, and I think it should be. But I can’t really see a corporate church doing something like that. I wish they would though, to an appropriate and mature enough audience. Maybe the fact that I can’t really envision it tells us something about the church in general. But I could be wrong. Who knows? Thanks for the comment!
By: masonpuckett on November 2, 2009
at 6:51 pm