Monday afternoons are special to me. I get to go off on my own to the cinema. This week I saw 'The Invention of Lying.'
The film is set in a world where everybody tells the truth. Indeed it seems that not only can people not lie but they also have a compulsion to say what is on their mind. Garvais's character, Mark Bellison, is trying to impress a girl who is 'out of his league.' Being down on his luck he is fired from his work and about to be evicted because he cannot afford the rent.
He then discovers the benefits, in a naive world that only knows of people speaking the truth, of lying. He lies to a bank clerk and gets money, at a Casino and gets more. Then another turning point comes when he seeks to cheer up his dying mother by saying that death is not a meaningless eternity but that we get a mansion in the world to come. People are fascinated by the 'lie' of life after death and a crowd gathers wanting to tell him more. He addresses the assembled crowd with ten points about 'the man in the sky' written on two pizza boxes (think Moses coming down from Sinai).
Garvais is a vocal atheist so he will have enjoyed taking a shot at religion. Some of his points are interesting, he points out that people are scared to talk about death and fascinated with life after death. We might object saying that it is misguided to think that religion is only concerned with life after death - that is true, Christianity is good news for the now as well as the then, although I fear that contemporary Christianity focuses too little on life after death. His portrait of religion is of a God who will accept you into heaven unless you do three big sins - hardly the Christian gospel there.
My real problem with this film was that I did not find it very funny. The humour of the opening twenty minutes was particularly forced. Although there were only five people in the cinema I can only remember one time when someone laughed out loud. I found myself wanting to hurry the film on. While the Irish Times gave this film three stars ('worth a look') I would have only given it two ('only if you must'). Should you go see it? If you want. But there are more entertaining films out.
On a brighter note I went to a seminar in Queens (I am beginning a MTh) and Mr. Spence is in the class. Perhaps coffee after the next seminar Michael?
5 comments:
Good to see an update!
I saw a clip of 'The Invention of Lying' last night. Not impressed. I'll definitely give it a miss.
I'm interested that you think contemporary Christianity focusses too little on the afterlife.
It is true that 'Kingdom Now' theologies sometimes act as though Jesus had nothing to say on the topic of a life-after-death eternity. However, some of these theologies are intentionally reactionary against the pervasive "free ticket to heaven" approach (particularly relevant for writers in a North American context).
Alternatively, perhaps the balance has not swung the other way. Perhaps we have the balance right. If we listed scripture references to the 'afterlife' and weighed them against references to poverty, social action, political power, current and ongoing relationship with God, transformation of society, change of minds and hearts, loving your neighbour etc., I wonder what the ratio would be.
Looking forward to coffee.
Thanks Mr Spence.
I suppose it should not be an either or but a both and. Surely focus on the afterlife should not draw us away from living in the here and now but motivate us in the here and now.
Paul
I think it is certainly 'both and'. I wonder though if movements and writers that you worry don't talk enough about the afterlife, are simply redressing the balance, or actually hitting the balance that scripture itself hits.
I wonder also about afterlife as a motivation for this life. When that is simplified to 'Do good in this life and you'll be rewarded in the next' what we are left with is not Christianity.
Likewise, the Simpsons' Sunday School approach: "Obey the Ten Commandments and avoid hell" is not far from what I've heard in the past. Again, this owes little to the teachings of Jesus.
The 'good boy' 'good girl' approach to doing 'good deeds' is a stunted morality. Rather, as we encounter the God of scripture and align ourselves with Christ we are genuinely transformed. Our concerns and desires begin to, imperfectly, mirror his concerns and desires. He gives us the desires of our hearts.
When Christ says "Store not up for yourselves treasures on Earth..." we hear a clear warning against materialism that few of us (myself included) obey or heed. Rather than "treasures in heaven" referring to literal crowns, mansions, gold etc. Christ teaches his disciples to value those things which have some eternal bearing.
Christ has defeated death! Good news. We live our lives participating in the work of God, and when our bodies run out our relationship continues. That is very good news indeed.
However, Judaism and Christianity are not escapist religions. The idea of enduring suffering in this life so as to be glorified, or even just relieved in the next is not at it's core a Judaeo-Christian idea. Thus, you will find nothing of the sort in The Old Testament.
Certainly, we do find some comforting words given to persecuted followers which we can read an escapist message onto with our 21C eyes but...
I really must get back to work.
My question:
Does an after-life focussed christianity not lead to a distortion of Christ's message?
I do think that store up treasures in heaven does have a focus on eternal life. I think passages like Col. 3:1-4 see the eternal as a motivation for the present. I suppose I am weary of an attitude that talks about life before heaven and forgets that there is a life beyond earth.
Thanks for your comments, Paul
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