The Bible as We Know It- or- Do We?

On a blustery, snowy Saturday evening, I joined a friend to see the film, “Monument Men”.  As we entered the theatre, it wasn’t listed on the menu board and the last feature had been presented that afternoon.

We checked out what choices in other films were offered, should we decide to stay and chose the new sci-fi, fantasy “Noah”, in I-Max format.  At the start, we were uncomfortable in the theatre with the maximized volume of sound, which pounded your head and bounced you around in your seat from its strength.

Starring Russell Crowe, this Darren Aronofsky-directed epic has met with much controversy.  My friend and I left the theatre with mixed feelings as well, but the greatest effect it had on me was the motivation to open my Bible and read the book of Genesis.  After seeing an interview this morning with the director, I have a new take on the film and understand it not merely as art, but a provocative look at the destruction of the world by water.  It is truly a brave new world where younger audiences desire the X-game approach to film design, but I still don’t see the need for the gargantuan transformer-looking rock men called ‘The Watchers’.

What does this have to do with being single?  In the story of Noah, man was to be destroyed and the innocent, the animals of the Earth, were to be saved, each species by two.  In this new film, Noah’s family is spared, but not every member is left with a mate.

    If you were on board the ark, would you be satisfied with being single and left alone 
without a partner?

My answer, from a lighter approach, is that I’d be just fine, as long as all of the animals were saved. Much greater is the fact that the planet Earth was saved.  Left with being single on the ark would have still been a gift, offering the chance to see the world once again.  I just wonder about all of the sea life that wasn’t affected in deeper waters.

Finally, the best shot in “Noah”, for me at least, was at the end where the dove returned to the ark carrying a stem of something green in its beak, a sign that life existed and God, or the Creator was still with us.

Who are we to judge?

With so many critics weighing in, who have knocked down the film before even opening in theatres in the United States, who are we to be the judge?  I congratulate the director and his writers for having the courage to create a biblical film, fifty years after the Cecil B. DeMille story of Moses. What would we write if compelled to do the same?  Do we have the courage to share the possibilities of history?  For an experience that makes you think and question, I recommend seeing this film.