ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Egypt

Free Trip to Egypt – Finding Friends

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A stranger with a middle-eastern look about him comes up and offers you a free trip to Egypt. What would you be concerned about? Would you take them up on it? Tarek Mounib, born in Canada of Egyptian parents, now living in Switzerland, went to Trump rallies, stood in Grand Central Station, and went on the radio looking for people to take him up on his offer. Free Trip to Egypt, directed by Ingrid Serban, is the results of his efforts.

Mounib came up with the idea on a bus one day in Switzerland, with the idea of finding a way to allow people to find a new way to encounter people they don’t know other than through the vitriol that seems to fill the world today. For Mounib, the Islamophobia is especially significant. We see him speaking with people at a Trump rally in Kentucky, many of those responded with anger towards all Muslims—often saying they wanted them dead. But he did find some who were open to the possibility that this would help.

He collected a small group of people, all of whom had some misgivings or prejudices: an African-American police officer who feared being taken hostage in Egypt; two unconnected former Marines; a Jewish school teacher how had become fearful and conservative since 9/11 and her xenophobic husband; an evangelical minister; and a former Miss Kentucky. We get to meet them all before they set off on the journey. Each talks about their fears or hopes in the project.

When they arrive, each is paired up with a local host, also a diverse group of people, who will show them things that are important to them in their homeland. They visit families. They go to the pyramids. They go to mosque. They spend time and discover that even with the real differences, they have much in common with their counterparts. In fact the minor conflicts that arise are more within the American group than between American and Egyptians.

This is not the first film I’ve seen with the concept of bringing people together (although it seems most have dealt with Israelis and Palestinians). This one works as well as it does because the Americans we meet have real misgivings about the project, but also because they sense that it may bring something new and helpful into their lives.

Personally, I found the minister and the beauty queen (who are connected by friendship) to be the least interesting, in no small part, I’m sure, because they reflect an understanding of Christianity that does not really fit with mine. But even they find ways of connecting to the orthodox Muslim family that hosts them. (Consider the difference of the wife who wears a burqa and the beauty queen!)

The most touching story involves the school teacher and her husband. She was quite liberal in the 60s, but has changed since 9/11 and is looking for a better view of the world and life. They worry about their son who is teaching in Saudi Arabia. This trip, for them, becomes truly life changing.

The film is an encouragement for people to step beyond our preconceptions—and especially the portrayals of other we see in the media, on the internet, and from those who encourage fear and hatred. This film asks us to meet and listen to people different from us. It seeks to foster within us an attitude of openness.

The film has as a foundation that people are essentially the same across religious and cultural lines. Those things make us see things differently, but when we manage to see the person underlying the differences we see someone like ourselves. We find those who are, like us, God’s children.

Photos courtesy of Kindness Films

The Evil Within (and Without): The Story of God (Ep. 5)

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Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4
Shrieking Shack
Evil is one of those things that we, as humans, have to deal with on a daily basis.  If you’re not sure about this, all it takes is a few minutes of watching television or browsing the news headlines on a phone. Although our overall desire is to be and do good in all situations (including our thoughts), we aren’t able to do it with 100% effectiveness our entire lives. The Apostle Paul shared this struggle as follows: “I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” (Romans 7:18-19 NIV) So where does all of this come from?  Morgan Freeman, in the penultimate episode of The Story of God (National Geographic, 9 PM/8 Central tonight), tackles this subject and reveals some enlightening things about humanity and their propensity for evil.

This episode starts off with a visit to a maximum security prison and a challenging conversation with a person convicted of some pretty heinous crimes (I’ll let you discover what they are for yourself). When Freeman asks the prisoner why they happened, he says, “I had a desire, an impulse, and I wasn’t able to stop myself from acting on the impulse.” He’s also not convinced that if released, he could avoid doing the crimes again.

This brings up the question, “Where does evil come from?”

To attempt an answer, Freeman looks at how a number of faiths deal with the issue. The early Egyptians believed that when a person was filled with evil or sin, their heart became heavy. Their heart would be weighed on a scale upon death against truth; the result would determine their eternal destiny. Hindus think evil may have to do with the spirits of dead ancestors who weren’t happy; they offer sacrifices upon realizing this is the case. Zoroastrians believe evil is a battle within to be fought with good thoughts, words, and deeds (in that specific order). Buddhists try to counter the evil within using meditation and ritual. And Christians believe that Adam and Eve’s sin started a chain reaction of events that transfers evil to each person upon birth. This is why Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection allows believers to combat—and eventually conquer—Satan and his minions.

Morgan Freeman
(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner)

Freeman has a fascinating talk with Brian Widener, a former Neo-Nazi, during the episode. Widener was tattooed beyond recognition during this time, but after getting married and having a child, he realized the error of his ways and had them removed from his face over a period of 2½ years. He states he found God in the middle of the process, although he admits he’s not sure what that looks like.  Can evil be contained and washed away? Freeman asks before ending with a baptism ceremony in a river—the Christian symbol of a regenerated life through belief in Jesus.

For me, one interesting point of the episode involved a scientist in New Zealand who showcased an experiment involving kids and the need for a higher being to keep order and control using a game (again, I’ll let you see what that looks like). To me, it reveals the propensity of evil in an individual’s heart when they think they can get away with something.  As the prophet Jeremiah notes, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.  Who can understand it?” Science can attempt to decode the reasoning for why we do things and discover patterns of behavior, but the heart is fatally diseased, prone to evil from the outset. In this way, we are all wretched (there’s the Apostle Paul again), which is the exact reason why we live in a world full of sin. How we deal with the evil within (and without) says a lot about our beliefs and, in many ways, our outlook on the world we inhabit.

How It All Began: The Story of God (Ep. 4)

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Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3

The Creation of AdamIn the beginning . . . how did the heavens and the earth come to be?  It’s a question we’ve all invariably considered at some point in our lives. Morgan Freeman has been puzzled by creation since he was a kid attending church in his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi.  What else is out there? If God was the architect of everything, who (or what) created him? Or was chance a major aspect of the whole thing?

The fourth episode of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (National Geographic, Sunday at 9P/8C) brings the subject of creation to the forefront of discussion. And just like the preceding episodes, Freeman’s curiosity leads him to a worldwide search to find an answer (if one exists). He learns some interesting things along the way that are worth tuning in for.

For most people in the Western Hemisphere, creation is synonymous with Adam, Eve, and a garden in Eden. The two lived there peacefully, enjoying the place—all until the day they chose to disobey the one rule God gave them—eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 2:15-17).  Then they were thrown out by God and forced to work the land in order to survive. Freeman adds, “It’s hard to believe we all come from one man and one woman . . .  but we do.” Freeman has an intriguing discussion with researcher Jodi Magnuss where she mentions a legend about Adam and his dead bones. Supposedly, he was buried right above where Jesus was crucified.  When his blood seeped into the ground, it met the bones and Adam was resurrected. She then has a quick Hebrew lesson with Freeman involving the words adam (man), dam (blood), and adamah (land).

The episode continues with Freeman visiting Gobleki Tepe, an ancient city in Turkey, Egypt, Australia, India, and Guatemala to learn stories of how other faiths describe creation as occurring. Some involve twins and corn (Mayans). Some involve star babies and dreaming (Aborigines). Some are close to the Christian view (Islam), And others just focus on cycles of creation without getting into any details (Hindu).

The Story of God with Morgan Freeman filming in Italy.

(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels)
The Story of God with Morgan Freeman filming in Italy.

(Photo credit: National Geographic Channels)

There is a scientific look at the creation story as well—but the question of the Big Bang is proposed to some high ranking individuals in the Vatican. Monsignor Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo (seen in the picture above) tells Freeman the Big Bang is not creation because “we don’t know what was before” it happened. But the story is compatible with the normal biblical account of creation because, according to Georges Lemaître, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Science, God is outside of space and time.  Creation is an everlasting act, according to Lemaître, one of the first to propose the Big Bang Theory.  I was surprised there wasn’t a quick discussion about whether the account in Genesis 1 took six literal days or simply six equal measures of time, as I’m sure there’s a scholar out there who could provide some perspective on the subject.

It was made abundantly clear throughout the episode that, regardless of belief, there is a standard that someone bigger than us had a hand in the creation of the planet we live on and the universe we look at on a clear evening. Something had to happen – and we’re a direct result of it. It provides us with a sense of encouragement and perhaps purpose. As Gandalf wisely noted in the Lord of the Rings, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

May we make the most of it.

Describing the Divine: The Story of God (Ep. 3)

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Past Articles in This Series: Episode 1| Episode 2
Sunlight through the cloudsDiscussions of spiritual topics, in some way or another, invariably revolve around one single question: Who is God? What are the qualities of the divine?  Why in the world do people choose to live in wonder and adoration of one they cannot see and talk to physically? It’s a question that has challenged people for centuries—and one Morgan Freeman takes up in the third episode of National Geographic Channel’s The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (Sunday, 9 PM/8 Central). In the final analysis it turns out that, despite different belief systems, there are some common elements that people experience as they live their lives on earth. I just wish the episode had gone a bit further in the discussion.

Freeman begins the episode in a blues bar and notes that people’s reactions to music (such as blues) is similar to how people experience God. What are the universal concepts of God? he asks.  From there, he goes on a whirlwind tour around the world to get some answers.  Some of the places he visits are the same as in previous episodes (India; Egypt, Jerusalem), but new wrinkles appear as he takes trips to Stonehenge in England, a Navajo family in New Mexico, and a medical facility in Philadelphia—the latter to discover what happens in the brain when a person has religious experiences (note: the answers, provided by Dr. Andy Newberg, are pretty interesting).

Since the show seeks to compare different belief styles, Freeman hears some very different things about the religions of the world. Hindus have millions of gods with thousands of names for those individual gods. He moves from the polytheistic to monotheistic as he looks at the sun’s role in Stonehenge, King Tut’s father, and Abram (Abraham’s) role in Jewish belief.  It turns out that however well we think we can imagine God, he is always beyond what we can consider (see Ephesians 3:20).

The Navajo section was interesting, as the cinematographers chronicled (with one exception) a young girl’s transformation to a young adult—a time, in their belief system, where God and human become one (a very large corn cake is involved—you’ll just have to see the episode to understand).

Morgan Freeman at Lakewood Church, Houston TX
Morgan Freeman at Lakewood Church, Houston TX (Photo credit: National Geographic Channels/Matthew Paul Turner)

In the end, Freeman seems to realize that the commonalities in faiths are that a) God surrounds us and b) God has the power to move inside people and change them. This takes him to his final destination of the episode—Houston TX and Lakewood Church, a Christian megachurch pastored by Joel Osteen and his wife Victoria. He talks with the two just before their service, which he attends, stating he felt a real sense of joy in the auditorium. Freeman asks Osteen point-blank after the service, “Who is God?”  Osteen responded, “I believe God is our Father, the Creator, Somebody that gives us purpose and destiny . . . Sometimes it’s hard for people to say, How can I believe in something I can’t see? But it’s what you choose to believe, through faith.” Osteen added his goal as pastor was to make God approachable, useful, and helpful to people.

There’s plenty to consider in this episode, but my mind goes back to a passage in Acts 17 where Paul addressed a group of people in Athens and brought up a similar question.  “For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you,” he said (Acts 17:23). He then shares that God doesn’t live in human-made temples, gives life and breath to all humanity, is not far from people, and wants them to seek him and repent of their evil ways. He’s all about justice and will judge in the end through one he brought back to life from the dead (in this case, Jesus).

I wish there had been time in the episode to discuss the justice aspect, as it would’ve provided some levity to what is perceived as a God who could be perceived as touchy-feely and happy all the time.  As it is, the third episode of The Story of God with Morgan Freeman provides some pieces to consider but could’ve gone farther with the discussion.  But at least it’s a start.

The Offerings of Death: The Story of God with Morgan Freeman (Ep. 1)

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CemeteryWhat happens when we die is the greatest question we ask ourselves, according to Morgan Freeman, Academy Award-winning actor. As a result, he decided to go on a global adventure to determine the answer for himself.  That journey comprises the first episode of “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman,” airing Sunday night on the National Geographic Channel (9P/8C).  His discoveries are intriguing and will give the viewer something to consider after the show has ended.

(It’s important to keep in mind that the series covers multiple religions and their similarities, so if you come in expecting to hear from one viewpoint only, you’ll be disappointed.)

The show begins with Freeman and David Bennett in a church, staring at a stained glass window of Jesus calming the storm in Matthew 8. Bennett recounts an experience of falling off a ship and somehow surviving under the water for 15-18 minutes. As many people have shared who have undergone near-death experiences, he saw a light (or fragments of a light) before coming back to life.  He agrees the light was God, but admits that he doesn’t “subscribe to just one religious belief anymore.” Freeman then starts his journey, visiting Egypt and the pyramids, Mexico City and the Aztec ruins, Jerusalem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and India’s Ganges River before returning to the States.

Are there similarities? Yes—people experience grief, want to remember their dead ancestors and, at the same time, want to be remembered for generations. Consider why we put names on tombstones and visit them with our living relatives.  Are there differences?  Of course—everything from spells (Egypt) to ritualistic sacrifice (Aztecs) to getting out of the circle of reincarnation (Hindu).

Freeman adds a scientific element to the discussion when the concept of a soul is brought up—can such a thing be replicated?  He goes to New York and visits Bina 48, an animatronic head (think of Richard Nixon’s Head in the TV series “Futurama”) that is being programmed with the feelings, memories, and emotions of a living person so future relatives can interact and communicate with it.  This, to me, was intriguing—who wouldn’t want to share their life experiences in ways other than letters, pictures, and Facebook posts?

Jerusalem - The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Jerusalem – The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The visit to Jerusalem was fascinating—especially the burial tombs—and if you listen closely, Freeman’s guide Jodi Magness shares the entire Gospel for viewers to contemplate. Christianity differs from the other faiths mentioned because Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection brings people not only hope, but eternal life if they ask him to forgive their sins and claim him as forgiver and leader (see Romans 10:9-10).

I thought the episode, co-produced by James Younger and Lori McCready, was well-executed, with excellent production values and interesting content.  Striking visuals, acceptable CGI, and an “Amazing Race”-ish feel served to help the cause. In addition, there was time to contemplate what was being shown with pauses between sections.

Freeman is searching for what he believes and concludes the episode with his thinking at the moment—in this case, regardless of belief, we can all become eternal. The point, regardless of whether the viewer believes his conclusion or not, is that death is something we’re going to have to deal with at some point. After Adam and Eve’s lapse of good judgement in the Garden of Eve, dying is a 100% certainty in this life (with Enoch, Elijah, and Jesus as exceptions). The question for us is simply how we treat it—as a scary proposition that could bring eternal destruction or a portal to joy and eternal life.