Thoughts on "In God's Name" PDF Print E-mail
Written by Scott Brooks   
Sunday, 23 December 2007 10:51
I just finished plowing out the sidewalks and the driveway and have settled in at the electric fireplace (that's a euphemism for tv set, friend) to watch the beginning of "In God's Name" on CBS for at least a little while. My hunch is that (gasp! No, it can't be!) this program will try to sell the politically correct view of today's world and religion within it.

So far, I am convinced my instincts are correct.



One of the very first cuts in this film is a graying, bearded man exclaiming something like, "We are in some of the darkest days of our history...when we will actually kill in the name of God."

That fellow turns out to be a Lutheran pastor, as we delve into the various personalities we are introduced to. Wouldn't it make more sense that a Muslim imam should be the man spouting that observation? In a brief pictorial collage in the intro, I couldn't help but notice that there was a glimpse of a Holy Crusader or a Spanish Inquisitor or some such Christian figure.

The scope of personalities that this film interviews is, nonetheless, impressive. The Dali Lama, Pope Benedict XVI, and many other leaders from many world religions.

This movie is the work of two French brothers who gained fame for a movie they'd made on 9/11 that happened by accident. Gedeon and Jules Naudet. Quite by accident, they had been making a documentary on the firemen of New York City in 2001 and were actually in the World Trade Center when the Islamofascists slammed jumbo jets into them and murdered three thousand innocent people. They quickly realized that their documentary on firemen had to be tweaked and turned into a film about the attacks, featuring much useful footage of the first responders to that attack, the firemen of New York City.

But they also realized that their next project should be this film, going toward the idea of trying to answer what this madness of 9/11 is all about. The result is very disappointing, but predictable. It features a lot of footage of thoughtful people using halting language to look inward and feel their pain and reconcile their conflicts.

The subtext of this film seems to be, "Look at these foolish and simple people who think there is a God. Look at how wrong their ideas have gone. Many of these folks are nice and happy and friendly. But the idea of God is deadly to our planet."

The soundtrack reminds me very much of Philip Glass. It's reminiscent of The Thin Blue Line or Koyaanisqatsi. It evokes a feeling of the vast scope of humanity, expanding relentlessly across the world without apparent meaning or design.

One of the filmmakers asks a question concerning 9/11 that he says many have asked; "Where was God on that day?" Of course, he cannot answer and does not attempt to try on his own. But it's clear that the filmmakers wish us to keep that question in the forefront of our minds as we see these world leaders talk about their faith.
But there are some religious personalities that are missing in this film. Where is Osama Bin Laden in this movie? Where is Ayman al-Zawahiri? Where is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Where is a film clip of an Islamic suicide bomber video filmed just before he'd blown himself up in an Israeli market?
I think that if we were to ask "Where was God on 9/11?" they would have some statements of great certitude to share with us that these two very naive French brothers never thought to ponder or are too politically correct to voice.

This movie is a perfect example of the great danger that Western civilization is in right now. We are asleep. The Islamic radical militants are at war with us and we are trying to turn away from understanding that and instead, look inward to find our peace. The fact is that there will be no peace until we kill these zealots for Allah.

One of these leaders, interestingly, a Sunni Muslim imam, Muhammed Sayyed Tantawi, Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar, in this film has a nice little p.c. moment before the camera. He says, "People of all faiths and of all homelands are divided between reasonable and unreasonable people. And all that I wish and pray to God for is that reasonable people will outnumber the fools."

I think that's one of the wisest statements in this movie that I've yet seen, though it's couched in ambiguity. And I would like to add that with the grace of God and President Bush and hopefully a President Rudolf Giuliani and the United States military, we will daily make the number of fools smaller and smaller so that the world will be able to prosper to its fullest potential in real peace.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

But specifically to Al-Qaeda and Ahmadinejad, I don't know what Jesus would do, but I wish upon you this for the benefit of all mankind.

Oh, and one last note. I don't think I really object to CBS's broadcast of this little nothing of a movie by the Naudet brothers. But to balance things out, I think it would be appropriate to wait until the Christmas season is over and then screen Obsession in early January. But of course, they won't do that because they loath Western civilization.

Cross-posted at Freedom Dogs. Comments Welcome.