RATING: 4 STARS
the movie is a satire exposing some flaws of christian fundamentalists while somehow going overboard in its perspective or suggestion of christian freedom. the movie has its glorious moments where it has persuasively made its point. however, there are also moments of defeat (in the christian perspective) as hollywood wisdom replaces the true essence of what it means to be saved…
american eagle christian high shool is managed by a pastor/principal named skip. in this institution, being a christian is equivalent to being popular and successful. hilary faye, (mandy’s greatest performance so far according to some critics) is a picture of christian fundamentalist who always has a biblical solution for everything, has a huge desire to save the lost while ironically making christianity unattractive to them because of her arrogance and discriminatory behavior, and who becomes insensitive to others because of her indignancy to sin and everything evil.
the main character is actually played by mary (malone). she depicts a christian who became confused with the uniformity and insensitivity of the christian environment she is in. she now questions the presence of mercy house (some kind of spiritual rehab where homosexuals, unwed moms, alcoholics, and the rest of those who have spiritual maladies are being quarantined). mary believed, and then struggled with her faith. a typical christian experience. mary’s quotable words towards the end of the film — “if God created us so different, why does He want us to be the same?”– is a response to the christian hype going on in the community. when someones does not fit in, he/she is an outcast. seems like christianity is reduced to rules and regulations rather than real love for God and for people.
some lessons learned in the movie:
1. indignance to sin. characters seem to be mindful of their actions whether it’s a sin or not. there’s nothing wrong with that. that’s even good considering that mankind has not lost yet his conscience. but “over-mindfulness” is not good anymore especially when judgemental attitude comes in.
2. restoration through exorcism. it is unbiblical (Gal 6:1-2) to apply force when you want to restore someone spiritually especially when it obviously appears to be exorcism. hilary, together with christian-jewels sisters, and with their “divine determination” to save mary’s soul, resort to a gangster-like method of restoration.
3. respect. insensitivity i think is one flaw of christian fundamentalism. super-spiritual folks would tend to overlook human emotions and strike whatever they believe is the will of God, damaging someone’s emotions or dignity as a result.
as mentioned, there are bad treats as well. the movie seems to imply that “when you feel something is good, do it. God loves you anyway.” while that phrase has its point, it may be used as a license to abuse God’s grace and which may totally erase christian responsibility and accountability.
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