"God's Not Dead... Movie Review, Sort Of"

A few weeks back an officemate asked me to watch the movie “God's Not Dead” (a Christian film that stars Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper and Dean Cain to name a few). I’ll spare you the conversation that led to the recommendation of this film, but I believe the intent had something to do with me openly saying that I have not closed the doors completely on religion and that I am willing to keep an open mind.

So I sat through an hour and a half of the film and just to set expectations, this is not going to be a blow by blow, scene by scene dissection of the movie, nor will I offer rebuttals for the common fallacies in the philosophical arguments presented by the characters. There are plenty of more detailed and professionally executed film critiques out there that has probably already done a way better job of rating the film. Instead, I want to provide insights on how I processed the film from the perspective of a non-believer.

For the purpose of a synopsis, the plot is basically how this Christian college dude (Shane Harper) faced persecution and downright bullying from his atheist college professor (played by former Hercules star Kevin Sorbo) when he refused to comply with the professor’s instruction to write down “God Is Dead” in a blank sheet of paper and signing it. As a consequence of his failure to denounce his faith, he was made to state and defend his case on the existence of god against his atheist college professor in front of the class. If he fails to convince the entire class that god is not dead, he fails his philosophy subject. 

There are also sub plots in the story that really doesn’t connect with the main story line, like the hot Muslim girl with the strict traditional dad, the Asian dude who gets sent to the US for college, and the cancer stricken news reporter with the douche bag rich boyfriend (played by Superman, Dean Cain), but since these diversions are irrelevant I won’t get into that and will stick to the main story.

After seeing the film I tweeted how the movie has made me so unsure. It made me contemplate whether what’s more improbable, the existence of a deity, or the actual plot of the movie? And I suppose that’s my biggest gripe about this film, how the writers have stretched their imaginations on far fetched scenes such as an insecure atheist professor imposing his beliefs on an entire class, the same professor shaming his christian girlfriend in front of colleagues during dinner just because she served bad wine, and a hot girlfriend breaking up with his boyfriend simply for debating his college professor. I know its fiction, but who actually does stuff like that? 

Now I know the movie was inspired by legal cases of university student and campus ministries being condemned for their faith, but come on, your best response to that is a movie depicting atheists as tyrant professors to gain sympathy? [Spoiler alert, skip the last two sentences in this paragraph if you are thinking of watching the film] And just like in children's cartoons where the villain at the end gets what's coming, the atheist in this story really gets it by senselessly dying in a horrible vehicular accident, apparently just so that a pastor who happens to be in the area can help him accept Jesus Christ just before he kicks the bucket! He could have been written to convert and live a happy life as a Christian, but I guess the writers figured it would make for a better story if he died in a totally random way.

The entire movie is an appeal to the emotions rather than reason and logic. Worse, it has portrayed atheists as angry bullying theists-in-denial who only denounced that god exists because of a prior tragedy in their life. It’s all just emotional sap, filled with a series of irrelevant nonsensical scenes all loosely tied together with an implausible plot.

What frustrates me the most is that the film is basically the antithesis of what I have been trying to achieve by coming out, that is to break the negative stereotype of how most non-believers are perceive as: arrogant, wise assed, confrontational pricks. 

As a former Christian, one who did lectures in church, was actively part of a youth and music ministry, one who studied in a seminary and had the sincerest of intentions on becoming a pastor, I know the thought processes of people who believe there is a god. Apostates like me rarely impute the actions of a few crazy, bible thumping fundamentalist unto the entire christian community. Heck I would even bet that people raised as atheists are smart enough to do the same, because after all, its simply the decent thing to do.

There are a lot of atheists like me who were former theists. We’ve read the ancient book, we’ve sung the hymns, we’ve listened to the preaching, we've knelt down in prayer, we’ve felt that very same emotional experiences they have when we were part of the community. Most non-believers know what its like to be in their shoes, it unfortunately doesn't go both ways as in the case of this movie where the antagonist is made to be a gross misrepresentation of atheists.

I am only anti-theistic when I have to, and while I do poke fun at ideas and beliefs that I now find ludicrous, I know how extremely difficult it is to question years of indoctrination and how for most people religion and the community that comes along with it may be the only support structure they have available. My primary intent is not to pull people away from that, but rather to provide an objective alternative world view and more importantly clear up misconceptions by breaking the atheist stereotype. This movie just sadly tramples all over that.

So overall I give this movie a rating of zero out of five specks of stardust, the "actual dust" where we all are made of.