I came across this documentary film on Netflix at my brother's house. It may come at no surprise, but I'm not a huge fan. There are some benefits to having watched the film, but overall it made me fairly angry and frustrated.
Yes, it made some pretty low shots at Christianity and Evangelism. Obviously those who made the film think that evangelical Christianity, and likely religion as a whole, is absurd, or is merely a personal choice. Yet it bothered me because it made it seem as a mockery. It didn't ask the question of: What if it's all true?
Yes there are differing thoughts and problems with people claiming to be Christians. Yes there have been bigots and horrid people who claimed to know God's thoughts and did horrid things in his name. That is horid. That saddens me and as a church we need to acknowledge those things. Yet these people didn't actually do what the Bible taught. Yet Harvest Ministries, which the film highlighted from time to time, is a godly and great ministry that is not perfect, yet does practice what it preaches.
Imdb states: "Selling God is a whimsical look at the Contemporary Evangelical Movement. It offers a satirical perspective on the many absurdities that arise when religion and popular culture collide and features interviews with Dr. Noam Chomsky as well as many other scholars and religious leaders."
My problem with the film is that it seems a grave misrepresentation of Christianity, greatly undermining and ignoring WHAT it teaches.
It is true that in recent times much of the hype in Western, Evangelical "Christianity" has been political, revolved around the dates of the end times (including specific dates), enforcing morality, consumerism, and lots of things that are not actually the center of the Gospel. This is why it makes me frustrated. It makes me frustrated because the Gospel and Christianity are NOT all these things. It is not about all we are against. It is not just about saving souls.
It is about God restoring all things. It is much bigger that what it shows here. There are many scholars who would gravely disagree with the "scholars" in the film. I'm not quite sure where they got those in the film, but they don't represent evangelical Christianity. Instead they merely speak to the emotional, shady, televangelist christianity about which I too am skeptical. If the Bible taught the cooky, man-made hoax the film laid out as christianity, who would believe? Yet it doesn't. And I believe that God does in fact exist and is actually active.
Below are a few quotes I found disturbing and several thoughts of my own. I may try to return and write a bit more. This is just an initial response to the film. Feel free to leave comments of your own.
"Questions like, 'Why do bad things happen to good people?' is side-stepped by faith. you must have enought faith and everything will be alright... people have been convinced to believe without any proof..."
Yet... the Bible contains the book of Job (along with other large passages) which very much acknowledges the BAD things and EVIL in the world and that, yes, even happens to good people. How does faith side-step the question, if the very Bible contains a major book addressing it and that doesn't say 'don't worry, just believe.... or it must just be your fault.' In fact, the latter comment is what the friends of Job said to him and then were judged by God as foolish. It actually sounds more like Hinduism or Buddhism's response to that question.
Unlike the film said, I DO NOT think that God was happy by Hurricane Katriena nor does he hate the gays, nor the poor. HORRID. And horrid that people are so quick to judge. The book of Romans actually says that. It says that those who judge are just as in need as those who commit the sins that the judgers judge. They are equal. And both need a Savior. One is not righteous enough to save him or her-self.
Heaven - "Imported from Zoriastrianism into Judaism... The common view of heaven is strange... it's filled with all the things that people hate..." "There won't be any gays, anyone who's pro-choice, anyone who's ever lied... it will be a boring place of homosexual, republican men... Won't heaven be pretty close to most people's idea of hell?..."
My question is that why didn't they look at what the Bible might say about heaven. None of the above is actually on the Bible.
Women - The film alluded to women being oppressed by Christianity and yet Jesus was VERY affirming of women, as were the Old Testament laws,...
Hell - "For some, hell will be..."
Again, what does the Bible actually teach?
Prayer - "Prayer is like a 24-7... it's like God has nothing better than to hear people's flatteries... it's important to thank God but not the people doing most of the work... it seems like God is a cross between a butler and a sugar daddy..."
Faith - Is not blind faith. Is not believing in something without any proof. Is not ludicrus. Every word of the Bible is inspired by God.
Bible - We DO have a complete copy of the Bible. It hasn't been changed, it hasn't ben arbitrarily picked and chosen. We do have accurate copies of the texts. By far, it is one of the most accurate ancient texts we have today.
Skepticism of all "Secular" News Sources - "destroying the garden of eden by science," and the remarks of Jerry Faldwell, "don't take science, it'll destroy your faith..."
I wish the film would have looked at what the Bible actually teaches and what everyday Christians who are not those making the most noise and the most extreme strawmen. I don't think athiests, agnostics, and those of other religions are ignorant, evil, nor non-sensical. Nor do I think it is an accurate analysis of me. I do walk by faith, but also use my head. I believe God, but want to know as much as I can about the Bible and my faith.
I may not be a fan of Jerry Faldwell & Pat Robertson nor half the people in the film, but I am an evangelical Christian. If you did a real survey of American Christianity, you might find something very different than what you see in Selling God. Again, I do think that it raises some of the same questions friends and cousins of mine have raised.
"God is not arbitrary... MLK said, 'Any religion that is concerned about souls but is not concerned about the slums... is a dry religion... Religion is personal, but never private...'" YES! I agree!
"religion may be helpful, even if it is irrational..."
In my opinion, it is important as to whether or not it is true. It is not helpful, if it is merely just a fluffy pipedream.
The final commercial for Pat Robertson's diet shake should lead anyone to question half of what the film had actually being what the Bible teaches.
