Posted by ghostmann at 209.162.83.22 on December 22, 1999 at 11:42:33:
In Reply to: Dogma posted by fainelli on December 22, 1999 at 02:59:42:
: What follows is a letter I wrote to Mr. Smith and it pretty well sums up my views of his latest film "Dogma."
: Dear Mr. Smith,
: I am fresh from viewing your latest film, Dogma. A diatribe is not my intention in this letter, only the honest expression of my disappointment with your work. The Catholic Church has absorbed many blows throughout the ages and your film shall be neither the first or the last. Though not a perfect institution as your film pointed out, the church is shelter and voice for a sacred mystery which speaks of hope to pious souls. The Church's heart is strong and constant and I am filled with great deal of satisfaction when I comprehend the hollowness and ephemerality of your desperate ridicule. Long after we are dead, long after your film is forgotten, long after your venom has dripped from the walls of the church, people shall go on living, looking to this institution as a God's torch bearer on earth.
: Dogma was a low-blow and way off the mark. You first pointed to the weakened condition of Catholicism in America and suggested that the cause was the Church's inflexibility and adherence to dogma. It's true, the Church has seen better days, but is not all to blame for Americans' shrinking spirituality. Over the past several decades, American society has grown callously materialistic and naturally an institution which espouses modesty, generosity and goodwill is bound to suffer in these times. Christ's message of love for thy neighbor has always been difficult to accept, let alone practice. As the "me" generation inherits the earth, the personality of society grows selfish. Is it any wonder that our affluence and greed has made us hostile to the message of brotherly love? For these setbacks, the Catholic church cannot be blamed. On the contrary, the likes of the Pope, Mother Theresa, and their millions of followers have bravely defended a haven of Christian values.
: Disrespect for the old order permeates your film, demonstrating only that the durability of organized religion perplexes you. For example the characters of Dogma, even the self-proclaimed servants of God, regard the name of God and Christ with contempt, as I'm sure you know a violation of the second commandment. They represent those impudent Americans who cannot stand to see any tradition stand unmolested by a filthy tongue. Like a moody, morose teenager their impulse is to destroy and vandalize, and the target they have chosen is religion. The muse condemns Catholicism most fully, blaming it for, among other things, the widespread loss of faith, the oppression of races and women, and the absurd contrivances of the film's plot. These complaints betray your real bone with Catholicism. I have a theory: It infuriates you that someone out there is preaching a morality which does not agree with your own. How vexing it must be when someone challenges your peculiar notion of hedonism, and suggests that God may frown upon the unrestrained materialism, lust and drug use of your lifestyle. What Dogma reveals about its makers, is a disdain for any philosophy which makes demands on its adherents. You don't want a religion which is going to tell you you're not perfect just the way you are. Faith, religion and Catholicism have never been easy to accept. Maybe god's message hasn't emerged 100% pure through the church, but the great thing about the church is that you don't turn you away for rejecting a line of dogma. Though not every Catholic thinks as the Pope does, we retain a demanding conscious. The Church's doctrines force us to grapple with the nature of sin. This challenging approach to morality is one of the greatest benefits Catholicism gives us.
: The most piercing argument you hurled at Catholicism, is that we are not a joyous faith, we do not know how to celebrate. No doubt, compared to other sects of Christianity, our services are subdued. Sometimes when I am in church I see bored faces, distracted folks, and hardly anybody wears a smile. Like you say, they just keep showing up at church, out of mere habit. But if they're anything like me, these folks occasionally see through the obscurity of their own worldly concerns. It may be only a moment of reflection, and sometimes it doesn't happen during mass. But when the shudder comes and the eyes dilate, the mind absorbs a sacred idea. This contact with the divine, reminds us of our belief and confirms our habit of going to Church every Sunday. I know you are capable of experiencing this. Why do you strike out against us?
: I am sorry you made this film. I really am. In the likeness of Christ, we Catholics will suffer this blow with dignity. You have wounded us, but the openings will heal. In your film I could discern a confidence in your own view of the universe. We are humans and we always believe we are right, but I pray, for you and myself, that we will never believe we have the definitive answers you seem to have settled on in your film. I also pray that you gain the courage to reexamine your beliefs and to search for what is good in Christianity and Catholicism. Go slowly and with an open mind. God Bless you.
: Sincerely,
: Michael Fainelli NY
My friend, Dogma did it's job. It got you thinking and thats what its all about.
:ghostmann