Posted by Darth Dobbin at 12.19.232.47 on April 03, 2000 at 13:58:15:
In Reply to: Why the absence of Jesus in "Dogma"? posted by Isis on April 03, 2000 at 11:44:28:
became a Mary figure when the Metatron touched her belly and gave her the "real deal" 2nd coming bun in the oven?
My whole take on it was that being "the christ" is a role that gets passed from "owner" to "owner," in more or less degrees. In DOGMA'S cosmology, it seemed that JC was the 1st "full blown" messiah, but his scions have been keeping the flame, and in part, the super-powers, up until Bethany and her progeny..
Dunno. There was also a big angle on the whole "observer created reality" aspect that made any one "definition" or aspect of faith only accurate according to the relative position of its proponent. Which is to say that the golf club was "holy" because of the brute power of all that ambient faith, which according to its edicts, granted the power of belssing to the clergy.
Wasn't that the whole point of the Plenary Indulgances being central to the plot? That "dogma," although man-created, becomes concrete and a "fact," and leaves "artifacts" of past paradigms, or paradoxical "rulesets" that must be obeyed because of the reflexive nature of faith? (What you hold true on earth, etc?)
Unrelated point.. You know who I miss?
Kim. Send her warmest regards from the board, anybody who sees her.
: Folks --
: No epics today, alas (quit crying, Duke, I'll be back in top form one of these days), just a simple question (or two or three) that's been on my mind for a while.
: Obviously tons of fictional & non-fictional, Biblical-era and modern-day characters turn up in "Dogma", including the lovely God/dess herself: why does JC never show up & hang out? Was there something in the film I missed? If the film is a statement about Christianity wouldn't it make sense for Christ to be there? Would it have been too sacreligious to touch on the Second Coming? Wasn't it difficult not to throw in a few bad puns about the "Second Coming" (heck, I'm finding it very tempting right now)?
: I find it ironic that among so many of last year's movies with supposedly secular storylines there were Christ figures ("Green Mile", "Magnolia", etc.) while a movie about Catholicism had none. I've also been told by various Kevfans that "Dogma" is an exploration of his personal spirituality, and I find it difficult to follow that interpretation when the personal savior of the religion is conspicuously absent. It's interesting. Help me out here people, I'm sure there's something obvious I'm just not catching on to.
: -- Isis
: Gone Fishin' and Wine-Drinkin' with the JC