Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Safe haven …

… RealClearReligion — Why You Should Watch Noah.

What is most important is that this contemporary midrash successfully articulates the characteristically Biblical logic of the story of Noah. First, it speaks unambiguously of God: every major character refers to "the Creator." Secondly, this Creator God is not presented as a distant force, nor is he blandly identified with Nature. Rather, he is personal, active, provident, and intimately involved in the affairs of the world that he has made. Thirdly, human beings are portrayed as fallen with their sin producing much of the suffering in the world. Some of the religious critics of Noah have sniffed out a secularist and environmentalist ideology behind this supposed demonization of humanity, but Genesis itself remains pretty down on the way human beings operate -- read the stories of Cain and Abel and the Tower of Babel for the details. AndNoah's portrayal of the rape of nature caused by industrialization is nowhere near as vivid as Tolkien's portrayal of the same theme in The Lord of the Rings. Fourthly, the hero of the film consistently eschews his own comfort and personal inclination and seeks to know and follow the will of God.

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