Dogma/Fridge: Difference between revisions

* I love one piece of Fridge Brilliance in ''[[Dogma]]''. The Metatron expresses himself as a Seraphim, being the highest choir of angels. In angelology, one of the defining features of seraphim is that they cannot tell a lie -- everlie—ever. And that's ''exactly'' what the Metatron does. He almost compulsively answers with the truth to every question. Watch the film again; not once does he ever lie or fail to tell the truth to Bethany. When he's asked an inconvenient question, he always tells the truth -- buttruth—but usually in a literal way. When Bethany asks him why God wants her to handle it: "Because of who you are." Bethany asks him, "And who am I?" The absolutely truthful answer would be, "Jesus Christ's descendant", but the Metatron's quick -- andquick—and strictly speaking, truthful -- replytruthful—reply is "The girl in the [[P Js]]! Stop asking so many questions!" -Saintheart

*** Rufus doesn't say you shouldn't have beliefs. He just says it's ''better'' to have ideas because ideas can be changed a lot more easily than beliefs can. This is dropping the anvil on the concept of Papal infallibility and that man's understanding of God must change as society moves from the medieval to the "enlightened". As for Serendipity -- itSerendipity—it's expressed in pop cliche, but "Don't matter what faith you have, so long as you have faith" is basically to wear the fundamental concepts of one's religion -- hopereligion—hope, love, and charity -- incharity—in one's heart rather than pay them as lip service, that God prefers what your heart inclines you to do rather than what you formulaically do according to childhood drilling. This is ''complementary'' to Rufus's suggestion it's better to have ideas rather than beliefs; that you pay more attention to your conscience and to the intent behind the words than the literal words themselves. Also, an actual moment of [[Fridge Brilliance]] -- Serendipity—Serendipity is a ''muse''. It's her job to ''inspire'' people, not work out the fine detail -- shedetail—she gets writer's block the moment she comes to Earth. So of course she's going to push inspiration and faith -- becausefaith—because ''they're what she is.''

*** Catholic dogma's a little more flexible than that. Per the Nicene Creed, the Church -- aChurch—a human agency -- onlyagency—only ''acknowledges'' one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, but it also accepts God's grace is wider than that, and all things being possible to God, that a person of another faith nonetheless living a good life might still (at God's sole discretion) be saved. The Creed does ''not'' say that Catholicism is the ''only'' available path; it only says that it doesn't recognise any others, but that God is omnipotent and might choose to save someone even though they're not Catholic.