God’s Not Dead Movie Review

Just watched Gods Not Dead and thought it was a great movie, especially for it being Christian based. While most movies from the Christian camp seem to be watered downed in substance and fluffed up, this one has a bit more of a bite to it and has substance in the revelance of what it means to have faith, question doubt and be a believer in Christ.

The premise of the movie dealves around a college philosophy class, a stout atheist professor and a defiant freshman who has to argue against the professors reasoning that God is Dead, as quoted by Friedrich Nietzsche. While that is played out other stories emerge dealing with a girl who’s being diagnosed with cancer, a pastor and a missionary friend who seem to cant get to Disneyland, a Muslim girl with a strict father that is secretly a Christian, a successful businessman that seems a bit arrogant as well as a few other story lines throughout.

Being a non-Christian, yet a believer in Divinity (yeah, dont ask me if you dont know me cus Im not going to explain and dont get all holier-then-thou without me going all rogue and ignoring you and turning the other cheek (hum, didnt someone say that in the bible?) Anyway, being a non-Christian I found the movie to be one of the better ones out there for the whole team Jesus crowd and for those that have struggled with the questions of faith and have doubts in their lives.

The few things I didnt seem to thrilled about were as followed. For one the blantently type-casting of the vegetarian, Darwinian Humanist who’s car had “Meat is Murder”, “American Humanist” and “I (heart) Evolution” bumper stickers to show where this girl is coming from. When they showed the car I can see all the strict die-hard Conservative Right-wingers in the movie theater rolling their eyes. Only thing they left out of the movie was her driving a Prius, then we all would be certain of who godless ways to say the least! This girl is the one that ends up with cancer. After her break down moment she ends up going to a Newsboys concert to interview them. How she got a press pass, got backstage without an escort and knew where the band was is beyond me. Anyway, they paint a picture of an angry Liberal blogger that needs to come to terms with her cancer, which she seems to with the help of members of the band. I guess if there was another scene they would have showed her riding in the back of Willie Robertson’s (Duck Dynasty) truck, shooting wild game while eating a turkey leg all the while making sure the theater audience watching would know she is now a Conservative through and through. I guess the view of the movie shows Liberals can’t be Christians.

The second and really the most important was the view they gave Muslims, which showed an over-bearing and strict father and a college daughter that secretly was Christian. The father slaps the daughter and throws her out of their home after finding out. Now, Im not saying this doesnt happen but all I was thinking of was why didnt they show a young Christian boy, living in a strict Christian home, coming out to his parents that he’s homosexual and the ensuing aftermath of their wrath on the boy. Now, Im not saying all Christian parents would disown their proud-to-be gay son but it happens and I doubt one should view Christians just from that one instance. Same to with the Muslims in this movie.

Third was the view of the angry atheistic professor. Don’t know why it bothers me cus I actually do see a lot of atheists as being angry. I recently watched a documentary called “The Unbelievers” which follows Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss as they speak at lectures and in public and I noticed that underlining anger and hatred within them. Now, as pointed out prior, I dont want to type-cast that all atheists are hell-bent on crushing Christian belief, I just think they get so annoyed with the Christian-shove-it-down-your-throat-message that they feel the only way to response is a middle finger salute. I sensed that in another documentary called “The God Who Wasnt There” which the director, a Christian turned atheist, couldnt get passed his anger and negativity to showcase a great documentary. Even a few close friends that are atheists seem to have a chip on their shoulder when talk of religion comes around. Yet, as in the movie the atheist professor had some anger towards God resulting from a dying mom in his youth. I remember when I was a teen the negative feelings I had towards religion, especially Christianity, due to the death and dying in the world.

The last one was really an annoyance than anything, which was the college student, who stood up to his professor, and his not-so-Christian-Christian girlfriend. Just couldnt stand how she was all loving about their relationship and about God, yet couldnt understand the fact he was standing up for his faith. Yeah, she had to go.

The few things I did enjoy about this movie was this. One, Kirk Cameron wasnt in it. I really couldn’t stand him in his Christian based movies and it was pleasant not sewing jimmy in yet another faith based movie. Two, they picked a good Christian band, the Newsboys, to basically have the whole soundtrack to themselves. I would rather have listened to heavier Christian bands like With Blood Comes Cleansing, For Today, Thy Will Be Done or Sleeping Giant, but thats just me and my preference in Christian music. The concert footage and them being in the movie was great itself. Three, I loved the scenes of the pastor and the missionary who couldnt get to Disneyworld because the cars they used wouldnt start and how they were meant to be there when the Muslim-now-Christian girl needed help as well as being there when an accident happened at the end of the movie. As they say, all things happen for a reason. Forth and last was the debate and college class talks about the belief of God’s existance. A great view on both sides yet not all sides. Yes the movie was more over a Christian vs. Athiest show but I would rather have seen a World Religions vs. Atheists movie. Yet, it would probably have been a four hour movie with either the end playing out with everyone killing each other cus they couldnt get passed the whole “My Dad (God) is better then your Dad” mentality, or better yet, they would have realised they all have common ground, respect each others views and loved one another as one wished to be loved by another and created a better existence for all. Ha, yeah, what Utopianic world do I live in!