Film and Religion: An Introduction
by
Paul V.M. Flesher and Robert Torry
A Study Guide
by
Den’ja Pommerane, with Paul V.M. Flesher
Chapter One — Christmas Films: The Search for Meaning
1. What is targum? How is it constructed and used within a given story? How does targum help explain strange or fluid concepts in a text? Why is the concept of targum important to consider when discussing films?
2. If a story is well known, does the meaning change in different contexts, whether these are different forms of media, or different staging of the story? If so, what changes and for what purpose? If not, what stays the same and why?
3. What two things need to be taken into account when an object is studied? Why are these two elements important? Is one factor more important than the other? Explain.
4. Explain how the six rules of targum reshape a text. What is their importance? How do they work?
5. What is the major difference between an original text and its targumic transformation? That is, what happens to the original in the process of its reshaping?
6. Examine the advantages and disadvantages of written stories and filmed stories. Consider mass audiences, individuals as listeners and viewers, and the storytellers. How do the texts and the stories a society tells aid in the enculturation of individuals into a group?
7. Why are cause and effect relationships often used targumically to shape or reshape a story’s plot?
8. Who inevitably creates meaning, the sender (writers, directors, actors, storytellers) or the receiver (watchers, readers, and listeners)? Explain your answer.
9. Can cultural anxieties, concerns, and ethics be separated from the stories that individuals tell within that culture? Why or why not? Consider organic stories versus targumic transformations. Does the story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas help explain your answer?
10. How does the cartoon version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas use the targumic process to give meaning to Christmas? How is the meaning reshaped throughout the two films (the cartoon and the Jim Carrey version)? Are these meanings different from those of other Christmas films, especially those that lack the Nativity story?
Have you ever viewed a movie right after reading the story? Was the experience one of disappointment or was it satisfying? If you felt either way, list some reasons why. What was different? Did you get different feelings when you read the story compared to viewing it? Were the changes blatant or did the filmmakers use the six rules of targum to make the changes work? Could this help explain your reaction?
Write down what Christmas means to you in three sentences. Next, discuss the meaning of Christmas with at least three people. Ask them how they came to that conclusion. How did you come to your conclusion? How is the meaning of Christmas fluid? Explain.
1. When Science Fiction films first dealt with the atomic bomb, the filmmakers used explicitly secular themes that made literal and symbolic references to the bomb. What is the purpose of using such symbolism rather than referring back to the bomb?
2. What is the Puritan concept of typology? By what logical progression does it make connections? Discuss why typology requires either a historical or cultural context to be able to identify a functional theme. Why is the notion of typology important to this chapter? In terms of typology, explain cause and effect. How does type and antitype work (or not work) within a cause and effect relationship?
3. How is each film’s religious symbolism hidden within its secular imagery?
4. With the lens of typology, explain the reasoning by which the Puritans saw themselves as the “New Israelites” and America as the “New Jerusalem.”
5. The atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were extremely destructive forces, the most destructive the world had ever seen. Is destruction a necessary part of salvation? How does this chapter support or negate your answer? Explain.
6. How does the relationship between object and context work within the concept of the atomic bomb and America? Examine the atomic bomb and its destructiveness.
7. How does Puritan doctrine (i.e., America as the new “Promised Land)” aid in explaining the arms race and the Cold War?
8. Do Puritan ideals still exist today? In what form? How do you know?
9. What is the importance of the setting—outer space and the future—in both When Worlds Collide and The Day the Earth Stood Still? How does setting aid in the development of an understanding about the atomic bomb?
10. Why do you think Science Fiction was the genre that lent itself to films concerning the atomic bomb? How does this genre reshape our understanding of the bomb?
Reflection
Watch a broadcast of the news. What do you see and hear? Make a list of every story that has an aspect of destructiveness in it. How are these stories being presented? Is there a silver lining to any of these stories (e.g., is there a redemptive or salvific quality)? Can you explain any of these stories in terms of America as the “New Israel?” If so, explain how. If not, what values are lacking?
1. How do the main characters in these films demonstrate the virtues of the ideal Roman? How is Rome, as portrayed in the films, compared to that ideal? To which of these images of Rome do these films compare America during the Cold War? What about Communist Russia?
2. Why do you think films dealing with the contrast between pagan Roman culture and Christianity appear after World War II? Why is Christianity the hero and how is it presented to the audience?
3. How are the plots in The Robe and Quo Vadis similar or different? What is the function of the similarities? How do these films set up Christianity as the victor over pagan Rome? Why are these concepts important to Cold War America?
4. How does the process of conversion play in the United States after World War II? Is it necessary to discuss conversion when discussing change? What reshaping is needed to transform old motives into new? How radical must that change be?
5. Examine the importance of emphasizing freedom and slavery in this chapter. How is physical slavery different from spiritual slavery? Is Christianity necessary for physical and/or spiritual freedom? Explain.
6. Can violence be good? Why or why not? Can some acts of violence be justified? If not, what are the consequences? If violence can be justified, does that make it morally right? How do The Robe and Quo Vadis deal with this issue?
7. Do these films argue that the just and virtuous will prevail? Or, do they posit that believing makes something true? How do these films suggest these notions at work within America during the Cold War?
8. What is “progress” as suggested in these films? Why is it important to this chapter? Are all advocates of progress working towards the same goal? Consider the United States and Communist Russia. What about Nero and Rome in comparison to the Christians?
9. Do you agree that the use of Christianity in these films aids the justification of America as a progressive state? Why or why not? If so, why do you think both movies only hint towards a Christianized Rome? If not, why do you think that the characters in these films convert to Christianity?
10. Why do you think these films denounce the idea of a state under one man’s control, but not dedicated military or political service to that same state? How do the United States and Communist Russia play into this notion? What about Rome?
Consider the Iraqi War. How does the context of these two films aid in a possible explanation of America’s involvement in Iraq? Mull over the rhetoric used to justify America’s participation in the war. How do you think the Iraqis view this involvement? Is it the same? Are American understandings of freedom different from those of the Iraqis?
There are many concepts that are put together to create the ideal America. How do we live up to these elements in light of events like the Oklahoma City bombing or the destruction of the World Trade Center? To what extent is this ideal America a matter of interpretation? Do you see these traits and interpretations in popular film today? Why or why not?
Chapter Four — The Ten Commandments and America’s Fight against Tyranny
1. What is the significance of DeMille’s opening speech and the opening credits claiming that The Ten Commandments draw upon many ancient sources? Why is this important to the story of Moses and the Exodus? If the ancient sources were not listed, would the film still have the same impact on the audience? Explain.
2. The story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt is a well-known story within Judaism and Christianity. Why is authentication needed for the story of Ten Commandments? How does this concept work with the targumic process?
3. When The Ten Commandments director DeMille opened the 1956 film by stating, “this same battle continues throughout the world today,” does this statement still apply today? If yes, give an example. If not, explain why you disagree.
4. Why do you think the writers of The Ten Commandments felt the need to “Christianize” Moses? Can typology be used to address this question? How does this Christianization aid in the film’s portrayal of the United States and the Cold War?
5. How does the use of dialogue and scenes from Scripture, such as the book of Isaiah and Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, aid in reshaping the story of Moses? Why, in the targumic process of The Ten Commandments, is it necessary to take in dialogue and scenes from other books in the Bible? How does the material taken from the New Testament aid in the presentation of Moses to a Christian audience?
6. Why is the Americanization of Moses in The Ten Commandments important? How do the filmmakers do it? Consider all of Moses’ attributes and think about how the film uses typology to help answer this question.
7. How do freedom and law work together? Does law by its very nature promote slavery? Why or why not? Consider some of the writings of Thomas Paine mentioned in this chapter to help you answer this question.
8. What issue(s) links this chapter with chapters two and three? What vein runs through all three of them? What common and different ideas are mentioned about the Cold War? How do the films differ in their suggestions pertaining to how America should deal with Communist Russia and other oppressive states? How does cause and effect play into the way The Ten Commandments deals with the Cold War?
9. When Moses tells Pharaoh that the growing altercation will come from Pharaoh’s own mouth, how does this statement in The Ten Commandments give support to the United States’ power against Communist Russia? How does it legitimize action against any communist state? Why is this important to both the film and the Cold War?
10. Why do scenes such as the hardening of pharaoh’s heart draw upon the targumic process? Why is it important that the audience is aware of the pharaoh’s heart? What rule of targum does this fall under?
Reflect on the story of The Ten Commandments. What is it about this film that strikes a chord with an American audience? Consider all aspects of the film.
Make a typological list that links the American Revolutionary War to the story of the Exodus. Be sure to explain why you linked up the different events with each other. What do you find when you do this? Compare your list with a classmate. What similarities and differences are there? Can you see their point of view?
1. In the previous chapters, we have seen how different films expressed ways in which America should deal with Communist Russia and other communist states. How does the King of Kings suggest that America deal with the Cold War and the use of nuclear weapons? How does it differ from the other films?
2. By providing a visual portrayal of Jesus, King of Kings targumically enhances the written Gospel story. How do the earliest scenes of the adult Jesus use visual imagery to enhance him in ways not evident from the biblical text?
3. The Sermon on the Mount in the gospels is just that, namely, an address to the disciples and others present. For what purpose did King of Kings recast the Sermon on the Mount as a question and answer session? How is the new context created through targumic transformation?
4. When Jesus speaks words from the gospels, how does the film change the context—i.e., the actions accompanying the statements—of the utterances and thereby change the words’ meaning? Compare the gospel and film versions of: the stoning of the adulteress, the Last Supper, and the trail of Jesus before Pilate?
5. Are words more important than action from a targumic viewpoint? In this film, which element (words or action) carries the most power to transform a text and reshape its meaning? Explain your answer. Does your answer apply to targumized films in general?
6. In King of Kings, Judas attempts to get Barabbas and Jesus to work together against the Roman occupation. Can war and peace work together as Judas wants? Why or why not? How does this apply to the Cold War?
7. Let’s frame the question in another way. Perhaps war and peace cannot work together. Does Judas try to transform one into the other? What response would King of Kings give to the suggestion that the “armed peace” of the Cold War should change into a “hot” war?
8. In King of Kings, John the Baptist serves as a foil for Jesus. What political options does John the Baptist offer that Jesus cannot? Similarly, John the Baptist provides a foil for Moses in The Ten Commandments. If John’s political message concerning those that oppress the Jews echoes that of Moses, does his death indicate the failure of those views? How can this be seen as a comment on the modern use of the bomb?
9. What is the “real freedom” that King of Kings expresses? What are the key scenes that address this idea? Is this freedom the same as that featured in The Robe and Quo Vadis? Could this idea of freedom work for citizens of a modern communist nation?
10. Compare and contrast the ways in which The Ten Commandments gains authority with the ways King of Kings gains authority.
From Chapter Two onwards, we have been examining a series of films that address issues of the Cold War and the use of nuclear bombs. How do you account for the changing perspectives from film to film? Can you attribute the differences to: changes in historical circumstances, different viewpoints, different ways of framing the question, etc.? Do you think that the outcome of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) provided a sound resolution of the matter until the disarmament of the past decade?
Pick one of the characters from King of Kings. Examine how the characterization of your choice aids in the development of the plot. Then write a letter from that character’s point of view to Eisenhower giving him advice on what actions he should take with Eastern Europe. Make sure that you really get into the character you have chosen.
Chapter Six — The Accidental Superstar
1. Does the Cold War threat diminish in the 1960s and 1970s? How does the perception of the importance of that threat diminish over time?
2. What three factors discussed in the chapter came together to make up the youth movment in the 1960’s and 1970’s? How does this context of the youth movement help explain the film Jesus Christ, Superstar?
3. Discuss the similarities and differences between the White House and priests, hippies and Jesus with his disciples. How do these identifications help reshape the image of Jesus in this film? Why is Jesus reconstructed in this manner?
4. Many characters in Jesus Christ, Superstar refer to “clear sightedness.” What is the importance of clear sightedness in relation to the establishment, Judas, the disciples, and Jesus? Why is this concept important to the context of America when this film was popular?
5. Besides the fact Judas is played by an African American in Jesus Christ, Superstar, how is Judas a symbol for both the Civil Rights Movement and the established order? Why is this issue important to mention with regard this film?
6. Why is Mary like “everyman” who is a Christian convert? How does Mary’s love for Jesus in Superstar become a criticism of the modern Christian Church? From the film’s perspective, what do the modern Christian Church and the established society have in common?
7. How does Jesus Christ, Superstar bring a new dimension to the American imagining of Jesus?
8. Why do you think Jesus never acts to move the plot forward and just reacts to those around him in Superstar? If Jesus represents the counterculture, how does this identification help explain your answer? Why is passivity a significant quality for this representation?
9. How do other characters’ (mistaken?) expectations of Jesus move the plot forward?
10. How does Jesus Christ, Superstar gain authority? Does it need the same authority as King of Kings or The Ten Commandments? Why or why not? Is the targumic process used in Jesus Christ, Superstar? If so, to what extent is it used? If not, explain why it would not need to be used.
How did your impressions of Jesus change after viewing Jesus Christ, Superstar? Was the film what you expected it to be? Why or why not? What did you expect? Would you expect something different from a film titled, for instance, Buddha, Superstar?
Make a list of all the characters in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Now compare these characters to those in King of Kings. Why are some characters portrayed in one way in the first film and another in the second film? What has changed about the American context that accounts for this?
1. This chapter begins by introducing ancient debates about the nature of Jesus. What is the purpose of this? How does this question help frame the film’s portrayal of Jesus?
2. Compare the Jesus depicted in The Last Temptation of the Christ to the Jesus depicted in Jesus Christ, Superstar and King of Kings. Does the Last Temptation’s Jesus build upon the Jesus portrayed in the other films? In what key ways does this Jesus differ?
3. Are visions and dreams reality? In Last Temptation, do visions reinforce or undermine reality? Explain.
4. Are all “texts” empty until humans assign meaning? Why is this notion important to the film’s portrayal of Jesus’ visions and dreams? Explain your answer.
5. The issue of authority is important when we discuss historical figures in the context in which they lived. Where does The Last Temptation of the Christ gain its authority? How does the targumic transformation apply here? Is it vital that this story follows the gospels directly? To achieve its goals, should the film follow the gospels more directly?
6. God seems to change Jesus’ assigned mission several times during this film. What is the importance of Jesus’ changing missions? How does this relate to the nature of Jesus? (See question 1.)
7. What is the purpose of uncertainty in The Last Temptation of the Christ? How does it help or hinder the audience’s understanding of Jesus? Consider the nature of Jesus when answering this question.
8. What features of Jesus’ personality are divine? Which are human? Give as many examples of both aspects from the film. Why is it important that the audience see both sides? Would the film have the same effect if only the divine or the human sides were portrayed? Why or why not?
9. Mary Magdalene plays a large role in this film and in Jesus’ psyche. She seems to be a childhood friend, a jilted lover, an adult fascination, a voice of temptation or perhaps even of Satan himself, and ultimately a bride and a wife. Do these roles suggest that the film portrays Mary as a typical woman or as a symbol? If she is a symbol, what does she symbolize? Or, perhaps the question should be, what different aspects does she signal?
10. What does it all mean? That is, what is the purpose of making a movie like The Last Temptation of the Christ? What impact do you think the film’s creators wished to have on the audience?
After viewing this film and reading the chapter, do you agree with the explanations that were given concerning the visions? Could there be another way to interpret the visions of Jesus? For example, what are cultural interpretations are associated with snakes or apples? How might someone from India or another country understand the snake visions in different ways?
Discuss with another person the meaning of the film’s visions. How do the two of you differ? How are both interpretations the same? To what could you attribute the similarities and differences?
2. How do viewers’ comments like “…the truest…” “…the most faithful…” or “…the most real…” affect the popularity and authority of a film like The Passion of the Christ?
3. List the ways The Passion of the Christ claims authority. How are these ways important to the film as a story?
4. How does the targumic process impact the film’s depiction of “truth?” Does the notion of truth help to illustrate the targumic transformation used by Gibson? How does it reshape the story? In your opinion, does it work? If so, explain why it does. What elements are used to reconstruct The Passion of the Christ? If it does not work, explain why.
5. Explain how truth and compassion become key indicators of those who decide to follow Jesus. Both notions are present in The Passion of the Christ. Explain truth and compassion in terms of cause and effect.
6. How is the characterization of Jesus similar to and different from the other portrayals Jesus in other films? How is the specific portrayal of Jesus in The Passion of the Christ important to the overall goal of the film? List the ways—character portrayal, dialogue, set design, selection of scenes, etc.—Director Mel Gibson constructed elements of his film from the Jesus movies you have seen.
7. What does suffering have to do with sin and salvation? Explain how all three of these elements work together in the film.
8. We saw in the film The Last Temptations of the Christ how the divine side of Jesus worked. How is the divine nature of Jesus displayed in this movie? Why was this important to the overall meaning of the film?
9. Is the targumic process necessary in all Jesus films? Explain. Why does the story need to be changed “in plain sight”?
10. How is Jesus, the second Adam, reaffirmed in The Passion of the Christ as the antitype of “the first” Adam? Is this necessary for films that portray Jesus? Did another film make reference to this specific type/antitype relationship? Why is this important to understanding of Jesus? Explain.
The Passion of the Christ is quite a violent and bloody movie. Beside the fact that the movie was used as a conversion tool, why else do you think Gibson used so much blood and violence? Do we expect this from Hollywood movies? Or is it just natural for films to include scenes like this?
1. The opening scenes of The Exorcist are distinguished by an absence of speech. The only thing the audience hears are eerie sounds accompanied by common sounds. Why is sound important to the opening scenes? What does it accomplish that visual effects, spoken utterances, and other film elements cannot do?
2. The character of evil differs from culture to culture. What is evil in The Omen and The Exorcist? What does it have to do with Satan? How do the film’s ideas of evil enter into and excite America’s fears and anxieties?
3. What do both The Exorcist and The Omen attempt to say about modern American society? Why is this critique important to understand when viewing these films?
4. Both films involve foreign places. What is the importance of these places when discussing both films’ overall comment on America? How do foreign ideas aid or deter America from seeing itself as the Promised Land?
5. Karras is both a priest and a psychiatric counselor. He attempts to sway Chris away from an exorcism by telling her that modern science has names for some of the symptoms that Regan is exhibiting. Can science and religion exist together? In The Exorcist’s critique of America, do the filmmakers think so? Why or why not?
6. How is the father figure portrayed in The Exorcist? In The Omen? Why are these portrayals important to the films’ comments on American society? Why is the “father” important?
7. Speech creates sound by definition. Does that sound communicate or is it mere noise? If the latter, how do these films suggest it? If the former, explain how the films support your answer? What is the difference between noise and speech?
8. How do these to films reshape the meaning of God? What would be the purpose of doing so? How about the meaning of evil?
9. What is the importance of belief in the two films? Belief in what? How is belief expressed? Does belief bring about change? Explain.
10. How is the concept of invasion paramount to the understanding of these films?
The Exorcist and The Omen have children that are evil or have evil in them. Why are children used as the subjects of evil? What does this say about where America is going wrong? Why are innocent children the subjects of these films?
View another horror film, such as Rosemary’s Baby, The Village, Children of the Corn, or Poltergeist. Take notes and watch for the same symbols and themes that we have examined in The Exorcist and The Omen. Write a critique of the film that illustrates the same themes discussed above (if they are present). If the themes are absent, look at the year of the film and try to relate it to the context in which it was released.
1. Close Encounters of the Third Kind suggests that film and television could be a redemptive force. Do you agree or disagree that film is a powerful redemptive force in American mass culture? Why or why not? What is it redeeming?
2. What is the importance of illustrating repetition in 2001: A Space Odyssey? What does this factor say about the human condition?
3. Marshall McLuhan—a 1960s media guru—said that all technology is an extension of the human body. Why is seeing one’s self reflected back at the self when looking at technology important? How does HAL (the computer) play into reflection?
4. How does the historical and national context in which Close Encounters of the Third Kind was released help explain the meaning of the film?
5. What does Rudolf Otto’s term mysterium tremendum mean? Within the context of the two films, how does this term apply? What does it suggest about the depiction of alien contact? Why is mysterium tremendum important to the understanding of these two films?
6. What does being childlike have to do with UFOs and God? How does the notion of “childlike” work within Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001: A Space Odyssey? Why is it important?
7. Compare the way these films link God, children, and being childlike with the way the previous chapters films linked children and Satan. What is important about the similarities and the differences? Does the concept of mysterium tremendum help illuminate this comparison?
8. How does the Puritan notion of typology and its interpretation beyond the biblical text into events apply to Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Explain type and antitype within this context.
9. How do Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 2001: A Space Odyssey explain God? Why is God explained in this manner? How does it reshape the meaning of God?
10. How does the consumer culture exude millennial significance in Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Why might this be important to Americans? Discuss your answer in terms of typology.
Perhaps McLuhan (Question 2) is wrong. Technology does not extend human powers, but instead gives us powers (once) attributed to God. It makes humans more god-like, elevating them to a level that enables them to communicate with and even approach heavenly beings. Do you think these films suggest such a conclusion? Do you think it applies to our use of technology in our everyday lives?
If the human condition is one of boredom, as in 2001, how do you think American culture aims to relieve its citizens that condition? Make a list of several aspects, objects, activities, etc., of American society that could be seen a relieving boredom and tedium. Compare your lists with other students. Do the listed items actually solve the problem?
Chapter Eleven — Religion and Scandal, Crime and Innocence
1. How do the films Agnes of God and The Apostle answer the question, can a Christian be both a pious believer and wicked individual? Is this circumstance inherent in Christianity’s understanding of the human condition? Or, do these films reshape the meaning of being Christian?
2. How does law work within Christianity? Are there different types of law? Why would notions of law be important to these films?
3. Explain the problems with miracles in the secular world. Can miracles exist? Why or why not? Why is science set up to oppose religion or vice versa?
4. Compare and contrast the characterization of Sonny and Agnes. How does the social context in which these two characters live their lives help in your comparison? How does their identity as Christian believers complicate the audience’s understanding of them?
5. Scripture is quite strict about the sin of sexual intercourse outside of marriage, yet both Sonny and Agnes have committed this sin. Should they be equally condemned? Do the films indicate that these sins have affected their relationship with God or their religious devotion?
6. Explain how Sonny’s passion is both redemptive and destructive. Examine Sonny in light of Jesus’ passion in The Last Temptation of the Christ. What are the similarities and differences between these two films?
7. How do these films reconstruct Christianity? How does a Christian community keep Christianity stable?
8. Both films portray a community that is penetrated by an outsider; the convent is entered by the investigator while Sonny’s church is attacked by a man driving a bulldozer. What impact do Agnes and Sonny have on these intruders? Are they able to emerge from their intrusion unscathed?
9. In The Apostle, after Sonny baptizes himself, he changes his name to The Apostle E.F. Is Sonny really an apostle? Explain. Consider how language defines reality.
10. In both films, we have “righteous” individuals who have committed crimes. How is the audience to make sense of Agnes and Sonny in the light of Christianity? Do these films reshape our understanding of Christianity, or do they simply emphasize particular aspects of it?
While these films portray crimes that do not take place as part of the character’s beliefs, other devout religious believers commit crimes in the name of God? Are they morally right or justified? For example, years back several Christians bombed abortion clinics, explaining their actions as carrying out the will of God. Were they justified in doing so? Why or why not? How is language used to justify such actions?
At the end of Agnes of God, many questions are left unanswered—even about the facts of the case. Identify the key questions and write a short essay explaining what “really happened.”
Chapter Twelve — The Religion of Baseball
1. In the context of The Natural and Field of Dreams, how is baseball redemptive? What is baseball redeeming? How is baseball like a religion? What quality does the sport possess for it to acquire a religious function?
2. How is Roy Hobbs like Jesus? Why does he symbolize the “ideal” American? Could Jesus be seen as this type of ideal American?
3. How is The Natural like The Exorcist or Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Compare and contrast these films. What common points do both films make about American society? Why are these points important to the overall understanding of these films?
4. What is the importance of hearing in Field of Dreams? How does it compare to the role of sound in The Exorcist?
5. How does cause and effect work within Field of Dreams? Explain the quote from the film, “if you build it, he will come.” If we consider the field to represent America as the Promised Land, what would this suggest "he" symbolizes?
6. Explain how a baseball field can be a religious shrine. How does language—the use of particular words—help to construct it as such?
7. What does the Fisher King in T.S. Elliot’s Waste Land have to do with baseball and America? Does the poem fit? Why or why not? Explain.
8. How do Field of Dreams and The Natural differ politically, given the context in which the films were released? Compare and contrast both films.
9. What role does imagination play in the discussion of God? Why do you think it’s important?
10. What are the parallels between American society and the game of baseball? What qualities and ideals does baseball have that American society also has? How do these qualities work to define baseball and America? Has the game of baseball changed in its history? In what ways has it changed; for the better or worse? In what ways has it stayed the same?
Reflection
How is America wounded? What ideals of the Promised Land have left or disappeared from American society?
Activity
If America could have an ideal baseball team filled with its top leaders from the past or present, who would be on the team? Make a list of every individual on the team, their position, and batting order. Explain why you chose this lineup. Exchange your list with a classmate. Examine the similarities and differences.
Chapter Thirteen — Dharma in America
1. Why do you think Asian immigrants to American saw no need to “complicate matters by trying to introduce their religion” to American society as a whole? What matters didn’t they want to complicate? Do you think that these Asian religions would have been more accepted if they were introduced earlier into American mass society?
2. What does The Legend of Bagger Vance and Little Buddha suggest about how well Asian religions could fit in America? Why is this suggestion important for the viewing audience of these films to recognize? How do these films allow the audiences to acknowledge this suggestion?
3. How are Christianity and Buddhism shown to parallel each other in Little Buddha? Why would this parallel be important? How does this parallel advance the suggestion of question two?
4. How is the Buddhist notion of impermanence symbolized in Little Buddha? What American images does Little Buddha use to suggest impermanence? Why does impermanence play such a great part in the film?
5. Think about the English definition of the word “emptiness” and the Buddhist meaning of the word. How does emptiness apply to the American obsession with material wealth and comfort? Do you think most Americans are likely to agree with your answer? Why or why not?
6. How do “things unseen” become important in The Legend of Bagger Vance and Field of Dreams? Are the “things unseen” in both films illusions? Does that give them a positive or negative value for each film’s purpose?
7. How does The Legend of Bagger Vance use action to illustrate its point about life and golf? How does Junuh’s ego consciousness affect his play? Does the interaction of ego and action aid in illustrating Hinduism to an American audience?
8. It would seem that America values the individual more than the collective group. Do you agree or disagree with the statement made above? Why? How does the Hindu notion of selflessness work in the context of American individuality?
9. What does “Atman is Brahman” mean? How does Junuh’s realization of this truth influence his game?
10. Explain how the “perfect swing” represents the true self.
Why do you think it has taken so long for American mass media to engage with the notions and concepts of Asian religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism? Could it be that Americans would have rejected them at any other time?
These films suggest that Buddhism and Hinduism have already been in America. Where else have you seen the ideas of these Asian religions? Make a list of all the times you have seen attributes of these religions in American mass media. Then discuss your lists in a small group. What did you find? Can you agree that these Asian religions have been in America? Why or why not? Explain your answer.
Chapter Fourteen — Jewish Films: Finding the Path Between Torah and Modernity
1. Although Judaism has seen many violent events in its long history, the Holocaust is the most destructive event in recent history. How did the Holocaust change Judaism? Why is an understanding of the Holocaust essential to understand Judaism in America today?
2. What challenges do Jews face when defining themselves in modern American society? Why is such a definition important to any group, especially the Jews? How do the films The Chosen and The Quarrel exemplify this struggle of definition?
3. How do Danny’s and Reuben’s life choices illustrate Judaism in America? In the context of the films, how is America helping or hindering the unity of Jewish society? How does the understanding of America as the “New Israel” work with or against your answer?
4. What is the purpose of compassion in The Chosen? How does this virtue play out in Danny’s family? Does Reuben have compassion? Does he need it? Explain.
5. How does The Quarrel use Freud’s psychology used to make sense of Judaism and compassion? What does it symbolize?
6. Why is the modern world seen as dangerous to some in Judaism? What quality does the modern world posses that would cause Judaism’s redefinition? How is this definition played out in both The Chosen and The Quarrel?
7. How does the label of “righteous man” given to Danny by his father help unite the generations and assure the survival of Judaism?
8. In what ways do The Chosen and The Quarrel relate to one another? What is each film trying to say about Judaism’s need to identify itself within the modern world?
9. To what extent do the Holocaust and modernity provide the same symbolism in respect to Judaism? Are both necessary negative? Why is it important to link these two different concepts together?
10. What is the importance of “distance” in The Quarrel? How does distance aid or hinder the unification of the Jewish community? In the film, why does distance need to occur?
In The Chosen Danny and Reuben take different, unexpected paths in life that cross each other. How does this action insure the survival of Judaism? How is the definition of Judaism defined within the actions of the two boys?
Examine Danny and Reuben. Create a timeline that illustrates both characters’ evolution into the different forms of Judaism. At each point, explain how each character is being defined. Why is this chart important? What does it say about Judaism’s attempt to define itself?
1. Both films, My Son the Fanatic and Destiny, deal with the issue of fanaticism. What is fanaticism? Is Islam the only religion with this concept? Within the context of the two films, is fanaticism depicted only negatively? Explain.
2. Why do some creators of Islamic mass media (e.g., film) feel the need to hide their message? How do they accomplish this?
3. What is Destiny trying to say about fanaticism in Islam? How is the film’s message getting across to the audience? What would the ramifications be if a filmmaker delivered his message without subterfuge?
4. Do you think American mass media presents many positive portrayals of Islam and Muslims? Are positive portrayals common or rare? What does this reveal about American perceptions of Islam?
5. What words does Averroes use to illustrate his feelings toward fanaticism? Are these words powerful? Do you agree with them? Why or why not?
6. What role should reason play in interpreting the Quran? Explain the different answers to this question given by the different groups in Destiny and indicate how they relate to positions taken by different philosophers described in the chapter? How does interpretation take place in film for those who oppose Averroes position?
7. Does fanaticism even exist in My Son the Fanatic’s reality? If perception can define reality in this film, can fanaticism be correct and justified? How?
8. To what degree can one say that the main issue in My Son the Fanatic is the problem of whether modern/ Western society allows a place for Muslims? Does this issue ever get resolved? What different symbols do the father, son, and wife represent concerning Muslims in the Western world?
9. Does Western behavior represent positive values that should be emulated or negative actions that should be avoided? How does the portrayal of the West provide a yardstick for measuring Muslim behavior in the films?
10. To what extent can you say that the climax of Destiny represents a triumph of Averroes’s belief in human reason to interpret God’s will in the face of ignorance represented by Christian fear, Muslim fanaticism, and the ruler’s selfishness? Does the climax of My Son the Fanatic present the triumph of the son’s search for Islam within decadent Western society or the father’s triumph in recreating himself as Western?
How do “positive” aspects of a society become virtuous? Place yourself in the shoes of an immigrant to a new society. How would you practice virtuous acts you interpret as positive when you view the surrounding society as negative? Would this be difficult? Would you be viewed as a fanatic?
Type the word “fanaticism” into an Internet search engine. What sites are found? Open a few of the links. What words and phrases are accompanied with fanaticism? Discuss your findings with a classmate. What similarities and differences did you find? Make the call: is fanaticism a positive or negative concept?