Bob, George, and leave it to God

The thing that I don’t get is if God, this almighty being, who created heaven and hell and all that lies in between, gave us, mortal, sinful creatures the will to make our own choices and to form our own opinions, then why do some of us think that we have a right to make those decisions for others that are capable of making them for themselves. I’m not talking about a parent deciding things for their child or someone who has a mental disability. I’m talking about someone who is at the same level as everyone else trying to force their own ideas on others. Let’s face it, we are all on the same level when it comes to opinions on what is true and false for religious matters. Can anyone say that they have died and come back and now know all the answers to life’s greatest mysteries? No one truly knows why we are on this earth, what happens when the last breath of air leaves our lungs, or if there is a God. We have our choices and our beliefs and we can share them to help enlighten others, but we cannot decide for others what is right for them. We each are given a life that is ours to live; we can’t go and try to shove ourselves in other people’s paths. To me, that is what the movie Dogma was all about. It’s about the frustration of not being allowed to think what you want to think. Like a teenager that is told to not do something, they then go and do everything that they can in retaliation. It is the biggest controversial issue of people not being satisfied with just them thinking a certain way, no; you have to think this way too.
Dogma answers the major questions many people have. It is a very blunt movie that is more or less saying to the world “Look, I’ll think what-ever I want to think, so screw you.” It shows the ideas of abortion, If Jesus Christ was black or had siblings, If God had the look of a woman, etc. In the media there are countless people trying to convince others that “this product is amazing! And you should get it!” or that “this democrat is better than this other one” and etc. Then there are religions that say things not necessarily like this but close to “This is what you have to do and believe in, or you will go to Hell.” There is a difference; one is trying to convince you (meaning that you can decide for yourself), the other is commanding you (you have one choice or hell). One religious group that I think shows this well and is often on the news is the “God hates Fags” group. They demand that everyone think just like them and if anyone doesn’t they are going to Hell. In the movie, it has a group of pro-life advocates outside a women’s clinic with signs saying things like “what did your unborn child ever do to you?” This is one of the best examples of people trying to shove their ideas down someone’s throat. If not even God makes decisions for us, what gives man the right?
I love listening to people’s ideas and passions and getting enlightened by what they think. But do not tell me that you are right and that I am wrong, and that I need to be more like this or that, unless you are God. I honestly enjoyed Dogma for the fact that it brings up the controversial issue that people don’t like it when others disagree with their beliefs. That everyone should be colorless and robotic and see through the same eyes. In a way this movie brings up a conversation like this: Bob-“I think this.” George- “well I think the exact opposite”. Bob-“Well I disagree with you entirely”. George- “well, let’s fight about it and hate each other forever more because we are different.” If it was possible for everyone to Stop judging (and leave that to God) and to just except that everyone has opinions and that they may or may not coincide with your own, the world would be so much better. I never said that I personally agree with anything that Dogma shows but as a quote by the Voltaire puts it “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."