The film Bruce Almighty depicts both Grace and Salvation in a way that everyone can enjoy without even noticing they are receiving a religion lesson. It is evident from the beginning of the movie that the main character, Bruce Nolan, lacks both Grace and Salivation. Bruce found himself to be a martyr and believed that it was God’s fault for why his life was the way it was. However, throughout the movie Bruce began to gain a new light on life. In the following paragraphs Grace and Salvation in the film will be discussed.
Grace was defined for us as “another word for God’s life and holiness, which he shares with us. Grace is free, unconditional, and undeserved help that God gives us.” There are two types of Grace: actual and sanctifying. Actual Grace is a gift from God that helps us to do what is right, and Sanctifying Grace is a gift from God that reinforces our ability to live and do God’s Will. In Bruce Almighty, Bruce’s girlfriend Grace seems to represent the Grace in the movie. She was a gift from God and tried to influence Bruce to do good representing Actual Grace. She also began to represent Sanctifying Grace as the movie went on and Bruce realized that she made him want to be good and do God’s Will. The end of the movie showed Bruce realizing that it was Grace he needed to live on.
Salvation was defined for us as “being made whole by God; made right with God; saved from the power of sin and everlasting death.” Salvation is very clear in the film. Bruce gains Salvation by the end of the movie after he is given the opportunity to ‘be’ God. In the beginning of the film Bruce continuously blames God for everything that goes wrong in his life. He believed that the most important thing going for him was be to become an anchor on channel seven news, and he also believed that until then everything was mediocre. This upset Grace because she felt that their love for each other and their life was more than that and would tell Bruce to pray to God. It wasn't until Bruce was given the opportunity to grant his wishes that he started to realize that maybe that’s not what he needed after all. Even though he seemed to have been given everything he had wanted he start letting go of his Grace, and with God’s help he realized that she was everything to him and he was nothing without her. After being hit by the truck and he went to God and he told him to pray God seemed satisfied that Bruce learned to appreciate what he had and the importance of faith in him, so he saved Bruce from death and sent him back to live his life as a new person.
In conclusion, Bruce Nolan learned that love and helping others was more of a reward than being a television anchor. It may have taken him awhile, but his experience made him realize that he needed Grace and Salvation to fulfill life. It was clearly evident in the last scene where he not only professed his love for Grace but was about to help many others through the blood drive that was taking place that Bruce became a different person. Bruce was given a new light on life, just like many others that find God. Bruce Almighty was a clever way to make even the most nonreligious person realize that Grace and Salvation need to be present in order to fully live.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Chapter Two Blog
Does Belief in God Demean Us?
I don’t personally believe belief in god shames us today; however I do believe that faith today is very different than faith in past years. I do identify with George Weigel when he states “Sunday looks very different today than it did even sixty or seventy years ago” (page 19). People are always on the go and it has been that way since before I was even born. Fifty years ago stores were closed on Sundays, families worshiped together, and families spent time together. In the twenty years that I have been on this earth stores have been opened and it’s almost rare that families worship together or even spend time with each other. I often wonder if maybe life was better when times were simpler and less hectic than they are today.
George Weigel also states that “Others are genuinely skeptical that human beings can know the truth of anything, much less the truth of ultimate things” (page 19). The previous statement I tend to agree with. Even though I practice the Catholic faith and I do believe in God for the most part, I also have a problem with trust like many people. I think that part of the reason that many people have trouble fully believing is because we have been taught that there is a scientific explanation to everything. Many people also have trouble believing because they think if there’s a God than why do bad things happen, and many times people don’t want to hear that everything happens for reason or that there is always a cause and effect. There have also been so many different theories that have been proven or disproved that people probably don’t know what to believe anymore.
From a Catholic stand point, I notice that many people have lack in trust because they think that the church is a whole set of made up laws. In my own perspective I sometimes agree. Many times I wonder why we practice certain things or believe in certain things. However, it always seems that the answers we receive always an answer of because we do or that’s just how it is. I personally believe that if we were actually explained what we believe and why there would be more of a response rate. People don’t respond to be told what to do, so maybe that does support Weigel’s thought that people view God as an enemy of freedom (page 19). However, I don’t think its God that they view to be the enemy more than they do the church.
All in all I don’t think that we think believing in God demeans us. I feel that the way the world has changed so much that the way be show our faith has as well. I’m not saying that people believe less in organized religion, but I am saying that many don’t realize that people have their own ways of showing their faith. It’s not that people today believe less in God, and it is certainly not the case that they feel shamed to believe. Everyone has their own belief, but not everyone has the same, and just because certain people have the same doesn’t mean they show it the same way.
I don’t personally believe belief in god shames us today; however I do believe that faith today is very different than faith in past years. I do identify with George Weigel when he states “Sunday looks very different today than it did even sixty or seventy years ago” (page 19). People are always on the go and it has been that way since before I was even born. Fifty years ago stores were closed on Sundays, families worshiped together, and families spent time together. In the twenty years that I have been on this earth stores have been opened and it’s almost rare that families worship together or even spend time with each other. I often wonder if maybe life was better when times were simpler and less hectic than they are today.
George Weigel also states that “Others are genuinely skeptical that human beings can know the truth of anything, much less the truth of ultimate things” (page 19). The previous statement I tend to agree with. Even though I practice the Catholic faith and I do believe in God for the most part, I also have a problem with trust like many people. I think that part of the reason that many people have trouble fully believing is because we have been taught that there is a scientific explanation to everything. Many people also have trouble believing because they think if there’s a God than why do bad things happen, and many times people don’t want to hear that everything happens for reason or that there is always a cause and effect. There have also been so many different theories that have been proven or disproved that people probably don’t know what to believe anymore.
From a Catholic stand point, I notice that many people have lack in trust because they think that the church is a whole set of made up laws. In my own perspective I sometimes agree. Many times I wonder why we practice certain things or believe in certain things. However, it always seems that the answers we receive always an answer of because we do or that’s just how it is. I personally believe that if we were actually explained what we believe and why there would be more of a response rate. People don’t respond to be told what to do, so maybe that does support Weigel’s thought that people view God as an enemy of freedom (page 19). However, I don’t think its God that they view to be the enemy more than they do the church.
All in all I don’t think that we think believing in God demeans us. I feel that the way the world has changed so much that the way be show our faith has as well. I’m not saying that people believe less in organized religion, but I am saying that many don’t realize that people have their own ways of showing their faith. It’s not that people today believe less in God, and it is certainly not the case that they feel shamed to believe. Everyone has their own belief, but not everyone has the same, and just because certain people have the same doesn’t mean they show it the same way.
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