So yesterday was a 3 movie day. I am so ashamed. We watched Horton Hears a Who, Surf's Up, and I Am Legend. Of the three, Legend was the worst by far. It was disappointing on more levels than I can easily share, or care to. Horton Hears a Who, on the other hand was pretty good. Not only was it somewhat entertaining, it had some pretty decent theological implications that I was glad my kids got to hear. The whole thing revolves around the idea that Horton the Elephant is in contact with people he can't see because his ears are so big. Soon, the rest of the jungle shuns him, led by a vicious kangaroo who boldly (and errantly) claims that if you can't see it, hear it, or feel it, it doesn't exist. Horton is labeled a dissident and the fun begins. The kangaroo will go to any length to rid Horton of the clover on which his invisible friends rest, including violence.
How like our own society. How like the atheist movement. It was uplifting to know that my children were there to witness on screen how easy it is to persecute someone who might not fit in exactly with the culture even though that person is totally justified in their beliefs and actions. Horton took a stand for what he believed, facing down even an angry mob because he knew he was right. How noble. How integritous. (I think I just invented a word there.)
The truth is that Horton's belief in his invisible friends, who had proven beyond reasonably doubt their existence to him, was the metaphorical equivalent to my own belief in Jesus Christ. He has proven to me thousands of times over that He is not only there and real, but Lord and God. That many others don't agree is a shame, but it doesn't make me wrong to believe as I do. The Flying Toaster and Spaghetti Monster crowd can shout and rant and rave all they want, they only look increasingly silly, ignorant and desperate for doing so. They can persecute the truth all they want, but they can't change it.
On the opposite side of Horton's dilemna is the mayor of Whoville, himself beset by weak-minded fools who impugn his reputation and resort to name-calling to prove their position. Again, the resemblance to most neo-darwinists I've encountered is uncanny. Yes, there exists an informed minority in the humanist/materialist/atheist crowd who are willing to politely engage in reasonable debate, but they are just that, a minority. Most of them fare no better than Seuss's kangaroo.
