Notions (Belief is relative)

The break has given me opportunity to watch movies, and so I finally got to watching "God's not dead" after much disinterest in the movie.

Before I proceed, can I just say that the movie is one of the best Christian movies I've watched in awhile. 

So the character, Josh decided to take on the lecturer, not to prove that God exists, but to disprove the claim that he doesn't exist, and the Professor Radisson threatened him on failure should he persist on carrying out the challenge.

Also, while I was watching the credits at the end of the movie, I realised that the movie is inspired by Christian students and organisations who the school authorities have somewhat persecuted as a result of their beliefs. 

To say that I was stunned, that the above is happening in supposedly first world countries is an understatement. 

Infact, I'd have easily believed it if someone told me it happens in the Nigeria society.

The reason being that, while I was growing up, strongly in faith, one of my relatives, I'd call her auntie that lived with us was telling us about what happens to Christians in some departments, that invariably stop believing in God before graduation.

According to her, she said that "Some lecturers would tell you that you either agree that you are an atheist or you fail"

Then, I called them anti-Christ. Infact, now I think about it, I'm not so sure of the claims.

Maybe, it is a movie that was being narrated to them or maybe, I didn't hear her story correctly but for a long time, that was what I belived.

When I entered the University, my mindset changed. So I figured that maybe, those people just become atheists after they've become tired of the Christian tirades in this country.

So, seeing that there are student organisations antagonised cos of their beliefs just shows how extremist, the anti-religious are now becoming towards the religious sector. And while I am not about becoming defensive of the extreme fanaticism of Christians, my fear is that the atheists and anti-religious are now taking their beliefs to encroach on the religious people's beliefs and mocking their decision to follow God, as being stupid and irrelevant. I mean, "What happened to live and let live?" Isn't there freedom of worship again?

***

There is a part of the movie where a member of the News boys, a band was with the female Journalist, Amy with cancer who so much rancor towards the church something. 

Amy: So when you're pressed, you quote a bunch of ancient scribblings and say it's all in there?

Newboys: They may be ancient but they are not scribblings. We believe God gave us an instruction manual and that's where we draw our hope.

Another then asked her, "Where do you draw your hope?"

And that is it!

This whole belief thingy is based on hope. Christians' hope on God is what makes their faith in his ability stronger.

I do have strong inclination that 'if' we had an Utopia society and a certainty that there's no afterlife, people wouldn't be serving God.

However, since we don't have a perfect society, and there's so much affliction and supernatural mysteries, we believe and thus have "Hope" on God for things to be better.

This reminds me of a poem we read in Secondary school, "The pulley" 

The last lines goes thus,

"So let him (man) keep the rest, but keep it in repining restlessness. Let him be rich and weary, so that if goodness lead him not, then weariness may toss him to my breast"

The poem's personae is God, on somewhat the creation story, when God was bestowing gifts on man. So, he didn't give man Utopia so that man would always run back to Him, if not for anything, for the sake of seeking  'rest'

And so, we don't have that rest. Hence the 'hope' on God, so that even if we don't have rest in this life, the afterlife would provide rest from all the suffering, pain and distress.

***

Can I also add that the character Josh, is brave, too brave to challenge his lecturer.

Come on, let's face it. That kind thing no fit happen for Naija ( I stand to be corrected though)

Ageism is so rampant in this country, down to the academics that you cannot express explicitly contrary views without it seeming like you're challenging your lecturer who has gotten more degrees than you.

Infact, you can't express distate on some policies at all because if your reg number is fished out, your graduation bugodu bye bye, so what better way than to remain compliant.

I'd like to reference the part where the guy's girlfriend told him, "You don't have to defend God"

To which the guy replied, "God wants someone to defend him" and defend Him he did.

You can imagine my expression when the dude was almost shouting at his professor, after his presentation on the reason for the lecturer's dislike of God, to reiterate his stance on God

More accolades to the students who finally stood by the boy in the final judgement after he presented his case.

Ka m nụkwa that Nigeria students will do that. Ọ style?

You want to keep on carrying over that course and have extra year on top or what?

***

Another part I want to point out is, "The girl whose family is Islam and the father refuses her contact with Christians and other students. 

The muslim man made a statement which reminded me of something, "They seem happy but not really. They don't serve God as he should be"

This takes me back to my first year when a student evangelist had come to my room and I asked questions about "Humanists who aren't exactly Christians but are wealthy"

So that student evangelist had told me exactly what this Muslim man said, "Those people are not happy because they are not in Christ"

The nerve, the absolute nerve!

I can't help but wonder why, why on Earth people decide the happiness of other people based off their own personal definition of Happiness.

This is not limited to the religious (Christians and Muslims) but even the irreligious. Each believe that the other is constrained and unhappy because they don't ascribe to your version of happiness. Like, "What's even the basis for this kind Happiness?"

The earlier we realise that "Happiness is relative, the better for all of us"

Let's stop that. Kwụsịgodu nụ ihe a na ọ dịghị mma.

Like I said before, live and let live. "Bili kambili"

And just as the Christians have hope, I pray that hope will be our saviour in this period that the COVID epidemic has befallen us.