Yeah, you read that right. I have never considered this possibility before until I read this post on RLP. He links to this article by Tony Campolo (who is way more “left wing” than I thought he would be) about the same thing and this fabulous short film called Credo. It is very interesting and just a few minutes long, from the point of view of God. It’s weird to imagine this bald guy with thick glasses singing operatic/hebrew type music as God. But give it a try.
If you don’t read the whole RLP post then this quote sums it up quite well:
I loved it. It’s lovely, precious, and endearing. And it’s certain to spark some pretty intense conversations. As you watch it, remember this: It is a work of art, not a theological treatise. Don’t pick the theology apart. Also, you should remember that in the Jewish scriptures (Old Testament) God repents several times. In Genesis God repents and is sorry that he created humankind. In First Samuel God repented that he made Saul king. And, most stunningly, in Exodus God is angry and about to destroy the children of Israel. Moses intervenes and demands that he repent of this anger.
“Why are you angry with Your people, which you brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand? . . .Turn from your fierce wrath and repent of this evil against your people…And the Lord repented of the evil which He said He would do unto his people.” (32:11-14)
This notion of God experiencing regret is only a problem if you are into the whole omniscient and omnipotent thing. And since those ideas are NOT IN THE BIBLE, I don’t feel obligated to believe them myself.
Yeah, not in the Bible. The omni concept is more of a Greek, philosophical thing. Surprised aren’t you? Here’s a little article about this by Tony Campolo, who is a huge hero of mine.
Keith Synder explores the idea of God, evil, and repentance in this wonderful little film. And if you can let go of the omni stuff, then you make room for the idea that Larry Picard’s God character might actually be possible. Which is cool because I absolutely adore Larry in this film. I wish he was my friend in real life, but I’d have a hard time not always wanting to pray to him.
Love, love, LOVE! Â Good watch! Go see!