Acts of God, Comments

Although what I'm about to quote now is FICTION, I'm mentioning it because it so parallels the article ACTS OF GOD. Many times, we find that fiction parallels truth - so much so, that at times it's frightening. What I'm going to quote here is from a movie called "Brother John," and was made about 25 years ago. I find it interesting that scriptwriters could see the world horrors, even then. The movie's available on video cassette, and stars Sidney Poitier, Brad Dillman, the late Will Geer, and Ray Birei.

Brother John (played by Sidney Poitier) is an "advanced being." The movie indicates that he's from "out there." Even at this level, he was born among us. He had a job to fulfill as his time progressed. His job is to travel all over the world and make an overall judgment on mankind. He is depressed by what he's seen. His one friend, in the movie, is Doc (played by Will Geer). At the end of the movie, John is falsely accused of murder, for political reasons, and thrown into jail. Doc visits his friend in the cell, and they talk. By this time Doc KNOWS that John is an advanced person and has been sent to judge all of us, as a species. Doc's concern is obvious. Why did John really come? What are the details? Are we all being judged? What's gonna happen? When? So, Doc wants John to tell him what's really happening in the world. Is it as bad as they say? Is there any hope? But John sees the ACTS OF GOD.

Please remember this is fiction, I'm only quoting the main, relevant excerpts. But see how well this small fictional monolog of John's parallels the ACTS OF GOD. The scene is a jail cell, and Doc quizzes John. This is a quote EXACTLY from the movie. Doc speaks to John about the world's conditions.

DOC: What have you seen? Oh, I won't tell anybody. They wouldn't believe me anyway. What have you seen? What have you seen?

JOHN: I've seen people . . . all over the world. I've seen death, starvation and cruelty. I've seen a county road gang in Ludlow, Texas, and beggar children shoveled off the streets in Calcutta and into the river . . . and the fat and sleek oiling their bodies in the sun.

I've seen prisons in Africa and China, and I have seen war in Korea, in the Sinai, in Belfast, in Vietnam. And I have smelled the flesh burning and the stink when a man is killed and his gut squeezes out the last of life.

I have seen people swarming all over the world like maggots on a rotten apple, getting ready to leap off the Earth . . . first to the moon, and then to the stars.

DOC: Is that it? They just don't want us out there? Will it be fire? What's the difference? Fire . . . ice . . . fall out? Guess maybe you don't care.

DOC: I do wonder, you seen any . . . you seen any hope? Improvement? A chance?

DOC: Yeah. And what about the innocent? The children. They're good people. Don't they count? (Sighs) What about love? Man isn't just an animal. He is capable of love.

The movie makes the point that we probably will NOT be judged individually, but we'll be judged as a SPECIES. This is quite a different perspective than what we've been used to hearing. I'm not saying it's correct, but I think it's worth thinking about.

If that's the case, then as a species, we're a failure. Look at the overall fruits, and let's be honest with ourselves. I really wonder, in this case, what is the real "Plain Truth?"

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