Is there a God gene, pondered a popular news magazine article a few years ago, expanding on whether the trait of accepting the almighty is more congenital, like breathing, than a measured and a conscious choice that happens later in life when all the cognitive functions fall in place? It is not so much as merely accepting the unknown that is at the root of that question, but a strict adherence to a certain way of life as prescribed in The Good Book(s) even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, is what that really piques the interest of the rationalists. Knowing God is not just to quench the curiosity, much in the same way as the mission statement of scientific temper, but the knowledge and recognition of His grace would lead to live of contentment and fulfillment, per religion and its spokespeople, whereby whoever accepts this dogma unquestionably and follows the edicts laid down dutifully would find peace in the current life and in its aftermath. It is too easy to deride the notion of religion viewing it through the prism of reason. As the eternal battle between faith and logic rages on, even though they both appeal to different parts of the mind (faith feeding the emotion, logic fortifying the understanding), one thing becomes amply clear, that it is not the institution of God that is at contention here but it the display of strength of conviction of contrasting ideas. So the original question "Is there a God gene" should in fact be rephrased as "Is there a passion gene", as that alone would explain the lengths to which people go defending their ideas - be it about God, beliefs, faith, cause, rationality etc. And soon the question follows, how would that kind of passion come about in the first place, where people wouldn't mind laying down even their lives defending in what they believe is the ultimate truth. When a militant suits himself up with a suicide vest, walks into the opposite camp and blows himself up, when a soldier voluntarily signs up to rush into the enemy territory at the expense of his own safety, when an eco-warrior chains himself to a tree and refuses to leave the place until the deforestation drive stops - many such acts of activism transcend levels of normal human interest, response and engagement. And behavior as such could only be termed as pathological, however noble the intent might be.
'First Reformed' is one such passion play, interestingly bookending the other feature written by the same Paul Schrader about similar behavior, 'Taxi Driver'. In 'Taxi Driver', the protagonist roams the streets of midnight Manhattan and unable to reconcile with the decadence and debauchery all around, decides to take matters into his own (violent) hands and rid his environment of the two prominent ills, he perceives, plaguing the society - politics and prostitution. It might come off as mental imbalance to some, who cannot fathom the degree of desperation to which one can descend into where he feels elimination is the only solution instead of resolution through sustained efforts. There is the Gandhian way of addressing the issue over a few decades and there is the Godse route of achieving ends through violent means. Though the underlying passion and commitment is common in both the ca(u)ses - Gandhi and Godse - it is the degree of desperation that truly separates the two. And what feeds that desperation - loneliness, lack of prospects, inability to reconcile, or a really strong righteous core that does not care about one's life? Consider these two sides of the coin - Ajmal Kasab, a low level street urchin becoming a foot soldier for his cause and suiting up for a suicide mission, on one side, and Osama Bin Laden, born into a billionaire family, shunning his riches and comforts and opting for life of constant danger and hardship, again for his cause, on the other side. While it is abject poverty causing to lay down his life for the prospect of a better one in "heaven", in the case of the former, Osama's motivation was one of ideology that doing God's work (of ridding his Holy Land of the tyranny of foreign forces, much in the same way as the Crusades during the middle ages) was reward enough and the obstacles during the way, the price of the opportunity to serve God. History is replete with examples of such blind, unwavering, unquestioning faith in a variety of institutions, from material to ethereal, and means of abiding by that faith, ranging from most benevolent to most virulent. In 'First Reformed', the campaign is environmentalism and the activist, a Reverend. Oh, and there is one more factor that really drives up the motivation/desperation - knowledge of impending death, as through a terminal disease.
Schrader gives the tale a delightful wicked twist by making his protagonist a man of God. As though the mystery of (concept of) God isn't challenging enough to hold on to, in the current times of scientific enlightenment, there is also moral quandary of what exactly constitutes His work. Is a passive life of prayer, abstinence and abnegation good enough service to Him or is taking the responsibility of improving the quality of life for the fellow beings around, in the vein of Service to man is Service to God, an absolute must in the deeds to do (much like the Five Pillars of Faith of Islam)? And what exactly does improving the quality of life mean - preaching His gospel to the philistines, bringing His word to the naysayers, serving society through schools and hospitals and orphanages OR even picking up a weapon and ridding the society of whoever intends to harm it? Just as the concept theology that always depends on the interpretation, so does its application. With the latest reports from the Department of Defense that global warming (even the change of the phrase 'Global Warming' to 'Climate Change' was a victory of capitalists) is the most imminent threat to mankind in the next couple of decades and with big players in the energy sector doing their best, first disputing all evidence to muddy the discussion, and second continue with their ways of ravaging the resources with impunity, who but a man of God to answer to the call of God to do His work of protecting His creation! Piety, like charity, should begin at home.
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