The Great Dictator

In doing research to try and figure out what this last blog should be about, I came across and unlikely (at least in my mind) film that seemed to break the mold. I am sure that not many of us think of Charlie Chaplin as the type to create a stir, in fact, all I remembered about him was the soundless movies with his funny mustache and silly dancing around. Low and behold in 1940 Charlie Chaplin wrote, produced, directed, and starred (as several characters) in The Great Dictator.

 

The Great Dictator was not only silent movie, but portrayed many scenes with sound.(I learned that Chaplin made not only silent movies but movies with sound as well). At the time that the movie was created and released, the United States was not yet at war with Germany or Japan. The war was well underway in Europe and the Jews were suffering at the hands of the Nazis. Like many movies today, The Great Dictator was created to expose what was going on overseas to the people. By the time this movie was created, the extent of the brutality that the Nazis were inflicting on the Jews was not yet publicly know (Chaplin would later state that had that suffering been widely know his movie would have never made it to the screen). Chaplin used his comedic skills to create a “spoof” of the situation, but it was obvious that his fictional characters were based real people, specifically Hitler (I did notice that Chaplin and Hitler shared some physical similarities).

Chaplin challenged the norm with this movie. He portrayed Jewish characters and their situation, which was still a very touchy subject. In America the movie was well received, but most countries in Europe banned the film. The owner of a theater in England premiered the movie, but was allegedly fined for it. In 1997 the movie was selected to be preserved by the Library of Congress stating that the film was “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant”.

While I was watching the film, I felt a little guilty laughing at Charlie Chaplin. It seems that we should not laugh about such a serious matter, but his talent to expose things for what they are through his comedy is really amazing. Chaplin used his talent to make a very political stand, and in doing so left his mark on history.



Religion vs. Darwinism

I was really not sure where to do with this last concept blog, so I decided to step outside of my comfort zone.  Let me explain. My mother was a Catholic and my father a protestant. Their children were baptized as Catholics and attended all of the Catholic rights. By the time they adopted me (I am the eldest child of their son) my mother had left the Catholic Church and she and my father had joined a local Southern Baptist church. They were zealous to say the least. Growing up there were very clear belief systems set up for me. I never had to think about what I believed, I just accepted it. I never (even as a teenager) questioned anything, I blindly accepted everything as fact and would defend it to a fault. When I was 23 I met my husband, who is Catholic but would never blindly believe anything. He began to challenge my beliefs, not in an effort to change them, but in an effort to help me feel and think on my own, to create a defense for those beliefs that wasn’t memorized.

So, this blog because another challenge for me. I decided to explore Charles Darwin (I hear my mother from 150 miles away snarling). Since the last several years have been dedicated to my journey of self discovery, I thought this would be an opportunity to explore one of “Christians’” the most despised scientists Charles Darwin.

I could not believe what I was reading. He was good man. Charles Darwin was smart and wise. His parents, although with church ties, encouraged him to be a free thinker (imagine that).  He grew up in the church and going to Anglican schools. When Charles Darwin went on the Beagle, he often quoted the bible and told his comrades that a God was the lawmaker and the authority on morality. Through most of his life he believed that God used the principle of evolution for continued creationism. As he grew older and researched religion and science, his view began to change. He never denied that God was the ultimate lawmaker, but did not see evidence of “design” in the world around him. In his later days his family attended church and he took long walks, but remained close friends with the vicar. The Church of England did not always agree with Darwin’s theories or findings, but never accused him of any form of heresy. There were more liberal members of the clergy that found validity in his research and thought that his ideas and the Christian beliefs systems could complement each other.

After a life dedicated to research and discovery of the truth, Darwin struggled with the suffering he say amongst he species and began to question God as a deity (most of us can relate with the question “Why would an all powerful God allow such suffering?”).He never claimed himself as an atheist but wrote in 1879 “I have never been an atheist in the sense of denying the existence of a God. – I think that generally ... an agnostic would be the most correct description of my state of mind.”

Today the world stands divided on the ideas and theories of Charles Darwin. Scientists hold him as influential, groundbreaking, and setting into motion modern science. The church (specifically Christian Churches) preaches that he was wrong, and encourages their congregation to dismiss his ideas as false. Some scoff at his name and hold tight to creationism.

I think there is room for both. I think that God is the creator and evolution/natural selection the vessel. I am learning that not everything is “black and white”, there is a lot of gray. Charles Darwin was an amazing man, good friend, loving husband, and very dedicated father. His children grew up to be free thinking and education. England honored him by burying him next to Issac Newton in Westminster Abby (a church).

In the great and eternal debate of evolution versus creationism there is no clear winner. Science and religion have the capacity to greatly complement each other.  This is not a battle for “survival of the fittest”.  (Another snarl from my mother)

This trailer is for a movie not released in the US, yet is shows a very human side of Darwin, likable.