The Pietistic Factor
We went to a movie on a Friday night and watched At Eternity’s Gate in a dark theatre lounging on recliner seats, and loved it. How could we not? It was a two-hour long drama about a mythological artist and his struggle with his artist soul.
The movie is wildly spiritual, impressionistic and fragmented.
Both of us have been brought up with pietistic influences – strong belief in a individual piety and living a vigorous Christian life, religion and moral upbringing.
I was so pious.. I never swore, never kissed, didn’t smoke behind the barn, never drank, and above all I never attended a movie - well not until I was married.
During our first year of marriage when we were living in Vancouver, Cliff and I went out to see our very first movie Gone with the Wind – with smoking consciences.
We came home -- asking -- "And what was so bad about that?"
We've seen some excellent movies - watched amazing drama since.
HOwever - we do need rules. I think leading a moral life – has great benefits. There is a universal moral code- written on our hearts - and I think to adhere to it pays dividends. “And all societies,” according to Geoffrey Klempner, “have moral codes meeting basic human needs - identity, security, affection, meaning - dealing with conflict, prohibiting lying, stealing, adultery and murder, and detecting/punishing freeloaders.”I am grateful for this foundation. We need to know the baseline of goodness.
But if we adhere to the rules too stringently, rules can suffocate the life it wants to preserve. Laws become legalistic.
Vincent Van Gogh fought the restrictions of his time. His spirit needed to be free to paint – the one thing that he knew how to do. But there was a cost. He was often caught in some kind of darkness as he reached out to goodness.
Those are my thoughts as I lounge in the theatre – enjoying a story. It’s a good story. It is about faith. It is about the sacrifices needed to fulfill ones’ calling.
It is about the artist soul.
If there is one thing worse that the modern weakening of major morals, it is the modern strengthening of minor morals. – GK Chesterton
The movie is wildly spiritual, impressionistic and fragmented.
Both of us have been brought up with pietistic influences – strong belief in a individual piety and living a vigorous Christian life, religion and moral upbringing.
I was so pious.. I never swore, never kissed, didn’t smoke behind the barn, never drank, and above all I never attended a movie - well not until I was married.
During our first year of marriage when we were living in Vancouver, Cliff and I went out to see our very first movie Gone with the Wind – with smoking consciences.
We came home -- asking -- "And what was so bad about that?"
We've seen some excellent movies - watched amazing drama since.
HOwever - we do need rules. I think leading a moral life – has great benefits. There is a universal moral code- written on our hearts - and I think to adhere to it pays dividends. “And all societies,” according to Geoffrey Klempner, “have moral codes meeting basic human needs - identity, security, affection, meaning - dealing with conflict, prohibiting lying, stealing, adultery and murder, and detecting/punishing freeloaders.”I am grateful for this foundation. We need to know the baseline of goodness.
But if we adhere to the rules too stringently, rules can suffocate the life it wants to preserve. Laws become legalistic.
Vincent Van Gogh fought the restrictions of his time. His spirit needed to be free to paint – the one thing that he knew how to do. But there was a cost. He was often caught in some kind of darkness as he reached out to goodness.
Those are my thoughts as I lounge in the theatre – enjoying a story. It’s a good story. It is about faith. It is about the sacrifices needed to fulfill ones’ calling.
It is about the artist soul.
If there is one thing worse that the modern weakening of major morals, it is the modern strengthening of minor morals. – GK Chesterton
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